Stephen NilsenThe nose · 16 fragrances · also made Tease Crème Cloud (2021)Portrait →Will you like it? Mark a few fragrances you own or love and we'll tell you.
Donna Karan · Sold as feminine
DKNY Stories
The quiet confidence of a late afternoon in a sunlit apartment, where creamy sweetness meets subtle spiciness and floral notes blend into warm vanilla.
Full bottle: Mid-range tier, typically $40–100. Links open each seller's own page. We may earn a commission; it never changes the order.
DKNY StoriesMid-range · $40–100How it wears
From community votes · bars are each option's shareComposition & Character
Notes Pyramid
HeartThe Soul
BaseFoundation
The story behind the bottle.
Launched in 2018 and crafted by perfumer Stephen Nilsen, DKNY Stories is an Oriental Floral fragrance that captures the essence of modern femininity. The composition opens with a bright and fruity guava, balanced by the creamy warmth of milk mousse. As it evolves, notes of black cardamom and pink pepper introduce a subtle spiciness, while iris and jasmine sambac add floral depth. The base, featuring vanilla, white sandalwood, and ambergris, provides a warm and powdery finish that lingers on the skin.
Apply this fragrance with a light hand — the milk mousse and guava top notes are vibrant but fleeting. The base notes will slowly emerge over time, providing a comforting warmth that stays close to your skin throughout the day.
Fig. 01 — DKNY Stories, Donna Karan
Where to buy.
Wear it for a week first
A decant costs a fraction of a bottle and tells you how it lasts on your skin.
Live prices aren't shown yet. Each link opens that seller's own search; we may earn a commission.
Not sure it's you?
Five questions, about a minute, no account. You get a shortlist that fits how you actually wear fragrance.
Stephen Nilsen
From colloidal physics to Truth or DareStephen Nilsen earned a Bachelor's in chemical engineering from Georgia Tech in 1990 and a PhD in the same field from Stanford in 1995, with a doctoral thesis on the structure and dynamics of colloidal suspensions.
The DKNY Stories line
2 fragrances, compared side by side
Designer Donna Karan
More from the house · United States
You Might Also Like
Chosen from what wearers say it smells like, what its fans also love, and its notes
With Frederic Malle Monsieur
Adds patchouli, amber and balsamic; shares vanilla.
Suggested from accords and notes · not yet tried by wearers
What people
are saying.
Respected, if divisive: loved by 21%, disliked or hated by 23%.