The story of Escada
Margaretha Ley was a Swedish former model turned designer. She and her husband Wolfgang founded Escada in Munich in 1978, naming it after a racehorse they had backed. The label dressed a well-off clientele in bold-coloured suits and visible embroidery. Its first fragrance, Escada by Margaretha Ley, came out in 1990. Margaretha died two years later. The brand kept its course in perfume and began releasing a limited edition each summer during the 1990s. That habit never stopped. Magnetism arrived in 2003 and became one of the few permanent scents to sell well. The fragrances were made under licence by Procter & Gamble until Coty took over that portfolio in 2016.
An olfactory signature
Escada treats fruit as its raw material. The summer editions all play the same hand: juicy fruit, a light flower and a musky base with no weight to it. Agua del Sol from 2016 is a good example. Flor del Sol in 2020 added pomegranate and a dash of tequila over a dahlia heart. Cherry in Japan, the 2022 edition, went all in on cherry. Magnetism is the exception. It is a denser oriental, fruity at first but vanilla and amber underneath, built for evenings. None of these aim for nuance. They smell nice from the first second.
Which Escada perfume to choose?
For summer, pick any of the limited editions. Agua del Sol, Summer Festival, Miami Blossom and Flor del Sol all do the job. They are close cousins, so choose by the fruit you like. Candy Love and Fairy Love are the sweetest of the bunch and best left to people who enjoy candy. Cherry in Japan suits cherry fans who dislike almond. Magnetism is the only one that lasts through a winter evening. The summer editions fade fast. Use three or four sprays and keep the bottle in your bag. Buy early too, since they often vanish after one season.