Picture this:
Pretty actress Chloë Grace Moretz in a field of wildflowers on a warm summer day. Wearing a dreamy floral print dress in breezy sheer and clutching a bag adorned with the signature Tea Rose, Moretz tries to capture the spirit of the Coach girl, for whom the brand’s cool accessories seamlessly merge with her lifestyle. And the easy, breezy walk in the fields captures the essence of the scent. Coach Floral is a something which is something super easy to wear.
Fragrances unlike clothes don’t come in sizes, so it’s very challenging to determine which one will fit your lifestyle and personal taste. Unlike bags, shoes and clothes, these don’t carry labels. It is a branding or marketing challenge as well. How do you sell something which the customer can’t see or touch? So whether you are wearing the original Chanel No. 5, its first copy or just another that smells like Chanel no 5, no one will ever come to know, but you. Fragrances, hence, are positioned as stories, as a chance to enter the glamorous world of designers. Besides the external glitz and glamour of the bottle, fragrances are meant to evoke emotions. They are designed to conjure up a blend of notes that remind you of your happy memories. Moments of ease, joy, love, adventure, success…
Coming back to Coach Floral, here’s how you decode it:
The Bottle: Featuring a Tea Rose charm, Coach Floral’s feminine oval bottle is a tribute to iconic Coach codes. The turnlock-shaped spray cap is a nod to the original closure that first appeared on Coach bags in 1954, while Coach’s horse and carriage—a symbol of the brand’s rich history of craftsmanship—is embossed on the glass. The finishing touch: a rose-gold tone hangtag—like those seen on every Coach bag since the 1970s.
The ad campaign:
The Coach girl is dressed in a modest but modern, dreamy silhouette just enjoying a lone moment as she immerses herself in the elements of nature. The Coach floral fragrance is one that is not audacious but serenely comforting. Its pleasant aroma doesn’t scream for attention yet envelops you in a mildly floral, extremely soft fragrance.
The colour:
The delicate rose hued bottle is an indication that’s its conventionally feminine, soft and pleasing. The colour of the bottle is the most obvious sign of its character. Anything that ranging from clear waters, to beige nudes to pastel pinks is indicative of that’s soft and subtle. The sensual or more intense notes will come dressed in tones of red (Dior Poison), Deep Golden (Shalimar, Chanel no 5), Black (CH Good Girl, Marc Jacobs Decadence). The beachy, aquatic scents prefer tones of blue.
The notes:
“Inspired by our signature Tea Roses, the fragrance opens with a splash of citrus coeur and a touch of effervescent pink peppercorn with radiant pineapple sorbet. The heart reveals a bouquet of fragrant flowers—rose tea, jasmine sambac and gardenia—before an enveloping dry-down to elegant creamy wood, patchouli and musky notes.”
Since the perfume is expected to evoke emotions, the fragrant descriptions often lean towards the poetic side. For a lot of my friends, who request me to cut the fluff and here it goes…
Coach floral is a fruity-floral fragrance, leaning more towards the refreshing side as the accents are citrusy. It features tea roses, but it is not rosy. So girls, who don’t particularly like the strong hints of rose, can easily pick this one up! White flowers such as jasmine and gardenia have a soft, lingering scent which when blended with fruits and woods give an understated aroma, not overwhelmingly bouquet-in-my-kind-of-a-scent. Pink peppercorn beautifully balanced the sweetness of floral-fruity composition. However, if you are looking for something that’s fresh and distinctly spicy, this is not the one. The base of wood, patchouli and musk is a fairly common one, which give a solid base to the fresh top notes to rest on. A base of woody-musky base also makes the scent longer lasting and rounds off the fragrance. A tell-tale sign of a premium or luxury compositions. The massy fragrance lend to just have a refreshing top note which doesn’t really transform as it settles on the skin.
My Verdict
Is this the scent you wear on a romantic date which you desire becomes etched in memory? Perhaps not! It is not like your sexy black or gold dress. It’s not one of the statement making, niche scents, which evoke intense reactions of love or abhor. It does not shock. It doesn’t scream for attention. It doesn’t surprise.
Coach Floral is like that wonderfully tailored, figure flattering chiffon summer dress that you can wear anytime, anywhere. You can wear it to work or to a party. When I say you can wear it anytime, anywhere, I am not comparing it to a pair of snug jeans. Because Coach Floral is not dismissively casual; it is effortlessly pretty and subtly feminine. It is a light, pleasing scent that most of us are comfortable smelling on ourselves and others.
It’s a great day scent which you can wear to office, meetings and just about anywhere… when I call it a day scent, I refer to the ease with which it can be worn to any occasion. I don’t mean you can’t wear it in the night. You can most certainly can. In fact spray some into your hairbrush and run it through your tresses to intensify its effect.
Lavenderoom Tip: Coach Floral Eau de Parfum is a great gift for someone who may or may not know very well. Its conventional and light floral notes make it universally pleasing.