When it comes to fragrance editor, Trudi Brewer says this is a time to reach for a perfume that is warm and comforting; it’s the right time to wear a scent that makes you feel safe and happy.
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Rochas Byzance, 90ml, $153.
What is it?
Made for the elegant Paris-based fashion house Rochas, this is a reinterpretation on the classic 1987 Byzance. While the same perfumers created this newbie, Frenchman Nicolas Mamounas and Spanish fragrance guru, Alberto Morillas, the blend of new ingredients give it a comforting warmth.
What's in it?
The tartness of citrus, from the bergamot, and neroli, blend effortlessly with the sweetness of the pear. Rich, heady flowers such as freesia, heliotrope (a delicious scent that smells like almond or marzipan) and rose, add softness, to the musk, and woody ingredients. But it's the earthy vanilla that makes it so warm and so delicious.
Why do we like it?
If you or your mum wore the original back in the late '80s, that too was a spicy floral scent, a bold fragrance that marked a time in our lives of excess. The top sellers from that era were Opium by YSL, Poison by Dior, Giorgio by Giorgio of Beverly Hills, and Calvin Klein's Obsession; each scent represents that period perfectly. So ironically this new Byzance joins that collection of full-bodied confident perfumes, but with softness and thanks to the warm vanilla. It is perfect for these unprecedented times we find ourselves in today, exotic and distinctly feminine, and that warm vanilla, a fragrance to bring you solace, just what we all need right now. It has just enough sweetness and the right amount of spice so that if you get to dress up again soon, it's perfect for date night, and in the meantime, it's just right for lounging around at home with the ones you love. The brand's founder Marcel Rochas once said, 'One must be able to smell a woman even before seeing her.' This scent certainly speaks to that sentiment.