Thank you to all of you who commented on my last week’s post. It was heartwarming to read your kind words.
As we were discussing fragrant choices of our fathers a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised how many of you mentioned Old Spice cologne and thought that it was amazing that it was still around (reformulated a dozen of times, I’m sure). True classic? And that brought us today’s question.
Saturday Question #269:
What Is Your Favorite Classic Perfume?
I won’t make the question harder than it is: it’s up to you to define what you consider “classic.” The perfume you choose doesn’t have to be currently in production – it can be a discontinued gem that you still own. And if it’s still available but you prefer the previous version in your collection, that works too.
My Answer
That was a hard question! I decided to consider only perfumes created before the current century (can you believe we’re already a quarter into it?!). And an additional limitation is that I still like and wear it. It provided me a list of 30 perfumes. And then I had to choose. You all know how hard it is: every time I try to select just one perfume for any reason, it feels as if I’m betraying my other favorites. But I did it!
I decided to go with one of the oldest (though, not the oldest) by the year created perfumes in my collection – Chanel Cuir de Russie.
How about you?
What Is Your Favorite Classic Perfume?
Image: my own (though, the level is much lower in my bottle now)
Undina's Looking Glass 
I suppose, by the same criteria, I’d go with Chanel No 19. I checked my database and the vast majority of perfumes I own were released this century.
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Good choice, Undina. I’ll go with Guerlain Vetiver.
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My favorite and most worn classic is Bvlgari Femme from 1994. One of Sophia Grojsman’s beautiful creations, it opens with violet, carnation and peach notes, with iris, heliotrope and muguet, grounded by sabdalwood, vanilla and cedar. This was my signature for a number of years from 1994 to early aughts.
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Love CdR too Undina but my heart belongs to Shalimar. It still gets lots of wear around here. I’ve got a vintage extrait on my desk and have a sneaky swipe pretty regularly. There are also some flankers of Shalimar that get some wear. I don’t know why I have all this other perfume when I could wear Shalimar every day.
Portia x
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Gosh, this is a really hard one to answer. Some of my favourites are already mentioned by Portia, Ricky, Daniel and Nose (what good taste we all have!). I am fickle, which doesn’t help. But I think right now I would have to say Balenciaga Le Dix – very much of the mid 20th century and long discontinued. Not a very fashionable sort of scent now … very “perfumey” with its aldehydes, violet aura and warm base … but I love it and am sad to see how little is left in my precious bottle.
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So many beautiful responses. Mine is Dans Tes Bras, from Frederic Malle. I’ve worn it for 15 years and I just love it. I wear it all the time and it just feels like me-as soon as I smelled it I was blown away by it. The FM Saint de Saint candle reminds me of it, too-something about the dry down is in the candle too.
Excellent Saturday question, and thank you for making me think :)
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Chanel No. 22 edt! The first Chanel fragrance I ever owned for myself. Thankfully, I was able to buy a huge bottle for a reasonable price around the time it was discontinued. I do also love No. 19 and Cristalle, but No. 22 edged them out.
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I have spent sometime agonising over this question. The swing was caused by my internal question of “which would I scour preloved sales sites from over the whole world for”. My answer is Chanel Cristalle edt.
When the long drawn out discontinuation started, I trawled preloved sites & marketplaces scooping up every bottle I could find. It one of only two scents that fit me perfectly.
I’m down to my last two bottles again, it’s time to start searching again
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i am voting for Aromatics Elixir, one of my most worn scents together with Scherrer EdT
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My grandmother and mother used to wear no 5, so it would be fitting to choose this classic. I have a vintage EdT from my mother, and it is lovely. No 19 extrait is my favorite classic though, so very beautiful and unfortunately like many others its reformulations are no match to the vintage ones.
I wasn’t able to comment on your Rusty post, so I do it here. I fully understand you and your VSO still grieving him. Sometimes you just know this is ‘the cat’ or ‘the dog’, and even though there may be others, they are irreplaceable. From the pics and descriptions Rusty seemed such a special cat. I think all Undina readers loved seeing him, I certainly did!
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This is tough, I have a top three and it’s hard to choose. Each one is attached to a different memory or emotion. Ok, Opium it is. But only in vintage form.
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Undina, I needed a moment to ponder your question. By the way, it’s a great one. I must say, my favorite fragrance is Coco Chanel eau de parfum.
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Cuir de Russie is a great choice. I’ll go with Bois des Îles, but it’s a close call.
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