Perfumes carry with them a sense of luxury and glamour, adding a perfect finishing touch to your outfit wherever you’re going. Some of the top designer perfumes have been bestsellers for years and a firm favourite across the world, created by some of the best noses in the business.

While buying designer labels isn’t the be-all and end-all, you can guarantee that a fragrance created by a leading fashion house is bound to be a success. With that in mind, here are the top 5 designer perfume we think should have a permanent place on your dressing table.

Chanel 

Chanel is one of the oldest fashion houses in the world, having been founded in 1910. It’s known for its chic, timeless clothing that also extends to its fragrance line. Chanel Allure was first launched in 1996, and continues to be one of the brand’s most popular scents.

Created with a beautiful harmony of fresh citrus notes, Chanel Allure has a floral heart and soft base; offering a fragrance for any occasion. It opens with sparkling notes of lemon, Mandarin orange and bergamot, before moving into water lily, freesia and peony. 

The fragrance finishes on a smooth base of amber and sandalwood, creating an elegant and unique perfume.

Jimmy Choo

The Jimmy Choo brand is probably more well-known for its desirable shoe designs. It is a modern British fashion house that has won a number of covetable fashion awards over the years. This prestige extends to its line of perfumes, with its eponymous fragrance Jimmy Choo being one of the most popular choices.

The Jimmy Choo perfume is ultra-feminine with an exotic twist, bringing together traditional Italian scents with more unusual yet striking notes. Opening with Mandarin orange and pear, the perfume has a heart of tiger orchid and a base of toffee and Indonesian patchouli.

Housed in a bottle inspired by Murano glass, it is an intense, long-lasting scent that you won’t forget in a hurry.

Gucci

An Italian fashion house, Gucci was founded in the early 1920s in Florence. Ever since, Gucci has been a powerhouse of clothing, bags, accessories and fragrances. Decades later, Gucci is a hugely sought-after brand and will no doubt continue to be.

Gucci Guilty is a fragrance that captures the daring and rebellious side of the brand, with a glamorous gold bottle featuring the brand’s interlocking G’s. Created using opening notes of pink pepper and bergamot, the heart of the fragrance includes floral and fruity notes of lilac, geranium, jasmine, peach and blackcurrant. Gucci Guilty sits on a soft and intoxicating base of patchouli, amber and vanilla.

A perfect evening fragrance, it is an intense and captivating scent.

Dior 

Dior was founded in in the 1940s, with its first collections becoming revolutionary for women during this decade, with a glamorous and youthful style. Since then, the French fashion house has continued to push the boundaries and create clothing, accessories and fragrances that all exceed expectations.

Dior J’adore has been a bestselling perfume since its release in 1999, with an iconic curved bottle that is instantly recognisable. Its fruity-floral composition takes advantage of peach, bergamot and magnolia, working alongside a heart of orchid, jasmine, tuberose and rose.

On a base of vanilla and cedar, J’adore is an opulent fragrance with a shimmering scent that can be worn day or night.

Michael Kors

A much more modern brand in relative terms, Michael Kors was founded in the 1980s by an American designer of the same name. The brand launched with clothing as well as accessories, and became well-known for its handbags and watches.

Since then, Michael Kors has also branched out into a beautiful collection of fragrances. One of its latest creations, Michael Kors Wonderlust, was launched in 2016. With an exotic blend of blossoming florals and spicy notes, it is a perfume to awaken the senses. It opens with bergamot and pink pepper, before opening into a heart of heliotrope, jasmine and carnation.

The fragrance has a base of sandalwood and cashmere for a smooth and warming finish. Housed in a gradient-style bottle with gold accents, it is instantly captivating.