A Gentleman's Guide To London Perfumeries

[Prince Barry]

Being a 'Perfumista', I thought that it would be ideal to post a guide to perfumeries in London that would be a pleasure for Gentlemen to visit.

Of course, Jermyn Street and the surrounding area has a plethora of perfumeries. On Jermyn Street itself, the ones that I like are Czech & Speake for their fabulous No88 cologne, they make others but to me, that is the most memorable. The Grand Dame of Britiish perfumeries is Floris on the other side of the road. Trumpers also has a presence on the street, so if you like Gentleman's scents that hark back to the 19th century, sniff them out. They also send out free samples on request. Of course, one cannot ignore Fortnum and Mason, they sell the British perfumes of Clive Christian. CC actually bought the old perfume house of Crown which was famous in the 19th century, so that he could use their trademark 'Crown' stoppers.

Come out of Fortnum and Mason, cross the street to the Burlington Arcade. Wander up and look at the beautiful cashmere and shoes. You will eventually come to a branch of Penhaligon's for their Hammam Bouquet, Blenheim Bouquet and English Fern.

Next stop is Old Bond Street and the wonderful Royal Arcade. In there you will find the amazing creations of Linda Pilkington at Ormonde Jayne. Linda has created 2 scents for gentlemen, Ormonde for Men, with notes of Black Hemlock and Oudh. Her other scent for men is called Isfakand, a lovely vetiver based scent. Tell Linda or Polly that 'The Prince' sent you. Just around the corner from The Royal Arcade is the Chanel boutique. Now, I'm not going to receommend any men's scents here, but 2 very rare creations from the 1920s, created by one of the greatest perfumers of the 20th century, Ernest Beaux. These 2 scents are part of what is known as the Rue Cambon Collection, named after the Chanel flagship store in Paris. First there is the wonderful Cuir de Russie, and, as the name suggests, it is a leather based scent, ideal for gentleman of class and refines taste. The other scent is called Bois des Isles which is very reminiscent of Chanel's Egoiste. Bois des Isles is better and again, is suitable for gentlemen.

Next we wander on to Regent Street, cut round the back of Liberty and go close to Carnaby Street. Around the corner from Carnaby Street is the little street called Newburgh Street. On here you will find Scent-Systems, a small shop run by the very knowledgable Hiram Green. Lots's of unusual scents here but the icing on the cake is that Hiram creates bespoke scents. Pay your £150 and you can have a perfume made to your specifications. What more could a gentleman want?

Wandering a bit further out now. A visit to the 5th floor of Harrods is called for. Always use the Egyptian Staircase, it's the nicest way up there. Walk through the 'Urban Retreat' and you will come to Roja Dove's Haute Parfumerie. Roja worked for Guerlain for many years as their 'Professeur de Parfums'. When magazines write about perfumes, Roja is one of the people who they regularly quote. The Parfumerie stocks Creed, Caron, Lalique, Penhaligon's and many others too numerous to mention. The Parfumerie itself is a sight to behold.

Leave Harrods and make your way along Walton Street. You will eventually come to the very small and charming Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, commonly known as Santa Maria Novella. it is one of the very few branches of this ancient perfumery from Florence. They have some remarkable scents. Acqua di Cuba smells like pipe tobacco. Peau d'Espagne (Spanish Leather), is a very strong bituminous leather scent. Many of their other scents are suitable for gentlemen.

Another trip out on the tube now to Sloane Square. A little walk away from the tube station is Elizabeth Street. At No71 is the home of Les Senteurs. They stock many exclusive lines including Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle, Creed, Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, Annick Goutal, Creed, Caron, Knize etc. The staff are very helpful, especially James Craven who is another oft quoted perfume expert in magazines.

I hope you enjoyed reading this guide and maybe when you visit London, you may visit one of my recommendations.

[whittaker]

Thank you, Barry, for that charming guide to London's perfumeries. Even as a Londoner, I was enlightened and shall certainly seek out one or two of those establishments.

You will eventually come to the very small and charming Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, commonly known as Santa Maria Novella. it is one of the very few branches of this ancient perfumery from Florence. They have some remarkable scents. Acqua di Cuba smells like pipe tobacco. Peau d'Espagne (Spanish Leather), is a very strong bituminous leather scent. Many of their other scents are suitable for gentlemen.

I was enchanted to discover this wonderful little outlet during a Christmas shopping expedition. Next time I am there I shall know what perfumes to sample. The Acqua di Cuba sounds particularly enticing.

[andreyb]

Wonderful guide! But how about Taylor's, Truefitt & Hill and D.R.Harris?

Andrey

[Prince Barry]

Good point Andrey. I have never actually sampled any of the scents from those 3 establishments and my rule is never to recommend a shop or service unless I have tried them out myself. They do have a good reputation and many say that their scents do have an 'old school' air about them. Once I have tried their scents I will be in a better position to comment on them.

[Prince Barry]

Whittaker, I would be interested in reading your comments about the 'Cuba' when you have sampled it.

Thanks for the positive comments about my guide also.

[tteplitzmd]

More than 15 years ago Atkinson's had a shop on Cork Street as I recall. It disappeared, and Atkinson's was available for a while in the UK, and then disappeared. It resurfaced in Italy, and is still available, but without provenance on the bottle or box. It appears now to be made in Italy. It seems to be licensed in the US, a rather basterdized ersatz version, "blended" in the USA---with the same results as I would imagine a fine European wine would suffer, "blended: in the US. Does anyone know what the story is on Atkinson's? I bought a supply in Perugia last July, the "Gold Lable" scent is what I use. I would not recommend the US version that is sold in NY at Cambridge Chemists, or Beverly Hills at Carroll and Co.

[Prince Barry]

I agree with what you have written about Atkinson's. They have completely forgotten their heritage and everything now has the I Coloniali tag attached to it.

http://www.icoloniali.com/inglese/storia.html