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Sillage · The Reading ListThursday, June 11, 202613 in print

Reading list.

Long-form pieces on what we’ve been smelling. Top lists, launch reports, notes, op-eds — hand-written by the editors, fact-checked against the library, tagged so you can jump straight to the perfume.

Lead · Guide · April 30, 2026

Reading the dry-down.

Most of what you wear is the back half. Here's how to pay attention to it.

by Spencer
Also today · recent dispatches
  • Op-ed · Apr 30, 2026

    What 'niche' actually means.

    It's a marketing word that started out describing a real thing. It still describes a real thing, sometimes. Here's how to tell when.

    by Spencer
  • Guide · Apr 30, 2026

    Decants, splits, samples: try without committing.

    You don't need to buy a single bottle to wear ten different perfumes well. A short guide to the small-format economy.

    by Spencer
  • Guide · Apr 30, 2026

    How to test a fragrance properly.

    The store counter is the worst possible place to evaluate a perfume. A short field guide for the rest of us.

    by Spencer
§ 01 · Note study

Note studies

1 piece
April 25, 2026

Iris: the strangest, most beloved note.

by Spencer

What you're actually smelling when a perfume says 'iris,' and why it doesn't smell anything like the flower.

§ 02 · Guide

Guides

4 pieces
April 30, 2026

The pyramid is a useful lie.

by Spencer

Top notes, heart notes, base notes. A 19th-century shorthand that doesn't describe modern perfume — but tells you the truth about how to wear it.

  • Notes, accords, ingredients: how to read a perfume label.

    When a bottle says 'rose,' there's almost never rose in the bottle. A short primer on the four words people use interchangeably — and what each one actually means.

Apr 26, 2026by Spencer

  • What 'sillage' actually means, and why we named the site after it.

    It's not a synonym for 'projection.' It's a much more interesting word than that.

    Apr 25, 2026by Spencer

  • How to find your signature without asking for one.

    A short, practical guide for the friend who wants to be 'the kind of person who wears perfume' and doesn't know where to start.

    Apr 25, 2026by Spencer
    • § 03 · Op-ed

    Op-eds

    4 pieces
    April 25, 2026

    Rachel Syme on perfume, and why mainstream press finally got good at this.

    by Spencer

    Why writing about fragrance for a general audience is hard, and who we read when we want to share a piece with someone who isn't in the hobby yet.

    • If you only read one perfume reviewer, read Persolaise.

      British, opinionated, generous with credit and unforgiving of laziness. The single best entry point to fragrance criticism on the internet.

      Apr 25, 2026by Spencer

    • Why we don't show an overall rating.

      A 4.2-star perfume is a meaningless object. Here's what we show instead, and why.

      Apr 25, 2026by Spencer

    • What a fragrance wardrobe actually is.

      Most people own one bottle. The ones who love perfume own a small set, on rotation. Here's why that's the whole point.

      Apr 25, 2026by Spencer