Floris Perfumes in Westminster

Bespoke is the last word in luxury. Something can only be really special if it is rare or, better still, unique; designed for one individual, and one only. With this in mind, Floris Perfumes is offering one of the most personal and romantic services imaginable, a bespoke fragrance service – quite an extraordinary experience.

Set in the prestigious confines of Jermyn Street, Floris has held royal warrants since the reign of George IV. This first warrant, and a host of other historical treasures, are displayed in its back room, a sort of Aladdin’s apothecary filled with charming antiques, and account ledgers that read like a who’s who of high society (featuring, amongst many others, Admiral Lord Nelson and King Edward VIII, although the list of more modern clients is similarly distinguished).

Many of the Floris fragrances have attracted their own following as classics (the 89 was Ian Flemming’s favourite) but the bespoke service, set up two years ago, is highly tailored towards the individual, based on their memories, tastes and life experiences. The process is one of consultation, blending and skin tests, which are crucial in revealing how a perfume works in conjunction with the body’s natural chemistry. Making a scent completely from scratch costs £2500 pounds, but tailoring one from some basic building blocks costs only £100 – cheap, when you consider that a normal bottle of perfume costs half that.

The nose behind this service is Shelagh Foyle, a very warm and infectiously enthusiastic character at the very top of her game. Shelagh talked me through the spectrum of fragrances, from citrus to floral to oriental spice, and then we moved on to talk about top, heart and bottom notes, oils and blends and other general principles, before getting onto making the actual fragrance. After experimenting with some different bases we settled on a blend including cefiro, musk (quite unlike what you might imagine) and sandalwood, a fresh but complex scent that gets more interesting as it develops on the skin. A week after my visit I can confirm my initial feeling: that I like it a lot.

For anyone with even a mild interest in such things, the service is extremely informative and I can’t really recommend it too much; it would certainly make a great gift and I am already planning a birthday visit for someone. Sitting tinkering with scents and talking to an expert on the subject, surrounded by all the wonderful history in the room, was fascinating, enlightening and very good fun. Moreover, leaving with a bottle of my own fragrance, the recipe recorded for future orders, I was reminded how special such individual services make you feel. The name I gave my creation? Well, that would be telling.

Floris
89 Jermyn Street
Westminster
SW1Y 6JH

Tel: 0845 702 3239