SOTD: Parfumerie Generale Tubereuse Couture (Again)

I'm wearing the same scent two days in a row. Inconceivable.

This makes me think of of the appealing but unlikely concept of the "signature scent".

I've always liked the idea of choosing a single fragrance that represents me, that I wear almost every day. The idea that if someone who knows me well smells that scent, they'll think of me. There's something very grown-up and classic and elegant about the idea.

It is, of course, never going to happen.

I also like the idea of a fragrance wardrobe. I once prioritized my fragrances, not by how much I liked them, but how urgently I'd want to replace them if I lost them. I was surprised to find that the top ten would actually make a very nice, pleasantly varied wardrobe.

A proper fragrance wardrobe would have one representative in the major fragrance categories - green, leather, incense, floral, wood, gourmand, and so on. And it would have at least one for every occasion - summer casual, winter dress-up, comfort scent, and so on. It would be a nice orderly group of six to twelve bottles, and I'd always know what to wear.

The top ten scents on my list filled the slots nicely - Chanel No. 19 as the green and also a dress-up scent, Tea for Two as the gourmand and winter comfort scent, Sushi Imperiale as - well, another gourmand, but also the holiday season scent, and so on. There were a couple of gaps, including "dress up floral", and no doubt Tubereuse Couture would now fill that opening. I could cut my collection down to ten bottles.

That's not going to happen either.

So the defensiveness begins: You don't see a person saying, "I want to have a signature entree", do you? That is, they don't say it meaning that they'll eat that entree for nearly every meal, and that they want their friends to think of them whenever they see a plate of corned beef and cabbage, or round steak, or whatever is their favorite.

They may make a fabulous corned beef and cabbage, or they may pride themselves in knowing what restaurants have the best vegetarian pot stickers. And they may have a "wardrobe" of several dishes that they make well and frequently. But that won't keep them from eating a dozen dozen other things, when they can get their hands on them.

So that's my excuse for the slightly excessive number of bottles and the incredibly excessive number of samples stored next to my desk. And if that excuse won't do, I'll come up with a new one tomorrow.

Article Roundup: Takes on the signature scent concept, or related thoughts, from Bois de Jasmin and Fragrance Bouquet and Perfume Posse and Perfume-Smellin' Things and Perfume Posse again.

Review Roundup for Tubereuse Couture: Is here.

Photo: By Mr. Checker. Wikimedia Commons