Afternoon Delight

Afternoon Delight, inspired by Maison Margiela Replica Afternoon Delight (2024)

Bitter almond opens it, nutty and faintly marzipan-like, with angelica root giving a dry, earthy-green lift. At its centre is the madeleine accord: butter, baked dough and a little sugar, set beside carrot and ambrette, a musky seed note. Carrot gives an earthy, slightly powdery undertone. New Caledonian sandalwood and Madagascar vanilla form the base, with musks keeping it smooth.

About the original

Maison Margiela announced Afternoon Delight in July 2024 as its new Replica for the autumn season. Like other Replicas it is built around a memory, here madeleines in a Parisian café and the famous madeleine passage in Proust's In Search of Lost Time. The composition is credited to Carlos Benaïm. The original is an eau de toilette, and the house calls it lightly sweet rather than heavy.

Our version

Ours is an independent eau de parfum made to evoke the same character. It is not Maison Margiela stock, not an official relaunch and not the original formula.

Who it suits

Gourmand fans who want cake rather than candy are the natural audience. Maison Margiela recommends it for autumn and winter. It is still a sweet fragrance, and the almond and vanilla will feel like too much to anyone who mainly wears green or citrus scents.

Related scents

• Jo Malone Sweet Almond & Macaron
• Maison Margiela Replica By the Fireplace

Notes of the original fragrance, as published by the brand.

Top notes: Bitter Almond, Angelica Root

Heart notes: Madeleine Accord, Carrot, Ambrette

Base notes: New Caledonian Sandalwood, Madagascar Vanilla, Musks

Almond leads at first, slightly bitter, with angelica root adding a dry herbal edge.

The heart is the madeleine accord itself, buttery and baked, with carrot and ambrette lending an earthy, musky undertone.

Later it turns to sandalwood and vanilla, smoothed by musks and less pastry-like than the opening.

What does a madeleine accord smell like?

Like the small French sponge cakes: butter, baked dough and light sugar. Bitter almond balances it here, so the effect is closer to a bakery than a sweet shop.

How does Afternoon Delight compare with Coffee Break?

Both are Replica gourmands. Coffee Break centres on milky coffee with lavender, while Afternoon Delight is built around pastry, almond and vanilla.

Inside the EU, delivery is free on orders of €49 or more. Below that it is a flat €4.99. Outside the EU, delivery is a flat €4.99 on every order. We send every order in 1 to 2 working days. It arrives in 3 to 7 days across the EU and in 7 to 14 days outside the EU. You have 14 days to return an unopened bottle.

Maison Margiela and Replica Afternoon Delight are trademarks of their respective owners, and all rights remain with them. Parfumour is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or connected to Maison Margiela in any way, and no business relationship of any kind is implied. Our product is an original interpretation created to evoke a similar scent profile, and the trademark names are used purely for honest, descriptive comparison, so that you can quickly identify the style and fragrance family you are looking for. We make no claim to sell the original product, and we do not use the same ingredients or formula. Any similarity lies in the overall impression of the scent as interpreted by our own perfumers, not in the source materials.