As one might expect, the first fragrance from Jimmy Choo is strong, sexy, alluring and hits you on the head like a 5-inch spiked stiletto. The baby pink perfume, housed in a round, faceted bottle inspired by Murano glass, contains notes of Tiger orchid, toffee and Indonesian patchouli.

The outcome of these various notes smells warm, spicy and woodsy and isn’t for the woman who wants to go noticed during a night out -- in fact, just the opposite.

“The Jimmy Choo fragrance evokes a sense of feminine confidence, seduction and sensuality,” says Tamara Mellon, founder and chief creative officer of the luxury accessories brand. In fact, the scent is very fitting of Mellon and any glamour girl or femme fatal just like her.

Mellon will even be starring in the ads for the fragrance, dressed in a draped, off-the-shoulder, pink python print dress (similar to the print on the perfume’s box, which is patterned after a pink python shoe in the spring 2011 collection) and shot by Inez van Lamsweerde Vinoodh Matadin.

The scent certainly embodies a glamorous woman who isn’t afraid to make an entrance and possibly leave a distinct trace of her scent whereever she goes.

The Jimmy Choo fragrance collection is at Saks Fifth Avenue.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photo: Jimmy Choo fragrance/Jimmy Choo

Everyone seems up for a change at the start of a new year. As I was cleaning out my closets a week or so ago (one New Year's resolution checked off the list), my eye turned to the array of perfume bottles on a shelf. The Chanel No. 5 -- classic but a little old-fashioned; the lemon-ginger body spray -- too teenybopper.

It occurred to me I really like the way my husband smells. His Tiffany for Men is subtle and citrusy with a rich woody essence of sandalwood. Perfect! One more thing for the two of us to share!

Women who are looking for something a little crisper, a little less flowery, should try shopping the men's toiletries aisle. There are some terrific finds there, and writer Janet Kinosian gives us the rundown on some favorite his-for-her scents in a piece she did for the Los Angeles Times' Image section: "10 men's fragrances that women love — for themselves."

Creed's Silver Mountain Water, Guerlain Vertiver, Eau d'Hadrien are among the temptations. I'll have to try them all. But until then -- dear, could you pass me the Tiffany?

-- Susan Denley

 Photo: Silver Mountain Water. Credit: Creed

-- People magazine is looking back over the year and has picked its 10 most stylishly dressed celebs. Making the best-dressed list: Jennifer Aniston (dubbed the American Classic), Rihanna (the Daring Diva), Jessica Alba (the Mix Master), Lea Michele (the It Girl), Zoe Saldana (Red Carpet Queen), Gwen Stefani (Rocker Mom), Kate Middleton (Princess in Waiting), Rachel Bilson (Denim Darling), Olivia Palermo (Uptown Girl) and Diane Kruger (Runway Renegade). Cute categories, though Kate Middleton's says more about her state-of-being than fashion. What do you think? Are these ladies the right choices?  [People]

-- Across the pond, fashion watchers are reviewing British trendsetter Alexa Chung's best looks of the year. [Telegraph]

-- But Fashionista has gone all out, picking its 30 best dressed of the year. Yep, 30! (The list includes many of the ladies listed above.) It's been a very fashionable year, the editors say. [Fashionista]

Now back to the nitty-gritty: As the year wanes, lots of deals are being struck in the fashion world. 

-- The bankrupt denim purveyor Rock & Republic has been acquired  by VF Corp. for a reported $57 million.  [WWD] (subscription required)

-- Meanwhile Nordstrom has acquired a stake in children's retailer Peek...Aren't You Curious [WWD] and Chinese menswear powerhouse Trinity Ltd. has agreed to take over fashion house Cerruti. [WWD] (subscription required)

-- Everybody's diversifying. Designer Roberto Cavalli announced plans to open 15 clubs and five cafes in cities around the world [InStyle] while jeweler Boucheron has signed a fragrance licensing deal with Inter Parfums SA. [WWD] (subscription required)  

-- Prada announced plans to stage a fashion show in Beijing [WWD] and American Eagle is set to open stores in Japan [WWD], showing that the lure of markets in the East is growing ever more powerful. 

-- Susan Denley

Photo: 'Daring Diva' Rihanna looked every inch the part at this year's American Music Awards.  Credit: Mike Nelson / EPA

The moon rose high above Burbank on Friday and, like obedient werewolves, devotees of esoteric perfume house Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab came out to play.

Costumed as sinister witches or swashbuckling pirates, customers from all over Los Angeles gathered at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, or BPAL, to indulge and sample the hundreds of scents that are available only online except on nights of the full moon.

Once a month, BPAL's chief alchemist, Elizabeth Barrial, and her fellow potion peddlers offer their hand-crafted blends and brews at the horror shop Dark Delicacies. At this month's event, the store swelled with darkly-clad BPAL customers stirring with Halloween-season excitement and ready for the olfactory experience before them.

Amy Ratcliffe, 29, was first drawn to BPAL for its Shakespeare line and has been coming to the full moon will-calls for four years.

"I'm addicted," Ratcliffe said. "I've seen people quadrant off their arms and write all the scents they've tried. It gets very serious."

But there's plenty of whimsy. A long-locked Frankenstein shoved scented bath powder in front of noses.

"Doesn't this smell like feet?" he laughed. The Frankenstein was Ted Barrial, Elizabeth's husband and head of BPAL's Trading Post, which has a collection of items that pay homage to the lab.

"I kind of like it," said the assaulted customer, Bailey Dukes, 26.

The general sentiment of BPAL's creators and followers is that it's less about smelling divine than it is about a sniff of perfume transforming who you are. Experimentation reigns. Several full moon event-goers searched the steel-crafted showcase stacked with hundreds of vials for a scent to match their Halloween characters.

The black-lipsticked Elizabeth Barrial was up to the task, bobbing up and down the store and pulling out scented products grotesque or lovely. Her own Halloween memories are bottled and named after the cities where she spent them. As she sends customers away with a signature Halloween scent, they're also leaving with memories that can be conjured up again and again.

The next full moon Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab will-call event is scheduled for Nov. 21 at Dark Delicacies, 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank.

-- Sophia Kercher

Photo: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's chief potion-maker Elizabeth Barrial helps find a possibly magical scent for a customer. Credit: Sophia Kercher