Winter is a great time to wear vintage fragrance. Something about the gorgeous-yet-unfashionable waft of an old perfume is perfect when the wind bites at your face and you’re swaddled in wool. In my opinion, wood fires, old movies and long nights all deepen with a vintage fragrance on your wrist.
Here are my top ten fragrances for winter, each at least 50 years old. If you’re new to vintage fragrance, you might be put off by how hard they can be to “read.” Let me warn you, though, once you get a taste for them, they can be addicting. I look forward to hearing about your favorite winter fragrances — vintage or not — in the comments. If you can think of modern takes on these fragrances, please comment! And do check out the winter lists at Bois de Jasmin, Grain de Musc and Perfume Posse.
Weil Zibeline: I have to include a perfume named after sable. Zibeline’s spicy floral notes are deeply fused with its woody-incense base appropriately spiked with a hint of cat. Wear it with a 1970s-does-’40s fake fur chubby for humor and verisimilitude.
Caron Alpona: Alpona was named for the Alps, and it smells like the Alps might look through a picture window as you eat toast with marmalade: crisp, dry, and redolent of orange and grapefruit. A woolly fust of moss gives it body. Wear it with a mohair sweater when it snows.
Rochas Audace: Take Zibeline’s woody-incense-y base, add a walk in the woods, a wrist corsage and a dusting of powder, and you have Audace. Wear it when you go to cut your Christmas tree and plan to follow up with a hot toddy at a nice hotel.
Millot Crêpe de Chine: Crêpe de Chine might be the olfactory definition of yin and yang fused. It’s woody and mossy and dim, yet packed with floral notes. It’s irrefutably feminine, but a man could easily wear it. Crêpe de Chine is class and retro romance in a bottle. Wear it among strangers, with a hat with an eyelash veil, while the rain beats on Gotham’s windows.
Dior Miss Dior (original version): Warm, leathery, green and freaky, Miss Dior — the real one! not that fake candy trash — never bores me. I’ve chosen it for winter because the stripped-down world outside might make the best frame for its surreal beauty. Wear it with a mad blend of patterns and colors, or go stark. Wear just a dab, or really spray it on to proclaim that you please yourself, thank you.
Dana Tabu: Tabu’s syrupy patchouli-incense is all about sweet comfort, like being enfolded in grandmama’s arms — especially if grandma spent a few years in a bordello. Wear it during weekday naps when you really should be at work but can’t resist the lure of a thick quilt and a romance novel.
Caron Narcisse Noir: A perfume centered on the spring-like narcissus should be bright and innocent. Narcisse Noir, though, takes an otherwise sprightly flower and drags it through the gambling dens in Old Shanghai, gives it a few packs of cigarettes to smoke and a few too many scotch and sodas, then infuses it with the memories of love affairs gone bad. Narcisse Noir is perfect for rainy nights watching silent movies, preferably starring Gloria Swanson.
Ciro Danger: I’ve become hooked on this dark, blowsy rose with lavender and cinnamon. It’s a favorite for when I wake before the sun is up and want a full snoot of something as rich and warming and invigorating as my coffee (that is taking so danged long to make). Wear Danger in the morning with a 1940s kimono and maribou-trimmed scuffs, or in the evening with a velvet swing coat and long gloves.
Guerlain Shalimar: Winter must have a vanilla scent, but, strangely, vintage fragrance seem to skip this note. Except for Shalimar, that is, and its siblings, including Coty Emeraude. Shalimar spikes its vanilla with lemon and civet for a pull-me, push-me effect. Pull me, I’m delicious and welcoming. Push me, I’m tart and dirty. Plus, there’s a good chance an aunt somewhere in your family tree wore Shalimar as her signature scent, which complicates things. Try Shalimar for an evening when you have a fire and you’re sorting through old photos and marveling at both the familiarity and mystery of the past. You might want to trot out that Armagnac you brought home from France.
Robert Piguet Fracas: Fracas is a diva of a tuberose suitable for the operatic snowstorm you might experience this winter. Fracas isn’t interested in humdrum dreary days outside your cubicle. She wants drama. Give her three inches of ice on the streets and blinding snow, and she’ll sing. Build a roaring fire that lasts past midnight, and she sighs with contentment. Wear Fracas when you take risks — in adventure, in love, or, heck, even with a new recipe involving a ridiculously expensive purchase of truffles.
Please tell us your winter favorites, vintage or otherwise!
Note: top image by René Gruau for Dior.
Thank you for sharing your list Angela.
I have never smelled Danger nor Audace.
I love vintage fragrances and my old time favorites are L’heure Bleue and Vol de Nuit, Bal à Versailles and Youth Dew. They smell so comfortable when wearing vintage furs. Vintage Oriental perfumes usually age well and the latest ones on my list are really affordable on eBay.
Winter has been particularly cold in ATX this year and I was happy to be able to wear them. I am very loyal to my first perfumes, which I started to wear in the mid 80’s. They are like old best friends forever.
Youth Dew and Bar a Versailles are both wonderful in winter! In fact, I have to dash off to work, but you inspired me to dab on a bit first….
I love Youth Dew bath oil, it’s far softer and more resins than the spray…
Oooooh! I may have to splurge on some YD bath oil….Sounds so nice!
Just a few drops in the tub or one on the wrist–perfect!
I agree–for me, the bath oil is the way to go, too.
Oh Angela, thank you so much for mentioning Tabu – I love your description, especially the grandma/bordello bit! I’ve posted here before when someone’s mentioned Tabu about a late friend of mine, Diane, wearing it when we were in our early 20s & she nicknamed it ‘instant brothel’ – she immediately came to mind when I read your piece & she would have laughed like a drain at your description.
I’m glad you liked the review, and “instant bordello” is hilarious! (So is “laugh like a drain”–I’ve never heard that expression before and love it.)
Thought you’d appreciate my friend’s turn of phrase! Apparently ‘laugh like a drain’ is a British phrase of World War II armed forces origin & means ‘to laugh loudly or coarsely, especially at the discomfort of others’ – I knew it originated from here in the UK but not the rest of the meaning, which is certainly not how either my friends or I have ever used it – perhaps the meaning has mellowed with time, I’d like to think so, & anyway am glad you found it funny.
I’ve learned something new! Thank you!
Hi Angela! Happy Friday!!
It’s interesting to see Fracas on your winter list, I adore tuberose, and should try this in the winter and see how it wears.
Winter scents are among my favorites, they bring such comfort and warmth. I’d say my top three winter perfumes are:
Fendi’s Fendi (the original), it’s spicy resins and warmth with a touch of florals for balance elegant, but not overpowering.
Bal à Versailles by Jean Desprez, huge lush florals with a touch of sweetness over a civet, resin, musk and leather base. Elegant but not so much barnyard that it isn’t approachable and fuzzy.
Sheherazade also by Jean Desprez is beautiful on cold clear days opening with more of a dry/peppery spice, the carnation/orris tempers just enough to soften, adding a powdery note and the resin/woods dry down is spectacular.
Chanel No 22 (vintage cologne), a different creature than it’s newer version (more ethereal and joyous), it’s white flowers over an incense base, soft, powdery and meditative – perfect for a cozy evening reading by the fire.
Oops, that was four, wasn’t it? 🙂 🙂 I got a little carried away!
Ha ha!
Nice choices! Now I realize I should have added Bal to my list, too! Fracas is great in dry cold, I think. Something about a crisp chill really sets it off.
I love your list Angela! I haven’t tried Danger yet either. Alpona, Miss Dior, and Shalimar are all favorites. I’d add Caron Farnesiana – soft hay and gourmand-ish without being sweet. It’s my ultimate comfort scent.
Farnesiana is so milky and soft. I can see why it’s a fabulous comfort scent!
I haven’t smelled any of these and wonder whether doing so might break the spell your evocative descriptions have cast.
That happens to me often when I read other people’s descriptions of perfume! I’m tempted to sample, then I wonder why I haven’t been swept into the dream. Although, sometime it works….
I’ve found your descriptions to be very reliable! Of course, I don’t react as you do to every fragrance (some notes just don’t agree with me), but I always take your analyses seriously.
Oh, good! Everyone’s skin and sensibilities are so different, that it’s hard sometimes to know.
I think you might find true love in this really good list.
If you’re open to complex, old fashioned fragrances (i.e. sometimes hard to “get”), they’re a lot of fun to sample.
Wonderful list Angela!
Thank you!
What a glamorous line-up! Many of them I can only dream about, but I do rock good old Shalimar, Tabu and Fracas in the cold months!:)
Winter is my favourite time to wear perfume, as most of my collection falls into the woody/sweet/ oriental category.
The ones that get the most wear nowadays are Shalimar, Organza Indécence, Burberry Brit Gold, Alamut, Fumerie Turque, Habanita, Mona’s Vanille and Cuir, L’eau d’Ambre, Attrape-Coeur, Toujours-moi, Black Cashmere, L de Lolita, Absolue pour le Soir, and Cinnabar. If-IF- it snows some more, I’ll be ready to get the vanillas and Teint de Neige out. If.
Be safe in the ice and snow!
We share so many favorites! Thanks for listing yours for the rest of us to drool over.
Dear Angela, that’s not entirely a coincidence;). If you knew how many of those loves were ignited by your praises… Haha!
I also find myself drooling reading the comments. Winter is really a great time for vintage.
I agree! The complexity and sometime density of vintage fragrances are so nice when it’s cold out. They seem to go well with sweaters and coats and scarves.
Angela-Great list!!
and Happy Friday
I love when all the perfume bloggers do the best of whatever season! So much fun reading everyones different choices
Parfum Sacre is up there for a great winter scent for me, as well as Cristalle and No19 Poudre, I tried Songes in the cold and loved it!
I can see Parfum Sacre being perfect in the cold, but I never thought of Cristalle in winter! I just found a bottle in a thrift shop, so I’ll have to give it a go.
Great list! I haven’t tried many of these, and I will seek them out! I almost wore vintage Jolie Madame as one of my top 10 of winter today, so I will add that to the list.
Oh, Jolie Madame is terrific in the fall and winter!
Great list Angela, thanks!
I have so many winter favorites that it is very difficult for me to choose. This winter so far I have been enjoying: Kenzo Jungle L’Elephant, Guerlain Encense Mythique D’Orient, Dior Oud Ispahan, Chanel No. 19 Edp and Poudre, Cuir de Lancome, Donna Karan Black Cashemere, Caron Parfume Sacre, Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan. So many more, but I do not want to make the list longer…
That list of perfume practically reads like a poem–I can smell them as I read the names, and it’s wonderful!
What a lovely list! In a similar vein, I wore L’Heure Bleue for today’s community project. Old-fashioned scents strike such a perfect note in wintery weather.
L’Heure Bleue is wonderful almost always!
Vintage for winter, absolutely!!
I don’t really get on with Shalimar, but how I love vinty Emeraude. Cozy without smelling like dessert. Miss Dior is really sort of *freaky* (and dangerous, she’ll shiv you if you’re not careful) but truly, I think she is THE chypre, and if you love her nothing else will do.
Narcisse Noir I keep trying in various iterations but it never seems like anything but a dull little cold-cream orange blossom. (Is it me? I mean, it has to be me, right? I’m not getting what everybody else is getting.) Fracas is such old-school glamour, complete with powder puff and (yes) cold cream.
There are very few vintages I love, but the ones I do love are perfect in winter. I mentioned Emeraude. Jolie Madame I like for when winter takes a turn for spring, and it’s wet and gray outside. Then, too, I have some classic floral chypres based on old formulae, and they are perfect in cold weather too: Soivohle Centennial (sadly, it left the lineup when Liz Zorn revamped a couple of years ago, but it has this FUZZY quality that feels like an angora sweater) and Pierre de Velay Extrait No. 11 (a Roja Dove creation based on an old perfume formula but done with modern raw mats).
OH! Vintage Arpege, I forgot it. I almost finished up a 1970s extrait mini and bought another on ebay, and the second one is really *dirty* so I’m not sure I’ll wear that one as much, but that drydown is woody perfection.
I think of vintage Arpege as a spring scent, but I’ll have to give it a go this week!
I love your comment, because I can relate so well, even if we end up with slightly different experiences with the perfume! We certainly have the same experience with Miss Dior. I love her, of course.
I love wearing vintage in the winter also! Dior Dioressence, Miss Dior, Creed Angelique encens, Floris Malmaison, Chanel L’heure bleu.
I almost added Dioressence to the list, and I would have had it been the top 15….
I like Frapin 1270 in the winter. Wait – that’s not vintage, but it is older than some of my other cold weather favorites. There is one, though, that has been around a long time that definitely comes to mind as a good winter perfume, and it is Interlude by Frances Denney. When I was younger, I thought that one had such a sophisticated wonderful smell.
Frapin 1270 FEELS vintage, even if it’s not, so I completely get it! As for Frances Denney, I think I have a gold tube of it around somewhere….time to get it out.
Beautiful list….I have MANY that I need to try ASAP! 🙂
Don’t forgot Clinique Aromatics Elixir y’all! This is my ALL TIME favorite winter scent!
Oh my gosh, YES! I don’t have the perfume, but I do have some of the lotion and adore it.
Preaching to the converted–love-love-love me my vintage smellies!
Go team!
I love vintage as well! Today’s SOTD was Vol de Nuit extrait–not a vintage bottle (I bought it in 2008), but a vintage scent nevertheless.
Your comment about the grandmama in the bordello reminded me of a vacation story. A few years ago, we were touring the visitor’s center in Fort Smith, Arkansas, which is actually in a building that was originally a bordello. In one of the downstairs rooms there is a display of photographs of some of the women who worked there back in the day. Our tour guide told us that one time when he was giving a tour, one of the tourists was looking at the photos, and he got a stunned look on his face and exclaimed “Oh my God! That’s my grandmother!”
The tour guide wasn’t sure if it was true or if the tourist just said that (and pretended to be shocked) because he thought it would be funny. Still, it makes one think–many of those women probably went on to be somebody’s grandmothers.
Wow! That’s hilarious–and shocking! (Speaking of Shocking, Schiaparelli Shocking might make a good addition to the list, too.)
This is a wondrous list, and I feel like SFguy, I don’t want to break the spell you’ve cast.
But I could not resist. I just rummaged the stash. A decant of vintage Shalimar EdC and another of Narcisse Noir are now on my desk. These lovelies were shared with me by fragrance friends, and I am so grateful. I need to give both scents some cold weather wearings.
I hope you love them and find their romance in the cold weather!
Interesting list, thank you Angela. Some names I haven’t heard before.
Could you imagine Caron Narcisse Noir on a man? Is the smoky part pronounced? I love Narcissus if it’s paired with green/bitter like in Vol de Nuit.
Somehow the question makes me think of Burberry London for Men.
I have a sample which I haven’t smelled for years (back then I found it too “trendy”, but need to revisit!). I remember it as a kind of powedery mullet whine. Friendly if a bit sweet, comfortable and perfect for winter.
Forgot to say that I love your “recommendations” for how to wear the scents 😉
They were fun to write! Naturally, my own winter is a lot more boring: lots of reading and working.
“Powdery mullet whine”–that’s hilarious! Yet, I know exactly what you mean. And, yes, I bet Narcisse Noir is great on men. There’s a hint of scotch and cigarettes about it that de-genders it, in my opinion.
I enjoy reading everyone’s lists! I’ve been drawn to Chanel No 5 this winter, mine is an old bottle of edt that has a bit of a growl and it’s been perfect for our roller coaster weather (-15 to +55F just days apart.) Vintage Habanita, Coco, Obsession perfume (omg) and Black Cashmere are always winter staples and Shalimar is a year round love. Boucheron edp and Theo Fennell Scent are a couple more cold weather favorites, I forget about them some years and others I can’t get enough.
Those all sound perfect for winter, and Chanel No. 5 is, of course, perfect for just about any time. It can be so soft and comforting. I should have put Habanita on the list!
Well I need to get crackalackin’ because I haven’t tried any of these ????
If you happen to stumble over them, they’re worth a sniff! They’re really old fashioned, though. (Naturally, to me that’s a draw.)
Love your list. I’d add vintage Magie Noire and Jolie Madame. Two beauties thar go well with a leather jacket over a cozy sweater.
Both beauties! Both well named, too.
Hello everyone, I want everyone’s advice on something.
I found a real old vintage bottle of Chanel Cuir de Russie Eau de Cologne for sale from a seller not in ebay. He says that the bottle is about 50 years old and it’s almost full. I asked him if the fragrance still smelled good and he said it was perfect. Is this possible for it being so old? I collect perfumes and have over 300 but I never tried the new formulation or even know how it smells but I know if this fragrance is how he says it is, it would be a great find. It is selling for about USD70.00. I don’t usually don’t like to spend that much out of the blue for a fragrance that I don’t know if I even would like it and would rather spend it on a perfume that it’s on my list but it is tempting. What do you guys think?
New Cuir de Russie smells pretty good, but $70 is a good price. It’s a tough decision! Good luck!
I’d say buy it. If you hate it, it will be *really* easy to sell on. If you love it, you will be thrilled by it. (I’m a big CdR fan, though.)
Wonderful list! Although I’ll probably never sniff any of these, but it’s lovely to read about them. The only vintage beauty that I really would love to try is vintage Femme, as it seems like something I would totally love. I got Jubilation 25 at the end of last year and have absolutely no regrets about that slightly impulsive buy, I know it’s one of your favourites too, and if feels slightly retro.
Jub 25 DOES have a vintage vibe, which is probably why I love it so much. Vintage Femme is pretty easy to find out there–good luck!
Yes, but I’m never quite sure what version is being sold on ebay. Do you know how to distinguish vintage bottles from recent ones? On looks I mean? Thanks!
Good point–Femme seems to have come in a bunch of different bottles. I wonder if someone’s done a “Femme over the years” study somewhere?
I think it merits a Phd 🙂
I’d love to be on that review committee!
Angela, I love this post.
Fracas was the second-ever grown-up perfume I purchased (ca. 1991). I could not believe how beautiful it was, or how much I spent on it. Now, alas, it makes me sneeze.
OTOH, I can wear Bandit with no problem. Off to spray some now!
Bandit is one of my favorites for spring because of that marvelous razor-sharp green note. Love it!
I tried, I really tried to avoid the vintage rabbit hole. But. Then there was Miss Dior. I missed her. The proper stuff. And then it began.
And then I managed to snag a wee bottle of vintage Cuir de Russie. Extrait. Full. Circa 1950-something. Ok, it took me three frustrating days to open and I was starting to think it would just be an ornament that could live on my desk warning me against impulse ebay buys, and then…then I got the stopper out. And it may be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever smelled.
And that description of Narcisse Noir is not making it easier, you know. Not at all.
Wow, the Cuir de Russie sounds terrific! At least Narcisse Noir is still in production. I recommend the parfum over the EdT.
You have inspired me to dig out the Shalimar dusting powder I found at an estate sale! Thank you.
What a terrific find! Enjoy it!
My winter top 10
1. Annick Goutal Myrrhe Ardente
2. Annick Goutal Ambre Fetish
3. Van Cleef Ambre imperial
4. Serge Lutens Filles en Aiguilles
5. Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille
6. Van Cleef Rose Velours
7. Guerlain Oriental Brulant
8. Hermes l’ambre des merveilles
9. Serge Lutens Cedre
10. Elizabeth and James Nirvana Amethyst
I would love to owned and wear it during winter
11. Maison Martin Magiela Fireplace (on my wish list!)
Lots of amber and wood and warming notes! And now I really want to smell Fireplace.
Great list, and I love that image! Vintage fragrances are especially wonderful in winter. I would add some of the older Lanvins, such as Scandal and Pretexte.
Scandal! Maybe my favorite leather of all time.
Ha, ha! How did you know that my aunt wore Shalimar? Once she even spilled a bit in her purse – the leather-on-a-metal-frame type – smelled fabulous every time she opened it. I haven’t sniffed any of your other choices, though, but you’ve inspired me to track them all down. My mother wore Crèpe de Chine briefly, before a long affair with Youth Dew, but I can only recall a floral aspect. (She once wore it with a pink bouclé coat that had a pink crèpe de chine lining, though. That I remember, but it must have been springtime!)
My modern winter faves (bear in mind that I live in the SF Bay area, so not severe winter): Bottega Veneta; Parfums Delrae Bois de Paradis; Coty L’Origan, vintage parfum only. Haven’t worn any scent for a month, though – still dragging through an interminable cold.
I could live happily with your list (note to self: when some extra cash comes up, by Bois de Paradis).
I just got a cold, too. Ugh.
I hope your cold leaves soon! Mine has had me in its grip for three weeks, which seems especially unjust in that I had an equally bad and lengthy cold for three weeks just last October.
And, oops – I just realized that my “modern” winter list included a very vintage L’Origan. As I was composing the list I forgot to include currently-available only.
It’s a pretty mild cold and seems to be lodged in my sinuses. I’m crossing my fingers it decides to pack up and go home soon!