The most elegant fragrances for when you want to feel pulled-together
What does elegant even mean these days? It feels like a throwback concept that went out the window along with occasion wear. For the most part, you don’t see us wearing ball gowns or elbow-length gloves when we head off for the evening (at least before pubs were shut down by the 10pm curfew). And, it’s pretty rare that you’ll spot someone dressed for work in a matching tweed skirt suit with a string of pearls and a pair of Mary Janes.
Like our outfits, our fragrances have become more casual over time. Ever since the 90s, and the rift created by lightweight perfumes like CK One and Dior Dune, undone and pared-back scents have seen an explosion.
New introductions in heavy, heady “occasion scents” have tended to take a backseat (with a few notable exceptions, like Frederic Malle’s Portrait Of A Lady), while existing classics from fragrance houses like Guerlain, Chanel and Cartier, have stood-in whenever we’ve needed something with old-school sophistication.
Which brings us back to elegant scents, and what they mean today. If you ask OG perfumer, Coco Chanel, “elegance is when the inside is as beautiful as the outside,” which translated, surely means that elegant perfumes are the feel-good scents that you feel a personal connection to. They’re the scents that make you feel fancy, or powerful, or pulled together, or at ease. They’re intimate, they’re quietly confident and the only person they have to impress, is you.
Which means that they could really be anything that makes you feel chic, special and a little bit more polished.
To get you started, here are a few of our favourites, from classic to unconventional.
These are the best elegant perfumes to try…
Glossier You Eau de Parfum, £45, Glossier
Heavy on warm, creamy notes like musk and ambrox with earthy iris root and a touch of spicy pink pepper, this is a carnal scent that feels like a second skin. It’s a your-scent-but-better number that’s understated and effective without being showy.
Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin Cologne, from £48, Jo Malone London
The brand’s signature and best-selling scent, it’s a lilting citrus that feels sharp and commanding and light and refreshing at the same time. The epitome of cool, calm and collected, it’s also delicate and uplifting.
Le Labo Thé Noir 29 Eau de Parfum, from £57, Cult Beauty
Le Labo’s Santal 33 is a cult classic, but the lesser-known The Noir has all of the enigma and energy of Santal 33 (you can’t quite put your fingers on the notes), but it’s a little more off the beaten track. The combination of black tea, sticky fig, tart bay, woody cedarwood and warm vetiver, subtly woven with the faintest mist of tobacco is sweet, smoky and quietly sultry.
Byredo Blanche Eau de Parfum, from £115, Space NK
A clean slate on which to build your own impression, the inspiration behind this scent is the colour white. To me it smells like clean linen, others have described it as floral, fruity, crisp, sexy, eccentric and sophisticated. Really, it’s a blank page to make your own mark on.
Chloe Nomade Eau de Parfum, £75, Feel Unique
A delicate blend of freesia and cherry plum, bedded down with earthy oak moss, it feels light and floral and soft and voluptuous at the same time.
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum, £57, Feel Unique
A classic for a reason. This feels like the modern millennial equivalent of No.5. It’s pretty and feminine but not too sweet. Here, rose is softened against bourbon vanilla, vetiver, tonka bean, jasmine and ylang ylang.
Maison Christian Dior Spice Blend, £200, Dior
Imagine the sophistication of swilling a glass of rum from the comfort of a worn armchair. That’s the feeling this scent evokes. It’s warm, it’s spirited, it’s spicy and it works as beautifully on men and women.
