poll: signature smells?

I used to know someone who always smelled wonderful. She wore a particular type of perfume (sadly, I can no longer remember the name) all the time, and after a while, it was impossible for me to smell that fragrance and not associate it with her.

Even Jeff has a signature fragrance, though I suppose "fragrance" is too feminine a word for a guy. He doesn't it wear it as much now, but I still strongly associate Ralph Lauren's Polo cologne with him. I could be standing on a crowded subway platform, catch a whiff of Polo, and immediately look around for him. Seems to be a popular guy cologne, sadly, so these days I find it's more often NOT Jeff.

Chanel No. 5 reminds me of my Mom, who used to wear it on special occasions. My father got that for her every year; I remember saving some of these elegant-looking small glass bottles as a kid, pretending I was dabbing my own neck with a few drops of perfume just like my mother.

Years later, I decided that I wanted a "signature fragrance" of my own, so I started researching, combing perfume departments of large stores, accepting samples from eager saleswomen with atomisers in hand. Sometimes Jeff would come with me, since it was obviously important that he like the fragrance.

I wanted a fragrance that was feminine but not heavily floral, playfully sexy but not sleazy. Despite the zillions of perfumes available, it was a tougher choice than I expected, mainly because after sniffing only a few samples, Jeff and I started getting headaches and our eyes would start watering. Some of those atomiser-wielding salesclerks were a bit over-enthusiastic in their spraying.

Finally we found one we both liked: Simon Chang's Kimono. Ecstatic, I bought a bottle and started using it, but almost immediately was worried about wearing too much. I've always hated it when you walk into an elevator and almost keel over because some woman is wearing too much perfume (or was recently). I also kept forgetting to put it on.

In the end, I quit wearing it. Maybe my sense of smell got more sensitive over the years, but I find most perfumes too overwhelming these days. From time to time I'll wear a bit of White Musk from The Body Shop (and I still love that fragrance), which is pretty mild. Usually I put on just enough so that only I can smell it. :-)

Do you have a favourite fragrance/cologne?

Also, what perfumes/colognes do you associate with what people in your life?

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My ancient Smith-Corona typewriter at the cottage (the one I use to type each issue of The Outhouse Daily News).