This article originally appeared in the October 2016 issue of ELLE.

Petal, Dress, frangipani, One-piece garment, Flowering plant, Peach, Perfume, Day dress, Cut flowers, Floral design, pinterest
Design by Jen Chalet

LA FEMME BY PRADA

Perfume is "an occasion to put the accent on feelings, irrationality, and instinct," says designer Miuccia Prada. She wanted La Femme to mirror, like a multiplied reflection, the different women who choose to wear it. Cued by the exuberance of Prada's bold floral prints for fall 2016, dewy frangipani melds with spicy ylang-ylang and heady tuberose, while vanilla and beeswax (7) add smoothness, and vetiver grounds the dry-down. The overall effect, Prada says, is "slightly exotic but clean at the same time."

Human, Automotive tire, Pink, Magenta, Purple, Black hair, Automotive wheel system, Eyelash, Synthetic rubber, Rose, pinterest
Design by Jen Chalet

KENZO WORLD BY KENZO

With this unconventional scent, designers Carol Lim and Humberto Leon pay homage to the spirit of "newness and rebellion" embodied by brand founder Kenzo Takada. Three elements define the eau: Lim and Leon's favorite flowers, peony and jasmine, underscored by Ambroxan, a synthetic amber that imparts "woodiness and depth" as the fragrance unfolds. The eye, a recurrent motif since the pair's fourth runway collection, refers to the iconography of Indian temples; uniquely, the juice itself—not the bottle—is an ocean-inspired shade of blue.

Perfume, Liquid, Fluid, Bottle, Peach, Glass bottle, Astronomical object, Cosmetics, Produce, Fruit, pinterest
Design by Jen Chalet

MILLE FEUX BY LOUIS VUITTON

An olfactory journey beginning at Les Fontaines Parfumées, a historic site in Grasse, France, that's now Vuitton's fragrance HQ, Mille Feux celebrates the way that light—a starlit sky, the fleeting Northern Lights—amplifies the magic of travel. (The scent's name can mean "fireworks" but is also a phrase used to describe a radiant woman.) Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud devised a way to extract the scent of leather from the raw material used on Vuitton bags, then combined it with raspberry, apricot-tinged Osmanthus, and Rose de Mai—a combination, he says, that's "big and sensual, but velvety, like skin."

Human, Dress, Costume accessory, Fashion, Boot, Costume design, Costume, Angel, Fashion model, Fashion design, pinterest
Design by Jen Chalet

MCQUEEN BY ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

This scent's spark, says designer Sarah Burton, was Elizabeth I, "the first known monarch to wear perfume in England." Burton wanted it to be "natural and flower-based," while conveying a mysterious eroticism, like Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron's work. Night-blooming flowers—jasmine, tuberose, and ylang-ylang—blossom voluptuously at the scent's heart over a trace of amber, evoking "a woman who is luminous by day and seductive by night"; the gold feathers on the ebony flacon were inspired by Burton's fantastical spring 2011 collection.

Amber, Petal, Illustration, Perfume, Baby, Graphics, Ringlet, Symbol, pinterest
Design by Jen Chalet

BIKINI QUESTA SERA BY CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN

Louboutin envisioned a scent that, instead of changing over time, would leave "a one-note vibrating echo," like a piano key being struck. The bottle's gold and amber hues salute an Egyptian sunset, and the eau is all about sizzle: The sexy-shoe maestro wanted to convey the "heated sensuality" of sun on hot skin, so perfumer Pierre Negrin used lingering, "airy" jasmine to create an effect "like the heat that stays with you after a day at the beach"; a touch of sandalwood (makes it "creamier and warmer."

Have thoughts? We want to hear from you. Contact us at elleletters@hearst.com.