If you’re looking for a fragrance with a backstory nearly as interesting as the scent, consider Paris: She Met Him in Secret, one of three new novel-inspired eau de parfums in Anthropologie’s Fictions collection. Each of the three fragrances is outfitted with a case designed to look like a juicy book. The inside “book jacket” of Paris: She Met Him in Secret tells the story of two lovers who agree to meet on a predictably melodramatic and moody Parisian evening.
The scent itself, which is meant to reflect the histrionic tale of romance, is powdery and smooth. A leathery base blossoms very quickly after a spritz, and mostly buries the fragrance’s seductive violet opening note. A whiff of the eau de parfum is like sniffing a flower after it’s spent a week smashed at the bottom of a leather bag — in a good way. Warm and dark, the perfume feels just right as a nighttime scent or as something to wear while nose-deep in a sappy hardcover.
Paris: She Met Him in Secret, $48 at Anthropologie.
