New in Stores: Fashion Scents
These chic designer fragrances combine elements of their haute heritage with modern compositions
Yves Saint Laurent Mon Paris Eau de Parfum
This is no by-the-book chypre: Mon Paris is a “clean,” fruity-floral take on the genre (conventionally defined by citrus, cistus labdanum, oakmoss and musk). As in the old-school structure, it opens with bergamot, but takes a turn with raspberry and strawberry accords. Also breaking with tradition, the heart is all sheerness and light: peony, jasmine and hypnotic Datura flower. White musks are noticeable not just in the dry-down but throughout, and even the patchouli is luminous. The bottle is inspired by Le Smoking, the iconic YSL tuxedo. From $110, 50 mL EDP, available September at Sephora, Holt Renfrew, Hudson’s Bay, Nordstrom and Shoppers Drug Mart
Chanel No. 5 L’Eau Eau de Toilette
When Chanel’s legendary in-house nose, Jacques Polge, retired after a 35-year tenure, his perfumer son, Olivier, stepped in—and who better to reinvent the incomparable No. 5 for a whole new generation? Not deemed a flanker but rather a new vision in its own right, L’Eau is less abstract, lighter and citrus-freshened. It still features certain aldehydes (the element that gave the original No. 5 its groundbreaker status), but not the metallic ones. Powderiness is gone from the base, and the vanilla is quieter. In the heart, rose meets oxygenated jasmine and ylang-ylang. From $119, 50 mL EDT, available September at Chanel counters
Prada La Femme Eau de Parfum
The launch of La Femme Prada expresses designer Miuccia Prada’s fascination with the fluidity of identity: in her view, there isn’t one quintessential Prada woman, but many. The fragrance draws upon notes both faraway and familar: frangipani and ylang-ylang, beeswax, vanilla and tuberose, and a final touch of distilled vetiver. Dressed in the unmistakable Prada Saffiano leather, the curved bottle perfectly complements L’Homme Prada, the new companion men’s fragrance, arriving on counters at the same time. From $85, 35 mL EDP, available September at Hudson’s Bay, Holt Renfrew, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom
This article was originally published in the Fall 2016 issue of Cosmetics magazine.