Each of the classic perfume houses seems to have a flagship fragrance that defines the house, yet would never make it past the marketing team today. Chanel has No. 5, a fusty, lovely veil-hatted scent worn by millions and probably truly loved for its scent by only a small fraction. Guerlain has Mitsouko, a perfume aficionado’s most loved and most want-to-love walk through rotting peaches, rainwater, and mold. Jean Patou has Joy, and Caron has Tabac Blond.
And then there’s Christian Dior Miss Dior, perhaps the most off-putting and, to me, deliciously irresistible icon of them all. (I’m talking about Miss Dior Original or Miss Dior Classic, of course, and not the fragrance sold today as Miss Dior, which is to the real Miss Dior as Barbie’s take on the Mona Lisa would be to the real thing.)
In a nutshell, Miss Dior is a chypre highlighting galbanum, gardenia, and leather, released in 1947. It’s thick and furry and dusted with powder. It’s nearly impossible to imagine Dior releasing anything so difficult to read today. (For a proper review of Miss Dior, see Robin’s take.)
From the first time I tried Miss Dior, I wanted to like it. But I didn’t. I couldn’t even talk myself into it, like I initially talked myself into liking Mitsouko. Later, at a downtown department store, I sprayed Miss Dior on a wrist and offered a sniff to a friend. “Not for you,” was her judgment. I had to agree. I understood why Chandler Burr pronounced Miss Dior "unwearable." Why was this perfume such a big deal?
But I kept going back to my sample. Eventually — as with Jackson Pollack, Wagner, and morbier cheese — I “got” Miss Dior. Its dense sillage opened up to show (to me, at least) that it was an urban perfume, full of retro chic, smoked cigarettes, day-old corsages, and Russian novels read by the window in autumn.
I not only finally understood Miss Dior, I loved it. I bought a 16-ounce bottle of vintage Eau de Toilette and wore it a lot, even though I knew I might not earn “you smell so good” after hugs.
Which leads to considering why we wear perfume at all. A fragrance like Miss Dior gives us the opportunity not just to hone our appreciation of scent, but to be more vulnerable in a way. When we love an unpopular fragrance and wear it — sensitively, of course — we let the world know how we differ from the mainstream. We open ourselves up to being misunderstood and unappreciated, but also to be truly seen. Plus, we get to smell fabulous.
Are there any perfumes that were especially difficult for you, but that you came to adore? Do you wear them, even though the outside world might not understand and appreciate them?
My goodness, I do not recognize your description of my darling Mitsouko which I find very easy to wear and every easier to follow down a street. The “difficulty” of Tabac Blond has also always puzzled me. Maybe it’s less that they’re difficult and more than they have so much character they are very right for some and very wrong for others? (I do loathe Chanel No. 5.) Les Nez Manoumalia, which smells like a swamp filled with rotting flowers, probably comes closest to that love/hate thing for me. I cannot wear it, and yet I keep trying because it haunts me until I start to crave it in some weird way.
I think a lot of appreciating a perfume comes from having experience with them. I was okay with Mitsouko but didn’t really understand it until I tried the EdC. Today, I like it all right, but I can’t call it love. I do adore No. 5 and Manoumalia, so maybe we have opposite noses! It would be fun to compare perfume collections.
I wear No 5 because I love it (always have) but can’t do Mitsouko and most definitely can’t do Miss Dior.
There’s some reference somewhere about it smelling like well-worn panties (along the lines of Napoleon’s “Arriving in five days. Do not wash,” or whatever he’s reputed to have said.)
That is undeniably Miss Dior (from a vintage houndstooth bottle) on me.
And come to think of it, I don’t believe there’s any Dior I have any particular attachment to except Poison (just the original – no flankers.) So perhaps it’s also just Not My House.
The Dior classics really took a turn once Roudnitska got hold of the brand. I love them all, practically, until the 1980s.
Miss Dior is definitely a love it or hate it perfume, though.
Aromatics Elixir is a perfume that I like but sometimes ” worry” about when I wear it in public spaces because of its skankiness. I read a wonderful article about Dior’s sister Catherine which added to my love of Miss Dior
Justine Picardie (UK harpers bazaar) has written a book about her ( Faber and faber)
Oops…the book will hit the shelves in 2020
I want to read this!
Aromatics Elixir is so wonderful but so out of fashion and hard for some people to appreciate. I get it!
The same here. I love that one.
It really is good. I have some of the lotion, and that’s perfect for me.
I wear the heck out of the AE Perfumer’s Reserve. Having never smelled the original, I don’t know how it compares, but I don’t find it challenging at all, except in the sense that passers-by might find it… indiscreet.
I have never smelled that one!
I find No 5 radiant but only enjoy it on others. I’m more an Eau Premiere kind of guy.
I own quite a bit of vintage Miss Dior in a variety of different concentrations. That burst of bitter green… Heaven! I can admit that it has challenging aspects, but I really enjoy wearing it.
I love it, too. It took a while for it to snap together in my mind, but once it did, there was no going back!
I put some old EdT on today and golly, this drydown is sexy! Much sexier than I remembered.
A nice little growl going on, huh?
Do you find Morbier cheese difficult to like? In that case I wonder, have you ever tried Munster cheese?
Sorry to divert, because this review is all about perfume and interesting perfume at that. For me if I don’t like it on first sniff but if I am intrigued and not repulsed (like I was with Teint de Neige for instance) I tend to fall for it eventually. Manoumalia took a couple of wears before we clicked as was the case with Thérèse and Cassie. Oddly Mitsouko was love at first sniff as have been most Guerlains.
Unfortunately I’ve never been able to try vintage Miss Dior, it sounds seriously good.
Ah, le petit Munster…
Absolutely stunning stuff but not the easiest of introductions to the wonderful world of French Cheese.
I recently returned from a 2 week trip to Normandy and brought back 6 or 7 different kinds of local cheeses. Bliss
Now that’s the perfect souvenir!
Somehow, I just got the image of a scary mansion and the Munsters….
Ha ha!
I’ve loved Morbier from the get-go! When I wrote it, I was thinking of my sister trying it, turning up her nose, and saying “it tastes like toe jam.” As for Munster, I have some in my refrigerator right now!
Good to know! I’m very, very fond of cheese, especially stinky ones.
Get thee to a slice of morbier!
I tried many Guerlains and was fortunate to sniff in person. Lots to love, just not the classics that I wanted to. I expected a bottle of L’Heure Blue, based on the description.
Others, based on my profile, POAL, all ? and a pretty rose on me. Blech. I like my rose dirty ?. Musc Ravageur, Musk Kubla Khan, Ramon Monegal, Bruno Whatever, Borneo, Patchouli Pure (TF-my head shop has the same),
I really wanted those to work on me, but the musks could not be smelled on me or by me. With lots of sprays. I like a dark rose only, and really dirty patchouli. I had been on a quest for musks. I gave up. It’ll happen when the Universe aligns.
Fortunately, there are so many lovely dark roses out there!
I tried to love No.5 but just couldn’t. I appreciate it, and admire it, but it’s just too perfectly smooth and golden and unreal for me. Miss Dior, however, has always been a true love. She and I got on from our first meeting, and have remained firm friends.
Jolie Madame and I took a while to get along–I kept being put off by the disconcerting soft prettiness of the opening, and didn’t stick around appreciate the depths that ground it.
Oh, I do love Jolie Madame. That tough leather is so nice with cool violets. You were lucky to appreciate Miss Dior right away!
Shalimar. It took me over a decade to get it.
Shalimar was one of the easier ones for me, although I admit I didn’t love it right away!
I *still* don’t get Shalimar but I do love Mitsouko. Prefer Patou’s 1000 (my GOAT) to Joy. I get the same (good) vibe from Miss Dior as I do with Jolie Madame. Thumbs up for Aromatics Elixir too. P.S. I get a beachy feel with Estée Lauder PC Tuberose Gardenia. Am I hallucinating?
To me, Shalimar is so much easier than Mitsouko! Patou 1000 isn’t all that easy, either, but so good.
I can see the Gardenia in PC Tuberose-Gardenia giving a beachy feel, kind of like Sand ‘n Sable (remember that one?).
Holy moly, Sand & Sable! So much fun. Marvellous how a scent can be so earth-shatteringly evocative of a time and place, like time travel.
I know what you mean!
Angela, I love your line: “as with Jackson Pollack, Wagner, and morbier cheese.” I still can’t love any of those (though I’m closest with Wagner, with whom I’ve reached an uneasy detente).
Uncharacteristically, I love Miss Dior, but in extrait de parfum only. (Isn’t that weird? I can’t stand the EDP/EDT, but the extrait is stunning. I feel the same way about Bois des Iles and Jour d’Hermes.) I am not generally a fan of chypres OR of vintage perfumes, but somehow, my little vintage Miss Dior extrait dabber bottle brings me great joy.
It took me some time to like vetiver as a note, generally, and Chanel Sycomore EDT, specifically. Now, I can’t get enough of vetiver (I’m wearing Dior Vetiver today, in fact!), and my bottle of Sycomore (EDP, which I also love, though it’s a bit sweeter and less raw/unpolished) is one of my favorites.
♥ I love this.
I had a tiny sample of Miss Dior extrait once and LOVED it. I MUST find more!
I had a rough time with the less-smooth vetivers at first, too, but now I also love Sycomore. (I can tell right now that the comments on this post are going to make me long for more new perfume than I can afford.)
My uncomfortable scent has always been “L’AUTRE” by DIPTYQUE…the original version is so wonderfully sweaty…I’ve been told everything. Even that I had to have a shower. But I never cared. It was my signature scent for a long period.
Now I often spray DZING! By artisan parfumeur… nobody loves it. And I don’t care.
Mmmmm, I LOVE Dzing! You can always sit next to me!
And me!
And me!!!
L’Autre is another beauty that can be off-putting at first! I adore Dzing!, too. Love it.
I love Dzing! It really takes me on a journey so I don’t wear it out of the house but on days off….I let her do her thing.
And she loves to do her thing!
It’s so interesting, isn’t it? I can’t stand Mitsouko or Aromatics Elixir. I do like #5 and have recently learned to appreciate vintage Miss Dior. But my taste generally runs less on the vintage side. (I also love morbier cheese and Jackson Pollack and can appreciate Wagner, for whatever those are worth).
I just wonder – am I smelling the same thing that someone who loves Mitsouko or Aromatics Elixir smells but just not liking it, or do I not even smell it the same way?
I think a lot of likes and dislikes are to do with differences in perception and association.
Agreed.
Of course. But I think our sense of smell is very complex. I think it’s possible that some of us have different scent receptors or pathways and actually don’t smell things the same way.
I wouldn’t be surprised at all.
I doubt that we have different receptors, we may have trained them differently though.
Or have different scent associations? (Perhaps that’s the same as what you said.)
Yes, but I think it might be possible that if one uses certain receptors more, certain parts of our olfactory system might be more active. Still this is to do with liking things and I guess that is mostly caused by association.
I know what you mean about wondering if you’re somehow smelling things differently. But maybe they simply don’t “jive” with you and who you are, and that’s the difference.
That would be Jasmin et Ciggerette (sp) for me. Sometimes like a rotten jasmine pulled through an ashtray. But I wear it alone and lightly.
We used to foster kittens. Sometimes someone would have a accident. One evening as I was wearing Jasmin and the kittens were running around in full force my husband walked in the living room. He asked which kitten ‘pooped’. All kittens looked at me. Seriously what more can be said about a fragrance like that.
That is hilarious! (And thank you for fostering kittens!)
I don’t like Aromatics Elixir or Youth Dew, and VC &A First and I don’t jive either along with Caleche.
I fragrance I am embarrassed to wear around other people is my sample of Azuree and Sous le Vent
Something I had to warm up to was Chanel 22, No 19 Poudre and Shalimar.
Miss Dior I am find with…
Caleche is a great example of an icon that is hard to love–but unforgettable once you bond with it!
If I had to pick just one fragrance for the rest of my life, it would be Sous le Vent — it resonates with something deep down in my core. Amusingly, it also seems to have a rather stirring effect on the menfolk.
I love it, too. It’s so easy to reach for, no matter the weather. I also adore Vega.
Love your description of Mitsouko. It’s so perfect in humidity.
It’s such a good autumn scent around here, too.
Guerlain is my favorite house but I just cannot bear the smell of Shalimar. It actually smells revolting to me, like vomit or something. Ruth aka Daisy (who calls it Shalibarf) sent me a version (2005 ltd edition edp) that she swore wouldn’t smell revolting to me. Well, it didn’t smell revolting but it still did not smell good–still smelled like Shalimar!–and I never want to wear it again. So, yeah, I keep hoping I will get it but no progress so far
A very dear friend refers to Shalimar as “that poopy diaper perfume”. I must confess I had no love for it until I found a bottle of vintage Shalimar EDC.
It’s amazing how good the vintage Guerlain EdCs are! I feel the same way about Mitsouko, Vol de Nuit, and Parure.
I adore both L’Heure Bleue and Chamade in the vintage cologne. The LHB is especially rich and gorgeous in the vintage EdC.
I will keep my eyes open for them!
Yes!! I find some iterations of Shalimar to be exceptionally… diaper-y, but I thought it was just me.
I wonder if it’s the powder-civet combo?
I have 10-15 bottles of Shalimar, both vintage and new, multiple iterations and flankers, and none has ever struck me as diaper-y. (Shalimar wasn’t instant love for me, but it was intriguing enough to keep returning to.)
LHB, however, does. I tried to warm up to it but I can’t get around the diapers.
The only version of Shalimar I can’t abide is the extrait (I think mine is from the 90s.) And the reason it doesn’t work for me is because it smells like concentrated LHB
That’s so funny! An aside: I think my favorite take on Shalimar was the old PdT. Have you tried that one?
Maybe you *do* get Shalimar, and you’ve come to a final decision on it!
I recently purchased my first vintage Miss Dior because I love it! I have been wearing and loving and finding great comfort with Chanel No. 5 for awhile now. Mitsouko and I are in the courtship phase and I am very intrigued by it and am waiting for colder weather to spray it generously. I like strong, uncompromising smells but I understand why others may have great difficulty appreciating these fragrances.
They’re definitely not for virgin noses, but what masterpieces they are! I’m glad to meet another Miss Dior lover.
I grew up in a small town, and the drugstore had Chanel No 5 edt, which is where i first discovered and loved No 5. It was my signature for many years. I remember like it was yesterday where I bought a a Dior perfume with the houndstooth bottle and screw-top cap. Just cannot recall the name or how it smelled.
I remember when drugstores sold Chanel! Now I’m really curious about the Dior, too.
B&W houndstooth check and screw-top cap say Miss Dior or Diorissimo to me. Wow, I remember the texture of the label. So cool. Thank you for that.
And the oval lozenge on the box!
Commenting from late in the day here, but wanted to say I really enjoyed this article and the comments. It took me a while to come around to Miss Dior and Mitsouko, and I’m still not a fan of No 5 or Shalimar.
I bought a bottle of Miss Dior EdT in 2010, before the name confusion arose. I’ve recently got a tiny amount of a vintage parfum, and it makes the EdT very insipid, but it’s just fine if I don’t sniff them in quick succession.
I bought Mitsouko EdT about five years ago, and never tried any other version. I’d sort if like to, but I also don’t want my bottle to suffer in comparison
You’ve just decided today’s perfume for me: Mitsouko EdC (I don’t think I have any of the ET). Yep, I’ll splash some on, then drive down to the yard debris dump to unload the trimmings from my locust tree. I bet I’ll be the best smelling person there.
In my experience, the perfumes I find really difficult tend to stay on the difficult shelf no matter what I do or how I approach them. The most obvious example is Bandit. I just cannot deal with that bitter leather, but I think it’s bitter, birchy leather in general that’s the problem. I can’t wear Cabochard, and Knize Ten, which is not really very demanding , is also not for me. I doubt if this will ever change.
On the plus side, there are classics with which other people struggle but I never have: Chanel No 19, Miss Dior, Chanel No 5, Rochas Femme, Jicky. Haven’t worn Jicky in a little while. We must catch up for coffee! Never have any trouble picking up where we left off.
Lovely piece – thank you!
Femme is another good example of a beautiful fragrance that might take some time to get to know. And Jicky, of course! (And you can send all your bitter leathers to me.)
Your last paragraph perfectly describes the topic I have sitting in the notebook for future posts in my blog for several years. But I still haven’t got to it, so here I am commenting on yours
I’m familiar with Miss Dior from mid-80s, and it was my second favorite from the 3 my mom had (with Diorella being total love and Dior Dior being the last but only because there were no others, so I couldn’t demote it further
). I own and wear it myself on and off for the last 3 decades and love it though I understand its “difficulty” and realize that my history of this perfume makes me love it. I didn’t think though, until reading this thread, that others might find it unpleasant.
I can’t remember now which perfume brought up for me the question for whom we wear perfumes, especially those “difficult” ones – I need to check those notes (so I might still do that post after all) but from my thinking about it – it depends. Sometimes I want that pleasure of wearing my favorite just for myself, everyone else be damned; sometimes I want to please others; and sometimes I need to please others – so no challenges for those times.
Chanel No 5, Mitsouoko, Shalimar, LHB, Joy, most Carons, Poison, Opium, Aromatic Elixir, 24 Faubourg, Caleche, Youth Dew, Pleasures, Knowing and Beautiful – are all my nemeses, many of which I “understand” and don’t mind smelling on others, but will probably never wear myself if I have any other choices.
Oh, that’s quite a list! It sounds like you’ve given each of them a fair run, though.
I want to read your post once you’ve got it up and running!
I like the “old ” Diors, and not just because I’m a woman of a certain age. (Good thing my age is certain, otherwise I’d be dead.) Original Miss Dior, Givenchy III, Aliage, and Knowing are all ones I respect and love. Aliage is a mere shadow of its former “sport” self though. I wear Mitsouko only at around Xmas because, though I do really like it, it’s just too much for me the rest of the year.
When Organza Indecence was being sprayed around the perfume department, I thought what vile swill, however, upon revisiting it a few years later, I totally “got” it and why people love it. It’s great, sexy, and spicy but NOT my category.
I know what you mean about Organza Indecence. It’s so big! It’s the belle of the ball, all right, but it doesn’t leave a lot of room for the rest of us.
The perfume that continues to elude and distress me is Niki de St. Phalle; it’s hands-down the most inaccessible thing I’ve ever smelled. My mother wore it, later in life (and she had excellent and not-too-bizarre taste in perfume) but I don’t recall ever smelling it on her — I just remember the rad snake bottle on her vanity. Maybe it was too weird for her, too, and she just kept the bottle around to admire. I have a mini bottle and every now and then I dig it out, thinking, “I’ve lived a bit more; I’ve upped my bohemian sophistication game a titch; surely *now* I’ll find something in it to like?” But, no.
It really is a sharp and particular fragrance with all that green and marigold! But I love it. And, as you point out, the bottle is so amazing. You’ve inspired me to dig out my bottle and give it another wear.
All those beautiful perfumes you evoked by this post! Most of them I love, often the ones deemed difficult…
I thought of a little game named The Exceptions. Here it goes:
we all have favorite and less-favorite genres. Some love gourmands, others prefer fougeres. Take a genre you least like (in my case that would be the gourmand category). Now think of three perfumes from that genre you actually love.
The three gourmand exceptions for me are… Angeliques sous la Pluie from Malle (gourmand as French monks made candy from Angelica); Le Bain by Joop (though not a gourmand note-wise it registers as such – one smells almond, cherry, sweet tobacco – I should not like this but I do!); and.. and… oops what would the third one be? Not sure yet…
Oh, now that’s a good one! Let’s see. I’m not wild about colognes, but I do love Cristalle EdT, Guerlain Eau Imperiale, and Cardin Choc (if that counts).
Choc… is that a cologne? Really? In your heart of hearts?
When the bottle is really cold, it nearly is….
that is endearing. Okay as of now Choc is knighted Honorary Cologne.
O I know! Le Feu by Issey Miyake. Lactonic therefore a gourmand.
That’s cheating! Le Feu isn’t a gourmand (although now you have me thinking about it….)
Challenge accepted. I go looking for proof that Le Feu can no i s (be) a gourmand…
the notes the notes! look at them:
top
Bergamot, Coconut, Anise, Bulgarian rose, Coriander, Rosewood
heart
Sichuan pepper, Golden japanese lily, Jasmine, Rose, Milk, Caramel
base
Cedar, Sandalwood, Gauaic wood, Vanilla, Musk, Milky amber
If this isn’t an Indian inspired rice pudding then what is?
Oh, you’re right! I can’t argue with those notes. Now Le Feu will always be a gourmand to me.
I tried Miss Dior for the first time about four years ago, and instantly fell in love with it. It took me about two years to purchase a bottle, and I am glad I did. I am wearing it today.
Chanel No. 5 is in my “easy to love” category. I think its perfect for any situation — lunches with friends, trips to grocery, fragrance after bath or to wear out to dinner.
Thanks for this article. I enjoyed reading it.
You were one of those people lucky enough to understand Miss Dior right away!
I agree about No. 5. One of my greatest luxuries was staying with a friend who let me use her No. 5 bath oil. So wonderful to sleep in.
The bath oil is so nice ! I bought some for my mother in law as her Christmas gift this past year.