On February 12, 1947, Christian Dior showed his first collection at 30 Avenue Montaigne, the one that became known as the New Look, and the salons were sprayed with a new perfume meant as the finishing touch to the clothes. That perfume was Miss Dior, the house's first fragrance. It was named for his younger sister Catherine, and the story goes that his muse Mitzah Bricard saw her walk in and announced her as Miss Dior, which ended the plan to call it Corolle. Dior called it his only child. The original, composed by Paul Vacher, was a floral chypre of rose, jasmine, lily of the valley, peony and iris, and the bottles on the counter now are modern reworkings of that idea. The eau de parfum in the first row is the one most people mean, warm with vanilla, tonka and sandalwood. The Parfum is the newest, made by Francis Kurkdjian in 2024 with jasmine chosen to echo the 1947 formula. Essence adds blackberry and elderflower, and the solid Mini Miss is the one I keep in a coat pocket.

Blooming Bouquet is the lighter sister, a soft peony and white musk that I reach for in daylight, and it is the floral perfume I would give someone who says they do not like perfume. Rose N'Roses is greener and more literal, built on rose absolutes from Grasse and Damascus. The Mini Miss solid version of Blooming Bouquet is an alcohol-free fragrance stick in a small houndstooth case, and the roller-pearl is the neatest way to put scent exactly where you want it, on the wrists and behind the ears. None of these shout, which is the point. If the original eau de parfum feels like evening, this row is breakfast.

The last row is about layering, which is where this line quietly shines. The body oil tones and nourishes skin with the scent of the original, and I use it on damp legs straight out of the shower. The Blooming Bouquet hair mist is designed to carry the fresh floral notes through the day, and the hair oil is alcohol free, so it scents without drying. The eau de parfum roller-pearl is the travel version of the signature. What I would skip is wearing all four at once. Pick one scented base, oil or mist, then one perfume, and let the two meet.

Most perfumes are named after an idea. This one was named after a person, and I think that is part of why it has lasted. Start with the eau de parfum if you want the house signature, Blooming Bouquet if you want something softer, and a solid if you only want to try. It has been the house's opening note since 1947, and it still wears like a finishing touch.

Blooming Bouquet has its own page too, Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet and the peony side of a 1947 classic.