Smell Like James Bond
Fragrance. Classy fragrance.
The James Bond franchise was in the news this week, as Denis Villeneuve was named as the director of the next Bond film. There are mixed opinions on what this means, but the director himself said he regards Bond as “sacred territory.”
There are certain elements about Bond that remain untouchable: the martini (shaken, not stirred), the Walther PPK, the gadgets, the evil masterminds, and his impeccable style.
If you’re only a fan of James Bond from the movies, you’re missing out on a whole world of 007’s habits, preferences, and particulars depicted in the novels. Things like the shoes he wore, the cigarettes he smoked, and his favorite breakfast.
One thing you will not find is his favorite men’s fragrance. However, there is a hint that the discerning reader might pick up on.
In Moonraker (1955), we find Bond at the gentlemen’s club Blades with M, who is a member. (More about clubs in Timeless & Timely.)
Ian Fleming describes the club in some detail, adding:
“There are one or two other small refinements which contribute to the luxury of the place...Floris provides the soaps and lotions in the lavatories and bedrooms.”
And again in Diamonds are Forever (1956), Fleming describes Bond’s instructions to his housekeeper:
“He would have to send a cable to May to get things fixed. Let’s see - flowers, bath essence from Floris, air the sheets…”
Juan Famenias Floris emigrated to London and opened up a business as a barber and comb-maker in 1730 at 89 Jermyn Street in the fashionable St. James’s quarter of London. He and his wife quickly added perfumes to their products.
Floris received its first Royal Warrant (meaning a supplier to the British royal family) in 1820 as Smooth-Pointed Comb-makers to HM George IV, followed by Perfumers to HM The Queen Elizabeth II, granted in 1971, and Manufacturers of Toilet Preparations to HRH The Prince of Wales, granted in 1984.
Other well-known individuals have frequented Floris over the years:
Winston Churchill purchased Special No. 127 Eau de Toilette and Stephanotis in 1934.
Marilyn Monroe made a purchase of Rose Geranium while staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 1959.
Florence Nightingale wrote a letter thanking Mr Floris for his “sweet-smelling nosegay” in 1863.
Mary Shelley, while traveling, sent friends instructions to purchase her favorite combs and toothbrushes from Floris.
While we don’t have any exact selection for 007’s preference, signs point to Floris, as his creator Ian Fleming preferred one specific scent. Introduced in 1951, No. 89 (named for the Jermyn Street number where the shop exists) was created on-site and was his preferred scent.
No. 89 has top notes of bergamot, lavender, neroli, nutmeg, orange, and petitgrain; heart ntoes of geranium, rose, and ylang ylang; base notes of cedarwood, musk, oakmoss, sandalwood, and vetiver.
Available in 2 ml, 10 ml, 50 ml, and 100 ml bottles, you can purchase it directly from the maker online or when you visit their famed store at 89 Jermyn Street, as I did about 15 years ago.
No. 89 is a quintessential gentleman’s fragrance, embodying the sophistication and intrigue for which Fleming’s spy is known.
And if you wear it, you’ll smell Classy AF.
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I love your detailed description of the scent. It reminds me of wine tasting and how the various notes are described, but try as I might, I cannot discern them.