Best scent

Wallpaper* Design Awards 2006: Isfarkand, by Ormon

Even before you set eyes on the bottle, the understated orange and black packaging

of an Ormonde Jayne fragrance has all the heart-palpitating pull of a Jo Malone cream and black box or a Hermès orange and brown carton. And the fragrance itself is something unique, especially in the case of Isfarkand, the label’s latest scent for men. It was conceived when company founder Linda Pilkington, a self-taught nose who journeys far and wide to source natural essences, was in the Middle East. The scent has a peppery heart, with a mandarin, lime and bergamot topnote and a cedar, vetiver and moss base. And despite its earthiness, it draws women wearers, too. It gets our vote for a bouquet that displays modernity without gimmickry, and for packaging with a strong whiff of old-fashioned luxury.

19 January 2006 | Lifestyle