Daphne Guinness, a rule-breaking Renaissance woman—designer, filmmaker, perfumer—has an aversion to trendy fashion and a nose for one-of-a-kind style. Now she's distilled her intrepid spirit into a transporting new fragrance.
I've always admired Daphne Guinness's personal brand of fearless chic. Her signature scent, Daphne, proves equally stunning, with notes of incense, tuberose, and amber. It smells familiar somehow, yet mysterious. O checks in.…

Adam: You always look amazing and so unique. How do you pull it off?

Daphne: For everyday, I put on my basic "canvas": a white shirt I designed myself, leggings, and a very, very fitted black jacket. Then I grab accessories. I like to reinterpret clothes or make them myself—I alter my T-shirts, I change sleeves—because I know how things should hang on me. And I don't wear prints.

Adam: Getting ready takes you how long?

Daphne: Ten minutes. I don't hem and haw. When I was young and awkward, fashion was like armor for me, a defense. But now I'm more comfortable with myself.

Adam: Do you ever follow trends?

Daphne: I hate trends ! You find boots you like, and when you go back to the store, they're not being made anymore. I keep the same pieces forever. I've never been on a diet—if my clothes fit, I know I'm okay. I like classic, clean-lined things. Being well turned out shows respect for the world you live in. And I'm a stickler for well-made clothes. I'm a fanatic about seams and shoulders and proportions. When something fits properly, I'm happy. It doesn't have to cost a million dollars.

Adam: Now that you're making perfume, any advice about finding the right one ?

Daphne: Don't buy right away. Try it, let it settle for two hours, then see how you like it. And don't copy your girlfriends.

Adam: Does fragrance have a deeper meaning for you?
EmiJay ribbons
Daphne: I've made scents since I was tiny—pressing flowers, spraying natural oils on myself or putting them in the bath. I think they're a way of touching the past. It's hard to put into words, so I used images—a short film about the role of memory in scent—to accompany the release of my fragrance. It's not an advertisement; it's an anti- commercial. It doesn't show the bottle or mention the name.

Adam: So the perfume project is very personal.

Daphne: It's my heart and soul. Daphne is experimental. Only 3,000 bottles have been made. And I've had such fun doing it. You should see the oils in my bathroom.…


LAST MONTH: The girls behind EmiJay hair accessories

From the November 2009 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

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