Every item in Carrie Bradshaw's Sex and the City closet has been meticulously cataloged and studied by the show's fans over the last two decades. Her fragrance collection, meanwhile, could be clearer. (From haphazard screengrabs, it looks like Jo Malone and Hermès bottles are perched on her fictional West Village countertop.) Bradshaw could have found a signature scent in the new designer perfume line that's finally dropping today, based on her handbag collection alone. The reason? It's partially inspired by one of her favorite bags: the Fendi Baguette.
Fendi's first-ever fragrance collection, a lineup of seven scents the label says are inspired by members of the Fendi family and its recognizable leather bags, is finally available to shop on Fendi.com. Each scent is housed in a refillable glass bottle with a palette mimicking an early sunset.
Scent profiles range from a fresh pink pepper and incense blend (called Perché No) to a "second-skin" bergamot and orange blossom (called Siempre Mio). Perfumers Quentin Bisch, Fanny Bal and, Anne Flipo collaborated with Fendi artistic directors Kim Jones, Silvia Venturini Fendi, and Delfina Delettrez Fendi on each fragrance.
Fendi's debut perfumes arrive amid a luxury fragrance boom. Other Milan and Paris Fashion Week regulars are gearing up to release their first-ever scents or re-enter the category after an extended hiatus. Bottega Veneta plans to unveil its first-ever perfume this fall, while Miu Miu will send a Miuccia Prada-approved fragrance to market in 2024. A few highly anticipated luxury scents have already hit shelves, like Acne Studios's debut scent, created in partnership with Frédéric Malle.
Given these fragrances' historic entry to the Fendi canon and our dedication to uncovering 2024's best new perfumes, we at Marie Claire wanted to sample each one. Our favorites from the lineup might just do for perfumes what the iconic Baguette bag did for purses. Read our full review—and shop the collection—ahead. (And keep a close eye on our Instagram: As with Bella Hadid's Orebella and Charlotte Tilbury's new perfumes, the team blind-tested each scent live and on camera.)
What Type of Fragrance Is Fendi's New Perfume?
In a press release, Silvia Venturini Fendi said the collection expresses the brand's design codes from a different point of view, swapping leather, cotton, and hardware for a mix of highly concentrated fragrance notes. "At Fendi we can readily say that we have explored and used all the senses," Fendi said.
While the arched boxes and peachy, beachy colors are definitely eye-candy, it's scent that's the obvious, primary sense at play here. All seven Fendi perfumes are strong, requiring no more than a single tap of the applicator for 24-hours of fragrance. Testing as spring turned into summer, the range's s lighter citrus fragrances (like Dolce Bacio's apricot scent and Ciao Amore's orange blossom) were my two favorites: They were pungent, but not overpowering. Marie Claire's editors tended to agree, preferring these lighter gourmand notes to the heavier, woody scents of Prima Terra and the all-encompassing leather and cherry scent of Casa Grande.
Fashion obsessives will most likely gravitate toward La Baguette, a blend of French iris, Madagascar vanilla, and leather. (It's me, I'm the fashion obsessive.) The scent comes in a bright, sunny shade that coordinates with Fendi's current assortment of Baguette bags. Spraying it on had the effect of walking into a secluded garden in the heart of Rome: It's sunny and bright, yet still elegant and a little discreet.
These days, Fendi is best known in fashion circles for its leather goods and accessories—so naturally, its "accessorize now, ask questions later" ethos carries over to the fragrance launch with upscale twists on perfume storage. Shoppers can order a set of three scents with a studded, top-handle trunk coated in Fendi's interlocking F print. Or, they can lean into one of summer 2024's biggest accessory trends with a dainty perfume carrying case that clips onto the handle of another bag. These add-ons imply that Fendi's fragrances aren't supposed to sit on a shelf at home—they're meant to travel.
Alas, the Marie Claire team didn't get to test the leather goods ourselves. I love the idea of clipping a charm filled with the Baguette scent to my real Baguette purse nonetheless.
Is Fendi's New Fragrance Worth the Splurge?
Between the range of seven (7!) total scents, Fendi's range most likely contains something for everyone. The fragrances are long-lasting (my test spritzes endured for a full day) and beautifully packaged. Even the strongest note combinations, like Pérche No's incense-adjacent blend, didn't give me a perfume headache. Since they retail for $330 per bottle, you'll maybe want to start with the scent profile that's closest to a tried-and-true favorite—ensuring the investment is worth it.
If you're ready to indulge, shop the rest of Fendi's new fragrances below.
