Theoretically, it is possible that one of the visitors who is reading this post is currently a “signature scent person” who got to this blog by searching for similar-minded people. But it’s not probable. So, I assume that none of us is currently monogamous perfume-wise. But what about the past?
Saturday Question #201:
Did You Ever Have A Signature Scent?
If yes, what was it? How long did it last? If no, did you ever consider getting one? Do you know anybody who wears just one perfume (all the time or at least serially)?
My Answer
Since this is my blog, I have previously touched this subject once or twice (or ten times?). So, I hope that those two readers who a) read it in the past and b) remember about it would forgive me repeating myself.
When I was growing up, having any perfume – leave alone a good one (read “French”) – was if not a true luxury then definitely something excessive and indulgent. From what I remember, even adult women who owned perfumes didn’t wear them daily saving them for special occasions. It was slightly different for men since they used colognes and balms after shaving, but that was considered as a functional application rather than “decorative” (and those colognes weren’t either too interesting or tenacious).
So, while owning just one perfume at a time was something common, that was rather out of necessity than a conscious choice. But since perfumes were rare and hard to come by, those women who did wear perfumes would usually use the one they managed to procure or were given as a gift. Thus, having a “signature scent” was mostly a romanticized but unobtainable idea.
Lancôme Climat became first my imaginary (while I didn’t have it but used my Grandma’s bottle once in a while) and then actual (once my Grandma bought it for me as a gift) signature scent. I did wear some random scented products from time to time – not because I wanted a variety, but because Climat was cherished and designated to the most special occasions. But I remember back then being convinced that I would wear only that perfume if I could afford it. And I was genuinely perplexed by the fact that not absolutely everybody was in love with that scent: it was the most amazing perfume ever!
By mid-twenties, I outgrew that “one and only perfume” idea (admittedly, with some help). And today I can’t imagine wearing not just one but probably even 10 perfumes over and over again. But if I were to fantasize about perfume I would want people to associate with me (that was one of the premises behind the signature scent concept I grew up with), Climat still would be one of the top 3 contenders (together with Ormonde Jayne Ta’if and Amouage Ubar).
Rusty with my very first bottle of Climat from 80s
How about you?
Undina's Looking Glass 
Even as a teen I was a promiscuous perfume lover Undina but did wear Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers for a whole year just to see if I could stay the course and if it would make a big difference to my life. Though I was bored it did not make a big difference. Once the year was over I went crazy and wore everything, still am, still do.
Portia xx
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A year-long experiment? That’s impressive! But I’m glad it didn’t stick: the Perfumeland would have been a much more boring place had you stayed with that one perfume (or any other, to that matter).
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Thanks Undina, my life would have had a different shape too. Imagine 200ml of Sunflowers would have been less than AU$50 per annum!
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I came to perfume so late – I always had some, but rarely remembered to wear it when I was a teen/younger adult. I received a bottle of No5 edc in 1986 after meeting a nice boy at the end of my summer in France. It was a little too “old” for me but along with a bottle of Ô de Lancôme from my host family and an ancient bottle of Anais Anais it was my only perfume for many years – all worn sparingly and never like a signature. Once I discovered perfume for real (sometime after 2014) I started “collecting” and never looked back.
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I think I had a bottle of Anais Anais at some point. It was a gift. I don’t remember much about it though. But the bottle was pretty :)
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I love that you had an imaginary signature scent, before you had a real one :)
I bet I’ve told you this before, but we went to the French Islands of St Pierre and Michelon, off the coast of Newfoundland, when I was ten. My mom bought Je Reviens, and the SA gave her loads of samples of Arpege. My mom gave me the Arpege, and said it was a perfect scent for me. So that was my first signature scent and I wore it as much as I could, including to feed the chickens in the morning.
Then when I was about 22 I was given Guerlain’s Samsara, and I loved it. I wore it for about four years, from 1993 onwards.One day it just didn’t smell as special as I thought it would, and it broke the spell of that signature scent. I still have a bottle and it reminds me so strongly of that time of my life.
My friend wore AG Hadrien, and I thought nothing could ever smell so good again. It made a huge impression on me and I still wear it a lot. So I think that might be my signature. It’s been in my life for almost 35 years and I still love it and appreciate it. I’d say Annick Goutal is my favourite house. And if anyone here has tried their 1001 Out scent could they please tell me about it-there’s a bottle I might be able to acquire, and I want to know if it’s wearable or not. The only out I know is the Tom Ford one, which I really liked, and the Hermes Agar Ebene, which I love. Any response appreciated.
I loved the picture you posted of Rusty repurposing his scratch pad as a chaise lounge :) His fur is always so immaculate-do you brush him a lot? Such a distinguished pet. Chicken is snoozing in her chair, and we’re getting hammered with snow. 30 cm so far and eighty more to come. Yes, it’s not a typo-just a ton of snow. I’m going out to make an interim shovel attempt, and I’ll be repeating this process until Mon night one it might be over. Might.
Thanks for the always interesting Sat question :)
carole
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That’s a lot of snow! I hope you’re safe there.
Sorry, until today I haven’t even heard about that AG Oud perfume, so no help from me. I also like the brand and am unhappy that they are gone from Nordstrom and Bloomingdales where I used to be able to test them before.
I do brush Rusty a lot recently. It’s a combination of me trying to prevent hairballs (he doesn’t need that now) and him trying to get a treat from me as a reward for him “allowing” me to brush him. Sometimes he forces me to do it 4-5 times per day :).
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In my late teens, I wore Grey Flannel by Geoffrey Beene a great deal. This would be the closest to a signature scent I ever came. In retrospect, it easily could have been, but the reformulation put an end to that love affair.
There are a few in my current collection that would qualify as a signature scent, but I guess I just can’t commit to just one. Monogamy at this point is a futile idea.
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While reformulations are one of the worst fates for our favorites (I don’t think they ever get better than the original and rarely tolerable), in this case it had a “net positive” effect: you discovered other perfumes :)
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Except as a child when I only had access to whatever my mother bought for me, Jean Naté splash, I always had 2-3 at a time. So I was never a signature scent person. I wore Loulou, Anais, Cabotine, Giorgio, Ysatis, Poison, etc. until I found niche and then it exploded.
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I wore the first 3 on your list at some point, but none of them were “love.” It would be interesting to try them today as they were back when they were released. I wonder if I would feel differently about them now.
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Starting from my teens, I would wear one perfume until the bottle finished, and then get a different one, and I don’t think I ever really thought about having a specific scent associated with me. The first perfume I bought again and again was Banana Republic Classic, and I wore that for several years, so I suppose that was the closest I came to a signature scent… unfortunately it was fleeting so I usually couldn’t smell it on myself by afternoon, and doubt others could either. I still have a bottle and wear it occasionally, only now I know to reapply throughout the day!
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Until I was in my late 20s, I wouldn’t even think about bringing perfume with me anywhere! That’s why having a tenacious perfume was a big plus.
I remember trying some perfume at BR about 20 years ago, but by that time I was already snobbish and didn’t think that the brand was special enough to buy their perfumes.
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I’ve been wracking my brain yet I cannot think I’ve ever had “the one” signature perfume. As a teen I remember having Empriente, Fidji, Blaze but never stuck to just one.
When I started work there was the Jicky period, then the Charles of the Ritz & Raffinee year or so. Then Cristalle edt, O de Lancôme, Anais Anais & Opium. I never really settled to a single fragrance, it was always light, citrus chypres in the day time & big hitters in the evening.
I’ve always been a promiscuous butterfly when it comes to perfumery
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Reading comments reminded me that there was time when we all knew the same perfume names, even if we didn’t use them ourselves.
I think I’ve never tried Fidji, even though I always knew the name.
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I am not surprised that you’ve mentioned Lancome Climat. I remember from your posts and discussions IRL that due to limited access to perfumes growing up, Climat was the scent that your grandmother wore and would allow you to wear for special occasions. O dpn’t think I ever had just one signature scent. Even as a teen, I usually had 2-3 bottles of perfume – Anais Anais and Poison come to mind immediately as ones I would have had as a teen during high school. I feel like there was one or two others, but none jumping to mind immediately. DKNY’s Cashmere Mist was also one I used to always have a bottle of, but I think that joined the collection sometime during my college years and has since left my collection. I found that it was no longer working for me (either my body chemistry changed or it was reformulated, perhaps both).
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I think I remember you wearing DKNY’s Cashmere Mist. And yes, it definitely changed, and probably more than once since its first release.
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This is such a fun topic. It’s cute that you picked out a signature scent in your imagination before ever actually possessing and regularly wearing it! That fragrance really made an impression on you, and it sounds like a lovely memory to have associated with your grandmother.
I did a study abroad program in high school, in Paris. I saved up my cash and was determined to get some Chanel No. 5 — I somehow got the idea that it was the most iconic fashionable fragrance, and it would be so special to get it while actually in France, and then I could wear it as my signature scent and people would be captivated by my sophisticated aroma and ask me about it and I could casually say it was just something I picked up in Paris, darling (… I had an overactive imagination).
Turns out, Chanel No. 5 makes me sneeze. BUT, at the time they had a version of it called Elixir Sensuel, which was much softer and lower sillage, and that turned out to be perfect for me. In hindsight it was probably too mature for a teenager’s everyday perfume, but I’m glad I found it, and if they ever start making it again my wallet will be instantly empty.
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I loved your story of Chanel No 5 that never happened! I myself never grew to like that perfume even in my … a lot more mature age, so I can see how it didn’t work for younger you. I’ve never heard of the version you mentioned, but if they start producing it again, I’ll make sure to give it a try.
Since I can’t comment on your blog, I wanted to mention that it was quite entertaining how you analyzed Rebecca from the modern time views on characters’ behavior patterns. I read (and absolutely loved it) a quarter of century ago, but back then I didn’t think of it in those terms. I wonder how I would feel if I re-read (listen?) to it now.
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I wore Royal Secret as my first perfume from Grades 7-12. My sister in law, told me later, that she just thought that was how I naturally smelled. Once in college, I started wearing Sung by Alfred Sung for several years (with some others thrown into the rotation for variety ). My 3rd daughter told me when she was in high school that she always thought of me smelling like Sung. So certainly a signature scent in her mind.
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Your SIL had paid you a signature perfume-type person’s ultimate compliment! :) And so did your daughter later.
Do you still wear Sung?
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I haven’t worn Sung for many years now. The last time I bought a bottle it smelled so different that I didn’t finish it. Reformulation strikes! I do have a vintage extrait that I am afraid to open. Someday I will have the courage to see if it matches my memory.
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Ah no, not me. ;) When I was young I wore perfume mostly because I was given it, and different boyfriends gave me different things! L’Air du Temps, Halston Woman, and Chanel No 5 in that order between 1982 and 1987. The full lowdown here:
https://bonkersaboutperfume.blogspot.com/2011/11/long-term-perfume-loves-erno-just-this.html
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I did. My junior high go to was Faberge’s Tigress, followed later by Dana Ambush. College signature was Estee Lauder’s Aliage, love that big galbanum note! MId-80’s it was CK Obsession, later Must de Cartier, and then right before I went down the perfume rabbit hole it was Bvlgari Femme for a while and then Casmir. Everyone in my office was wearing Casmir in the 90’s. We were a giant vanilla cloud!
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I do have a signature scent except I don’t wear it like one because what am I supposed to do with the rest of my perfumes? 🤣
In any case, it is Chanel No. 19 EDP and the modern one is great!
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