'Your' scent: Secret or shared?

Le Duc and I invited neighbours I'll call "Louis" and "Anne" to dinner recently, because they were in the midst of a drawn-out renovation. For months, they had had no real kitchen, so we thought they would like a break from the hot plate.

That evening, Anne arrived wearing a chic blurry-floral linen dress, but what I noticed first was her perfume. If it were a piece of music, it would be a sarabande, baroque, elegant and lively. I told her it was wonderful.

Here's the next bit of conversation:

Anne: "Thank you. It's a funny story. My sister received a bottle from her boyfriend for her twenty-fifth birthday but she didn't like how it smelled on her, so gave it to me. I've worn nothing else for almost forty years."

Duchesse:"Mmm, I can see why! It suits you perfectly. Lots of flowers, but also orange, perhaps. Is it French?"

Anne: "No. But I love wearing only one perfume, it simplifies my life."

I heard her deflection and knew I had a choice: badger ("So, Anne, what is this?)" or drop it. I did not pursue the matter, but wondered, Why is this secret? I'll tell anyone who asks or even mentions that they enjoy my fragrance. I was reminded of Jackie Kennedy, who said that she was captivated by her mother-in-law's perfume, but Rose Kennedy would never say what she wore. (Guerlain's "Liu".)

What explains Anne's reticence? Perhaps she does not want anyone else wearing "her" fragrance; perhaps she wishes to keep her beauty secrets to herself.

In the window, thanks to myself and others, four signatures, fully disclosed:

Field Notes from Paris (Ineke)

Last spring, I ordered a 1ml decant from perfumeniche, based on Gwen's review. I swooned for all of one minute and by minute two could barely discern it, thanks to my age-related anosmia for certain notes.

I gave that decant to Beth, who fell hard for the unusual accord and is fond of tobacco-flower notes. On her, it has presence yet is discreet enough to wear just to feel good. I'm not sure she'll adopt "Field Notes" as her sole scent, but talk about a delicious match!

Beth ordered the Discovery Set #7 from the San Francisco-based Ineke and kindly reciprocated by giving me one, "Jaipur Chai"; which is, as I told her, my cup of tea. Whether Beth wishes to edit her fragrance wardrobe or not, "Field Notes" will always remind me of her, and likely stay that way, because Ineke is a tiny house, and not sold here.

L'Air de Rien (Miller Harris)

Mine, mine, mine—and also Jane Birkin's, who created it with Lyn Harris of Miller Harris. I sampled it at least a dozen years ago and thought, Meh. Somewhere, I read a raptorous review and ordered a decant from perfumeniche. Not forty-eight hours later I was back for more.

When the wee vials were drained, I tried to buy a bottle from MH only to find they had discontinued it. A kind friend heard my dismay and gave me her two-thirds-full bottle, what an angel! 

Somehow the scent sneaks past my anosmia, to wrap me like an old cashmere throw. This summer, Miller Harris reissued "L'Air de Rien"; I ordered immediately. Gwen said that sometimes companies temporarily retire fragrances because the ingredients are unavailable, so it's worth keeping an eye on their releases.

Samples (2ml) as well as bottles are sold on Miller Harris' site; it is also available from decant sellers such as Surrender to Chance. (A mitten clap to StC for offering many sizes of decants.)

Une Rose/Rose Tonnere (Frédéric Malle)

Sometimes I can 'read' a signature immediately. A woman in my building stepped onto the elevator with me, phone in hand. My words were spontaneous; I said, "'Une Rose!", because this rose fragrance is unlike any other: redolent of rich, heady Turkish rose, but also its leaves, and earth— the entire complexity of living plant is present. She said, "Toujours!" 

You can order a decant here. Originally released as "Une Rose", it was renamed "Rose Tonnere" in 2021. Malle is a luxury perfumer, so, this is a signature written with a gold pen, but a few drops will do.

Johnsons' Baby Powder

Nearly every morning, a woman on my floor trails a sillage of baby powder from her door to the elevator. She is in her sixties, super-fit, and always in activewear. If I try, I can follow that gentle rose-jasmin-iris accord to her parking spot. There is no powder residue, though, so maybe she buys Demeter's "Baby Powder" cologne. 

A "signature scent" does not mean it broadcasts from across a room. Out of consideration for those sensitive to scent, or because of personal preference, some women have chosen transparent, minimalist scents that do not project any more than subtly-scented laundry soap.

So what in the world was Anne wearing? I feel like Selena Gomez' character, Mabel, in "Only Murders in the Building", except I'm on the trail of a scent.

"For nearly 40 years" takes us to the mid-'80s. Do the circumstances reveal clues? Sister was twenty-five, with a serious beau. He probably bought his gift from a department store counter; niche fragrances were largely unknown. The effect is womanly rather than girly, the style that of an upscale American brand. 

Could it be this?

If I had to place a bet, I'd say this is Estée Lauder "Beautiful", which came out in 1985, a lush, yellow-flower bouquet, graceful and memorable. "Beautiful" has a reputation as a bride's fragrance, which may have been his intent—he is now Anne's brother-in-law. 

Signatures can come and go—the composition or your life changes—and even the environment affects what feels right. Roxanne, devoted to Jo Malone "Lime and Basil and Mandarin", spritzed hers while hermetically sealed in by the pandemic, and said, "Moving on". For the past year, she has been auditioning replacements. 

A signature does not have to be worn to the exclusion of everything else, but it is the one that, if you had to give up a row of bottles, you would keep; the one that whispers your name to intimates.

Whatever Anne had chosen has traversed the decades elegantly. I said to Le Duc, "Maybe when she learns I am a perfume-lover, she'll tell me what this is." And I would solemnly swear to never wear it.

If you have a signature scent, please tell us about it, by name or at least drop a solid hint. How did you discover yours? How long have you worn it?

If looking, enjoy the search. When you find a favourite, you will feel its perfection from head to toe.