Get to Know the Icons: Meet MECCA's Most-Loved Fragrances
March 30 | 4 minute read
Words by Christie Sinclair
“What are you wearing?”
As a MECCA team member, it is one of the questions we get asked the most – and it’s not about our OOTD. You see, we are suckers for a really good smell, and lucky for us, there are thousands of exceptional options lining the shelves of MECCA Perfumeria, our very own library of sensory delights.
But what you might find interesting is the same names keep landing on our pulse points again and again. Why? Well, of course they smell great. But to be the greatest, they also have the ability to evoke instant nostalgia, cling to your jacket for months or even attract the attention of an absurd number of strangers in the street (if you like that kind of thing).
So, what are we actually wearing? Read on to discover our fragrance icons.
You could track down the wearer of Baccarat Rouge in a room awash with a thousand scents. Just follow the trail of rich, decadent jasmine, saffron and caramelised sugar. Born from an encounter between master perfumer Maison Francis Kurkdjian and crystal maker Maison Baccarat, Baccarat Rouge 540 might be one of the most recognisable scents ever created. That’s not just due to its notes – it’s so long-lasting, you could put your sweater through the wash and still be able to detect it on the collar. Try it!
As the prospect of a European summer slips further and further away, a liquified version seems ever more enticing. DIPTYQUE’s lustrous, sun-drenched concoction of prickly pear, iris, jasmine and bergamot is inspired by the beauty of the Mediterranean and just the thing to lift your mood in winter, or to spritz with abandon the minute summer arrives.
Fragrance lovers will know there’s nothing quite like Portrait of a Lady. The creator, Frédéric Malle (fragrance royalty and the grandson of Serge Heftier, the founder of Dior perfumes), has packed 400 roses into every bottle, then added incense and syrupy berries, which explains why this full-bodied rose scent smells nothing like a bouquet. It’s as powerful as the person wearing it: the kind we imagine storming into a room in red lipstick, sharp tailoring and with a game plan. We can confirm that just one to two sprays deliver hours of smoky, sophisticated enjoyment – so no need for touch-ups during the day.
What does afternoon delight mean to you? To MAISON MARGIELA, it’s all about indulgence, and what else would you expect from a luxury fashion house?! With notes of warm madeleine, powdered sugar and vanilla, Afternoon Delight captures the pleasure of sneaking away from your responsibilities to enjoy something sweet. But not too sweet! A swirl of creamy sandalwood on the dry down keeps it from being too ‘bakery’. Instead, this delicate scent drifts through the air like the scent of a patisserie just before you reach it, so don’t be alarmed if you notice people around you subtly sniffing the air.
A coconutty scent that smells nothing like sunscreen – or the beach. It comes from BYREDO, the uber cool Swedish fragrance house capturing emotions and memories in instantly recognisable minimalist bottles. Taking familiar notes of coconut water, jasmine and amber, it transforms them into a complex and joyful scent with a pop of aldehyde (a fizzy quality that makes the coconut feel almost electric), alongside musk and sandalwood (notes that have almost become BYREDO signatures). Like so many of the brand’s classics, Alto Astral feels effortless and expensive, something you want to smell over and over again.
For some of us, we may only ever dream of what it’s like to slip into one of Dries Van Noten’s creations. At least now we can experience it in olfactory form, since the fashion visionary has created a rose-forward scent that embodies the contrast and beauty of his designs. As his perfumer, Marie Salamagne, puts it: “I fell in love with Dries’ silk dresses in his Quai Malaquais boutique. The texture was so fluid it merged with the skin, which gave me the idea for a silky, enveloping perfume, a mix of chestnut with sensual vanilla.” We often talk about scents that have an ability to attract attention, but this takes it to a whole new level.
If you’ve ever been to a music festival, you know the thrill of bass in your chest, the first sip of something fruity, the lights, the electricity in the air. Founder of Maison Crivelli, Thibaud Crivelli, wanted to bottle that same euphoric feeling and allow us to relive it on demand in Cuir Infrarouge. Juicy raspberry, apricot and citrus recreate a cocktail in your hand, while leather and oud capture the heat, noise and intensity of a crowd around you. Like all Maison Crivelli scents, this lasts like a beat that gets stuck in your head.
