Penhaligon's London  Convent Garden Piazza Window Display of The Trade Routes Collection 

Penhaligon's is a British perfume house with a wealth of history. Founded in 1870 during the Victorian era; the original perfumes were created for a privileged clientele and whispered of opulent excesses. The fragrance house has always aimed to evolve with the times, including the recent 2014 release of TraLaLa in collaboration with Avant Garde British fashion designers Meadham Kirchhoff, created by Bertrand Duchaufour, who although I cannot imagine him at London Fashion Week,  is no stranger to the subject of fashion as he created the splendid Sartorial. However, with the newest Trade Routes Collection, Penhaligon's has drawn from their vault of historical scent memories as we return to House’s illustrious past. The collection is comprised of three new fragrances, each inspired by precious spices and rare commodities that were traded through London’s historic docks at the turn of the 19th Century.  Piled high on the quaysides and arriving daily from the farthest flung corners of the globe; the rarest treasures in dizzying abundance; London was the Warehouse of the World.

Painting of a Tea Clipper Jack Spirling- Titania

Lothair, created by the much lauded Bertrand Duchaufour, is inspired by the famous Tea Clippers that sailed into London docks loaded with exquisite rarities for trade.  It begins all sparkling with citrus and cold sea breezes, very crisp and blue-green. One is immediately drawn by the airy quality of the scent; it genuinely feels in those first few minutes like the snap of sails in the crystalline space between sea and sky. Lothair stays cool against the wrist, like polished wood, a salty tang and a slightly herbal twist developing as the grapefruit fades. There is a dry bristle of mosses very subtly rustling in the background and in its fading moments there can be found a more golden glow of vanilla. Another study in dualities by Bertrand Duchaufour, Lothair balance of crisp airiness against brightly buffed wood conjures a vivid conceptual picture.

Notes: Juniper Berry, Cardamom, Bergamot, Grapefruit, Fig Leaf, Fig Milk, Lavender, Geranium, Black Tea, Vanilla, Musks, Cedarwood, Ambergris, Wenge, and Oakmoss.

 Cutler Street Market Spices

Perfumer Christian de Provenzano signed Levantium  that truly brings to mind the spice-stacked warehouses along London’s wharfs. The fragrance is packed full of precious resins and woods: Amber, Oud, Sandalwood and Myrrh. The opening moment of this scent is a vibrant lash of rum-like Davana, chased and set on fire with rolling smoke and Oud. It's an immersive experience, like being flung into the heart of a traders market steaming with the heat of a thousand bodies, clamouring shouts ricocheting all around. Levantium is a powerhouse perfume, deep and rich and stained with leathery intent. The floral heart is a thousand petals strewn on the warehouse floor, crushed beneath spice rimmed boots. Extraordinarily atmospheric and not for the faint hearted.

Notes: Bergamot, Davana, Saffron, Absinthe, Rose, Jasmine, Violet, Clove, Cardamom, Ylang Ylang, Peach, Amber, Myrrh, Guaiacwood, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Oud, Patchouli, Musk, Maltol, Vanilla

Vintage Photo: 1880s Fashionable London Ladies

Empressa, created by perfumer Mike Parrott, evokes the beauty and nacrescence of pearls, precious silks and fine fabrics transported through London to adorn women of power and influence. It is the most opulent of the trio; a floral/gourmand delicacy with traces of laundry musk and imaginary fruits. It begins as a fluffy pile of clean towels ready to be wrapped around a rose scented body. Then a dusting of cocoa and vanilla whispers across the skin, laced with fragrantly subtle patchouli and a masterfully controlled smoky depth from the frankincense. The sillage is impressive as Penhaligon's florals go; it projects with the  high brow confidence of a lady of noble birth who has a dozen bewhiskered men courting her. Empressa is my favourite of the collection.

Notes:  Blood Orange, Bergamot, Peach, Cassis, Dewberry, Rose, Neroli, Pink Pepper, Vanilla, Cocoa, Patchouli and Frankincense.

John Masefield by William Strang

Penhaligon’s The Trade Routes Collection has indeed given us a perfumed window into an era long past. In 1914 John Masefield, the Poet Laureate, visited the Cutler street warehouses to marvel at the abundant cargo, the prize of the British Empire. He wrote a wonderful piece which ends: "You showed, for a most delightful hour, the wealth of the world and London’s power".

–Susie Bairds, Contributor and Author of the Fragrance Blog Ephipany

Disclosure: I received my samples from Penhaligon’s

Thanks to Penhaligon’s we have a sample set of Lothair, Levantium and Empressa for a reader in the USA, Canada and the EU. To be eligible please leave a comment with which of the fragrances appeal to you the most, where you live and your favourite Penhaligon’s London fragrance. Draw closes 11/29/2014.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.