A fragrance discovery box from Harvey Nichols + The Perfume Society, with fragrances from eight brands (Ella K, Experimental Perfume Club, Goutal, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Memo Paris, Robert Graham, Serge Lutens and Tiziana Terenzi). In 2-15 ml sizes, £45.
Harvey Nichols ~ shopping for perfume in London
This 19th century department store was famously the favourite shopping destination of Princess Diana. You can see why — five floors of fashion include every major designer from Armani to Zac Posen, taking in Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin on the way. Luckily for perfume fans, the cosmetics and fragrance department occupies most of the ground floor. Even luckier, Knightsbridge tube station delivers you as close to a spritz of Robert Piguet’s Baghari as it could possibly manage without actually emerging inside the store.
Although Harrods, a little way along Knightsbridge, tends to get the pick of the ‘exclusives’, Harvey Nicks is more compact and feels friendlier (you’re more likely to get hold of a sample here). Even more importantly, there is a niche perfume paradise on the fourth floor, hosting a treasure trove of brands which are hard to find in one place anywhere else in London…