Daphne perfume

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Black Afgano by Nasomatto is the holy grail of perfumes and its allure is so intoxicating that it sells out pretty quick among those in the know. So coveted is this scent, that Selfridges only have a massive display bottle and if you’re lucky, they’ll give you a spritz from a tester under the counter.

After scanning the Nasomatto fragrance collection and continually finding Black Afgano to be missing, imagine my delight to find that Harvey Nichols is now stocking the illusive scent!

Not to be confused with hemp, Black Afgano encapsulates the mysterious scent of hashish – smoky and spicy with hints of cedar wood, vanilla, amber and patchouli. It’s very strong and full-bodied, so you can expect it to last for hours and hours.

The liquid itself is a deep, inky black and apparently it is said to arouse the effects of temporarily bliss – as a perfume addict, I can wholly believe that!

At £98 for 30ml, it’s something of an investment buy, but then again you probably wouldn’t spritz on Black Afgano to go and do your laundry, so it will last.

If you need to wait to put Black Afgano on your Christmas wishlist, there some slightly more affordable niche scents that have that intoxicating, midnight aroma.

Comme Des Garçons Red Series

Comme Des Garçons Red Series are made up of five fragrances with red elements (obviously), all centred around peppery florals and spicy woods. My absolute favourite is Palisander – a woody, aromatic scent with a hint of raspberry jelly and sherbet (although the official sweetening note is actually myrrh).

Series 2 Red Comme Des Garçons Palisander, edt 100ml, Harvey Nichols

Visa Robert Piguet, edp 100ml, Harvey Nichols

Juliette Has A Gun Midnight Oud, edp 100ml, Harvey Nichols

Robert Piguet Visa

Another favourite is Robert Piguet Visa – a dark, smoky vanilla-infused scent that is a million times more appealing and modern than its iconic sister fragrance, Fracas. Visa was created in 1945 by Germaine Cellier, but was brought bang up-to-date by Givaudan’s Aurelien Guichard, who gave the perfume a revival while staying true to the original fragrance.

Dior and Daphne

Also worth a mention are Dior Midnight Poison, a mixture of black rose, bergamot and patchouli with a slightly menthol scent, and Comme Des Garçons Daphne, created by the formidable Daphne Guinness with notes of Tunisian jasmine, amber, bitter orange, oud and saffron. It evokes the heavy incense aroma of a mysterious old Moorish church and is an intense, seductive evening fragrance.

Have you tried Nasomatto’s Black Afgano perfume? What are your favourite fragrances?

Haute couture collector Daphne Guinness has one of the most enviable wardrobes in the world and now we can take a peak at her sartorial treasures.

Daphne will be exhibition 80-100 pieces from her extensive collection at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Comme des Garçons, Dolce & Gabbana and Azzedine Alaïa.

F.I.T’s chief museum curator Valerie Steele will work with Daphne to highlight her signature styles through the garments, so expect plenty of neck ruffs, hats, jewel encrusted ribbons, pristine white shirts and House of Harlot patent leather Mary Jane platforms.

For those of us who can’t just hop on a plane to NYC, an accompanying coffee table book will be published by Yale University Press.

Daphne oftens describes herself as “a work in progress”, from her ‘Cruella De Vil’ striped hair to her various fashion and art projects. She certainly has a compulsive attitude towards fashion, making it her life’s work to create the perfect white shirt or find just the right height and shape for her trademark platform heels.

I adore Daphne Guiness mostly for her fearless embracing of the future. She’s had the kind of charmed, bohemian past that most people could only dream of – growing up in artist colony Cadaqués with the likes of Dali, Duchamp and Man Ray, hanging out with Andy Warhol in New York and sailing around the Med with millionaire ex-husband, Spyros Niarchos.

However, she started to make a name for herself assisting friend Isabella Blow on fashion shoots, becoming a muse to her designer friends and creating her first scent, Daphne, with Comme des Garçons.

The exhibition promises to include the most impressive selection from Daphne’s wardrobe, especially as she weeded out the ‘chaff’ two years ago, auctioning off over 260 lots in aid of Womankind, a charity to help women in developing countries.

The exhibition runs from September 2011 to January 2012 at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.

Black Afgano Perfume by Nasomatto

Comme Des Garçons Red Series

Robert Piguet Visa

Dior and Daphne

Daphne Guinness opens her wardrobe to New York