It's mid-September, and I've been flipping through various beauty-and-fashion magazines to keep up with things. I've been particularly struck by all the "New Season, New Scent" headlines. I know, I know — this is how the fragrance business stays in existence, yet this autumn I'm craving comfort and familiarity far more than novelty.
Looking back five years (!), I'd still wear most of my picks from my Top Ten Fall Fragrances of 2010, but I've also made a few "new" favorites since then. Here are my very personal picks for the months ahead.
I'm looking forward to an off-season seashore getaway soon, and I'll be packing Diptyque Florabellio. It will be perfect for sipping a morning cup of coffee on the front porch of a bed-and-breakfast and then taking a breezy boardwalk stroll.
I love violet fragrances all year 'round, but Atelier Cologne Sous le Toit de Paris feels especially fitting for transitional weather: it's a modern homage to classic violet perfumes, brightened with citrus and fennel. Another contemporary violet that I'm about to pull out is Balenciaga Paris. It always seems slightly humorless and overdressed to me if I sniff it in the spring or summer, and then fall rolls around and it's just right again.
How about some autumn-appropriate roses? Two that I'll be wearing this fall are Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin, a sophisticated winey-spicy rose bouquet, and the haute-bohemian Byredo Rose Noir, a summer birthday gift that already feels like a signature scent to me.
I mentioned "comfort" above, and autumn really is the perfect time to bring out some cozy gourmands. I already own choices at various price points, from the salty vanilla-amber of Calvin Klein Reveal to the exotic confiserie of Jul et Mad Néa (just a decant of the latter, but a little goes a long way!).
This is also the time of year when I refresh my stash of affordable black wool cardigans, and I've found an olfactory equivalent for that wardrobe staple: Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black, which I received as a travel-sized roll-on from Sephora this summer and have been keeping in reserve for cooler weather. And, speaking of affordable little treats from the mall: The Body Shop Smoky Poppy is a baby cousin to Opium and Cinnabar, and you should grab some if you still can.
Lastly, there's no time like fall to revisit the classics. I may have overdosed a bit on Guerlain Shalimar in my past, but I've been reuniting with it lately and remembering why it still holds a special place in my heart.
What are your fall favorites for 2015 — whether time-tested, new-to-you, or somewhere in-between?
And for more fall picks, check out Bois de Jasmin and The Non-Blonde.
Note: top image is Yellow Tulip Poplar Leaf on State Park Manhole [cropped] by KellarW at flickr; some rights reserved.
Great list! My staple this fall is going to be Alaïa Paris by Azzedine Alaïa, along with my old favourites Narciso by Narciso Rodriguez EdP and Chanel Sycomore.
I still need to try the new Azzedine Alaïa! The bottle looks gorgeous. How do you like the fragrance?
I adore it; it’s a very abstract floral fragrance to me, violet surrounded by musk and this weird airy vibe. Seems to be fairly divisive so far but I’m firmly in the ‘love’ camp.
Thank you! Sounds well worth trying!
I have my favorites that I enjoy every year: Donna Karan Black Cashmere, the first Commes des Garcons, Mauboussin l’Histoire. The last few years have added Imaginary Authors Memoirs of a Trespasser and this year, Yesterday Haze. Oh, and Bottega Veneta, which is perfect for so many occasions. You’ve reminded me that I have a bottle of Reveal from a swap meet, I need to try it some more, and I still haven’t tried La Fille de Berlin. I have a decant of 5 O’clock Gingembre on the way from a generous perfume friend and I’m looking forward to it, too. This is my favorite time of year, I don’t want to miss a minute or a fragrance!
“This is my favorite time of year, I don’t want to miss a minute or a fragrance!” — I second that!! Enjoy!
J Crew/Arquiste No. 57 which I got this summer and am waiting for cooler weather to wear, same with EnVoyage Indigo Vanilla and of course, I love Safran Troublant. I am also more likely to wear Balmain Ivoire in cooler weather (version before the current one)
Rena, both those J Crew/Arquiste fragrances are ideal for autumn wear. I actually had them on this list but then I had to “edit”! 🙂
Yessss, finally violet season! I already know that I’m going to wear SO MUCH Chanel Misia. It’s also the right time of year for the Le Labo Gaiac 10 I’m still debating on. At least they’re offering travel sizes this year!
Enjoy that Misia! I like wearing very sheer violets in summer, but I save the powdery or woody or iris-y ones for fall, definitely.
Great list!
I love roses too in the fall. I am getting a lot of wear from Rose Anonyme. I’ve not tried the Rose Noire yet, but I’ve seen it being compared to Perles de Lalique which is another favorite of mine.
As always, Luten’s Chypre Rouge is one of my fall staple.
I also love to wear Fille en Aiguilles and Bottega Veneta pour Homme Extreme because of the pine note: my cottage is in a pine forest and in the fall, when I’m back at work, I need that reminder of the summer that just went.
For me, fall also brings back my leather scents: Coach Leatherware, Cabochard, Cuir de Russie, Dior Homme Parfum (just got it!!) Noble Leather (YSL) and Gold Leather!
I love Fall!!
I love your idea of wearing pine-needle scents to prolong your memories of your time at the summer cottage. That’s beautiful.
Rose Anonyme is perfect for cooler weather!
My favorite Fall scents:
Shalimar Vanille flanker- vanilla heaven
Samsara- sandalwood bliss
La fille de Berlin- strong confident rose
Coco Noir parfum- better then the EDP in my opinion and the body creme is just delicious!
Happy Buddha shower foam from Rituals- perfect for foamy morning showers
Journey Amouage – just beautiful
Those Rituals body products are really nice, I agree! I need to try Happy Buddha. Love the name. 😉
Another Fille de Berlin fan!
Fille de Berlin is great-I only dab not spray. What about you?
I do spray — but things tend not to stay very strong on me!
Atelier Cologne Sous le Toit de Paris is a year round scent for me, but I can see what you mean about it really fitting in with the slightly cooler weather and fall smells..
31 Rue Cambon, PHI Une Rose de Kandahar, Chergui and Abmbre Russe, Tea for Two and Cuir de Lancôme are some of my go-tos this fall.
Smokey Poppy I must seek out too!
I should have included Tea for Two! That’s a perfect pick.
I’m so mad at myself for not noticing Smoky Poppy earlier — it was a limited edition, and I don’t pass The Body Shop very often.
Our weather just turned cool(ish) last week, so I haven’t had much time to get into autumn scents. Just yesterday I wore SSS Tabac Aurea, which is a perennial cool-weather favorite. I’m sure I’ll get out my DK Black Cashmere, my Smell Bent One, and my vintage Arpege extrait (it never seems right to me in any other season, but it might be how my particular bottle has aged).
Sonoma Scent Studio is an excellent resource for cool-weather scents — she does woodsy and smoky fragrances so well!
My first Autumn pick is always Chanel’s beautiful and stunning Bois des Iles…aahh…when I give it the first spritz, I fall head over heals with it all over again 🙂 It is one of those special ones, were I feel so cosy and comfortable, like I rarely does with perfumes over the Summer, as I am much more into scented body products-perfumes makes me sick doing very hot months (well, as hot as it gets here in Denmark..not what some of you Americans experience 🙂
Chanel’s Coco (the beauty from 84!) in edt version, is one I like to wear once in a while doing the colder seasons as well 🙂
Littlecooling, I agree — you can’t go wrong with Bois des Iles! So warm *and* sophisticated.
I’m just not a hot-weather fan — so I always look forward to autumn, although I’ll miss the long daylight of spring and summer!
I totally agree 🙂 Seems like we have some things in common 🙂 I like Spring/Summer..the daylight and long beautiful evenings, hot weather, no no 🙂
Autumn is my fave season..I like the chill in the air, colors are different, knitted chunky sweaters, warm beverage and good books (all though, I read all year long) 🙂
I can’t wait to wear tights and woolly cardigans again!
I have a chunky knitted sweater on today and I am in heaven 😀
Lists 🙂 I like getting some new ideas.
I’ll be indulging in my new SHL 777 Rose de Petra and ELDO Rossy de Palma.
Then there’s Femme, Mitsouko, Jubilation 25, Jolie Madame…
I have a couple of new samples that I’m saving for cool weather:
Lubin Korrigan
Amouage Fate Woman
MFK Oud Cashmere Mood
Long live Femme!! My mother’s favorite. 🙂
I still need to add some Rossy de Palma to my collection…
I’m looking forward to testing out a new favorite, Cuir de Lancome this fall.
Odd that you would mention bith Opium and Cinnabar. I’m in the South of France (will be an expat by the end of the year) and there’s a little courtyard out in front of our condo complex. Grass, all kimds of shrubbery and a few trees. The other night, as I was walking by one of said bushes, I got a distinct waft of Opium. I simply thought maybe someone has just past and was wearing it. But no. Each night I pass by this darned bush, I smell it again. It’s never fragrant during the day, only the evening hours. It’s like someone tucked a perfumed hankie in the bushes!!! No botanist here but I wish I knew what kind of crazy bush this was!!!
That is so intriguing! I wonder what it could have been. Something with resin/sap? Weird!!
Crazy bush! <3
I wonder if it’s oleander? I smelled some one night last week in LA. It smells like a spicier white floral.
Lovely list. Thank you for reminding me to get ahold of some of that Atelier.
Monkeytoe, it’s not as widely distributed as some of their other fragrances, but it’s a really good one!
I really should try that, too.
My fall favorites lined up for this year are Chanel Coromandel and FM Une Fleur de Cassie. Both make me think of fallen leaves and golden light. And Shalimar will be always be *the* Guerlain to me. (Sorry Mitsouko).
I’ve tried to love Mitsouko, L’Heure Bleue, et al… but I’m with you re: Shalimar!
I’ve been wearing some of my old autumn favourites a lot – Feminite du Bois, Cuir de Russie, The Afternoon of a Faun, Sel de Vetiver, Trayee, Lyric.
And I’ve added Arquiste Nanban, JM Mimosa & Cardamom, SL Boxeuses and Une Nuit a Bali Mr Vetiver this year.
I still haven’t tried Nanban, but I tend to enjoy the Arquiste line, so I’m curious about it!
Feminite du Bois — autumn in a bottle!
Do you feel that Sel de Vetiver works good in the fall? I’m finding it too light to wear in colder weather. I have to spray quite a bit in the summer too. That being said, it’s one of my favorite perfumes.
Fun!
My fall 2015 will likely include:
Chanel no. 5 EdT
Calvin Klein Reveal
Prada Infusion d’Iris
L’artisan Safran Troublant
Natori
Chanel Coco Noir
Guerlain Shalimar
Burberry Body
Hermes Kelly Caleche
And wish list: guerlain vol de nuit
Gonna smell Good!!!
Love this list!! Safran Troublant has lots of fans. The Kelly Caleche is so well done, isn’t it?
Mucho gracias! Agreed, Kelly Caleche is just it. I love it for a professional day when i want to project “crisp white blouse” without going through motions of buttons. 😉
My aspiration and my reality summed up so succinctly!
Great list!!
Thank you! 🙂
Bois d’ombrie, Cape heartache and Resist me by Liaison de Parfum are in orbit this wet and nippy fall. and a break in between with the Smoky Poppy which is soooo surprisingly good:)
I need to try my Liaison de Parfum samples!! They’re in “sample purgatory.”
Smoky Poppy shocked me — in a good way! and the packaging is cheap-and-chic, too.
There are so many fall (and winter) fragrances that I am totally enamored with:
Fougere Bengal (PdE)
Balenciaga Pour Homme
Clive Christian C for men
Oud Wood (Tom Ford)
Idole (Lubin)
Galaad (Lubin)
Black Cashmere (Donna Karan)
Sahara Noir (Tom Ford)
Ambre Fetiche (AG)
Myrrhe Ardente (AG)
Chergui (SL)
and on and on and on…
Oud Ispahan, Leather Oud, Eau Noire (Dior)
Sycomore (Chanel)
I could keep going… 🙂
Do!!
Lubin is another good “autumn brand.” And those Goutal A/M/E fragrances are so gorgeous…
Nice list of frags Jessica! It looks like we are going to have a warm and dry fall this year, which makes a difference for what I pick. But so far I am really wanting to wear my Coco edt, Bottega Veneta, Cuir de Lancome, Kelly Caleche, Shiseido Zen (Classic), Aromatics Elixir, Memoir Woman….. I’m sure some others will sneak in. Ta’if…Nahema….L’Arte di Gucci…Magie Noire…Parfum Sacre…I can’t forget my roses!!!
Need to try Ta’if! Your list is surely fine 🙂
Oh, Ta’if! That was on my last Fall Top Ten. Love it. I wish some store in the US would stock OJ…
Yes! There is hope for Sephora shoppers! I can’t help but notice that some of your choices are pretty accessible so yay you!
Now I’m intrigued by Smoky Poppy!
Fall is my favorite season of all time and my favorite fall perfumes echo many of the other commenters’ lists. Others I like a lot that I have not seen mentioned (or missed because I read too quickly) include: Jo Malone Blackberry and Bay, Diptyque Volutes EDT and EDP and Eau Duelle EDT, VC&A Bois d’Iris, SL Iris Silver Mist, Atelier Cologne Silver Iris, L’AP Seville a l’Aube, Le Labo Iris 39 and Vanille 44, Hermes Ambre de Merveilles plus a lot of etc. etc.
And let me not forget Bvlgari Black!
Ooooohh! I almost forgot Bvlgari Black! Yikes. Deduct a perfumista point 😉
Bvlgari Black is an Autumn Hall-of-Famer!
Oh yes I missed Seville on my list! Another nice fall floral…
Oh! And I’m dying to try the new OJ, Vanille d’Iris, in the fall floral category… we’ll see when I can get my hands on a sample.
It might just be because my work/commuting paths have shifted, bringing me further away from midtown and SoHo and closer to various Sephoras! Who knows! but I really am trying to “shop my closet” more regularly, and I’m remembering how much good stuff I already own. 🙂
Ooh, thank you Jessica and the commentariat for so many good ideas! Have been in a rut, exciting to be reminded of what would be fun to wear right now.
Committing this to list form so I don’t forget!
Amouage Memoir
SL Feminite de Bois
SL Fleur d’oranger (I think it’s a perfect fall floral)
SL Ambre Sultan
Histoires de Parfum 1725
Histoires de Parfum Petroleum (partly because I don’t have any SMN Nostalgia)
Diptyque Essences Insensees Jasmin (snagged a sample but have yet to try it)
Jolie Madame
Kelly Caleche (EDP!)
Idole (EDT ’til it runs out! tho I do like the EDP too, if differently)
L’Air du désert marocain
…ha, we’ll see whether I can make a dent in my list before it’s officially winter!
A) commentariat! Love this.
B) you are going to smell very, very good.
Why thank you, on both counts! 🙂
Isn’t it amazing how much good perfume there is out there? It’s so easy to get down about great things being d/c’ed or reformulated beyond recognition, and certainly there are tons of terrible new releases… but gosh there’s also still a lot of great stuff to wear! (In fact, I don’t own a full bottle of a single one of the frags on my list, but when there are that many fragrances to rotate through, samples/decants/minis will hold you for quite a long time!)
Oh gosh and I keep remembering more–Azemour; OJ Champaca; JM Pom Noir and AdP Fico di Amalfi esp as holidays approach…
(To say nothing of my winter list, which I now kind of want to begin ASAP as well!)
JM Pomegranate Noir is one of my favorites from the brand. I always pull out my decant or samples in the winter!
I went to a JM event once where they’d scented the otherwise-grungy hallways of my Nordstrom’s back offices with Pom Noir–suddenly I could understand the appeal of spendy room spray!!
“Commentariat”! I love that term. And everyone’s lists and suggestions really have been excellent.
I am hopeless against a blind buy when is comes to a NST recommendation plus a budget find at TJ Maxx. After reading Jessica’s list I went straight to TJ Maxx after work and picked up a 50mL bottle of CK Reveal that I spotted during the weekend.
My fall list will include Balenciaga Paris, Bvlgari Black and Omnia, both Arquiste/jCrew #37 and 57, Bond Westside, Si Lolita Lempika and Burberry Brit Rhythm and Samsara.
Also Adam Levine for Her.
Hahh! I hope you’ll like Reveal! I find it so wearable and cozy for cooler weather. Not quite a modern, era-defining classic like Obsession, but still so nice to own.
Oh, Bond West Side. I still own that. Must rotate it to the front of the “cabinet”!
I really like reading your top 10 choices and fall is one of my favourite times of the year!
I love Estee lauder private collection – amber ylang ylang
In the colder months.. This is my go to scent
Recently i bought Reminiscence – Tonka
i sampled it when it was first released and the sweet, nutty honey-amber feel was delicious in the cold weather at the time. Its not as smooth as EL amber ylang ylang, but its fun for winter
Also like Diptique – eau duelle
And flowerbomb (viktor & rolf)
Wow, that EL PC Amber Ylang is a good one. I wish I still had my bottle. I thought I was tired of it and I gave it to a friend…bad decision.
Based upon your recommendation, I bought a bottle of Balenciaga Paris and absolutely love it. I will definitely explore more of the recommendations from this column and from the comments. Thank you!
Amy, I’m so glad you found a new perfume love! I’ve really enjoyed that one since it was released. It’s beautiful. 🙂