One of the most ground breaking perfumes of modern times was Thierry Mugler's Angel. Some are attracted to Angel straight away, some need a second take, and some just run a mile. Hey, that's choice for you. But if you explore the design behind it, you may find it all together more interesting...

Angel is based very simply around the smells of the fairground. Once you know that, you can start to smell the elements that make it so very fascinating.

What you might recognise first is the top note smells which are the sweets and candies of the fair. There's a touch of toffee apple and candyfloss in there, caramel and chocolate and sugared almonds. Sickly sweet and smells strongly rooted in our childhood memories.

Smell again and you may just pick up a whiff of cordite, that bright carbon electrical smell as the bumper cars tear round the track, and perhaps a hint of fuel oil powering the waltzers, the ferris wheel and the ghost train. You can almost hear the screams and hooplas of laughter now. There is a mere hint of floral in there also. Would that be the mix of fragrances worn by the fairground goers, or perhaps a drift across from neighbouring parks or gardens.

The base note you may recognise that deep earthy mossy smell of the wet fairground. Mossy, woody, earthy smells of the grass and mud trodden by countless footsteps. Patchouli is one of the key smells used to create that feeling, which is all part of Angel's love / hate nature. Various woods, balsams and resinous scents add to the base theme.

Some say Angel, best worn as an autumn/winter perfume, is sexy and alluring, some say it is one of the most romantic scents ever created, and some as I say, turn tail and run. From a perfume history perspective though, it certainly is a landmark.

If you have never smelt Angel, go seek it out, and see where it takes you.

Angel was created in 1992, though it took some years to establish itself, by the perfumer Olivier Cresp to Thierry Mugler's brief. Cresp, borne, raised and still living around Grasse,  has since gone on to create fragrances such as Joop Jette, Dune, D&G Light Blue, Kenzo L'eau, Paco Rabanne Black XS as well as the Angel floral variations.