floral

And they smell so great.

The human sense of smell isn't just highly developed; it's highly discriminating. We're hardwired to keep a safe distance from certain scents, especially aggressive ones. So when a new note arrives on the fragrance scene, it has to both appeal to our particular tastes and get past a deeply ingrained survival mechanism. It may take decades for a scent to gain popularity, or even acceptance. It's hard to believe that some of the notes we consider common were once controversial, but they serve as a great reminder of the transformative, progressive power of perfume.

"The orange flower makes you envision lush, sun-drenched landscapes," says perfumer Francis Kurkdjian. "That's why it's in so many hot-weather scents." It's also a very generous resource: Perfumers use not only the flower but also the stem, the fruit, and the essential oil of the bitter-orange tree to produce distinctive notes. Here are a few of Kurkdjian's favorite orange-flower scents—plus a few of our own—that demonstrate the bloom's incredible range.

You're probably thinking, Florals for spring? Groundbreaking. But this season's iteration of the superfeminine pattern is oversize and—dare we say it—cool. Here, 16 our of editors' favorites.