Woman No. 1

Bogner Woman No. 1 belongs to that peculiar breed of 1980s fragrances that refused to play by gendered rules, long before "unisex" became a marketing flourish. This is sweetness with an edge—a composition where bergamot and unspecified citrus notes do little more than announce the arrival of a powdered floral amber that means business. The heart reveals its complexities immediately: jasmine and rose provide the expected floral plushness, but narcissus brings its almost animalic, slightly narcotic depth, whilst vetiver—unusual in this context—adds an earthy, rooty counterpoint that prevents the florals from becoming too demure. It's this vetiver that makes the whole thing interesting, creating tension against the creamy vanilla and amber base that threatens to coat everything in confectioner's sugar. The spicy accord lurking beneath suggests clove or carnation without explicitly stating it, adding warmth rather than heat. This is the scent of someone who wore Chanel No. 5 in their twenties but found it too austere by their thirties—someone who wants opulence without ostentation, florals without floating away. It's a fragrance for winter lunches in hotel dining rooms, for cashmere jumpers and gold jewellery that's real but not ostentatious. The 1980s bottled an aesthetic of accessible luxury, and this captures it: sweet enough to be approachable, complex enough to reward attention.