Best Vanderbilt by Gloria Vanderbilt Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

An iconic classic in its own rite, Quelques Fleurs is a true ingenious scent of its time. The French perfumer, Robert Bienaimé, unveiled Quelques Fleurs the first true multi-floral blend ever created, in 1912.

Since then, his perfectly-balanced, refined bouquet has become modern perfumery’s peerless criterion for pure, meticulously-crafted, multi-floral accords. Prior to his bold invention, floral fragrances had been mainly singular flowers, or florals combined with various nuances of herbs and spices. Bienaimé’s singular triumph is remarkable for its secret, mythical formula. Upwards of 15,000 exemplary flowers and 250 prestigious raw materials are diligently-curated in the creation of a single ounce of perfume.

September 1757, Casino Venier, Venice

A powdery floral fragrance based on authentic 18th century cosmetic formulas.

A coquettish floral capturing the decadence of 18th century Venice, its rococo interiors and clandestine affairs: a powdery blend of black violet, blush rose, and chamomile nestled on an impossibly soft base of dusty iris and subtle, animalic amber. 

Campus is the 'bon vivant' moment in Molinard's historical collection, first created in 2004 it sparks adventurous pineapple and calms into luxurious tones of Provençal Lavender. It conjures an air of freedom and elegance. Beautiful geranium and woody notes from amber and sandalwood makes Campus nothing short of charm in perfume form.

Olfactory opulance conjures the Palace of Versailles in its heyday when Louis XIV and his Court would amble the Grand Orangery to delight in the flowering orange trees warmed by bonfires. This is a bright orange blossom with a warm, woody background, with notes of orange blossom absolute, pomegranate, honey and firewood smoke.

Purple line

Perfumer: Serge De Oliveira

An extravagant fruity perfume in which warm boozy spices (cinnamon and cloves) incite carefree fruit into jammy debauchery in some dense sweet patchouli setting. Check out the crazy banana explosion in the opening.

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The Sniff on Mint's Meek Passion:

"[it] is a scent for those who like their fragrances on the darker, more impolite and dirtier end of the spectrum. It evokes booze and sweat and smoke on the skin in its wear. The way the fragrance begins though is cheerful and totally unexpected making for an interesting juxtaposition."

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Matilde Bonaparte, niece of Napoleon I, was known for her breasts (“le plus beau décolleté”) and her talent as a painter. She also hosted a celebrated 19th-century Parisian salon attended by the greatest artists and writers of her time. This namesake perfume is an olfactory salon of provocative white florals (ylang-ylang, narcissus, jasmine) given tropical succulence with passion fruit and papaya. Mathilde’s heady brightness is softened by iris and sandalwood.

In 1912, Houbigant's perfumer Robert Bienaimé picked up the ball from Paul Parquet (who earlier invented the whole fougere category while working for Houbigant at the end of the 18th century) and introduced Quelques Fleurs, one of Houbigant’s all-time great fragrances and the first multi-floral bouquet ever created.

The current owners of Houbigant take the heritage and history of the house very seriously and try to adapt the famous formulas from the 18th and 19th centuries to the 21st century's tastes and technologies while keeping the character and old-school flair as close as possible to the originals.

You might have read about Quelques Fleurs in books on perfume and the guides on the greatest perfumes of all time.

The current reincarnation is an adaptation of the original formula to modern times taste and it benefits from modern advances in perfume making.

Meet the 21st century Quelques Fleurs, a gorgeous romantic floral with a big history and an infinite number of floral facets.

Gratia Aestiva is Latin for “summer grace”, and this extrait is an absolute abundance of sundrunk fruit. Punchy pineapple, melon and strawberry wave a big HELLO right out of the bottle, while passion fruit, with its tangy, grapefruit bite, tempers the sweetness with rawness. Indian jasmine adds floral fullness on a spiced bed of coriander and ambered woods. On the right side of too much.

Autumn winds skip across golden wheat fields. As the tall grasses billow, the rattle of husks beats a soft prairie lullaby, signalling to the weary sun to rest. In the fading light, tiny harvest mice venture forth, scrambling to gather seeds and fruits. For once the sun sinks fully beneath the horizon, its rule of the sky is bestowed on another. And when the coo of the owl breaks the night, the mice dash, trembling, back to their nests.

Like a countryside bathed in sweet sunlight, Zoologist Harvest Mouse conjures images of home-baked goodness. Stalks of wheat sway among chamomile, davana and hay, and rich beer extracts are sobered by resins and woody notes. Cozy up in a warm nest of homespun scent.

Perfumer: Luca Maffei

Named after a rare, indigenous white grape variety from Savoy, this cool, modern iris interpretation is built on the brand’s highest-dosed and rare Bavarian iris pallida. Based on standard iris concentrations of around 0.1% in the fragrance oil, Iris Altesse contains an approximately 26-fold higher dose of iris butter and iris extract. Here, iris root revels in its chalky, clean leather side, with a fruity flourish supplied by jasmine sambac and cassis. Classy and hip.

Perfumer: Antoine Lie