The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
By Far launched its Daydream series in 2022, each fragrance named after a personal vignette meant to be worn like a memory you carry. Daydream of Someone I Knew is exactly that: the ghost of a person who mattered once, now blurred into the haze of a daydream. Perfumer Caroline Dumur built this around the tension between craving and absence, amber and oakmoss creating that warm, slightly melancholic haze that stays close to the skin. The brand describes it as "the memory of the scent of another", a meeting that can only take place in the blur of a daydream, playing over and over like an overexposed photograph. It's wearable nostalgia, translated into something you can spritz.
The Earl Grey tea note is what separates this from the typical floral crowd. Ambrette seed absolute (musk mallow) gives it a clean, skin-like quality that makes the opening feel intimate rather than aromatic. Oakmoss provides an earthy, mossy depth that grounds the florals and keeps the composition from drifting too sweet. Jasmine absolute and rose form the heart, but the amber-oakmoss base is what creates that nostalgic, slightly melancholic character, the scent of someone you remember but can't quite reach. It's linear, yes, but linear in a way that commits to a mood rather than apologizing for it.
The evolution
The opening arrives crisp and slightly astringent, Earl Grey tea with a clean ambrette seed lift that feels like morning ritual. No fanfare. Within twenty minutes the florals begin their slow emergence: jasmine first, then a soft rose that tempers the tea's sharpness into something more tender. The hand-off is subtle, you're not sure when the tea fades, only that the florals have taken over. Then the base arrives, unhurried. Amber and oakmoss settle into skin, creating that warm, mossy, skin-close quality that defines the drydown. Six to eight hours later, on most skin types, it still whispers. Not projecting. Not filling the room. Just there, like a memory you can't shake.
Cultural impact
Daydream of Someone I Knew arrived during a period when the fragrance industry was saturated with loud, performative scents designed to announce their presence in a room. By Far's approach with this fragrance, whispered, personal, almost secretive, offered something different. The brand positioned the fragrance not as a statement but as a memory, tapping into a growing cultural desire for intimacy and authenticity in an increasingly digital world. The use of ambrette seed absolute, a sophisticated and costly ingredient more commonly found in niche perfumery, signaled that this was a fragrance for those who valued nuance over impact.
