Fragrances. Everybody loves a Yuletide bottle, but failure to nail the perfect person-to-perfume combo will mean only an epic Xmas fail and a swift banishment from the dinner table. No, granny did not want Katy Perry’s Purr, nor did little brother want YSL’s Kouros. With this in mind: Welcome to TRR’s Annual Christmas Fragrance Gift Guide! Let it be said, our shit does stank and this is the indispensable, failsafe manuel au parfum to take you by the nose and lead you to exactly what to buy and for whom – including yourself. As usual, each year we wrap our nostrils round 2010’s highlights along with a soupcon of enduring classics that have kept our olfactory senses aroused over the years.

THE MODERN CLASSIC - Agent Provocateur

Smells like: Erotica, bottled

It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since this sexual, sensual, powdery pong first landed on our dressing table. A decade later, a pink ceramic beauty still sits there smugly at holding the longest tenure of any of its perfumey peers. What’s not to love about AP? Where do we begin? From the tactility/fragility of the egg-like flacon to its bewitching, come-ye-to-my-boudoir potency courtesy of sublime Russian coriander, Indian saffron and Moroccan rose oil notes, Agent Provocateur is a true modern classic.

Agent Provocateur from £45 for 50ml

THE ‘FOR HIM’ - Bleu de Chanel

Smells Like: Franco fantastique!

OK, OK we’re suckers for advertising. Or, well, a hot French piece of ass at least. After getting our collective panties-in-a-bunch over the dreamy Gaspard Ulliel in Martin Scorcese’s Bleu de Chanel advert, how could we not be lured to the heady charms of the scent itself..? Fortunately - like its muse - it’s intense, brooding, masculine and tres, tres alluring. One pop of the magnetized lid and an opening veil of citrussy, peppery top notes join richer accords of cedar, frankincense and moss – all making for a seriously sophisticated aroma you want generously doused over the man in your life.

Bleu de Chanel from 42 pounds for 50ml

THE HE/SHE ANDRODYNOUS CONCOTION - Comme des Garcons’ Wonderwood

Smells Like: Tree Spirit (cue groans)

We fell in love with this scent at its summer launch (and were this close to piping up at the Q&A to inquire; “So, what was the inspiration? MDF? Chipboard? Sawdust?”) but were surprised to learn Wonderwood is essentially a feminine scent, such is the seemingly manly, woody aroma. But then Comme des Garcons’ are known for fucking with gender when it comes to their marvellous alchemic potions; imagine every exotic timber shoved in a shredder and you’ll get something close to the fragrant results. Uniting Agarwood, cedarwood, sandalwood, cypresswood and gaiaicwood it really is one big, beautiful tree orgy.

Comme des Garcons Wonderwood from 48 pounds for 50ml

THE TEEN SPRAY - Chanel Chance au Tendre

Smells Like: Jailbait

Your little sister will forgive you that lifetime of hair-pulling, bitchslapping and general sibling-abuse if you thrust a bottle of this delicious new fruity-floral fragrance from Chanel into her palms this Christmas. A fresh, zingy remix of Chance, it shares the same bottle as its elder sister but with a sugar candy hue brought by grapefruit and quince. Described as, “the fragrance of an optimistic woman who believes in happiness and holds onto chance,” we say: perfect for a teen’s naïve insouciance. Sweet yet tender (clue’s in the title) the yummy scent is underpinned with vibrant green notes and warmed by hints of jasmine and white musk.

Chanel Chance au Tendre from 45 pounds for 50ml

THE HIS N’ HER’S DUO - Burberry Sport range

Smells Like: A Nova check tracksuit

"Sport is a natural extention of who we are," says Christopher Bailey. "We really wanted to explore the technical, functional and sporting sides of the Burberry heritage." For those active, fitness freak go-getter’s that like to co-ordinate their bodily odours, the new Burberry Sport range for him and her is right up your, well, nostrils. Let’s be clear: sporty fragrances ain’t the most alluring of scents: those vigorous aquatic notes being more locker-room than bedroom. But this new his n’ hers eau de toilette duet thoughtfully leaves those in the gym and expertly includes a mix of warmer accords (magnolia and honeysuckle for the womens, amber and cedar for the mens) thus making the perfect invigorating-yet-sexy double act.

Burberry Sport from 27 pounds for 30ml

THE FRAGRANCE FAMILY - D&G Anthology

 Smells Like: Sexy schizophrenia

It’s true: the perfume you wear really is your persona in fragrant format. Inspired by the Gallic game of tarot, Dolce & Gabbana’s winning Anthology family is a compendium of six dissimilar scents; each referencing the title and number of its namesake and embodying a different ‘personality’. 1 Le Bateleur (the seducer), 3 L’imperatrice (the star), 6 L’Amoureux (the charmer), 10 La Roue De La Fourtune (the players), 11 La Force (the achiever) and 18 La Lune (the dreamer). So for those who struggle to decide who you want to be today (buy all six!) or those seeking to underscore a friend’s character via the medium of scent (inflict one!) your prayers have been answered - thank you D&G! We favour layering the juxtaposing sweet vanilla and gardenia notes of 10 with 11's robust sandalwood and cardamom spiciness. So read in to that what you will…

D&G Anthology fragrances from 35 pounds each for 100ml

THE FAILSAFE - Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia / Amber & Lavender Cologne

Smells Like: Englishness, Bottled

Positively no one would thumb their nose at a Jo Malone scent, such is the faultlessness of their age, lifestyle and taste traversing appeal. JM perfumes are less pretentious concoction, more Just Delicious Refined Smells. English Pear and Freesia is JM’s latest tonic for women and masterfully harmonises the honeyed notes of quince and pear with the delicate peppery freshness of white freesias and scrambling wild roses. Men, on the other hand will love the Oriental headiness of the Amber & Lavender cologne. Uniting with myrrh, this aromatic brew evokes the piquant warmth of twilight.

Jo Malone cologne from 34 pounds for 30ml

THE BUY-FOR-YOURSELF-IF-NO-ONE-ELSE-WILL - Love, Chloe

Smells Like: Your grandmothers powder compact

Yes, we all guffawed at the campaign stylist’s sartorial gaffe of wrapping – quelle horreur! – a YSL belt around Raquel Welsh’s waist in the advert, but Love, Chloe is the one new fragrance of 2010 you need and the one whose arrival had us all in an excited fervour. Like everything Chloe, it’s romantic, nostalgically evocative and shamelessly feminine without being sickly or twee. Pop off the gold chained lid from the beautiful flacon and out wafts floral notes of orange blossom, hyacinth, lilac and heliotrope that gently peel away to reveal a powdery soft delicately musky bouquet. Dreamy.     

Love, Chloe from 38 pounds for 30ml

THE HERO/HEROINE SCENTS - Tom Ford Grey Vetiver and Black Orchid Limited Edition Collection

Smells Like: The sweet smell of SUCCESS

“Vetiver immediately evokes for me the classic man, someone who has a confident, refined, and slightly traditional sense of what it means to be a man.” And we all know there ain’t no man like a Tom Ford man (or woman). The tanned Texan’s gourmand fragrances are the byword in luxurious smells and this latest addition to the Ford apothecary is just, well, divine. Timeless, enduring, gentlemanly. and a whole heap of other classy adjectives besides, Grey Vetiver smells like what every discerning man should. The vetiver core is enlivened by orangeflower, grapefruit, nutmeg, pimento and orris root (us neither) while the middle notes gently lighten to reveal rich amber woods in the dry down.

Black Orchid is another scent which has a perma-home on our dressing table. A complex blend of French jasmine, black truffle, dark chocolate and ylang-ylang it’s multi-layered, intense yet never cloying. Curiously, Black Orchid also acts as both a compliment-magnet (guys love its intoxicating warmth) and chav repellent (for reals, some wrong-un’s once sneered at TRR’s TF aroma in a shop) in equal measures. New for 2010 is the Black Orchid Limited Edition Collection. Comprising a pressed perfume housed in a sleek black-fluted compact with his lip colour and nail polish in the shade of the bloom which inspired the scent, this is the most elegant, covetable trio of treats your handbag could desire.

Tom Ford Grey Vetiver from 80 pounds and Black Orchid Limited Edition Collection from 90 pounds

Posted on December 07, 2010 at 4:17:05 by The Real Runway