‘Quiet luxury’ scent for Fall season - My Exclusive Collection Haute Parfumerie, Paris

Dear readers, ‘quiet luxury’ has become a popular term in recent years when it comes to style and fashion, perhaps thanks to the TV show ‘Succession’, such understated opulence and minimalistic elegance which forms the foundation of ‘quiet luxury’ has inspired some style-savvy individuals, who strives to achieve a more refined and sophisticated look without excessive gimmick or shiny logos in their outfit, makes them feel like living a life from an old-money family. I also picked up some of these ‘quiet luxury’ style lately which I feel like it’s rather suitable for the Fall Winter season, especially with the soft, natural palette fashion pieces, in comfortable and luxurious fabrics, it completely evokes the autumn mood to me! If the neutral-color wardrobe sets the tone for the ‘quiet luxury’ look for the Fall season, then what fragrance can offer the same kind of ‘quiet luxury’ feel? Possibly something has the heritage in perfumery, understated with a classic old-world artistic flair, and of course, it smells sumptuous, modern and elegant; I recently came across the perfume by the luxury French perfume house – My Exclusive Collection (also known as M.E.C.) Haute Parfumerie, their sumptuous fragrance did evoke certain ‘quiet luxury’ and fits relatively well in the coming Fall season.

Founded in 2015, My Exclusive Collection Haute Parfumerie is the result of combining the traditional perfume making savoir-faire, the modernity of quintessential Parisian luxury perfume, and the sophistication of timelessly classic French old-money style. All M.E.C. fragrance was created by the legendary Master perfumer, Mr. Jean-Paul Guerlain, who was the last perfume master of the family house, Guerlain, and held that position for over forty years, has created some of the most legendary perfumes for the eponymous house before. “Perfume is the most intense form of memory. It must be a promise of happiness. It also represents beauty, elegance, a touch of luxury, a personal and intimate journey.” the master perfumer once said, which in fact aligns to the core philosophy of M.E.C. Haute Parfumerie: to bring back the essence of traditional perfume creation and French craftsmanship, and create a collection of fragrance that connects to the modern time that we are living now. To M.E.C. Haute Parfumerie, perfume is like poetry, a work of art that goes through time and space to be unique, against the current trends that dictated by the marketing gimmicks nor financial performance, in another words, each fragrance by M.E.C. Haute Parfumerie is made with heart and their homage to the tradition, made with the most precious materials, artistic and thoughtful packaging, to create their unique and sumptuous luxury perfume to be appreciated by discerning perfume connoisseurs and collectors. I first notice their stunning tall cylinder-shape perfume bottle, the Art Deco design with an understated brand label matching with the royal French blue cap in a touch of metallic elements, which exudes the classic Parisian elegance and modernity.

As a starter, the maison’s ‘Renata 1226’ Eau de parfum gives a gentle and elegant appeal with its sharp and a bit zesty opening by Sfuma Lemon and Pink Pepper, then the pleasant floral notes from Ylang-Ylang, and the fruity notes from Coconut and dry fruits starts to emerge, offers a traditional French classic perfume feel, which takes one back to the sophisticated Parisian fashion era of the 50s and 60s yet the scent is very much relevant to our time now. The dry down from the velvety Vanilla scent, mingles with the aromatic Patchouli Essence, Vetiver from Haiti, and Basalm of Peru, makes the overall fragrance much complex; mixed with the middle notes, it starts to shift from the Parisian elegance to the oriental mystique, it’s a great transitional fragrance that relatively suitable from a hot summer to the slightly chilly autumn time, think about being in the sunset of a golden yellow to the warm egg-yolk orange hue skyline, with a harmonious embrace from an impeccably tailored outfit in neutral colors and a polished calfskin leather bag in dried Maple leaf color, which echoes this fragrance’s Balsamic elegance seamlessly that appeals one easily.

On the other hand, the ‘Swingfollies’ Eau de parfum offers a more woody and aromatic feel, the fragrance opens with the zesty Mandarine Sfuma and a hint of spiciness from the Black Pepper from Madagascar, it then evolves to a welcoming citrusy smell by Orange Blossom, just like the ‘Renata 1226’, this perfume also gives a certain traditional French classic perfume feel to me for some reason, perhaps it’s the woody floral notes that mixed with the dry down accords from Patchouli Essence, White Musk and Vanilla; the roundness and velvety mix with the solid aromatic and woody notes, it provides another feeling of the Fall season – the sunset at the outside of a French noble family grand mansion in the countryside, this fragrance evokes certain softness and warmth from the ivory cashmere turtleneck handknit sweater, the caramel color corduroy trousers with the camel color houndstooth tailored jacket, deep chocolate brown suede accessories and shoes, a luxurious scent that makes one associates the woodiness with a hint of greenery of the forest and the brownish dry leaves from the ground in autumn, it’s a harmonious mingle of countryside elegance and classic French nobility.

If you are also into the ‘quiet luxury’ style in this Fall season, besides turning your wardrobe into the luxurious warm neutral color clothing, perhaps it’s time to reshuffle your fragrance selection to match with your wardrobe too!

Image courtesy of My Exclusive Collection Haute Parfumerie, Paris

https://www.myexclusivecollection.fr/