More of a Howdtheydoit? Than a Whodunnit? This magical tale will sweep you back to simpler times and envelop you in a warm blanket of nostalgia. At the center of the novel is an ice cream shoppe with mysterious powers. Upon entering, customers are hit with “A Whiff of Waffle Cone” and immediately transported to different periods of their life. Ping-ponging through four generations of rich family history and tender community connections, a narrative emerges that threads a message of hope and togetherness unlike any other. And rather than dipping into an expected sugary sweetness, the melange of voices rings honest and true, making this a highly respected coming-of-age story you’ll want to revisit again and again.
Created in partnership with Salt & Straw, a pioneering ice cream brand based in Portland, Oregon with outposts across the country.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is the scent of being close to people in a small, busy room where the air is warm with sugar, cream, and toasted sweetness. It feels intimate and slightly playful, with enough polish to read as a statement rather than a novelty.
How to wear
Best in cooler weather or in air-conditioned spaces, where its caramel-vanilla richness stays smooth instead of heavy. Apply lightly at first; a few sprays are enough to give a soft, edible trail with a woody drydown that sits close to the skin.
Who it’s for
For gourmand lovers who want sweetness with structure, and for anyone drawn to nostalgic, edible scents that still feel composed. It suits wearers who enjoy creamy vanilla, caramel, almond, and a softly woody finish rather than sharp freshness or dense syrup.
The nose
Josh Meyer is the self-taught perfumer behind Imaginary Authors, a Portland-based house built on narrative-driven, concept-first fragrances. His style leans immersive and textural, often blending naturals and synthetics into scents that feel like scenes, memories, or invented chapters rather than simple note lists. For Imaginary Authors, Meyer creates the entire collection himself, shaping perfumes that are deliberately wearable but still imaginative and offbeat. A Whiff of Waffle Cone fits that approach well: a gourmand composition with a polished, storybook clarity, where sweetness is tempered by a woody backbone and a more atmospheric, lived-in feel.
Collaborators
Ashod Simonian helped define the brand’s visual identity and narrative presentation, giving the fragrance its literary framing and distinctive packaging language. Imaginary Authors also created A Whiff of Waffle Cone in partnership with Salt & Straw, whose ice-cream-shop world clearly informs the scent’s gourmand concept.
Imaginary Authors’s story
Imaginary Authors treats perfume like fiction: each scent is built around an invented book, complete with synopsis, mood, and visual world. The house favors originality, storytelling, and unisex wearability, with a playful Pacific Northwest sensibility that keeps the compositions inventive without losing everyday appeal.
A Whiff of Waffle Cone’s concept
A Whiff of Waffle Cone sits inside Imaginary Authors’ literary universe as a nostalgic gourmand built around the idea of an ice cream shop with uncanny powers. Its story moves through memory, family, and community, using dessert imagery to suggest warmth and emotional return rather than simple sugariness.
Extra info
Imaginary Authors presents its perfumes as fictional books, and A Whiff of Waffle Cone is one of the brand’s most recognizable gourmand titles. It is an Eau de Parfum in the house’s standard 18–22% concentration range and is often discussed as a softer, more wearable take on the ice-cream-shop idea.
More of a Howdtheydoit? Than a Whodunnit? This magical tale will sweep you back to simpler times and envelop you in a warm blanket of nostalgia. At the center of the novel is an ice cream shoppe with mysterious powers. Upon entering, customers are hit with “A Whiff of Waffle Cone” and immediately transported to different periods of their life. Ping-ponging through four generations of rich family history and tender community connections, a narrative emerges that threads a message of hope and togetherness unlike any other. And rather than dipping into an expected sugary sweetness, the melange of voices rings honest and true, making this a highly respected coming-of-age story you’ll want to revisit again and again.
Created in partnership with Salt & Straw, a pioneering ice cream brand based in Portland, Oregon with outposts across the country.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is the scent of being close to people in a small, busy room where the air is warm with sugar, cream, and toasted sweetness. It feels intimate and slightly playful, with enough polish to read as a statement rather than a novelty.
How to wear
Best in cooler weather or in air-conditioned spaces, where its caramel-vanilla richness stays smooth instead of heavy. Apply lightly at first; a few sprays are enough to give a soft, edible trail with a woody drydown that sits close to the skin.
Who it’s for
For gourmand lovers who want sweetness with structure, and for anyone drawn to nostalgic, edible scents that still feel composed. It suits wearers who enjoy creamy vanilla, caramel, almond, and a softly woody finish rather than sharp freshness or dense syrup.
The nose
Josh Meyer is the self-taught perfumer behind Imaginary Authors, a Portland-based house built on narrative-driven, concept-first fragrances. His style leans immersive and textural, often blending naturals and synthetics into scents that feel like scenes, memories, or invented chapters rather than simple note lists. For Imaginary Authors, Meyer creates the entire collection himself, shaping perfumes that are deliberately wearable but still imaginative and offbeat. A Whiff of Waffle Cone fits that approach well: a gourmand composition with a polished, storybook clarity, where sweetness is tempered by a woody backbone and a more atmospheric, lived-in feel.
Collaborators
Ashod Simonian helped define the brand’s visual identity and narrative presentation, giving the fragrance its literary framing and distinctive packaging language. Imaginary Authors also created A Whiff of Waffle Cone in partnership with Salt & Straw, whose ice-cream-shop world clearly informs the scent’s gourmand concept.
Imaginary Authors’s story
Imaginary Authors treats perfume like fiction: each scent is built around an invented book, complete with synopsis, mood, and visual world. The house favors originality, storytelling, and unisex wearability, with a playful Pacific Northwest sensibility that keeps the compositions inventive without losing everyday appeal.
A Whiff of Waffle Cone’s concept
A Whiff of Waffle Cone sits inside Imaginary Authors’ literary universe as a nostalgic gourmand built around the idea of an ice cream shop with uncanny powers. Its story moves through memory, family, and community, using dessert imagery to suggest warmth and emotional return rather than simple sugariness.
Extra info
Imaginary Authors presents its perfumes as fictional books, and A Whiff of Waffle Cone is one of the brand’s most recognizable gourmand titles. It is an Eau de Parfum in the house’s standard 18–22% concentration range and is often discussed as a softer, more wearable take on the ice-cream-shop idea.