Looking for a seasonal change from your timeless No. 5? Put the classics on standby and mix it up with something light and bright for summer by the sea, or curl up fireside with a warming wintry blend… Really, there’s never a bad time to pick out a new eau de vous.
But in the heady world of fragrance, oft dominated by mass fashion bigwigs (not to mention many a B-list celeb!), ubiquitous whiffs have us bored stiff. Instead, we turned to our favourite global artisan parfumiers… Go on, give it your best nose!
Bond No. 9, New York
A shade gimmicky, yes… But a seriously fun forage. Laurice Rahme’s balmy bottles draw inspiration from every corner of New York, from the citrussy Little Italy to the ylang ylang of Central Park West and the velvety champaca baritone of Queens. And like the gritty city itself, the scent intensity packs a serious punch with most blends carrying an 18-22% pure perfume oil concentration (which rockets up to 30% with the Bond No. 9 Signature). Somewhat affordable is the mix-it-yourself option, or if you’re feeling seriously flash, have their dotty London cab, ‘The Bond Mobile’, pick you up and deliver you into the hands of a Bond Perfumista, who will masterfully mix up a three-year supply of your own custom blend for a trifling $10,000. Pff, peanuts.
Bond No. 9, 9 Bond St, NoHo, New York, +1 212 228 1732, + branches, bondno9.com
Ormonde Jayne, London
This modest but luxuriant little shop is tucked away down the old-fashioned Royal Arcade in debonair Mayfair. A globetrotter herself, Linda Pilkington’s small-scale house concocts the ideal aromatic accompaniment to the well-heeled traveller, with her Four Corners range spanning Latin America (with suede, tobacco leaf and jasmine notes), India (with amber, rose and a soft oudh edge), China (a delicate lemon blossom), and Russia (a rich floral oriental). Or splash out on a flacon of her star scent, Black Gold, a statement squirt not for the faint of character. There are also candles, bath oils, lotions and soaps, as well as a delightfully woody musk for the hunk in your life. Phwoar!
Ormonde Jayne, 12 The Royal Arcade, 28 Old Bond St, London, +44 20 7499 1100
Ex Nihilo, Paris
Paris has long appealed to the world’s olfactory senses, so where better to sniff out your own defining scent? This Christophe Pillet-designed boutique, in the upscale 1er, will help you do just that. Choose from eight base notes using a curiously baroque glass orb transmitter, then, with an expert nose on-hand to advise the right balance for your skin, decide on your desired potency by adding raw oils like orange blossom, iris or sandalwood. A high precision dosing system (osmologue) will shake up your signature scent right in front of you, and a choice of luxury bottle stops, from mother of pearl to leather, will seal the deal nicely.
Ex Nihilo, 352 rue St-Honoré, 1st, Paris, +33 1 40 15 93 77, ex-nihilo.com
Lorenzo Villoresi, Florence
This other LV honed his hooter in the Middle East and set up shop some 20 years ago in Firenze, where he landed the parfumeur’s equivalent of an Oscar (Le Prix François Coty) in 2006. Sure, LV offers a quick ‘one scent fits all’ fix, but you’d be madder than a box of frogs to miss out on his famous bespoke creations… You’ve come this far, after all. So pull up a pew at this quaint atelier overlooking the Arno while the master of spice and all things nice sets to work crafting your personalised perfume from his cabinet of precious natural ingredients. Scent-sational!
Lorenzo Villoresi, Via de Bardi, 14, Oltrarno, Florence, +39 55 234 1187, lorenzovilloresi.it
Karmakamet, Bangkok
What started as a simple essential oils stall at the hectic Chatuchak market in 2001 has since branched out to become a set of stylish apothecary-style stores dotted across Bangkok. The luscious range has grown too to encompass incense, sachets, candles, room diffusers, hair and body care, soaps, scrubs and moisturisers, plus a huge stash of teas. We simply adore the Bluma Perfume Oil Mist which pops with amber and Chinese orange blossom, and the scrumptious Sumatran frangipani body balm. So covetable you’ll be willing to forsake your luggage limit!
Karmakamet, 3/F, CentralWorld, Ratchadamri Rd, Bangkok, +66 2 613 1397, + branches, karmakamet.co.th
