Summer’s Best Fragrances Will Take You on a Trip

It’s hard to imagine summer without the thrill of travel. But while 2020’s socially distant season makes many of the traditional getaways an impossibility, there are still ways to channel those pleasures. A great fragrance can be an experience that transports you through notes culled from a specific region, thoughtful homages to a perfumer’s home, and pure nostalgia that makes the most of our scent memory and imagination. The right combination of flowers can reveal visions of sand, surf, and garden parties, taking wearers back to their last trip or pushing them toward the next.

The latest releases from designer brands and niche houses understand fragrance’s ability to connect with specific locations. United by their transportive quality and unexpected ingredients, they deliver precisely the kind of adventurous new experience meant for summer.

Here are Vogue.com’s top picks to take you on a scented getaway, without ever having to leave your front doorstep.

Louis Vuitton: California Dream

If you captured the magic of a road trip up Highway 1, it would smell like Louis Vuitton’s latest offering. The aptly named California Dream conjures images of surfboards and suntans via a sparkling blend of mandarin, ambrette, and vanilla. Opened by a burst of citrus zest, it fades into a warm and enveloping skin scent. The fourth in artist Alex Israel’s ongoing collaboration with the brand, it continues Israel and perfumer Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud’s exploration of lightweight colognes and youthful vigor.

Byredo: Lil Fleur

If you’ve ever felt the urge to stop and smell the roses, cassis, and saffron, Byredo’s Lil Fleur provides a bouquet worth of floral delight. Built around a heady combination of the aforementioned notes, the scent feels like a stroll through Vienna’s Volksgarten and its 3,000 varieties of rose bushes. Inspired by the inquisitive personalities of young women, Byredo founder Ben Gorham looked to hit pop songs—admit it, the name reminds you of SoundCloud—and included playful additions like the Creamsicle-esque combination of tangerine and vanilla.

Parfums de Marly: Delina

Paris is synonymous with romance and fragrance. Because it’s an olfactory capital, it’s almost impossible to leave the city without picking up a bottle or two of fragrance. Still, few perfumes capture the essence of amour as well as Parfums de Marly’s Delina. The contrast between the floral (Turkish rose, lilies, and peony) and the juicy (lychee, rhubarb, and bergamot) makes for a compelling journey. It’s easy to imagine breezing through the Champs-Élysées, macarons in tow—the pastel bottle is Ladurée worthy—when you’re wearing this bright blend. For an added thrill, layer on its sister scent, Cassili, a red currant–laden treat that compliments Delina perfectly.

Dior: Balade Sauvage

Just north of Sicily, you’ll find the Aeolian Islands, an archipelago renowned for its raw beauty, and its two active volcanoes. François Demachy, Dior’s master perfumer, looked to that extreme landscape when crafting Balade Sauvage, an ozonic scent punctuated by notes of fig, bergamot, and orange blossom. Crisp and herbaceous with a hint of sweetness, it makes for a compelling escape.

Veronique Gabai: Sur la Plage

At present, the white sands of Kauna’oa Bay, Hawaii, or the Maldives are inaccessible for most, but Veronique Gabai’s Sur la Plage offers beach vibes in a bottle. Immediately conjuring thoughts of sea salt and sun, the orange-blossom-and-magnolia-heavy blend is a summery tonic. Her native Côte d’Azur inspires Gabai’s entire line, but Sur la Plage offers the most faithful interpretation of that seaside theme.

Chris Collins: Tokyo Blue

The illumination of Tokyo’s Shibuya Blue Cave is a winter tradition sought after by thousands, but Chris Collins’s fragrant interpretation of it is fit for all seasons. The male model who served as the face of Ralph Lauren for two decades turned his talents to perfumery, and the results are impressive. The fresh mix of ylang-ylang, bergamot, and violet leaf appeals to men and women in equal measure. Sexy yet clean, it brims with energy befitting a city that moves at the speed of light.

Gucci: A Midnight Stroll

Who says a summer scent has to be light and airy? Gucci’s Moroccan cade-wood-and-incense-focused Midnight Stroll delves into darker territory with an ode to after hours. Perfumer Alberto Morillas and designer Alessandro Michele explored the idea of nightlife via intense and arboraceous notes. Anyone missing the thrill of dancing the night away—on the tabletops of Le Bar Churchill in Marrakech, perhaps—needs to take a whiff of this.

Shay & Blue: Salt Caramel

Is there a more wholesome pleasure than a trip to the state fair? The summertime pastime is currently on hiatus, but all the sweetness of caramel corn and cotton candy makes its way into Shay & Blue’s Salt Caramel. The delectable scent merges a childhood favorite with the grown-up pleasures of notes like sandalwood and tonka bean for an unexpected treat. Though it boasts an accessible charm, the fragrance was created in homage to the luxurious confections of Charbonnel et Walker, the royal family’s official chocolatier.

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