Wednesday Scent of the Day: Rabbit rabbit, coffee steam, and the misunderstood for 10/3

I said rabbit rabbit out loud this morning, voice still a little raspy from a lingering cold. Skin is mostly bare, but my nose is caffeinated and my mood is defiant. If “old lady perfume” is still your insult of choice, your nose needs a history lesson.

Coffee on the brain International Coffee Day begs for fragrances that smell like the first sip that saves your morning. Reach for:

• Montale Intense Café - a rose-laced latte that is sweet, plush, and unapologetic.
• Maison Margiela Replica Coffee Break - lavender milk foam, soft woods, sheer cozy glow.
• Kerosene Follow - roasted beans and maple smoke, indie grit with a wink.
• By Kilian Black Phantom - rum-drenched coffee and dark sugar, luxe danger after dark.
• Bond No. 9 New Haarlem - syrupy coffee over patchouli and woods, the city in a cup.
• Mugler A*Men Pure Coffee - the unicorn flanker, deep roast over the classic caramel-amber spine.

Honor your elders It’s also the International Day of Older Persons, which to me reads as permission to wear what the algorithms call “too much.” Translation: perfect. Try a legend and own the room:

• Guerlain Mitsouko - mossy peach mystery that never tries, only is.
• Chanel No. 19 - iris and green bite, steel spine with silk lining.
• Estée Lauder Youth-Dew - spiced amber, power lipstick in liquid form.
• YSL Opium - resinous heat that turns up the dimmer on your aura.
• Clinique Aromatics Elixir - herbal chypre with cathedral acoustics.

Mark your calendar: 10/3 On 10/3, wear something misunderstood or underappreciated. Not as a stunt, as a reminder that interesting beats polite.

• Serge Lutens Miel de Bois - the feral honey that many fear and a few worship.
• Mugler Angel - the sugared patchouli that rewired perfume forever.
• Bvlgari Black - rubber and vanilla minimalism, urban zen.
• Gucci Guilty Absolute - inky woods that smell like freedom, not focus groups.
• Caron Yatagan - bitter herbs, leather swagger, zero apology.

Today’s Wednesday scent of the day can be a coffee cloud, a chypre crown, or silence while you heal. Either way, October just opened the door. Step through scented.