Designer fragrance brands are nothing new. Case in point: Prada, Dior, Marc Jacobs, Margiela, and Chanel all have dozens of options, and have been available to shop for years. In fact you can barely through your local Sephora or Nordstrom without accidentally hitting a fashion house's perfume display with your snakeskin tote bag. But when I caught wind that a storied brand was launching a new 10-piece fragrance collection more than 75 years after its first ever perfume? And, more importantly, that brand archivists spent 15 years trying to track down a bottle of the original juice to kick start the next generation of scents? Well, as a student of beauty history, I was intrigued.
Today, September 10, the Balenciaga Fragrance Collection has finally arrived, and I'm extremely pleased to say that it more than lives up to the radical elegance of the Spanish founder and couturier, Cristóbal Balenciaga. Per the brand's press release to media, "the collection transcends eras—through fusion and tension that move beyond traditional olfactive perfumery. [It] pays tribute to the House’s patrimony and to time’s power to transform, renew, and imbue meaning."
Le Dix, the brand's first ever perfume, stands as the inspiration for the timeless glass bottles, which feel all the more precious since only one of the originals from 1947 has been recovered (from a private collector with an eye for vintage fragrances). The patina and coloring of each scent (10 total, since dix means "ten" in French) deepen as the notes intensify—from luminous and clear to opaque obsidian—a thoughtful design choice that engages even more of the senses while you shop for a new fragrance.
Lucky for me, I was able to experience a sneak peak of the €260 perfumes while the Balenciaga team was visiting from France. While all the fragrances were lovely and surprisingly wearable (seriously, just picture a room full of beauty editors oohing and ahhing as the blotter strips were passed around) a handful really caught my attention. Le Dix—an homage to the original—sparkles with powdery iris and violet, bringing new life the traditionally mature-leaning notes. Twenty Four Seven makes me rethink everything I thought I knew about coconut scents (this was sensual, sophisticated, and light, less holiday in the sun). Getaria marries woody seaweed with salty and fresh notes while 100% combines Bulgarian and oxidized rose for a very modern, dry unisex scent. Extra utilizes precious saffron (which is technically more valuable than gold, fun fact) with spicy pink peppercorn and boozey notes for a fun and juicy blend. And Cristobal is, as the brand explains, "an oud for people who don't like oud," which I wholeheartedly endorse. In essence, each of the ten perfumes is brilliantly crafted, intensely alluring, and smells even better than it looks—and the bottle looks very chic on your vanity.
If you're not sure where to begin, don't worry—Balenciaga is offering 10 miniature 10mL bottles to test them all, as well as a 10-piece 2mL set that looks like (get ready for it)... a cigarette case. How French and fabulous is that? All I'm saying is that holiday gifting is right around the corner and I know more than a few beauty nerds who would swoon at the prospect of adding these minis (or a full-sized bottle) to their perfume collection.
