My Favourite Winter Fragrances

Though I’m never one to dive head-first into the latest trends, I do like to give a nod to the changing seasons; a new silhouette here, and added dose of sparkle there. For me, like my favourite jewels or a stroke of red lipstick, fragrance is a year-round style staple; a spritz of scent in the air as I dash out the door each morning lends the final finishing flourish to every look.

Once the clocks go back and winter descends, the scents I associate with summer – my beloved Petite Cherie by Annick Goutal which smells of pears and cut grass and a Parisian park in the springtime, or Jo Malone’s crisp Orange Blossom, which always accompanies me on any far-flung summer adventure – make way for gourmands and heady white florals that so beautifully complement winter’s richer palette and moody skies.

Much like my sartorial style, I’m always drawn to pretty, classic feminine scents rather than anything cloying or overpowering. Marc Jacobs‘ original scent – a gorgeous combination of gardenia, jasmine and bergamot – has been a favourite for a decade, and Diptyque’s DoSon is a similarly lovely white floral that works anytime. I adore Jo Malone’s Rose Water and Vanilla cologne (pretty-sexy rather than saccharine, it smells of Turkish delight and candlelit dates and will linger softly all day), and was so upset when I discovered it was being discontinued that I panic-bought two more bottles from the Cambridge store (if you also love it, you won’t find it anywhere online but the standalone Jo Malone stores should all still have a bottle or two hidden in the back). My Burberry has become my everyday scent – it works just as well with a cashmere sweater and jeans as it does with lace and jewels for evening – and Chanel’s Gardenia is a perennial favourite when I want to feel my most ladylike.

And if they look well-loved, that’s just because they are. With the exception of Jo Malone’s Pomegranate Noir which I’ve just added to my collection (I’m giving this a whirl in lieu of my other autumn/winter favourite, Blackberry & Bay), and Tom Ford’s Fleur de Portofino (which I added this year and wore all summer long, but is luxe enough to work just as well for winter too), these are all firm favourites from last year* which will take me through another winter season until spring’s call for an olfactory clean sweep next year.

Fragrance: Burberry ‘My Burberry EDP’ // Tom Ford ‘Fleur de Portofino’ // Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir // Chanel ‘Gardenia’ // Diptyque ‘Doson’ // Jo Malone ‘Rose Water & Vanilla Intense’ (now discontinued, but this is the closest version).
Details: F. Scott Fitzgerald hardback books // brass pineapple // Diptyque candle // glass  cloche // Kenneth Jay Lane pearl earrings // J.Crew gold earrings (similar here) // Garance Dore for Rifle Paper Co ‘XO’ print // mirrored console table.

I’d love to know your favourite fragrances and any new scent you think I should try. Do you have a signature perfume which you wear each day, or do you, like me, rotate a collection based on your mood and the seasons?

*Tip: always keep your perfumes out of direct sunlight and store them in the top shelf of your fridge when out of season and they’ll last for at least a couple of years.

Love, Miss B xx