“My whole life, I’ve hated the smell of flowers in perfume,” Nancy says. Nancy, a vibrant 60-ish artist specializing in fine jewelry, is tall and striking and favors chic black tunics and bold glasses. Comme des Garçons would do well to hire her for an ad campaign.
She grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where her mother wore Chanel No. 5. I ask her if that’s why she doesn’t like floral scents. “Maybe,” she says. Her grandmother smelled of Camay soap and powder. Nancy went in a completely different direction, reaching for masculine fragrances as early as high school. In her teens, she worked at a head shop, discovered patchouli oil, and added that to her repertoire. (To this day, no matter what high-end fragrance she wears these days, somewhere on her body is a drop of patchouli oil.)
After college, Nancy moved to Chicago. For a few years, she and her boyfriend shared a fragrance they bought in the men’s section. (Nancy can’t remember the name of it.) She says the boyfriend, despite being trouble, had a particularly alluring personal aroma. “He was French, with curly black hair,” she says. “Short, but not short everywhere, if you get my drift.”
Andrée Putman Préparation Parfumée is the fragrance Nancy identifies with most closely. She discovered it while shopping with a friend at Barney’s. She quickly passed by the gardenia-heavy Marc Jacobs for Women and honed in on Andrée Putman’s woody scent. “You don’t think it’s too hamster cage?” she asked her friend. They agreed it was perfect on her. Then, she smelled something delicious he’d sampled on his skin and asked what it was. The Marc Jacobs.
Nancy wore Préparation Parfumée for a decade until the fragrance was discontinued. She hoarded bottles, and the moment she learned it was back in production, she got someone to cover her at work for a few minutes so she could order the largest bottle by telephone.
These days, she still loves Préparation Parfumée, but she’s also worn Le Labo Santal 33, dabbled in Comme des Garçons Series 1: Leaves, Tea, their incense series (she waxes nostalgic about Avignon), and some of the house's wood-centered fragrances including Hinoki. She’d love a bottle of Le Labo Guaiac 10 if her budget permitted. She continues to keep her distance from anything wafting too much of the garden, and she doesn’t like the smell of cinnamon, either.
Nancy owns a handful of bottles of perfume, but most of her collection these days is in decants and samples. She balked at taking photos of her collection, saying they are in a dark, boring cabinet. I assured her that’s how most of us store our perfume. Look closely, and you’ll see the bottle of patchouli oil.
Sandalwood – Tam Dao by Diptyque
Old Cedar – Biblioteca de Babel Eau de Parfum by Fueguia 1833
Dry Cedar – L’Air du desert marocain Eau de Toilette by Tauer Perfumes
Very interested to see what other people offer….
Oh, and to me, a friendlier incense that Avignon, La Liturgie des Heures by Jovoy Paris
I haven’t tried that one yet–thanks for the suggestion!
What great suggestions for Nancy! Thank you!
Nice story and collection! I have a 30 ml Preparation Parfumee which I didn’t understood for a while and wanted to sell, but now I like it a lot in the summer heat.
It’s nice to have something woody that isn’t overbearing.
I love woody, it was the wet+bitter combination that took me a while to appreciate.
Oh, now that’s a fascinating observation!
Ah, a woman after my own heart!
(With my mom, it was White Shoulders.)
Dzongkha
Encre Noire
Labo The Noir 29
Oh, Encre Noir! I bet Nancy would love a dark vetiver.
Inside the Perfume Cabinet is always a favorite series! I love lurking in other people’s closets and seeing what they love…. Thank you for sharing Nancy!
Agree about a little patchouli oil being soooooo good. I love the Body Shop’s Hemp Hand protector more for the scent than the lotion itself!
I’m glad you enjoy the series! It’s a fun one to do.
I want to be friends with this person! Wait, am I already? I’m not sure if this is anonymized on purpose, but if it’s one of our regular commenters I’d love to know! And, yes, lots of us have messy collections overflowing shelves and shoeboxes, it’s nice to see we’re not alone
Nancy isn’t a regular reader or commenter (as far as I know, anyway), but she’s certainly someone wonderful to be friends with!
Loooove this series.
Nancy, you have great taste. HVe you tried Rose 31? I’m interested to hear your thoughts, as a nonfloral lover.
I guess I also should have asked if Nancy will be checking in since she’s not a normal a commenter.
I sent her the link. I hope she’ll comment! She might hate the post–you know how it’s always weird to read about yourself.
You know, I think I’ve actually heard her talk about Rose 31, but I can’t remember her verdict.
I also love seeing the collections of other perfumistas! Thank you fot sharing Nancy.
One of my favorite patch scents is Coze by Perfumerie General. A nice patch forward, sheer spicy, green scent. It has hemp listed as a note but it’s not a big deal.
Also, Indochine by the same house. Thanaka wood with a dab of spicy honey from Loas. A little masculine and not terribly sweet.
Great suggestions! I need to get back to my Parfumerie Generales.
I love these articles Angela! Thank you for indulging us. ?
You’re welcome!
I want to be interviewed next lol!
A volunteer!
It could happen!
Solstice Scents Estate Vetiver is primarily a patch fragrance to my nose, then Nancy can have fun looking through this under-rated house’s portfolio of perfumes.
I don’t know anything about Solstice Scents, either, so thank you for the recommendation!
Aww, I went to college in Kalamazoo ❤️
It looks like Nancy is an incense fan – I wonder if she’s tried any House of Matriarch scents. Devotion is a particularly gorgeous incense.
I might have a sample of Devotion somewhere around here–I’ll look for it and give it to her!
Love this series, too!
Another person who layers everything with patchouli? I love Nancy.
Off the top of my head:
10 Corso Como
Wrappings
Zum Patchouli
White Patchouli
Timbuktu
That’s so funny! I gave her a decant of 10 Corso Como. I should try some Timbuktu on her, too.
Perhaps Kalimantan? Or for dark smoky incense, Naomi Goodsir Bois d’Ascese, although it has a touch of cinnamon. Broken Theories from Kerosene is very similar, smoky and spicy but without the cinnamon.
Thank you for these suggestions! She’s going to have a lot of good sniffing to do….