What Is Your Favourite Era in Perfume?

Most of all I like Now. Nearly half the fragrances that I own and wear were composed since 2000 and, regardless of when composed, the vast majority of the juice was put in a bottle within the last few years.

What I like about Now:

the variety and quality of raw materials available to perfumers;

widespread application of Headspace technology in commercial perfumery;

novel ingredients;

increasing concern for environmental safety;

the deconstruction/disintegration of the natural/artificial binary;

the rise of Indie and Niche bringing diversity;

upstarts and start-ups aroma-bombing the market monopoly of the designer brands. feeling a little shaky perhaps about their leading monetised "luxury goods" big brands are now sometimes throwing us a better smelling bone;

compositional innovation: such an abundant field has room for experimentation;

dipping the lid to C20 - many scent designers mix up genres and gender and history and fashion in their beakers;

I appreciate the aesthetics of other eras through the necessarily imaginative/romantic goggles I don to do so and fragrance is one of the loveliest and most flexible facilitators of such play;

and that, even now, I can still be surprised.

example Now fragrances:

Une Fleur de Cassie by Editions de Parfum Frederic Malle;

Bois des Iles Chanel les Exclusifs;

Aurelain Guichard's reorchestration of Baghari for Robert Piguet;

#203 Violet Empire CB I Hate Perfume;

Stephen Jones by Comme des Garçons.