The Royal Wedding and Some Fine English Perfume Houses

With the Royal Wedding just days away, and finding myself in full  wedding fever mode as well as an already being an  extreme Anglophile ,  I thought I'd highlight some great UK  brands.  Not simply brands Kate might use, because I realize not everyone  has the wedding fever.  These names  cover more than  that, ones that yes, often are used by royals, but are also just incredibly good in case your craving a touch of Brit .  You don't  even have to cross the pond to get them.

In the realm of fragrance, France is often first thought of as the place to go. Britain however, has many top  perfume companies , some dating back centuries.

Penhaligons has a nice but manageble list of perfumes along with matching bath and body for men and women. They  hold 2 royal warrants from the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles. Princess Diana is rumored to have been a fan of Bluebell,  a scent I was once told is quintessentially English.  A personal favorite here is Malabah, a  rich, spicy  and warm oriental as well as their Violetta.

Creed has serviced royalty for generations.  Originating in the UK in  1760 then moving to France at the behest of Empress  Josephine, they are said to have created their Royal Water for Princess Diana,  Fleurissimo for Princess Grace and  the  gorgeous  rose based Fleurs de Bulgarie for Queen Victoria who also gave them a royal warrant. Prince Charles is known to love  Green Irish Tweed  from the company, which is one of my favorite men's scents.  Personal favorite - Love in Black, a  deep violet inspired by Jackie Kennedy Onassis.

Ormonde Jayne is newer than  the above two, but no less a great perfume house. They have a cult following and ship to the US, often offering free shipping several times a year including this Mother's Day.  One of their  newest , Tiare ,combines that tropical note with lime and mandarin for a citrus touch and then cedar and moss  dominate at the drydown  to balance the sweetness. It's crisp , green and lightly floral .

Crabtree and Evelyn- Probably the British brand I've used the longest. I  used to love browsing and occasionally treating myself there as a teen. They were one of the few places to carry talcum powder in tins and their rosewater scent was perfect.  Recently  they've  brought out a new floral fragrance line including an Iris and Lily.  They are also home to India Hicks Island Living, a line of home fragrance created by Ms. Hicks, Prince Charles god-daughter as well as bridemaid at his wedding to Lady Diana.

Floris-   Harder to find in stores here but has a nice US website  http://www.florislondonusa.com/Default.asp .  They used to be carried at Bergdorfs I belive, but no longer.    Floris is another  longtime  British company still at it in the same space at  89  Jermyn St. in London.   I've smelled only Seringa, but many sound wonderful.  Seringa  is a beautiful spicy  floral and they recently created Wedding Bouquet in honor of the big day. This one looks to be only on the UK site at  present.  Most intriguing sounding scent- Madonna of  the Almonds, with almond blosson,  bitter almond as well as bergamot, lemon and vanilla.

Yardley- A very old brand you can buy right at the drugstore, but you will find a far larger selection online or at specialty stores. I noticed a pomegranate rose soap on their website for $ 2.00 .  http://www.smallflower.com/ has a selection of Yardley's  UK line  as well as Taylors of London and Woods of Windsor. All great lines  at nice prices.

Molton Brown-  More bath and body than perfume,  they have a wide range of  uncommon but beautiful scents. Coming soon  and inspired by  England's  hideen walled gardens is Pettigree Dew, a herbaceous floral that is LE and will be a hand and body lotion set.

 

Clive Christian - According to the company,  in 1999, British luxury designer Clive Christian ( initially interior design) revived one of the oldest perfumeries in Britain (the Crown Perfumery) which was honored by Queen Victoria in 1872 when she granted the company the image of her crown as an enduring symbol of British excellence.

Clive Christian has since become known as the world's most expensive perfume and is sold at places like Harrods, Saks and  Bergdorf Goodman.   Roja Dove , master of perfumery at Harrods  and Clive Christian have teamed up to send William and Catherine a his and hers custom set of  No.1  just for them. 

Any favorites of yours here and do you have Royal Wedding fever?