Floris Fragrances

Luxury perfume house Floris knows history. With a story that stretches back almost 300 years, the English fragrance company has served distinguished clientele from Florence Nightingale, who kindly sent a thank-you for the "sweet-smelling nosegays," to Marilyn Monroe, who ordered Rose Geranium from her room at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Inside the shop at 89 Jermyn Street, antique Spanish mahogany cases display the company's storied past and inherited knack for mixing fragrances that stay classic. Here is No. 127, a lavender-citrus scent that was originally blended in 1890 for the Russian Grand Duke, and, 50 years later, remained a favorite of Winston Churchill and Argentinian First Lady Eva Perón. James Bond preferred No. 89, a woody citrus that he wore in Ian Fleming's novels. The brand's celebrity attraction continues today, though family-run Floris remains discreet on names.

Founded in 1730 by Juan Floris, his descendants have run the shop for nine generations at the same address. Until the 1960s, each scent was mixed by hand in the cellars beneath 89 Jermyn Street, though fragrances are now made at a modern factory in Devon. Customers to the shop find a Royal Warrant from King George IV framed on the wall, appointing Floris as the Smooth Pointed Comb Maker to His Majesty.

Today, the company is the sole perfumer of Queen Elizabeth II. To celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, Floris launched Royal Arms Diamond Edition, an updated version of the scent created in honor of the Queen's birth in 1926.