If you love the ritual of discovering a new perfume for the holiday season, there is a particular pleasure in choosing scents from houses that treat perfumery as high art. These masterpieces are olfactory biographies written by master perfumers who understand character, mood and memory. This season, consider introducing someone you love – including yourself – to the masters behind Balmain, Tom Ford, Kilian, Guerlain L’Art et la Matière, Chloé Atelier and the playful world of Gucci Flora.
Balmain: couture, reimagined in scent
Balmain’s perfume story began in the 1940s, when couturier Pierre Balmain commissioned Germaine Cellier to create Vent Vert, the groundbreaking green floral that changed perfumery forever.
Today, Balmain Beauty’s Les Éternels collection continues that spirit through genderless luxury. Carbone, crafted by Quentin Bisch, stands out as a smoky rose wrapped in musk and shadow. It is the ideal after-dark gift for someone who dresses like a rock star but thinks like a CEO.
For me, there was no going past the discovery set.
After taking a guided scent experience at David Jones Elizabeth Street, I simply could not choose amongst these extraordinary scents and settled on the beautifully presented discovery box featuring eight 1.5 ml fragrances to explore and treasure. I would also highly recommend a scent journey to truly appreciate the artistry of this brand. I was so overcome with emotion, I shed a tear. True story!
Guerlain: almost two centuries of perfume history
Guerlain, founded in 1828, remains one of perfumery’s great dynasties. Among its masterpieces, Shalimar stands as the eternal icon. I recall the very first time I saw a bottle of Shalimar on my mother’s dressing table. It was awe inspiring and the scent, the very definition of grown up glamour. I have worn different versions of Shalimar over the years and whilst this scent is over 100 years old, the signature powdery and vanilla notes remain totally relevant and unforgettable today. This year, Assouline’s new volume on Guerlain, beautifully traces this legacy, a richly illustrated love letter to the Maison’s two centuries of innovation, artistry and unapologetic elegance.
Yet my personal obsession lies within their L’Art et la Matière collection, a total triumph of haute perfumery in partnership with Guerlain’s Master Perfumers. Specifically Spiritueuse Double Vanille, arguably the most breathtaking vanilla fragrance ever created. Smoky, sensual, honeyed and impossibly refined, it is frequently waitlisted for good reason. Heaven in every sense and exclusive to David Jones and Heinemann duty free.
Tom Ford: cinematic glamour in a bottle
Tom Ford launched his beauty universe in 2006 with the now-iconic Black Orchid, created by David Apel and Pierre Negrin. Nearly twenty years on, it remains one of the most recognisable designer fragrances in the world.
I have owned many many Tom Ford fragrances and this season, the scent that surprised and captivated me most was the new Oud Voyager. I have never enjoyed oud, but Tom Ford’s exquisite interpretation changed my mind completely. A velvety sweet rose and geranium anchored in cardamom and saffron, it is a new style of opulence I found myself irresistibly drawn to.
Kilian Paris: Seduction with a wink
Founded by Kilian Hennessy, heir to the French Congac Dynasty, KILIAN Paris blends couture storytelling with after-dark glamour. Love, Don’t Be Shy by Calice Becker remains one of the most adored gourmands of the decade and it girl favourite.
But my personal favourite is Angels’ Share. A boozy cognac fragrance with delicious notes of tonka bean, vanilla and cinnamon, it is presented in a stunning cut-glass bottle inspired by the founder’s heritage as heir to a French cognac dynasty.
Their gifting sets are also extraordinary. The Good Girl Gone Bad refillable spray in 50ml, presented in a couture-inspired clutch, is the one I am absolutely obsessed with. This is a brand to collect and show off and if you are perfume obsessed, I truly recommend visiting their boutique in David Jones Elizabeth street for a brand discovery and immersion. Fashioned after a sexy bar, this is an experience not to be missed.
Chloé Atelier: French refinement in its purest form
Chloé Atelier celebrates the beauty of singular ingredients, composed by master perfumers like Louise Turner, Sidonie Lancesseur and Alexis Dadier.
Papyrus is the standout for me. Inspired by Dadier’s childhood memory of a papyrus scroll adorned with hieroglyphs, it captures the refreshing yet smoky aroma of papyrus – a mystical, woody scent that feels like drifting along the Nile at dusk. Sexy, intriguing and beautifully long-lasting. We gifted this fragrance at our recent Ageless Radiance Supper clubs to a room of sophisticated guests who also agreed this is an extraordinary scent.
Chloe, by Karl Lagerfeld was the very first fine fragrance I ever owned. I was five years old and my father gifted me this treasure. It quite literally changed my brain. Today, I collect bottles of this vintage beauty and scour the world and websites for this collectible slice of my olfactive memory so it’s no wonder I am so drawn to the Chloe Atelier collection. The neural pathways run deep.
Gucci Flora: modern florals, elevated
Gucci Flora has undergone a renaissance, evolving into a sophisticated line shaped by master perfumers Alberto Morillas and Honorine Blanc. Gorgeous Gardenia and Gorgeous Jasmine remain house favourites. Having had a long standing love affair with Gucci fragrances (who can forget Gucci Envy and the hypnotic notes of Gucci Rush that defined the late 90’s and early 2000 with Tom Ford at the helm), the Gucci Flora collection is a graduation to a more sophisticated emblem of this now moment for the house.
For gifting, their Christmas set featuring the Eau de Parfum Intense, a travel-sized fragrance pen and a 5 ml miniature is exquisite. It is polished, feminine and wonderfully collectible – an ideal present for those who adore modern florals with depth and glamour.
At a time of year when everything sparkles, choosing a perfume from a true master is a way of gifting longevity, artistry and memory. These houses do not follow trends; they shape them, decade after decade. Slip one of these bottles under the tree and you are not just giving a fragrance. You are offering a lineage, a story and a moment that will outlast the last glass of Champagne and the season’s glittering lights.
