Scene report from NY
And the 5 new fragrances I've purchased so far 😬🙃
This is my favorite time to be in NY. Summer weather is still hanging on, the days feel perfect and temperate, the anticipation of Fall is in the air but not quite in full swing. And to be here for NYFW and loads of great events for work and play can’t be beat.
I kicked off the week with the Shop Rat Summit, an event I worked on with Emilia Petrarca (for my day job at Substack) and it was such a fun way to start NYFW and my time in NY. It was held at Printemps, which is more gorgeous in person than I thought it would be and served as the perfect back drop for conversations on fashion, shopping, and the culture around it all. They do have a top notch fragrance collection as well. Full recap here.
I was invited to the Balenciaga perfume release event this week and got to smell the ten new fragrances in their line. I am not surprised that a luxury fashion house would create such stunning bottles, I really love the look of these. They’re based on the original bottle of the core inspiration for this line, Le Dix.
I didn’t want Le Dix to be my favorite, but there was something so distinctly different about it from everything else in the line. My brain perked up the moment I smelled it. Maybe it’s the power of suggestion, but it feels vintage to me—and I can’t resist a fragrance that transports me to another time. I can report that I did end up buying a bottle of this one. Originally launched in 1947, it was Balenciaga’s very first perfume, named after 10 Avenue George V—the House’s historic Paris address where they still hold couture shows today.
This new version pays reverence to that heritage, built around iris. It’s powdery and fluffy, and I feel just the right amount of fancy and cool when I wear it. But I also catch violet and maybe violet leaf in it—could be the orris, which can lean that way. Something about it reminded me of Blocki’s For Walks, again, probably the orris. The full notes aren’t listed on the site, and this is a reformulation, not the original, but still, it got me.
I also really loved Incense. Holy and heavy with a church smell that stays around for a solid two hours (at least on my skin) and then dries down to cozy amber and cedar warmth. Resinous and strong, they say this one has a jet-black hue to honor the color that Balenciaga relied on most throughout his career although in store I was told the black is a nod to the color of Le Dix when they found the original bottle - apparently the juice was jet black.
The perfumer isn’t acknowledged in this release, which I always find interesting. Maybe that’s something only perfume nerds care about, but it could also be a way to win us over. I’m dying to smell the Miu Miu bottle waiting for me in SF, mostly because I’m such a Dominique Ropion fan. When I asked in-store, the sales associate (who I adored and would gladly give all my money to if I could shop Balenciaga regularly) said the fragrances were made by the “best Italian fragrance house” that handles all the top scents there. No name given, and I’m not sure he even knew it or would be allowed to tell me. Jake had a guess at who it was and I’m sure some of you reading this will have a hunch - do tell us in the comments if so.
It’s fascinating to see so many launches clustered this week—it makes sense, given that the fragrance craze shows no signs of slowing down. Today alone there’s an event for Noyz’s new release, Only Human and perfume pop-ups scattered across the city for NYFW.
Prince street is turning into something of a fragrance row with a new Frederic Malle store that just opened up 3 days ago, Penhaligon’s, Kilian, Tom Ford, and a few others I am forgetting. I should have remembered to take a photo.
At Penhaligon’s they let me spray a clothe with any scent before leaving the store - the sweet sales associate actually called me back in to do this, I thought this was such a nice touch. I sprayed mine with their newest release, The Cut, which is a fresh clean scent with a slight hint of tweed, very British. I don’t know if they just do this wirh purchases and I got it because we chatted a bit but either way, really clever.
And I’m here to report that New Yorkers have not stopped wearing Baccarat Rouge 540. The hotel elevators and streets are thick with it.
What New York trip would be complete for me without spending hours and hours in Stéle? It’s my comic book store, my mecca, and owner’s Jake and Matt feel like part of my east coast family at this point. It’s been incredible to see what they’ve built since their sweet Brooklyn shop opened last year and I feel like they’ve been a part of my Dry Down Diaries journey as much as I’ve been a part of theirs. Their Nolita location is a stunner.
Jake’s amazing sister Amarel is usually there on weekdays, and I got to spend the afternoon with her, Jake’s mom, and of course Matt and Jake while I “worked” the afternoon shift. Talking to people about perfume and helping them find a scent they love is such a joy. Mostly I just end up dragging people to the things I love most in the shop. And the longer I hung out, the more my list kept growing. Here’s what I left with!
All of these will get fuller reviews as I need to wear them and really live with them to give you my thoughts. But let’s talk about how stunning the bottle and packaging is for Sage & Salt Moon Ring. This is a house run by Corbin Chamberlin who looks like someone I’d like to be friends with. It’s clear these are so much more than just pretty scents. Each one is designed to shift energy and create a little ritual in your day. And I love that he bathes the bottles in moonlight. Botanicals, resins, and oils are chosen not just for how they smell but for the frequency they carry, the energy they bring into a room.
On paper (or ceramic as it is at Stéle) I wasn’t struck by Moon Ring as hard as I was after I put it on. It just came alive on my skin, I got a rush of florals and aromatics, and even hours later when I could smell more of the incense notes in the dry down, the bright beginning was still hanging around. I am so excited to wear this one and I’m going to skin test Luna Absolute when I’m back at Stéle today.
Spirituscents was new to me and I have smelled through this line a couple of times since being here. I keep getting pulled back to Cathedralis. It opens all churchy and full of incense and dries down to a beautiful ambery vanilla. I wore it out the other night and I kept looking around wondering who smelled so good, forgetting I had sprayed myself with it before leaving the store.
There has been a ton of excitement around the new Miskeo collection, Rococo, and I get it after smelling them. I went home with Nature Morte, a fragrance I’m not ready to describe to be honest, this is unlike anything I have smelled before and I’ll report back when my brain has words for it.
And finally Rahasya, another exciting new line Stéle has recently picked up. Chapter One is very my vibe; leather, tobacco, old book smell. It’s rich and warm and I got one other person to fall in love with it and buy it yesterday. But it didn’t take much convincing, it’s beautiful. I think André is going to love this one and I will need to keep him from using the whole bottle. But honestly win for me when I get to smell the frags I love on him.
We tested the two frags Kismet is deciding between at Stéle and all had the same favorite. I smelled Emma aka Perfumerism’s new Commodity scent— it is very much as it has been described on the socials. I got a lot of piña colada and some florals, not a ton of milk, but people will definitely like it!
Other weird and fun things I did included being on a panel for Marketing Brew’s Summit and going to the launch of Madewell’s new line with Dakota Fanning held at Fanelli’s Cafe, a NY institution.
One more week to go in NY. Will report back with more fun stuff soon. Tell me cool stuff I shouldn’t miss while I am here please! xo
i love those balenciaga bottles
Sounds like a fun trip. I miss going to Fashion Week. And Printemps is amazingly lovely. I hope it will last.