For years, the fragrance department at Henri Bendel was a tempting but awkwardly placed niche at the rear of the crowded main floor. Now it occupies a prime spot on the second level: ascend the curving staircase, and you’ll find its expanded, highly browsable selection. The department is intimate enough to feel comfortable, but large enough to offer a rich variety, balancing classic houses Caron and Chanel, the established niche line L’Artisan Parfumeur (which occupies an entire in-house boutique at Bendel), and small, local company Aroma M Perfumes, to name just a few examples.
This is also the only store in New York that sells Etat Libre d’Orange and Memoire Liquide, two new brands with very different yet equally compelling personalities. Back outside the oasis of the fragrance area, continue to explore the adjacent skincare section and the high-pitched hustle of the cosmetics department downstairs…
