Jo's Scent Notes: BY FAR Daydream fragrances

Every so often, a new fragrance collection is launched which offers something truly different. Not THAT often – but here’s a stunning and welcome example, from a Bulgarian (yes, you read that right) designer accessories brand.

I met two of the twin sisters behind the accessories label in London, not so long ago – Valentina Gyosheva and Sabina Bezuhanova (the third founder is their sister-in-law and best friend, Denitsa Bumbarova). They charmingly explained that they were basically young mums when they had the idea for their brand, after a visit to a small family-run shoe factory. They had the idea ‘to make cool, comfortable shoes that make women feel like they can conquer the world.’ (And well, who doesn’t want that?) Literally within three weeks, Vogue had picked up on their range – and now they are stocked in spiffy stores and curated designer websites around the world, jetting between California, Sydney and Sofia, to manage their venture.

And now there is fragrance – an invisible accessory.

Each of BY FAR’s luxuriously-priced fragrances is accompanied by a refillable smaller bottle which slips neatly into a handbag charm – a lust-worthy object in its own right, clipping onto your favourite bag or tote.

The range is called Daydream – and the scents are super-evocative. So much so that when I smelled one particular scent, I had the vision that I was lying on fresh-cut grass, staring at clouds in the sky. Turns out that one’s called Daydream of Passing Clouds, a fuzzy haze of violet, white musk and patchouli.

Other names include Daydream of a Bingo Queen, Daydream of Someone I Knew, Daydream of a Love Trance, all of which conjure up an image that the fragrances represent extremely well – perhaps unsurprisingly, since the perfumers they enlisted include Fanny Bal, Jean-Christophe Hérault and Caroline Dumur, all considered to be ‘scent superstars’.

Ultimately, when it came to choosing one of the seven scents for moi, though, I went for Daydream of a Rose Garden. It’s airy, floaty, fresh, pretty, like an organza frock or a piece of chiffon, blowing in a breeze, composed from rose essence and rosewood, geranium and blackcurrant, but with some interesting herby wafts at the beginning, from mint and basil. Downright lovely. Really quite classic, not too daring – something to wear to a meeting where you don’t want to overwhelm, or on a first date. (I can just about remember what those are like.) I’d say ‘safe’ – but that doesn’t do its sheer wearability justice.

At the moment, the fragrances are exclusive to Selfridges. You get the handbag charm that matches a specific fragrance, whereas on their own website (which alas doesn’t ship to the UK), there’s more flexibility. The empty bottle comes with a 100ml fragrance with which to refill it, and though pricy, it’s pretty unique. And, I’d say, uniquely pretty.

Far, far more fragrances should be refillable, IMHO. But with their fragrant handbag charms, these three have raised the bar rather high, on that front.

And bravo for that, BY FAR.

BY FAR Daydream of a Rose Garden/£180 for 100ml with charm – buy here