To give you a thoughtful top ten for fall, I went to the experts: Tracy and André at Fumerie. Both of them used to work at Portland’s Perfume House and amassed years of experience with the classics. Then, seven months ago, Tracy opened Fumerie to focus on niche fragrances, and André joined her.
To give you an idea of their tastes in fragrance, Tracy has a tattoo on her forearm of her favorite perfume notes: patchouli, hay, tobacco, cocoa, and leather. When she thinks of fall, she thinks of comforting scents that remind her of riding her horse as a teenager through the leaves, and the smells of Oregon's crisp autumn air, sweet alfalfa, saddle leather, grain and the horse itself.
André loves vintage fragrances and has a nose for classically constructed perfumes. He likes fruity chypres like Guerlain Mitsouko and Balenciaga Quadrille in the fall. He says they remind him of the sun through the changing colors of the leaves.
Despite their differing tastes it only took Tracy and André five minutes to agree on a collection of ten best fragrances for fall. Here it is:
Papillon Anubis: This is one of Tracy’s all-time favorites, to the point that she actually keeps a bottle at home so she can wear it the one day a week she isn’t working at the shop with the tester at her elbow. She calls Anubis “sexy and comforting, like a thick sweater.” She and André describe it as “smoky-resinous, bone dry and leathery.”
Masque Milano Montecristo: This one they say smells of “roaring fireplaces, scotch whisky and old wood.”
Naomi Goodsir Bois d’Ascèse: Here is another fragrance Tracy and André describe as smoky, like the “aroma of a campfire on the first cold day of winter.” Yet, they love its transparency. When I pointed out that they now had three smoky fragrances, André differentiated this one by saying that it smells like a sweater the day after you wore it near the campfire, while Montecristo was more like being in an old, closed-in room with a fireplace.
Bruno Fazzolari Au Delà: This is André’s favorite of the Fazzolari line. He describes it as a green-smoky chypre, smelling as rich, complex and “throwback” as the original Miss Dior. It's loaded with moss. (Note: Fazzolari will only be offering Au Delà seasonally now.)
Parfum d’Empire Eau de Gloire: Tracy says that Eau de Gloire is “a great option when you desire leather but aren’t looking for a campfire or new car interior.” She likes how sheer and fresh, yet still decidedly leathery, it is.
Slumberhouse New Sibet: New Sibet has an intriguing list of notes including iris, mint, goat fur and leather. Yes, goat fur. André notes that New Sibet is a departure from Slumberhouse’s previous offbeat work, but it instantly won over both him and Tracy with its classical charm.
Serge Lutens Chergui: Chergui has been on Tracy’s must-wear list for more than ten years. She finds its sweet tobacco, honey and sandalwood to be pure comfort. Over the years, she’s lived with three distinct changes in the fragrance, saying it feels “cleaned up” these days, but it’s still Chergui, and it’s still lovely.
Tauer Perfumes Au Coeur du Désert: For some people, L’Air du désert Marocain’s vibrating top notes can make it hard to wear. Au Coeur du Désert turns up L’Air’s richness and smooths its dry, smoky, woody spice into an eminently wearable and lush Extrait.
MDCI Chypre Palatin: Tracy says this “ode to classic vintage green scents” has been a favorite since she first tried it. She loves how it changes over the hours and shows different aspects of itself through the day. Every time she smells it, she says, it reveals something new to her.
Knize Ten: This was Tracy’s introduction to leather fragrances, and it’s still one of her favorites, a sort of “role model” for leather. She calls it “warm, ambery and resinous — and most importantly, leathery."
What about you? Would any of these make your top ten for fall?
And for more fall-related lists, see Bois de Jasmin :: Grain de Musc :: Perfume Posse :: The Non-Blonde.
Note: top image is Acer saccharum - Sugar Maple fall leaves by Virens (Latin for greening) at flickr; some rights reserved.
I was lucky to be given a sample Bois d’Ascese from Twisted Lily and it is glorious. Sadly Naomi Goodsir’s work is really hard to find in the UK.
I’m a big fan of her Iris Cendre. That’s a good one for fall, too.
I love Anubis, Bois d’Ascèse and Chergui. Haven’t had the chance to smell Au Coeur du Désert yet but I love the original L’Air du Désert Marocain. Today for my fall scent I’m wearing Coco edp layered with the body cream. Other top favorites are Dior Ambre Nuit, MdO Cuir, MFK Absolue pour le Soir, SSS Tabac Aurea and PHI Une Rose de Kandahar. Fall and winter are my best perfume seasons as an oriental girl.
It must smell fantastic where you are, all season long!
Very much looking forward to busting out my Chergui when the weather cools a bit. I haven’t tried several on this list and will have to work on that ASAP. Fall/winter is my absolute favorite time of year for picking, testing, and choosing fragrance. Thanks for the superb list ????
I love the bigger fragrances in fall, too. I admit that I hadn’t tried several on the list, either! It was great to get to smell them.
I enjoyed reading this list! These really don’t sound like my usual thing, but I admit I’ve been pondering a sample of Chypre Palatin. If Chergui has indeed been “cleaned-up” by recent reformation, I might need to resample it too; when I first tried it five years ago, I was turned off by something in the base that reminded me of (oh Lord, I’m really sticking my neck out here, but I’m gonna say it anyway) old people’s houses.
To clarify: when I was little, my grandmother – who lived with my parents for the last 40 years of her life – used to drag me along when she visited friends. Somehow, every one of those houses smelled musty. The visits weren’t terrible, just boring, and mostly I would sit in a hardback chair eating hard candies out of the omnipresent candy dish on the coffee table and eyeing the decor (sofas upholstered in something that felt like two-day beard stubble, painted plaster cornucopiae or Last Supper plaques on the walls, china pugs on the mantels). Chergui, I. Just. Can’t.
Except maybe now I can? Will have to check it out.
Also? I want those leaves. Mother Nature, get on that – stat.
The leaves are only just beginning to turn here. It never gets very dramatic, though.
Ha… I’d say you came out easy from those old people visits if you only got a musty smell! One outstanding memory from childhood was being dragged along to a December visit to two old ladies who happened that day to be cooking chitlins (chitterlings, to the uninitiated…). Will _never_ forget it.
Hope you find that you like the “new” Chergui if you get an opportunity to try it.
Chitlins, no matter who’s cooking them, are a distinctive smell!
It’s a such a distinctive smell- and it gets into EVERYTHING. Carpets, curtains, sofas….*shudders*
Nothing like grease to carry an odor!
Yeah, no. No chitlins. (Mostly because these ladies wanted to get away from these particular roots. They all grew up eating them when there wasn’t much else… also squirrel, possum, and groundhog. I hear squirrel’s nice in a stew, groundhog isn’t bad, and both raccoon and possum are “two steps from starving.”)
Perhaps I’ll have vegetables for lunch….
Yikes! And yet, what a fabulously described memory! Do you think it could be the honey that affects you that way?
I don’t know! Sometimes honey smells really drrty (uh-huh) to me, and sometimes I like it. But I don’t remember honey having that musty, un-aired, stale aspect that is what bothers me about Chergui. Also, that aspect doesn’t show up until the drydown, where usually honey pops up earlier than that for me. Dunno.
Mals, going waaaay out on that limb with you (I hope it holds us both) to say that I get just what you describe – musty, un-aired, stale aspect – from several of the old Carons, and some of the ones that get a lot of love here.
P. S. Your description of your young self sitting in those living rooms almost made me spew tea!
It is probably not surprising, Rapple, that I do not generally get on with old Carons. Mustiness, nope nope. Do Not Want.
Not quite the same as this, but Chergui always smelled to me like fruit that should have been thrown out a week ago. No mold but the feeling of picking something up and having your hand squeeze right through it.
Oh, gross. (Made me laugh, though.)
Now, that’s got to be the honey!
Perhaps! I get a similar fruity overripe note from Musc Ravaguer, though.
Oh! Well, who knows?
Mals, i was dragged along on similar trips by my mother and had your exact experience. Except I probably had company in the form of my twin brother.
I remember a tinge of mothball odor, too. Yuk.
mals, with Chergui, I find that the more you spray, the better it is. Two puny spritzes and you get bug spray.
A lot of fragrances smell their best when you really spray them on, I agree.
I am only familiar with Chergui and Knize Ten, and they both are great choices for autumn. Chergui is indeed pure comfort – one of the few oriental fragrances I can wear in summer, but still more suitable for colder months.
Chergui is such a classic. You’re making me crave some right now!
J.Crew/Arquiste No.57 will be getting a lot of wear this year, Golden Acacia on days off, Costume National 21, DSH Kohl Gris, Sacrebleu as the weather gets colder, Metallica and always year round Milk of Flowers
I can’t believe I forgot about Sacrebleu! I’m fetching it from the perfume cabinet immediately.
Chergui from your list. I also love Chanel Cuir de Russie and Bois des Iles, Lancome Cuir, SL Feminite du Bois, Guerlain L’Heur Bleue, Hermes 24 Faubourg and L’ Ambre des Marveilles, among many others.
I could happily live with your list. Cuir de Russie is one of my go-to scents. I probably wear it three times a week.
I fell like this list could get me through any tough times. Yums all around
Yes!
Great list!
Today it is Sycomore, absolutely love it! The sample has lasted me over a year now.
Just realized I posted on the wrong topic, but then again it is still on topic for Autumn
Absolutely!
Sycomore is so great! I need a bottle.
Get on it- Seattle Nordstrom said that the Les Exclusifs line is being discontinued????
I think they’re reformulating them into EdPs. Hopefully Sycomore will keep its glory! (Always an optimist!)
Nice list! I really want to try that new Tauer. It sounds great. This post also reminded me that I have a sample of Quadrille floating around. Fruity chypres are really nice for Fall.Most of what I own are cool weather scents. Newer ones in my arsenal that I’m looking forward to wearing this season are a few from HdP: 1969, 1740, and Ambre 114.
I love a fruity chypre in fall, too. Besides Mitsouko, Femme is fabulous.
Femme actually smells better to me in the Summer, which seems counterintuitive.
I wonder if it’s the peach? Maybe that smells like summer to you.
Where can I see a photo of Tracy’s tattoo?!
Good question! It’s a gorgeous tattoo, too!
I wondered this, too…
4th
You can see a picture of Tracy’s tattoo here: http://www.fumerie.com/blog/the-scent-of-permanence
She actually wrote a whole post about its inspiration and significance. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you!
So awesome! #tattoogoals
It’s pretty impressive in person, too!
Angela – I’ve not smelled anything on that list above! So now I know I’m really out of it. But it is truly inspiring! Fall is one of my favorite times of year, and I love rich orientals. The Au Dela is intriguing for sure. My top ten fall list is more of a throwback, and it kinds of changes a bit every year. I also think of fall as the early fall/end of summer time when you are still getting aromas from nature of ripened fields and woods and spicy leaves, and then late fall, when smoke and rain, and damp leaves kind of take over and want to push you inside to cozy comfort. Kind of an outdoors glorying in nature to an indoors cozy by the fireplace progression. I love orientals and oakmossy scents like Mitsouko, Nahema, Vol de Nuit, Coco, Natori, Noir Epices, vintage Amazone, Beloved, Bottega Veneta, Alahine, Ta’if, L’Arte di Gucci, Tabac Aurea, etc.
I love simply reading your list of fragrances! (And your glorious description of fall.) I just put on a thick slick of YSL Champagne (I was on my way to find the Sacrebleu but found this first) or I’d go straight for Bottega Veneta from your list on this rainy day (unless I found the Sacrebleu before then!).
Fumerie is a great little shop, and the owners are lovely people. I first got to smell Anubis there this past summer. It’s rich and swoony in the heat, but I can totally see how the wet, cool weather would make that bloom perfectly.
Knize Ten is strong to me- not as subtle as Cuir de Russie (Chanel) nor as sweet as Cuir de Lancome. I would wear that in the chilly winter, actually!
For me, the top fall fragrances is a blend of high and low (just like me!)
Stash by SJP
BoyFriend by Kate Walsh (discontinued)
Sycomore (may be discontinued)
JM Dark Amber& Ginger Lily
Cuir de Russie (Chanel)
Cuir de Russie (Anna Zworykina)- BTW, Holy Moly and gosh darn
Black Jade (gorgeous perfume, bs origin story- even DC comics can do better)
Belle Du Soir (discontinued)
Aromatics
Tauerville Vanilla Flash
TF Noir pour Femme (et pour homme)
I’m lucky to have Fumerie a short bike ride away. It’s hard not to stop in every week!
Great list! I still need to try Stash. I’m so curious about it.
Oh you are lucky indeed! I now live up in Parkrose/Maywood Park, so it’s a bit of a trek, but still worth it!
You *might* like Stash, and you might like it in better in elixir form. See if you can get it to try in elixir form.
I wonder if it’s at Sephora? I’ll have to check next time I’m there. Thanks for the recommendation! (And good luck weathering tomorrow’s predicted storm!)
Hey there! It’s at the other beauty symporium, Ulta ( I believe it is exclusive there for now!)
And yes- I hope that my power stays on!
Okay, so it will have to wait until I get to a mall.
Thumbs up for a mix of high and low!
I’ll vote for Stash as well!
I’m also in love with Nanban, though my boyfriend said it smelled like something his mother wore–it conjured her vividly. He couldn’t remember anything she wore other than Chance though. Needless to say, I won’t be buying a bottle….
I loved Bapteme de Feu, and found it different enough from my other gingerbread love, 5 o’clock, to want a bottle.
I also love Au Dela and discovered it right as it was unavailable.
I need to find some Knize Ten. I’ve been putting it off long enough!
That’s so funny about Nanban, since Chance is a whole different fragrance (to me, at least)!
I heard that Au Dela will be offered “seasonally” (whatever that means), so it’s not completely discontinued.
I can’t imagine it is Chance. Maybe Opium, or a 60’s chypre? I wish we could ask her.
I actually decided to crack open my sample since you mentioned it. Love. I need to email to see which season to anticipate.
Hurray! There’s still some in stock (I think) at Fumerie and possibly at other boutiques, too. I didn’t see it on the Fazzolari website, though.
Interesting list; I’ve only tried three or four and own none. But with all of the “smoky” scents on the list, I think Tracy and Andre may be my “evil” scent twins. I hope they’ve tried SSS Fireside Intense.
As an oriental lover (and like so many others here), Fall with its cooler weather is my favorite time of the year for perfume: three SSS scents rank high – Ambre Noir, Champagne de Bois and Cocoa-Sandalwood, also Mecca Balsam, Krazy Krizia, Bal a Versailles, along with the classic Guerlains – L’Heure Bleue, Mitsouko, and Vol de Nuit. Oh! And Bois d’Armenie – how could I forget that?!?
Lovvvvve Bois d’Armenie! It is way our of my league price-wise though.
The closest I get are papiers d’Armenie. I love them, though.
Coumarin – if you’re in the U. S. email me at rappleyea11 with a yahoo address.
Woods and smoke and everything nice!
Good to see Montecristo on the list. It’s my favorite of the Masque Milanos so far, and it doesn’t get mentioned that often. Of course, Knize Ten tops my fall leather top ten; I’ll probably wear it later today, although I’m also feeling the tug of one of my other fall favs, Guerlain Vol de Nuit.
Check, check, and check! I love all three of these.
What an interesting list Angela. Among these I have Eau de Gloire in my collection. I also like Chypre Palatin although I never had more of it than samples.
Coincidentially today I posted about my favorite 6 rose perfumes for Autumn. I’ll be delighted if you check it out.
Autumnal roses! I definitely must check it out.
Hope you like my selection
I did like your selection! I tried to leave a comment, but I couldn’t remember my wordpress login (it’s automatic for NST), so I didn’t. Two of my favorite autumn roses are Ann Gerard Rose Cut and Amouage Lyric Woman.
Interesting about Rose Cut because to me it’s more of a springtime rose.
Go figure
Cashmere is goat fur, so it doesn’t put me off at all. With iris and mint? I need a sample.
I think the funny part is simply that it’s called “goat fur.” Especially if you think of stinky billy goats! I do love cashmere, though.
Do you think they stayed away from using the word “cashmere” to avoid the confusion with the aroma chemical cashmeran? Or, if they did use cashmeran maybe they didn’t want to call attention to it. Just a thought…
The perfumer at Slumberhouse is known (and cherished) for his offbeat take on fragrance. My guess is that “goat fur” has something to do with that.
Wait. Am I the only one that loves the smell of goats?
I love goat cheese – does that count?
It means you can come over any day you want to my house with some!
As for the smell of goats, the girls smell nice and woolly and like little animals, but don’t you think the boys are super stinky?
I feel like a flop of a perfume lover, because I can’t think of ten fall favourites at the top of my head. I love Knize Ten and Chergui was my first Lutens. Strange really, because I had lusted for Ambre Sultan since 1992 (or 1993?).
I always wear Nuit de Noël a few times when its cold. It can almost be too rich at times.
I don’t really connect fragrances with seasons. Some needs cool weather to restrain theit1 notes and some needs warmth to bloom.
Nuit de Noel truly is a comfort scent for me. It’s so soft and rich. It’s terrific in the cold.
Autumn is my favorite season, and not just for perfume. Am writing down many from this list, because I love smokey perfumes and haven’t tried many of these. Love Chergui any time of year, but especially autumn. Other favorites of the season include Incense Rose, Vanilla Flash, Jaisalmer, Narciso, Fireside Intense, Cuir Mauresque, Lonestar Memories, and Absolue Pour Le Soir.
There’s some really nice leather in your list, too! So nice!
I must say that I love the idea of fall fragrances but they usually do not suit me. Too much smoke and amber for most of the time. Chergui is interesting, I try it every once in a while but it feels weirdly masculin on my skin.
My favourite autumnal fragrances are the ones that I do not enjoy during summer and then I rediscover them in fall and it’s like falling in love all over again, e.g. with Lumiere Blanche and Parfum de Therese
I can see Parfum de Therese being wonderful in the fall, sort of for the same reason a fruity chypre is so wonderful.
There are so many on their list which I haven’t tried yet! I’m looking forward to testing Au Coeur du Desert (Angela, is it there already?) and meeting Andy Tauer there next month!
I will have to give Chergui another try, since I almost always got this weird coconut note from it. But one wear out of ten, it was glorious.
Some of my tops for fall:
MH Feuilles de Tabac
Caron Tabac Blond
SL Cuir Mauresque
Coty L’Origan (vintage)
Houbigant Apercu
Montale Patchouli Leaves
Montale Blue Amber
Xerjoff Dhajala
Chanel Bois des Iles parfum
CM Christopher Street
L’Artisan l’Eau d’Ambre
Great list! I almost forgot about Apercu, but what a wonderful perfume. And autumn was made for Bois des Iles! I forgot about Patchouli Leaves, too. I should get out my bottle.
Fumerie definitely has a tester for the new Tauer. I don’t know if it’s in stock, but I’d think it is if the tester is there. If it’s at Fumerie, it should be at other boutiques that carry his work, too (for all of you not in Portland).
Thanks, Angela! I will have to stop by soon.
Fumerie is such a great place! I am jealous of anyone who gets to live in Portland for a lot of reasons, but as of my last visit to the city, Fumerie is added to the list. Maybe because I am newer to the world of perfume and like supporting smaller places if I can, three of my fall favorites are here: Anubis, Bois d’Ascese, and New Sibet. I also love Papillon Tobacco Rose when it gets crisper out, Naomi Goodsir Iris Cendre, and Profumum Arso and Ambra Aurea. Contemplating buying a bottle of Kiste at the moment . . .
For someone new to perfume, you have sophisticated taste! I hope you make it back to Portland soon.
Not sure how sophisticated! But I think I finally got into perfume because some of the newer trends appeal in the way the big guns of the past didn’t. Plus age in my case has meant nore disposable income. At least for the time being. ????
That’s great! You’ll have lots of fabulous perfumes to sample out there.
Your very good list set off a couple of thoughts for me.
1. I got out a sample of Anubis: It’s good. But, admitting I haven’t smelled Tauer’s Lonestar Memories in a few years, I could easily have mistaken Anubis for it.
(And the smoky notes in perfume, by the way: Timbuktu did that so definitively that it has ruined certain other fragrances for me. Even Sycomore, which is so fine, is haunted by Timbuktu, in my smell-memory world.
2. I’m buying me some Knize Ten today. Always mean to, never get around to it.
Thanks.
I’m glad you enjoyed the list! It sounds like you love smoky vetivers. Now I’m craving some Timbuktu.
MDCI Chypre Palatin would definitely be on my top ten for fall list, and I love what Tracy says about it.
It’s such a lovely fragrance, and it’s in my top three favorites of that line.