During my stay for the South by Southwest festival, the same olfactory occurrence would repeat itself frequently: a whiff of perfume on an escalator. A floral moment in a conference hall. And not only Austin. Visits to other countries over the past year, from Israel to Britain, had enveloped me in clouds of perfume. It bothered me, ever so slightly, and the fact that it bothered me came as a surprise. That’s because, I came to realize, six years in the Bay Area completely neutralized this portion of human existence. San Franciscans, you see, simply don’t smell like anything.
— Read more at Why does San Francisco turn up its nose at perfume? at the San Francisco Chronicle.
Yep. Sounds about right. The crack about Everlane gray sweatshirts made me laugh.
Me too, although she’s quite wrong that there’s nothing bland and faceless enough in Sephora to match that sweatshirt!
This is true in Seattle as well, but not in Cleveland. I’m happy to be in a scented city!
Yes, the aversion to scent in Seattle really bums me out sometimes. My workplace is fragrance free, but I don’t comply. I try to be wise about my choices and use very few sprays. Sniffing my wrists helps get me through stressful days sometimes, so I can’t imagine going without it.
Ditto.
And ditto here as well.
Sad state of affairs. When I lived in the SF bay area back in the 80’s I was trailing clouds of Giorgio, Poison and Ysatis. Those were the days.
😀
I tried some vintage Poison recently as I never tried it when it was first launched. At first I thought, “wow, no way, not my style.” But as it dried down, I began to really like it. The opposite of my experience with many perfumes today!
Maybe it is a partially a weather thing; people may not think of fragrances for cool (literally) weather.
As for the scents which would go through the (very silly) aesthetic of a “fashionable” but generally standardized grey sweatshirt, here are some (entirely unsolicited) serious suggestions
Low Key but Hip: Le Labo Sandal; Sel Marin; Guerlain Imperiale (for the steampunk crowd). Iris Silver Mist
Hey if My Clothes are Nondescript, My Scent Should Liven Things Up But Still Show My So -Subtle- to- Be -Sophisticated- While- Only Implicitly- Bragging Good Taste: Shanghai Lily, Mossy Breaches; Vanilla Insensee;