Kate Spade Perfume: The Colorful Lineup and Cheerful Florals

Kate Spade Perfume: The Colorful Lineup and Cheerful Florals

Kate Spade perfume has been part of the brand since 2003, and the current lineup is bright, fruity and very easy to wear. Here is how I would sort the bottles and mists, plus the cheerful fruity florals and rollerballs that sit nicely beside them.

Kate Spade New York was founded in January 1993 by Kate and Andy Spade with Elyce Arons and Pamela Bell, and it began with handbags. The first Kate Spade perfume came along in 2003, followed by Twirl in 2010 and Live Colorfully in 2013 to mark the brand's twentieth anniversary. Since 2019 the fragrances have been made under license by Interparfums, and the current range reads like the brand itself: bright, cheerful and a little playful.

The flagship Kate Spade New York Eau de Parfum is built around wild strawberry by perfumer Marie Salamagne, with bergamot on top, rose and freesia in the heart, and ambroxan and cashmeran underneath. It was written as an ode to New York. Bloom is an Eau de Toilette that opens with Granny Smith apple, lemon and sweet orange, then moves to white camellia, orange flower and ylang-ylang over cedarwood and sandalwood. Pop is the juicy one, with blood orange and coconut water on top, jasmine in the heart and warm woods and white musks below. Chérie Je T'aime is a white floral fruity with passion fruit, mimosa and jasmine sambac, and Sparkle Eau de Parfum Intense has blackcurrant, purple peony and vanilla creme brulee. Chérie Eau de Parfum is also here. The two fragrance mists, Walk On Air and Live Colorfully, are the light, body-friendly way in.

A quick test: try Bloom and Sparkle on opposite wrists. One is green and airy, one is sweet and evening, and your nose will pick a side fast.

Big numbers collage for Kate Spade Perfume: six products from Kate Spade New York, Rabanne and Chloé, each set beside a large numeral
Kate Spade Perfume

Kate Spade perfumes and mists

Fruity florals with a smile

If a Kate Spade perfume makes you smile, these fruity florals should too. Rabanne Fame pairs juicy mango and jasmine with creamy incense, so it is fruity with a little edge. Prada Paradoxe Sweet Chemistry puts blackcurrant syrup against neroli milk and orange blossom. Yves Saint Laurent Libre Berry Crush is a raspberry and coconut take on Libre. U Beauty PROEM has lychee, centifolia rose and vetiver, and it is the least sugary of the group. Dolce&Gabbana My Devotion Intense goes pear blossom, peony and Madagascar vanilla.

KAYALI EDEN JUICY APPLE | 01 is red apple, wild berries and jasmine, playful and loud. CYKLAR Flora Veil is a roll-on oil with skin musk and peony, and it is alcohol free. CHANEL CHANCE EAU TENDRE is grapefruit, quince, rose accord and white musk, softer and quieter than the others.

How to wear them: if you want fruit to read as fresh instead of sweet, spray on a clean, unscented body and skip scented lotion. Let the fruit sit on top and let the florals come up after an hour.

What I would skip: layering two sweet fruit scents together, such as Berry Crush and Juicy Apple. They compete. Pair a fruity one with a musky one like Flora Veil instead.

Cheerful fruity florals

Rollerballs for your bag

A rollerball is the most honest way to try a scent, because you put it exactly where you want it. Chloe Eau de Parfum is the floral one, with peony, rose, honey and cedarwood. NEST New York Madagascar Vanilla is a perfume oil with vanilla bean, vanilla orchid and coconut, and NEST Lychee Rose has rose absolute, lychee and pink champagne with baobab oil. BYREDO Mojave Ghost is a perfume oil with magnolia, violet, ambrette and cedarwood, and BYREDO Bal d'Afrique goes bergamot, violet and cedarwood over vetiver. Both Byredo oils are alcohol-free, according to the brand's description.

SKYLAR Nude Skin has tiger orchid, warm vanilla and golden amber, and SKYLAR Peach Fields is white peach with osmanthus and sandalwood. Maison Louis Marie No.04 Bois de Balincourt is a sandalwood and cedarwood scent with vetiver, in a tiny 3 mL vial.

A tip: roll on the wrists, the base of the throat and behind the knees, then leave it alone. Rubbing breaks the notes down.

What I would skip: the 3 mL Maison Louis Marie as your everyday bottle. It is lovely and woody, but it is small, so keep it for travel or for evenings when you want something quiet. Use the larger roll-ons for daily wear.

Perfume rollerballs

Choosing your color

Start with the mood. For a fresh, sunny day, reach for Kate Spade Bloom or Pop. For a sweeter evening, go for Sparkle. For something romantic and white floral, try Chérie Je T'aime. If you would rather not wear a full perfume, the Walk On Air and Live Colorfully mists are lighter, and a rollerball like SKYLAR Peach Fields fits in a small bag.

Test on skin, not paper, and give it an hour before you decide. Fruity and floral scents change a lot as they warm up. Mostly, choose the color you would wear that day.