This Is the Inspiration Behind Fall's Most Covetable Fragrances

Even the flacon for Miu Miu's long-awaited first eau de parfum embodies the scent's girly-with-a-twist vibe: Its opaque blue color, inspired by "the optimism of early '60s cinema," is playfully offset with a transparent red cap resembling a lollipop. The fragrance spotlights lily of the valley, the "beautiful and joyful" flower that Miuccia Prada celebrated in the brand's fall 2011 collection. Because the bloom itself cannot be distilled, jasmine and rose were combined with synthetic green notes to create an abstract lily-of-the-valley effect, the sophistication of which is "roughened up" with an unexpected extract of patchouli.

Inspired by his childhood in Tunisia, where his grandmother would splash buckets of cool water onto sunbaked walls to lower the temperature, designer Azzedine Alaïa wanted to manifest the sensations of hot and cold in his debut fragrance. Aquatic top notes and fresh pink pepper create a sparkling first impression, while freesia adds a touch of femininity. The cap references a spool of gold thread, and the bottle's pattern mimics the signature leather laser-cut motif Alaïa introduced in his summer 1992 collection. The subtle transparency of the glass echoes the "intense sensuality" of animal notes and musks in the scent's dry-down, "like a piece of clothing where you see a suggestion of skin."

"This is an exciting, seductive rose—not your grandmother's rose," says Carolina Herrera of the bloom that dominates her new eau. Galvanized by nostalgia for the creative energy of 1970s New York, when Herrera would frequent Studio 54 with friends such as Andy Warhol and Bianca Jagger (who, she remembers, "always wore Shalimar"), Burning Rose sizzles with a "sexy, after-dark feeling" courtesy of spicy cinnamon and patchouli notes. The bottle's red hue salutes Herrera's favorite color, used frequently in her designs to represent "energy, passion, glamour, and luxury."

"In Italy, I feel at home," says designer Tom Ford. The newest entry in his Private Blend collection brings together the rugged, rural region of Calabria with the opulent, romantic city of Venice. Bergamot, sourced from Italy's southern coast—and described by Ford as "spicy and crisp," yet also "sweet and fresh"—is rendered "sensual and elegant" with the addition of magnolia, gardenia, and "powdery" ylang ylang. The heady florals "create a hypnotic, almost addictive effect," while base notes of cedarwood, sandalwood, and tonka "add depth and texture," evoking the floating city's history as a hub for the spice trade.

This article originally appeared in the September 2015 issue of ELLE.