Derek Lam Launches A Majorly Cool Fragrance Collection

For a designer known for his minimalism, Derek Lam certainly went in the opposite direction with his new fragrance collection. Lam just launched a line of not one but 10 scents under his "more affordable" diffusion line, 10 Crosby. Each of the 10 scents, which come housed in different-colored glass bottles encased in crisp white, was inspired by a scene that could unfold on Crosby Street, the downtown Manhattan location of Lam's original flagship store. And it's not too difficult to imagine what these moments may be by simply reading the fragrance names — Drunk on Youth, Afloat, Looking Glass — but Lam went one step further and made a short film to represent each moment. Of course, we've seen narrative perfume ads before, but these somehow feel fresh, unique, and less commercial (you never see or hear about the fragrance in any clip). The evocative vignettes, which range from a pre-war tenement love story to a doorman's revenge to the life of a street dancer, are also heartwarming. If you have some time to spare (they are two to five minutes each), you can watch them all on Sephora.com — but let's get to the scents themselves. With 10 to choose from, it would be hard to find one that doesn't hit your spot. 2am Kiss (red) is leathery with notes of caramel for the anti-floral girl; the floral girl would be more drawn to Hi-Fi (dark purple) made with peony and French Narcisse. On the spicy side is Blackout (black), and Silent St. (white) takes on white musk. Rain Day (green) is for the refreshing citrus lover, and Something Wild (light purple) is smooth with hints of vanilla. My personal favorite is Ellipses (light blue), with its light mix of jasmine and sandalwood — but it was no easy task picking just one. I'm obviously a fan, but the one thing that threw me off was their size. They look so petitely adorable in the pic, but when the 5.9-oz bottles arrived, they seemed more like fancy water bottles than fragrances. They tower over all the perfumes in my collection. But not to worry, there is a smaller size available (1.7 oz) that's more vanity-friendly; you may find you have room for more than just one. Derek Lam 10 Crosby Fragances, $95 and $175, available at Sephora.