Scents of the Month: September

I wrote the article below as a contribution to Guusje's project Super Scented September (Guusje, please feel free to use it in any way you find appropriate). After re-reading it, it came to my mind that it might be fun to start a Scents of the Month series. My idea:

Only few perfumes are so abstract not to evoke any images. People link their olfactory experiences with situations: a certain aquatic fragrance might remind you of a walk on the beach, coniferous notes might recall a trip to the mountains, and so on. Those experiences very often have a relation to season, nature, (seasonal) food, or whatever. A specific perfume might remind you of a specific experience – and vice versa!

Personally, I found out that these cross-links in my brain are not always so trivial and bland as those images promoted in perfume ads and press issues – I mean statements like “This perfume is like a refreshing sea breeze”. I suppose, the way we cross-link fragrances to other experiences is highly individual, and it would be interesting to see up to which grade we can achieve accordance.

I would love to read about your experiences, and find out if I can agree or at least comprehend. So, I decided to use the forum, not my blog for this little project. Please contribute! - Just do not write your perfume of the month is this or that, please also state the reason why and give us the pictures you get when you smell it.

I am aware that scents of the month will be different according to where you live on this planet: This should be no problem, just make mention of your location.

Enough said, let's start!

The change of seasons is one of the benefits that all people can enjoy who live outside the equatorial regions. Every season is beautiful and has its own mood – and those phases of the year when seasons actually are about to change are especially welcome as they prevent us from boredom. September is one of those months that contain such a transition – from summer to fall if you live in the northern hemisphere.

Perfumes people wear can express lots of things – and certainly there is a link to weather and seasonal moods. I have put together some perfumes for you that could be recommended as September fragrances. They reflect the spirit of change as well as the beginning melancholy that you might experience when summer is about to go (apologies to the readers in the southern hemisphere!).

When September arrives – and we have luck with the weather - summer comes to a glorious end. Heat and sun have bred fruits and crops, and if they are not looked after, they might fall into decay. Near my hometown, the winegrowers become busy: they have to organize their harvest and keep the wine tourists out of their way! Soon, the new wine will be ready: pale and yeasty, with the harmless taste of juice and the dangerous impact of fully matured wine. Federweisser cannot be stored, so it is one of the very few seasonal and also regional drinks. It is served with a piece of onion quiche, and the robustness of this food already points at colder seasons to come.



It is hard to describe the taste of this beverage – but for a late September trip to the valleys of Mosel, Rhein or Ahr, and a glass of Federweisser in one of those ancient wine villages, Guerlain's "Jicky" should be a good companion. Why? The experience of yeast and civet have one thing in common – their relationship to the concept of fertility. And civet in a perfume is just as strange as yeast in a beverage, being detectable as such.

In September, many of the German wine regions become populated, not only because of the Federweisser – but also because of the weather. It is that beginning Indian summer air which is so clear that all landscape's colors become more expressive. A walk through the vineyards on the beautiful hills and mountains is a special joy. Summer's heat and dust are gone, and visibility is abnormally good. If you have good eyes, you may count the trees on a remote hill on the other side of the valley. September is the time to climb mountains (or use the chairlift) to have fantastic views of 100 kilometers and beyond.



This clearness of the air, the expressive clarity and distinctness of all surrounding scenery demand an iridescent perfume, one that reflects this late summer mood. "Aventure" by Il Profvmo is my September favorite. It has a vague green note, but most of all, it contains the idea of clear and warm air. It is not as expressive as the scents of summer – it is a somewhat detached, slightly shaded freshness, welcome at any warm day, but not so much during a heat wave.

The richness of ripe fruits, picked from ones own garden and preserved in home-made jams, marmalade and compote: in September you open the first pot of it in your kitchen. From now on, concentrated fruitiness should be your experience rather than freshly picked berries. That apricot jam feeling is most perfectly expressed by Social Creature's "Frankfurt Kitchen": it has that dried fruit note that osmanthus flower is said to evoke.

September is also the time of the “Wies'n” - the Munich Oktoberfest. Everybody hopes for that magical Wies'n weather – which is blue sky with maybe a few fluffy clouds. People dress up in traditional Bavarian gowns and leather breeches, happy to enjoy a few strong beers in one of that marquees. You need not get drunk there – but a walk over the Wies'n is a must. On one of those occasions, I very much enjoyed Hermes' "Eau de Pamplemousse Rose". It is a fragrance of seasonal transition: the beautiful pink grapefruit top note is refreshing enough to make a decent summer's fragrance, but behind that, there is the earthiness and woodiness of Terre d'Hermès. The grapefruit note is so beautiful – but it will be gone like summer very soon. And just like summer, you cannot get it back – any attempt to reapply this fragrance will only result in strengthening the earthy base note!



Enjoy the benefits of September – be aware and attentive of its moods and scents and choose your own September perfume!

Hi Apicius, what a lovely idea. I have to see what the weather in semtember is like, so if you don't mind I'd rather contribute in retrospect.
BTW I think Federweißer is called Sturm in Austria. Do you also say "Mahlzeit" instead of "Prost" before drinking it?

No. You can say "Prost!" (Cheers!)

that is so funny. Before Nov. 11 we say "Mahlzeit" (Enjoy your meal) because the wine has not been given a name yet. Also, we hold the glass of Federweißer/Sturm in the left hand and do not clink glasses. On Nov. 11 the wine gets its name and then, of course, it's "Prost" (Cheers).

For me, Sept. is also back to the office. And I like wearing Etro's "Sandalo". With it I can stay concentrated, a little bit aloof and yet open enough. When it's colder I like "8 88" by CdG. I really enjoy the ambery base and the cold metalic qualities of saffron. More amber is of course found in "Arpège". They remind me of the sunlight in fall. Also, "Vol de nuit" might be a choice for a warm but not hot Sept day.

In the evenings it's my all time number one "L'heure bleue". If it's warmer during the day I enjoy "Idylle". For me "Idylle" functions as "L'heure bleue"'s counterpart. I think it's the only perfume that makes me see pictures in my mind. First a bouquet of lovely summerflowers, then I always get a hay note, and finally there's the lovely musk base. It reminds me of spending the summer in the countryside. So for me "Idylle" is impressionitic, but lively and extraverted. "L'heure bleue" is more introvert, passive in mood.
"Avignon" is also a good choice. When it's warm, the frank incense cools me down, when it's cold it warms me; and I can always concentrate wearing the perfume.
Rainy, cold, gray: I think I'll need something more lively and warm. Maybe "Candy" which I don't find loud at all, but rather elegant and warm. I can also imagine myself wearing "Habanita". The base is so delicious: ambery horse

So this is what I think I might be wearing in Sept.

That's a beautiful article Apicus! The Perfume that evokes
September and the first days of Autumn is Guerlain's Mitsouko
I Always thought that Autumn brings a bit of Melancholia for me
The Harvest has done it's work, now has to Die in order to renewal
for Spring, The Note of Oakmoss in Mitsouko is symbolic to me,
it's dryness evokes Introversion like a lost love from your childhood
from Many year's ago or looking at your old home and neighbored
how it changed since your childhood Imagine on a quiet still
of the evening's end the sun Sets with it's Golden hues sleeping
under a diaphanous Willow Tree it's long Limbs protects and
Covers you like a Blanket while a Gentile Last Summer/Early Autumn
Wind blows though the tree and gives off a soothing calmness

That's what Mitsouko Evokes in Me.

Wonderful idea!
And thank you again for your piece: it will be in the project soon
This is the project, I update every day: www.parfumo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3799#379 9

Will post my reply about my scent of the month here tomorrow evening,
today is my 9th wedding day: wearing Linari Eleganza

September to me is:

Crabtree & Evelyn Freesia.
Discontinued a long while back, but I wore it in September, on my wedding day
I found a bottle in a man shaving supplies shop online
So now I spritz it once in a while and it makes me smile.

Vecchi Rosetti.
I wear it today. Warm blanket full of roses. It makes me feel compfy when the first leaves start to fall and the wind blows through my hair... collar up and walking outside.

Le Boise.
Woody scent. I love walks in the woods in fall. The red wine note gives it that warmth that makes me cuddle on the couch in front of the tv with a good movie.

Miller Harris Tangerine Vert.
Summer oranges with a bite. Fresh but a bit more dark. Great for september weather. To brighten up the spirit too.

LG Guusje

I posted it today A!
Thank you so much for your time & effort & dedication writing this! I am very thankful for your help! xxx Guusje