The telling detail

Christian Dior is quoted thus: “A woman’s perfume tells more about her than her handwriting”. Coco Chanel said “It is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure” and, more flatly, that “a woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.”

So no pressure to find the perfect one for the beauty industry event I’m going to this evening, then. No, absolutely none…

Fellow fragrance fiends, you get it: this invisible detail is très important. If your perfume is whispering tales about who you are and where you’re going straight into the subconscious of anyone within sniffing distance, you need to make sure it’s saying all the right things. Especially at a work event.

So I need one that says I’m utterly professional, yet with a bright approachability, trend-savvy but never slavish and always charmingly brilliant. Not to mention respectably glamorous, of course. That shouldn’t be too tough, should it?

And it should be easy to then fit the fragrance to my frock (a cream and lemon hand-sewn number that says ‘girly girl’ all on its floaty own), right?

With Chanel’s fragrance-is-fashion advice close to my heart, my first thought was her classically soft floral No. 5, but that just feels a little too chic (I cannot believe I just wrote that). And I just know my forever-favourite, Allure, is going to be on so many elegant wrists in the room. It always is.

On the other hand, the osmanthus flower and rich patchouli in Badgley Mischka always earns a compliment, but  something tells me it’s a little more sophisticated than an early evening event requires and, as for my holiday-inspired favourites like Island Michael Kors and Venustus’ Tahitian, well, they don’t feel quite right either.

So what does? After much deliberation over floral orientals, I think Nuits de Noho by Bond No.9 might fit my frock, the occasion and my personality better than a Blahnik heel. The sheer patchouli base adds depth to the top of freshly feminine jasmine, and the subtle gourmand scent of vanilla is intriguing rather delicious. Plus, because you can’t buy it here in Australia (I picked it up in NYC), I’m pretty sure nobody else will be wearing it.

Which is also of the utmost importance, don’t you agree? After all, it was also Chanel who also said that “in order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different”. Especially at work.