How To Build An Unforgettable Fragrance Wardrobe This Spring

Forbes

05-04-2025

A fragrance wardrobe is a personal collection of scents that you can mix, match, layer or wear alone depending on the mood, season, or occasion.
I was 14 when I first bought my very eau de toilette: Heaven by Gap. I felt all grown up, wearing a scent that I believed was a clear reflection of my adolescent identity. Since then, my preferences for fragrances have evolved to include: a fresh citrusy spritz for the summer, something heady and mysterious for nights out, and an investment cult perfume for when I want to make an entrance. It was only when I began to explore the colorful world of Maison Francis Kurkdijan that I discovered the joys and creative possibilities that cultivating a fragrance wardrobe can bring.
The Discovery Set from Maison Francis Kurkdijan was my portal to the world of fragrance wardrobes.
As it is in fashion, a fragrance wardrobe is a personal collection of scents that you can mix, match, layer or wear alone depending on the mood, season, or occasion. This modern and highly personalized approach to wearing perfumes or eau de toilettes allows you to create combinations that are fresh and uniquely yours. For instance, I've been layering Le Labo's Thé Noir 29 (a scent I've been wearing for the past five years) with a spritz of Bond Number One. The result: a strikingly familiar scent with a musky, delicious surprise.
LE LABO Thé Noir 29
Bond Number One Eau de Parfum
This Spring, consider fragrances that reinvent signature florals or bold, classic scents. Seek out the most compelling narratives that inspire enigmatic perfumes from cult favorites like 19-69 and D.S & Durga. This is also the season to celebrate your inner child with a deliciously fruity fragrance. Here, a round up of the key fragrances for Spring,
Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady
Created by Dominique Ropion, Portrait of a Lady from Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle was recently repackaged into a striking red flacon to mark its 15th year. The iconic fragrance highlights the opulence of the Turkish rose as set against lush notes of amber, incense, and sandalwood. Essences of patchouli and cypress linger, highlighting the contrast between light and shadow.
Rainbow Bary by 19-69
Created by cult luxury brand, 19-69, Rainbow Bar draws from 1980s glam rock counterculture. This bright and spicy scent was named after the infamous Rainbow Bar on LA's Sunset Strip. Top notes include bergamot, cypress, warwood and cardamon. At the heart of this evocative eau de parfum are accords of marine breeze, fresh basil, elemi, artemisia, grape seed, and bourbon. They are reminiscent of 'the clear blue skies, the sunshine and the warm glow that embrace the West Coast.' Rainbow Bar lingers with essences of nutmeg, vetiver, cedarwood and pimento seeds.
Invisible Post by 19-69
19-69's Invisible Post was inspired by the hippie movement of 1967, known as the Summer of Love. During this time, information and ideas were shared with the community through a communication network called the Invisible Post. The playful, woody perfume echoes the exuberance of a generation that was determined to 'trash the previous generation's old values and embrace a new consciousness of freedom, sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll.' Invisible Post opens with notes of petit grain, green fig and tangerine. It then transports the olfactory senses to the vast fields of palm leaf, black currant, and cyclamen. Tonka beans and sandalwood linger.
Greenpoint by Bond No. 9
Bond No. 9's Greenpoint is a classic fragrance with a playful twist. Created in collaboration with Mane Master Perfumer Claude Dir, it echoes the fashionable, part bohemian-part industrial vibe of Brooklyn's edgy maritime neighborhood: Greenpoint. Initial olfactory impressions reveal notes are made of pear, zesty bergamot, and spicy pimento leaf. At the heart, a bouquet of roses, magnolia and jasmine. Greenpoint's lingering notes include: blonde cedar, tree moss, sea amber and musk.
Kurky by Maison Francis Kurkdijan
French perfumer Francis Kurkdijan bottles some of his most intimate childhood memories in a bottle of Kurky. This new fragrance from the renowned maison is a fun, fruity and nostalgic call to connect with our inner child. Kurky is a tutti-fruit medley of peach, raspberry, musk and vanilla sillage that is every bit a childhood perfume–made for adults. Kurkdijan writes: 'It is an invitation to dare, to experience life through a rainbow of colors… Kurky is a scent that instantly reveals itself exactly as it is, like a big grin and a rush of positivity. '
I Don't Know What by DS & DURGA
When exploring the countless possibilities of a fragrance wardrobe, begin with DS & Durga's I Don't Know What. Created as a fragrance enhancer, this clean, sparkling scent enhances notes and nuances of other perfumes. It blends bergamot with vetiver acetate, civettone, firsantol, and ambrox super. I Don't Know What can also be worn alone as a light, crisp and refreshing spritz of 'je ne sais quo.'
Brown Flowers by DS & DURGA
DS & Durga founders, David and Kavi Molz, present fragrances through detailed narratives accompanied by a curated Spotify playlist. The recently launched Brown Flowers, for example, presents an unexpected olfactory journey into the realm of floral scents. 'Think of it as a floral with a cool side,' says the fragrance duo. Brown Flowers embodies the modernist from the 1070s–a chic eccentric who wears jasmine (a concoction of her own) and drinks liters of French pressed coffee. The fragrance, writes the team, is a combination of 'aging vials of umber hues, weird brown orchids, coffee flowers, and dry jasmine buds littered with faded citrus peels.'