Beauty: How to Build a Fragrance Wardrobe

I’m often asked the question: ‘how to I go about building a collection of fragrances?’ In short, there is no simple answer because fragrance is so deeply personal (and what is right for me will certainly not be right for everyone).

I have a great admiration for those women who are able to pull off the single signature fragrance and make it completely their own, but I’m somewhat more schizophrenic in my olfactory tastes. If, like me, you like the idea of having a wardrobe of fragrances, then this is how I go about it:

1. Embark on a fragrance treasure hunt. Whenever you pass by a department store beauty hall, beauty boutique, duty free counter or while on your travels, have a sniff of the bottles which you like the look of (this isn’t as shallow as it sounds; fragrance developers invest a huge amount in ensuring the bottle symbolises the mood of the scent inside). Try a few on a card and spray your favourite on your wrist (it will smell different as it reacts with your own ph levels).Light/summery scents, L-R: Annick Goutal Petite Cherie, Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau so Fresh, Chanel Les Exclusifs Gardenia, Margiela Untitled L’Eau, Annick Goutal Petite Cherie, Stella McCartney Lily, Marc Jacobs Daisy.

2. Follow your instincts. Try and ignore the hype of million dollar marketing campaigns when choosing one to buy. The only thing that really matters is: do you smell gorgeous when you wear this fragrance? Does it complement your tastes? Also ensure you try everything a few times before you buy it. Try those you love on your skin and check it again a few days later (we react differently to scents depending on our moods and hormones, so you want one you’ll always enjoy).

3. Make it special. We attach more memories to scent than any other sense. Make fragrance-buying a special occasion; do it in a place you love, when you’re in a good mood, or when you’re on a particularly wonderful holiday so that you always associate their smell with good feelings. It may sound silly, but it really works!Warm/wintery scents, L-R: Diptyqye L’Ombre dans L’eau, Stella McCartney Stella (limited edition print bottle), Jean Paul Gaultier Classique (limited edition bottle), Marc Jacobs Marc Jacobs, Chanel Les Exclusifs Gardenia, Stella McCartney Stella (limited edition print bottle).

4. Match your moods. I prefer to have several different scents to call upon, depending on the season, my mood, the time of day, and the occasion. By way of example: for the first days of Spring, I want something light, pretty and floral which echoes the optimism that rings in the air at this time of year (Margiela’s Untitled or Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau so Fresh have been on rotation the past few weeks); warm summer days to be spent lazing on the grassy banks of the River Cam call for something sweet and fresh (Annick Goutal Petite Cherie, Marc Jacobs Daisy); and for winter or evenings, only something warm and comforting will do (Stella McCartney Stella or Diptyque L’Ombre dans L’Eau). When I’m in the office, I call on clean, sophisticated scents (Marc Jacobs original or Stella McCartney Lily fit this bill), and when I’m feeling nostalgic or sad, I’ll seek solace in a precious spritz from the bottle of my Mother’s Jean Peal Gaultier (which was her fragrance signature and which to me always smells chic and pretty and like her warm hugs).

5. Find your signature. Even once you’ve built a collection you adore, there is something to be said for finding your failsafe favourite; your ‘signature scent’ if you will. This will be the one you reach for time and time again (in any number of situations), and which triggers an immediate sensory response whenever you spray it on. In case you’re wondering, mine is Marc Jacobs’ original scent; I distinctly remember the first time I sprayed it on, for I instantly (even irrationally) felt like a better, more appealing version of myself. The first day I tried it was a wonderful day filled with happy moments, and it’s accompanied me on so many glorious holidays, travels and special occasions ever since that it is now bound up with feelings of happiness and loveliness and fills me with a flicker of joy whenever I wear it.

I don’t know about you, but I think every woman should find a scent that makes them feel like a knockout version of themselves!Do you have a wardrobe of perfumes? I’d love to know what your favourites are!

Love, Miss B xx

Paris: The Vintage Chanel and Hermes Emporium, Les Trois Marches

Regular readers will know that I rarely blog about individual stores I visit on my travels, so when I do it means it’s a very special place indeed. When I was in Paris a couple of months ago, I met one of my favourite fashion friends on the Left Bank for what turned out to be the perfect Parisian afternoon. Being the lovely girl that she is (and knowing my penchant for Chanel and gorgeous vintage jewels), she shared with me one of her Parisian secrets: Catherine B’s vintage emporium, Les Trois Marches. It may look unassuming from the outside (in true Left Bank style), but I actually gasped when I stepped inside; so good is it that I just had to share it with you all here so that you may visit it on your next trip to Paris.

Stocking nothing but vintage Chanel and Hermes, this tiny boutique (divided into two neighbouring shopfronts) is almost too good to be true for any Parisian fashion devotee. Within its walls are shelves and shelves of Hermes Kelly bags in every colour imaginable, rows upon rows of Chanel boucle jackets, towering stacks of silk scarves and windows glinting with vintage Chanel jewels (my weakness).

Gorgeous accessories aside, my favourite part of the shop was the owner herself, the wonderful Catherine B. Instantly we bonded over our mutual love for all things Chanel (despite my rather dismal French skills), and swapped stories of our respective obsessive hunts for particular pieces from our favourite collections over the years. Such is her reputation in Paris that Chanel and Hermes themselves send customers to her when they’re after a particular vintage piece (and if she doesn’t have it, she can probably find it for you), but mostly I just kept thinking that she was so interesting and brimming with joie de vivre that I could have happily listened to her storytelling all weekend.

At one point, when I gazed upon the rows of Hermes bags telling her how I dreamed of one day returning to her shop to buy my own, she slipped behind a crimson curtain into the back room and emerged a few minutes later with a rather weathered looking Birkin bag. Laughing at my confused face, she explained that this was the very first Birkin bag ever made (yes, the very same one made for and owned by Jane Birkin – it still has her initials and her manicure set inside; fellow fashion obsessives will understand how big a deal this is) and that she now owns it herself. And this is exactly why I love Catherine so much; although she collects iconic and collectible pieces, she understands that rather than them being in a fashion museum, they should continue to be worn and loved by women who will continue to treasure them as they were intended.

I won’t pretend that prices are any cheaper in here than they are in mainline Chanel or Hermes stores, but everything is in pristine condition and a collectible treasure you will keep for the rest of your life. Catherine makes it her pleasure to match items to their perfect owner, and she sent me home with this vintage Chanel military brooch to add to my collection (and which now makes me smile every time I glance at it; as much for the memories it holds of my time in Paris and Catherine’s stories as for it’s appearance).

Have you ever stumbled upon a shop somewhere in the world that was so marvellous it felt like a wonderful emporium filled with stories? I’d love to hear about it!

Love, Miss B xx

Les Trois Marches de Catherine B, 1 Rue Guisarde Paris 75006, +33 14354 7418 (Metro: Saint-Germain des Pres or Saint-Sulpice)

P.S. All images (except first and last) from Alexandra Clamart (as you all know I always try to use my own photography/illustrations on here, but in this case I was so caught up in Catherine’s shop that I failed to take more than a single photo!)

Paris: The Chanel Christmas Windows at Printemps

This year, Chanel have taken over the entire storefront of Printemps, that grand dame of the Parisian department stores on Boulevard Haussmann, for Christmas.

And given my adoration for all things Chanel, it was a given that a visit to the grand department store would go straight to the top of my Parisian ‘To Do’ list when I found myself in Paris the week after the unveiling of the windows.

And oh, what a fantastical vision these holiday windows are!

Within each of the 12 windows, Karl Lagerfeld has brought to life twelve miniature Chanel worlds – one for each of his favourite places (one can presume).

Some, such as those dedicated to Paris (where miniature Karl Lagerfelds swing from Parisian landmarks playing photographer extraodinaire) and Moscow (where tiny ballerinas leap and twirl and pirouette to the soundtrack of the Ballet Ruses) just invite passers-by to press their noses against the window to see the puppet show unfold. Others, like the Tokyo (Thunderbirds–esque puppets sailing past the Japanese skyscrapers in futuristic flying cars) and Los Angeles (where Pan Am pilots smooch the primping trolly dollies) will simply make you giggle out loud.

Each of the others were new manifestations of past collections, with some my favourite items brought back from the archives. There were treasures nestled beneath a giant red dragon in the Shanghai window (I could barely pull myself away from the sequinned Chanel takeaway noodle boxes, jade dragon brooches and China doll bags), an ode to glam rock Brittania (where bags were adorned with the Union Jack), Scandanavian deer merrily wearing jewels around their necks, and scenes from a grand Ventian ball (complete with fine china, glittering frog princes and a giant crystal chandelier).

So if I make one request of you all before the year is out, it is this: should you find yourself in Paris before Christmas (a happy thought in itself), then do go to Printemps, if only to press your nose against the magical Chanel windows!

Do you love Christmas windows too? Where are your favourite holiday windows this year?

Love, Miss B xx