Scent: Airing an opinion
I read recently that the sign of being "a real New Yorker" was the ability to play "This Was..." as in, "This (real estate office) Was that Chinese hand laundry". A sign of being "really almost 60" is that I remember not only "This Was", but also "That Was" as in "That Was a mimeographed flyer", "That Was how you made a long-distance phone call", "That Was when suede shoes came with their own little brush."
I also include, "That Was when women enjoyed wearing, and smelling, fragrance."
I wear cologne every day, and perfume in the evening. About the only time I don't wear any is when dining in our garden (apparently it attracts mosquitos) or visiting my doctor (the one with the raw food diet), because she has one of those pre-emptive Thank You for Not signs in her office.
Will I be restricted to home wear only, rather like smoking, a habit I never had?
When people tell me they 'can't stand smelling perfume' they invariably recount the elevator scenario: "This woman got in just doused! It was awful!" Anyone bearing an evident smell (perfume, coffee, chili dog, wet wool coat, ramen noodles) into a 16 square foot space will create an odiferous intensity. But would we say, "I am going to insist people stop carrying those noxious noodles?"
I'm in agreement with those who find heavy application of fragrance unpleasant. Fragrance is intended to be noticed only within the personal-space perimeter, roughly the length of your arm away from your body. Those who ignore this small civility supply the thin-end-of-the-wedge example that has resulted in scent-free righteousness.
If it's too-much that annoys, could we also request that you not wear that printed dress, because that's too much visual stimulation? Would you please lower your voice? I feel ill unless all public conversation is kept to library-whisper level.
The other big anti-argument is environmental sensitivity. I comply with requests for scent-free spaces.
I wonder, though, if cologne is the culprit. Are we aiming for the easy target? Could it be that years of exposure to cleaning agents, solvents, paints, and a slew of other aggressive chemicals created the problem?
It's a world of molecules, and some of them don't play nice.
Could the abysmal indoor air circulation in many office buildings exacerbate asthma more assertively than a whiff of So Pretty? How about five hours locked in the same position reading a computer screen? Might that have something to do with a migraine?
Even in scent-friendly offices, I'm willing to forgo fragrance if a colleague tells me, hand on her heart, that my scent affects her health. I value her wellness more than my pleasure. But I better not notice a bouquet of roses on her desk, wafting their heady scent over fifty square feet (yes, Erin, you), or here comes the Hiris.
The fragrances I wear these days include Chanel's 19, Floris' Edwardian Bouquet, Molyneux Quartz, Norell and Hermes Jardin sur le Nil... and I'm looking forward to many more sublimely scented years, even if I have to spend them in selected spaces.
Comments
Used to work with a guy who insisted that any fragranced products within a 50 foor radius exacerbated his asthma. He used to even complain about the hair gel used by the guy two cubes down which none of us could smell at all. Meanwhile, he was taking 4-5 smoke breaks per shift and always reeked of cigarette smoke. Yeah, right.
I'm also a fan of Jardins sur Nil. It's a great warm weather fragrance and I love that citrus top note.
Another one I love is Rive Gauche by YSL but (and here's my snobbery coming out) I feel it's a bit too widely known. Any thoughts?
If you are ever in Florence, Italy, go to the oldest apothecary in the world - 12th century to be precise. It is wonderful and the Acqua di Soave they make and sell is the most gorgeous cologne I've ever tried.
Have you ever read 'Perfume'?
One last thought: my husband says his favourite scent is the smell of my skin after a walk on a blustery day along the beach! Pity that scent can't be bottled!
My advice to anyone is to test on your skin, never a paper strip.
Basenotes is a great perfume blog/board and has links to dealers who will sell decant sizes for experimenting.
I've been alternating between Creed's Vetiver and Terre D'Hermès, altho' if it warms up at all here, I'll switch to Nina Ricci's Fleur de Fleurs or maybe Oh de Lancôme.
I suspect most people who feel they are bothered by perfume are responding to the synthetic elements in so many cheaper products, altho' I concede that we have so overwhelmed our immune systems by so many everyday chemical assaults that even the natural scents in more expensive products can be culprits as well. But it seems very unfair that we should have to pay the price when so many more appropriate targets get tolerated.
I find the similar behavior with dining, which has ruined dinner parties for me. I'm tired of having to make endless allowances for everyone's diet/food preference/political agenda.
True, there are people who truly have allergies, but the attention seekers just want to assert themselves, a form of passive aggression if you will.
pseu, the smoker example is a great one. I suppose his smoking has absolutely nothing to do with his asthma? Amazing that he had any sense of smell at all.
We've even had people complain about incense at church on feast days. Please. Get out of bed and go to the (earlier) fragrance free service, will you?
We love to have dinner parties and are willing to make some (but not intense) accomodation- more on that!
Back to perfume for one moment. In the summer I often wear a string of 10mm sandelwood beads bought by my father in India and given to me when I was about 10 years old. At the time they were cheap, but now sandelwood is very rare in India and the beads you find are much much smaller.
From time to time I polish them up with sandelwood oil to a gorgeous dark colour and wear them in memory of my father. I have many nostalgic associations with various scents - they are very important to me.
Some of the most strenuous no-scent advocates I've run into are women. And I notice that of the dozen or so I have met they are very unadorned, simply-dressed, no makeup types.
greying pixie.....I have read 'Perfume' and saw the movie last year. My perfumes ranged, from when I was 18 and began with my mother's Chanel No5 it never appealed to me. Though last week I bought a bottle of it. I am growing into my mother's tastes.
At college 'Femme' by Rochas was a favourite. I worked at a chemist shop after class so I could afford it. Then 'Joy' by Patou because of the price tag. And settling for, but, loving 'Bal a Versailles' by Despres.
I am a fan of Aqua De Parma now and L’Eau d’Hadrien Annick Goutal and one of my very favourites has become Santa Maria Novella
Cologne di Santa Maria Novella! Wow did I mention I love subtle scent- natural citrus.....Mhhhhhh
anjela, I'm also having that experience with No5 which has always been my mother's scent; now I'm finding myself using it more and more perhaps I'm also growing into my mother!
Anjela: I loved Bal a Versailles too, a big old-style scent. My mother wore Replique, which I recently ordered, but the company, now defunct, sold its formula and the new version is not good quality.
If I were to chose the best smelling pefume to me I would say Givenchy- Absolutely Irrezistible and the old Fleur d'interdit ( which I cannot find in Europe anymore). Also, Venezzia and Emotion from Laura Biagiotti and Samsara (Guerlain)... :) Definitely I am in for emotional florals with fruity accents and for floral-orientals in the winter. I find most of new-released ones disappointing,with no feminity and lasting power ( Except from the new Chloe and Daisy Marc Jacob, which were a pleasant surprise).
Do you know Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez' book "Perfume: The Guide"? hey review over 1200 perfumes, a great resource for finding other scents you might like (and be able to wear)- it's under $20 on Amazon now. Of course there's always testing at a perfume counter but most of them only have the colognes or EDTs out. and the perfume is so much different.