Fragrances for Downton Abbey’s Final (?) Goodbye…
The lush curtains are about to fall for the last time at Downton Abbey, the cinematic Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale glimmering on U.K. screens from 12th September – so we’re scent-matching the glamorous scenes for you!
There’s scarcely a soul who hasn’t, at least once, longed to be swept up in the grand drama – to join Lady Mary on the marble staircase, to eavesdrop in the drawing room’s glowing hush, to slip unseen through the warren of bustling corridors below stairs. And so we decided to once again turn a cultural entertainment moment into an opportunity to olfactively infuse the experience – this time by revisiting some classic scents to set the scenes. [You can read MANY more of these fragrance matching blog features here, or by searching ‘scent matching‘, by the way]. But why this time are we turning our gaze to Downton?
Well, this final glimpse of the Crawleys’ turbulent, glamorous lives is suffused with the ache of farewell. But for those who wish (desperately!) to linger in the world of Downton – or to relive every gilded triumph and quiet heartbreak by rewatching from the first episode – vintage fragrances remain our most powerful time machine. Even just thinking of the fragrances while watching the trailer (above), you’ll find yourself transported more fully into the feeling of it all – and isn’t that one of the most magical abilities our sense of smell has?
So then, here are five glorious scents, redolent of the era, all mercifully still available to this day, to help you lose yourself in Downton’s embrace – and to imagine: who, or where, might you be within the Downton universe…
Guerlain Mitsouko Eau de Parfum carries the air of storm-soaked orchards clinging to late summer fruit, velvet shadows deepening in the evening. Wear Mitsouko for the scenes that demand a heart that dares – perhaps a clandestine rendezvous on a moonlit terrace, or as Lady Mary, porcelain composure veiling inner turmoil, glides through a grand ballroom. Its mossy, peach-laced chypre is a story in itself, sophisticated and a touch mysterious, a whiff of secrets best kept.
£130 for 75ml eau de parfum guerlain.com
Chanel No5 is an all-time icon swathed in powder, aldehydes, and the ghostly petals of May rose. It is the scent of crisp, elegant linen and polished marble beneath sparkling glass, the drawing room shimmering with sunlight and unresolved drama. Slip into No5 for moments of morning tea, for the clink of porcelain and the unfurling of letters – or as Lady Edith pens her future by window light. This floral classic is a Downton daydream, bottled.
£78 for 35ml eau de parfum johnlewis.com
Houbigant Quelques Fleurs L’Original is a breathless swirl of cut blooms gathered into the arms after a moonlit supper, opulent yet never brash. Imagine the fragrance trailing behind as one twirls across the marbled floor or as the camera finds the afterglow of a flirtatious conversation on a garden bench. This multi-floral bouquet, first created in 1912, still conjures the grand occasion.
£140 for 100ml eau de parfum lookfantastic.com
Floris No. 89‘s a true British classic from a house founded in 1730, evokes leather-bound ledgers in a noble’s study, crisp citrus zest bracing the old wood panelling as plans are laid and fortunes made (or lost!). This is for Lord Grantham, for the men of Downton, and for anyone dreaming of a vintage car ride down the winding drive, the world rolling quietly by.
£110 for 100ml eau de toilette selfridges.com
Penhaligon’s Bluebell beckons a dewy stroll through ancient woodlands just as bluebells tremble beneath the morning mist, a whispered memory of the Abbey’s sprawling gardens before the day’s dramas unfurl. It’s green, gently floral and utterly English, calling to mind soft footsteps over mossy earth or a secret tryst hidden by spring leaves – as if you’ve slipped away from a party down a wildflower path for a secret tryst.
£140 for 100ml eau de toilette sephora.co.uk
As the final credits roll, the echoes of these beloved characters will glide on – and perhaps, somewhere in the wings, lies the promise of more stories yet to be told (we hear rumours of a possible prequel. But with these fragrant timeless treasures, the perfume of Downton lingers a little longer, weaving us into its magnificent tapestry each time we indulge in a spritz and slip, ever so gladly, back into that Downton world…
Written by Suzy Nightingale
