The Glam Pad adores all things classic, and that includes our passion for perfume. While we will always cherish our “old school” favorites including Chanel No. 5, Fracas, Quelques Fleurs, and Joy (sadly discontinued), we thought it would be fun to survey leading interior designers and uncover some new scents to explore… Just in time for Mother’s Day!
Below you will find the signature scents of 20 top designers, along with images from their portfolios selected to complement their favorite fragrances. Whether you are shopping for a loved one or for yourself, purchasing perfume online can be intimidating. We recently discovered Fragrantica which provides enlightening insight — not to mention an addictive rabbit hole — into the world of perfume! For an added touch, consider having your bottle custom engraved to create a sentimental treasure.
We hope you find a few new fragrances that pique your interest… And please comment below at the end to share your favorites as well!
SIGNATURE SCENT:
Diptyque Philosykos Eau
I have been wearing this scent for over 10 years and discovered it first in New York. I fell in love with the unique sweet yet peppery scent. Which honestly reminds me of so many of the spaces we design. Threading that needle of creating classic interiors with layers of unexpected elements!
OTHER FAVORITES:
I also adore The Nue Co. Functional Fragrance which is a scent my Husband and I both use. It’s a scent that was designed to help with stress and is the perfect unisex fragrance.
SIGNATURE SCENT:
I wear Agnes by Clare V. Which is now discontinued, which is why I’ve stockpiled 16 bottles to use until I find anything else that’s close! I actually bought this perfume for the first time in 2017 in LA with my dear friend and client while we were working on her home there. We love to shop together and I almost always think of her when I put it on. It’s a very clean smelling scent- almost unisex, with warm undertones. I was a child of the 90’s, so Calvin Klein’s first unisex scent “One” was probably a defining factor in my olfactory preferences!
OTHER FAVORITES:
I also love Bvlgari’s “eau de thè vert” which I wore for 20 plus years, and Bibbi’s “Ghost of Tom”
SIGNATURE SCENT:
My favorite perfume is Maison Margiela ‘Replica’ Under the Lemon Trees. I love lemons as a motif in my interiors and textile designs, and of course in a yummy pasta dish, cocktail, or fragrance as well. My sister gifted the “Under the Lemon Trees” perfume to me before my wedding in Italy so I would have a scent to remember the weekend by. I wore it the whole time we were in Italy for our wedding and honeymoon, and now I save it for special occasions so it always brings those fun memories right back!
OTHER FAVORITES:
I also love Aerin Hibiscus Palm and Gucci Flora. I like to keep my makeup and beauty routine pretty minimal, so I gravitate to very light, floral, and citrusy scents.
SIGNATURE SCENT:
“Gin Fizz” by Lubin
I discovered a new favorite fragrance this winter on vacation in Naples, Florida at my friend’s beautiful shop — Jett Thompson Home. It’s called “Gin Fizz”, and was developed in honor of Princess Grace in the 1950’s by Lubin, a French Perfumery. One spray and I was hooked on the lush bergamot and lemon notes! It smells like a Mediterranean holiday, clean and fresh for everyday wear. It’s new to me, but I love that it’s a classic green scent that’s been around for many years.
Mrs. Alice, Director of Design
SIGNATURE SCENT:
My signature scent is from Santa Maria Novella.
OTHER FAVORITES:
I also wear Gardenia by Chanel and always No. 5 in the evening.
Founder of MME. MINK
SIGNATURE SCENT:
My favorite signature scent is EAU CHIC in Rose. It is inspired by my love of MME.MINK and new to our collection.
This scent inspired time spent in France while illustrating for HERMES and the smell of Spring Garden Jardin des Tuileries. It reminds me of cabbage rose and hyacinth, fern and cherry. I adore everything about it. It fits perfectly with our Garden Party Aesthetic!
OTHER FAVORITES:
Another personal favorite is Coco Noir for its rich amber and illustrious evening appeal. I wear this when I wear sequins or to black-tie affairs.
SIGNATURE SCENT:
I don’t know if I would call either of these a signature scent, but I switch back and forth between Chanel Chance and My Burberry Black. I like both for different reasons…one feels fresh and sweet and one feels warm and inviting. These are all descriptors that I hope shows through in my design work as well.
SIGNATURE SCENT:
My favorite personal scents have changed over the years because my husband loves to gift me perfumes! I just love the sentimentality of this and so I love and wear what he picks out each time. He is very into scents, and so I love to see what he has chosen as a perfume gift for me and why he loved it! It’s fun to look back and see how my perfumes have changed with tastes and stages of life. Each scent feels representative of something personal.
OTHER FAVORITES:
I always love Hermès perfume!
SIGNATURE SCENT:
Roger & Gallet Cassis Frénésie is my favorite scent. It is a French pharmacie perfume that I found in my early 20’s while visiting Paris. Luckily, you can find it online now and it doesn’t take a jaunt to joli Paris for a new bottle. I love how bright, fresh and joyful this fragrance is. The description says it stimulates good humor and exhilarates the senses, which I agree with! The soft celadon color is lovely and right at home in my bathroom, which is all in celadon tones.
OTHER FAVORITES:
A scent that I’d like to try is the new Aerin Rose de Grasse Rouge which, to me, smells like a classic yet elevated rose water. In high school I loved Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater, and Rose de Grass is reminiscent of that. The striking red bottle would be a pop of glam to any dressing table!
SIGNATURE SCENT:
My signature scent is Agua Magnoliana by Fueguia. I have always loved the smell of florals and have worn rose scents for years. Recently, I traveled to London with friends and had the good fortune of discovering Agua Magnoliana by Fueguia in Harrod’s Salon de Pafums. I fell in love with this fragrance and have been wearing it ever since!
OTHER FAVORITES:
Previously, I almost exclusively wore perfumes from Fragonard after visiting its factory in the South of France in grade school. I still love their Rose de Mai as well as Yves Saint Laurent’s Paris.
SIGNATURE SCENT:
My signature scent is two-fold because I have had two fragrances… since… forever! All thanks to my darling husband, Stuart! Giorgio Beverly Hills and Coco Noir Chanel.
When our children were very young, Stuart traveled to LA on business 40 years ago. He wanted to bring me back a little something from Beverly Hills as a present. He loves shopping for me; I am a lucky girl! He strolled into the Giorgio of Beverly Hills shop and asked what they were famous for. Their response was their dress designs and a new perfume, Giorgio… which he bought for me. I was immediately enamored with the scent, and to this day, my three children and eight grandchildren love this perfume on me! My daughter in Berlin, Germany, sprays some on herself or her children when they miss not seeing me, as does my other daughter in Park City, Utah, with her girls!” too. They both keep a bottle in the guest bedroom. I always spray some inside the box when I send them presents, and on letters, they say it smells like “Meme’s love!”
OTHER FAVORITES:
I started wearing my second perfume, Coco Noir Chanel, when my children left the nest. Stuart was in NYC on business 20 years ago and walked into a Chanel store and asked if they had a new perfume. They showed him Coco Noir, he tried it on, liked it, and bought me a bottle. I love it too! I tend to wear Coco Noir in the evenings, when I am going out, because it is a slightly more intense, serious scent, whereas the Giorgio is a lighter daytime scent, in my opinion. But, truth be known, I just adore both of them!
I just launched a new dress line, the Holly Holden Collection, in collaboration with Maria Pucci of Gramercy Atelier in NYC. This silk jacket and dress in the collection are handpainted, bespoke “Orchids of Worth” (since I live in Palm Beach) design she created for me when I gave a talk to the Garden Club of Houston, Texas. The flowers remind me of the happy scent of Giorgio of Beverly Hills!
SIGNATURE SCENT:
I love how scents can immediately evoke nostalgia and for that reason my favorite perfumes were discovered while traveling – their scents always remind me of a happy memory. My current favorite is Le Labo Thé Noir 29, a scent I discovered while perusing shops during a weekend away in Greenwich, CT with my husband. I identify with the nuanced depth of the scent – a juxtaposition of softness and strength. I am always working to hone in on the tension between masculine and feminine, pretty and cool, delicate and strong in my designs and my wardrobe and I feel like this daily scent really captures that.
OTHER FAVORITES:
Some of my other favorites are Dior’s Jasmin des Anges, a perfume I purchased while on a trip to LA years ago and Creed Spring Flower, a gift from a fleeting high school boyfriend.
SIGNATURE SCENT:
Chanel No. 5
My mother wore it. She passed away in my 20s. Any smell that reminds me of her, I love. It is very old-school and and smells good with my chemistry.
OTHER FAVORITES:
I have a couple of perfumes. My second favorite is Rive Gauche by Yves Saint Laurent in a striped can.
SIGNATURE SCENT:
Peony & Blush Suede by Jo Malone
I have worn this for as long as I can remember. I wore this scent on my wedding day and now it holds a special memory.
OTHER FAVORITES:
I also love English Oak & Hazelnut by Jo Malone, I like to wear it at night.
SIGNATURE SCENT:
Kai perfume oil
My mom introduced me to this fragrance when i was a teenager, & i have been wearing it since!
SIGNATURE SCENT:
Peony & Blush Suede by Jo Malone
My favorite scent is the Peony & Blush Suede scent by Jo Malone London! I wear it almost everyday and its the perfect scent to layer with other perfumes! I started wearing this scent 15 years ago when i heard that Princess Kate was huge fan of the Jo Malone fragrances so i had to try it out myself!
The story behind The Jo Malone Peony Suede is that it reminds me of scents from my childhood! When i was child any time i opened a new doll or Barbie doll it always smelled like Peonies to me which i love.
OTHER FAVORITES:
I do adore the new Guerlain Insolence Fragrance as well! It has violet and orange blossom!
Another favorite of mine is the Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 which I layer with Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Amyris Femme. It has fruity floral Top notes: Lemon blossom, Pear accord, Iris oil from Florence.
SIGNATURE SCENT:
I wear L’Heure Bleue when the weather is cold and Fracas in the Summer. I have worn these since college.
OTHER FAVORITES
On a daily basis when I just want a mild scent, I wear Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis because it is so fresh and light. I discovered this in Paris.
I like the Old School perfumes… There are times I still wear Joy by Jean Patou.
Rivers Spencer Clothing, Interiors, and Antiques
SIGNATURE SCENT:
Officine Universelle Buly Mexican Tuberose
I have worn this perfume consistently for eight years. Over the years, I have traveled to France for the Marche Aux Puce antique fair. Before attending the fair, I typically allocate 1-2 nights in Paris. While I typically stay on the right bank, one day, while exploring the left bank, I discovered “Officine Universelle Buly,” where I encountered my new favorite fragrance.
My fondest recollection tied to the fragrance centers on my first trip to “Officine Universelle Buly.” The apothecary store transports one back in time several hundred years.
My personal living room and dining tablescape convey the essence of Officine Universelle Buly Mexican Tuberose. This space as a true representation of my taste and style.
Diamond Aupair, Owner and Designer
SIGNATURE SCENT:
L’Art & La Mattiere Herbes Troublantes Eau de Parfum
I gatekeep my perfumes so this is big for me and the best of all time for the freshest smell of all time.
Scent is a big thing for me. Since I was a little girl obsessing over Limited Too and Gap body spritz. Smells bring me so many memories and take me back to certain times of my life. They are timestamps to me. This fragrance is a more recent one that I found this summer with my grandmother in Newport Beach. We both smelled a woman walking by us and looked at each other saying the exact same thing, “did you smell her?” so we had to ask!
OTHER FAVORITES:
Hermes does no wrong and the same applies to their perfume. I have several favorites by them but Voyage D’ Hermes reigns supreme.
I am a “seasonal” perfume person! For spring and summer I like light clean scents. For Fall and Winter, I prefer something a little more musky or spicy. I always select a perfume to suit my mood.
For spring and summer I love:
Asprey Purple Water
Amouage Guidance
Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino
Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess
No one else does floral scents like Aerin Lauder. I love every one of her Rose and Peony fragrances.
For Winter and Fall:
Pierre Bourdon Iris Poudre for Frederic Malle
Juliette Has a Gun Sunny Side Up
Hermes L’Ambre des Merveilles
We also have a fabulous CREED boutique at NorthPark in Dallas now and I can’t wait to go in there and play with all of their amazing scents!
I know that is a lot! I have a “wardrobe” that I like to play with. My favorite time to put perfume on is just before bed. It feels like such a luxury and a little treat for myself.
Time now to ask some male designers about their favorite fragrances.
We are working on a Gift Guide for Father’s Day! 🙂
I am an 80 years old interior designer. When I was in my late 20s, I had a job in the islands and my client insisted I take a trip to Charlotte Amalfi and buy perfume, which was a big deal back then because there was no other way to buy it at a super price unless you went out of the country. I didn’t know what I wanted, and the shop girl suggested Joy “because it was the most expensive perfume in the world” and I would not be disappointed. I made myself wait till I was 30 to open the bottle because I thought I might not be ready for the most expensive perfume in the world yet and who knows when I will be able to get this again so I better hang onto it.
It is still a favorite and I’m sad to hear it’s no longer made. I better hold onto the little bit I have lol true story.
Dear Hazel,
Thank you so much for sharing this memory, we loved it! We were so sad to hear about Joy being discontinued as well… shocked actually. Joy was truly iconic. Here’s an article with additional details if you are interested in learning more. Fortunately, there are still online retailers selling remaining bottles, so we made sure to stock up! 🙂 https://www.fragrantica.com/news/The-Death-of-Joy-and-Farewell-Jean-Patou-14260.html
Xx,
The Glam Pad
Not the most “high-end” perfume, but I’ve been wearing Aromatics Elixir by Clinique for decades. I’m addicted to the floral smells mixed with that oakmoss aroma – just so sophisticated. I worked in a law firm for many years, and the attorneys would come over to me and say “Oh, we knew you were in the office today because we smelled your perfume in the elevator”. Interestingly, I received more compliments on that perfume from men than women – and I’m not complaining.
Love, love, love the classics!! Thank you for sharing!
Xx,
The Glam Pad
My sister’s surgeon asked her “What perfume are you wearing? I love it, and I want to get some for my wife” right after she woke up from surgery, and when she mumbled, Aromatics Elixir, he wasn’t sure what she said, so he asked her again later.
I originally intended to wear the same fragrance forever, since I read about a woman who treasured her mother’s signature scent. Evolving tastes and some failed love affairs sabotaged that – Clinique Sunflowers when I was young, Chanel Allure with the LOML (he bought a bottle to spray in his office after we parted, a momentary reconciliation ended with my leaving my last bottle for him at the hotel). I use and love Hermes Jardin Sur Le Tois, but I’ve lately fallen into the world of rose-scented fragrances after we landed in our home with an extensive rose garden. My favorite so far is Merchant of Venice Rose Moceniga EDP – I bought it in Venice and plan to restock.
My sister’s surgeon asked her “What perfume are you wearing? I love it, and I want to get some for my wife” right after she woke up from surgery, and when she mumbled, Aromatics Elixir, he wasn’t sure what she said, so he asked her again later.