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Definition of signature scent

post #1 of 24
1/7/06 at 11:05am
Thread Starter 
Probably a silly question to most of you, but I would appreciate the definition of "signature scent". Does it mean:

1. The fragrance that you like the best on you.

2. The fragrance that you receive the most compliments on.

Is it possible that your signature scent could be a fragrance that is not your overall favorite, but one that you feel fits the chemistry of your skin the best?

Or does a signature scent have to meet all the criteria metioned above.

Thanks,

Jim
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post #2 of 24
1/7/06 at 11:11am
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the one which makes you feel great whatever your mood, plus all the above...is that too much to ask goddamit! i still haven't found mine yea and i have 30 frags
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post #3 of 24
1/7/06 at 11:21am
As I understand it, a signature scent would be the fragrance that OTHERS associate with you. They smell the fragrance (perhaps even on someone else) and immediately think of you.

Of course, hopefully a signature is one that you love above all others and gets you compliments as well. Seems to be a lot to ask for. The worst part is, if you wear only one fragrance all the time, after a while you can't smell it and what's the point of that?

While a "signature scent" is a lovely, romaticised thought, I still prefer a fragrance for every mood.
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post #4 of 24
1/7/06 at 11:27am
To me signarture scent means fragrance which is mostly "me". The fragrance I want people to know me from.
And so, at least to me signarture fragrance is often the same as the overall favourites.
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post #5 of 24
1/7/06 at 11:34am
I would define at simply as the fragrance that sums up who you are. It's a reflection of your taste, your personality, where you possibly are, etc. It's the scent that helps define who you are, the key ingredient in my honest opinion, is helps define who you are as an individual. One who wears Aqua di Gio probably comes off as longing to be one of the crowd. That's why I believe it's one of the more popular fragrances, especially for the college-crowd where a lot of people try to bond with people who have similar interests. In that regard, I don't think you'll see too many from the Goth crowd wear it.

If you want to look at it in another context, you know James Bond and James Bond when he orders his drink because he says "shaken, not stirred." This is one of his signature phrases that helps define who he is as an individual (see http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mmartini.html for an interesting question as to why he asks for them shaken). It gives a glimpse into his character--the fact that he asks for it in this manner reveals a bit about his character.

You or I walk into a bar and ask for it, shaken, not stirred, and we're going to get looks like we're wanna-be's, and that's not a good thing. Especially if it's at McDonalds.
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post #6 of 24
1/7/06 at 11:47am
A signiture scent is the fragrance people associate with you. It might not necesarilly be you're favorite scent, but if you wear it that much, It's assumed you at least really like it. On the other hand, I'm sure most people save their top favorite for special nights, etc.
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post #7 of 24
1/7/06 at 11:54am
When people start telling you your car "smells like you", or your coat "smells like you", or your sheets "smell like you"....well you've got yourself a signature scent!
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post #8 of 24
1/7/06 at 11:57am
Thread Starter 
OK, what I'm getting so far is that a signature may not be your absolute favorite frag, but one that others associate you with.

In other words, if you wear Geir to work each day, naturally people you work with will associate you and the smell of Geir, thus making that your signature scent for that group of people.

However, say your personal favorite scent is Chanel PH, and you just wear that on special occasions, then that is probably your personal favorite "signature scent", but may not be your "signature scent" for the majority of the people you are around, because you are not wearing it often.

Does this make any sense at all? Sounds confusing as hell to me.

Jim
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post #9 of 24
1/7/06 at 1:29pm
simply put, it is the ONE and only frag you wear, thus causing ppl to associate the smell to you (as a side effect). no different frags for different situations, or seasons, or mood. why you chose it is neither here nor there. just as you have one written signature, you would have one frag to call your own. believe it or not, most ppl (men at least) just wear one cologne. for them, their one cologne is automatically their signature scent. sure they may try something else every once in a while. but chances are they wear that one frag 99% of the time. here on bn, things are obviously a bit different.

p.s. i'm a big fan of the idea of a signature scent. i wish i could choose one. i think it's impossible now.
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post #10 of 24
1/7/06 at 1:53pm
Thread Starter 
Liquid, I hear what you are saying. I have always been mostly a one frag person, and when I joined basenotes and began reading all the various posts, I really felt like the odd man out! All these guys have such large, extensive wardrobes and most change scents daily. I was, to say the least, shocked! I had always been under the impression you wore the one frag you liked the most and had received the most compliments from, but I apparently had a lot to learn. It is very interesting to hear that most men are still a one frag person. My wardrobe has grown, mostly for collection purposes, however I still mostly wear only 2 or 3 frags.

Guess I gotta lot of growing to do!!

Jim
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post #11 of 24
1/7/06 at 2:27pm
As a programmer a worked for a lot of companies, more often at the customer's place. There was once a lady at one of them who, like me, was married. After two years of working together what happened was that she couldn't stand any longer, and we discussed that we should've met much earlier, it's too late. It was very sad yet a very moving act. We didn't even touch each other ever. From that time kind of a very deep friendship was for years. Once I had a phone call from her, her voice very sad. I didn't know what had happened, since we hadn't met or talked for days.
'I know that you were here early, and should've waited me, but you didn't.'
I didn't know how she knew that, as now other worker was in the office early morning.
She said: 'I know your scent for years, nobody else wears it. Wherever I think of you I see you - and I can smell it.'

This is my signature scent for my life.
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post #12 of 24
1/7/06 at 4:06pm
I always looked at a signature scent as the scent one wears all of the time, or at least the vast majority of the time so that it gets associatyed with a person.

My problem is that I always changed signature scents after a few years of exclusively wearing one them. Because of this, I no longer wear a signature scent.

Old Spice would have had to be the one I used the most as a signature scent. I would wear it for years every day.

My favorite lady has been wearing Shalimar every day for decades.
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post #13 of 24
1/8/06 at 10:59am
Hi all,

Well I do wear only one scent which makes it a signature by definition.

Still I am passionate about scents in general and beeing a friend here at basenotes it has not changed my way - one scent.

I do believe of only one scent that you feel 100 % at all time with - a fragrance that is you all the way that you understand complitely - it is pure companionship.

This is something that goes further fashion and style.

I do find cruel to wear you favorite scent only from time to time or in the evening only - why ????

I think If you have that scent - that special fragrance that you feel really great wearing - this is probably your
scent.

Because you will not change you fragrance every season you will soon become the only one arround to wear this scent and in my eyes this it signature at its best - wearing a rare fragrance - nothing to do with pricing or money here.

A signature is probably just the result of having for many years wearing that scent that you cherish or feel complete with.

It is that simple.

laurent
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post #14 of 24
1/8/06 at 11:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by wolfpackfan

OK, what I'm getting so far is that a signature may not be your absolute favorite frag, but one that others associate you with.

In other words, if you wear Geir to work each day, naturally people you work with will associate you and the smell of Geir, thus making that your signature scent for that group of people.

However, say your personal favorite scent is Chanel PH, and you just wear that on special occasions, then that is probably your personal favorite "signature scent", but may not be your "signature scent" for the majority of the people you are around, because you are not wearing it often.

Does this make any sense at all? Â*Sounds confusing as hell to me.

Jim


dont understand why you would wear something that you do not particulary like
?????????

laurent
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post #15 of 24
1/8/06 at 11:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by laurent

[quote author=wolfpackfan link=1136660725/0#7 date=1136663836]OK, what I'm getting so far is that a signature may not be your absolute favorite frag, but one that others associate you with.

In other words, if you wear Geir to work each day, naturally people you work with will associate you and the smell of Geir, thus making that your signature scent for that group of people.

However, say your personal favorite scent is Chanel PH, and you just wear that on special occasions, then that is probably your personal favorite "signature scent", but may not be your "signature scent" for the majority of the people you are around, because you are not wearing it often.

Does this make any sense at all? Â*Sounds confusing as hell to me.

Jim


dont understand why you would wear something that you do not particulary like
?????????

laurent[/quote]
He didn't say that!
He said his signature scent could be something else than his personal favorite.
In other words, he suggests that a signature scent could be in the eye of the beholder, or, in this case, in the nose of the beholder...

Your signature says:
...mais il suffit d'un lege scillage et je me retrouve...
Do you mean "léger sillage"?

And my congratulations for being, at my knowledge, the sole regular Basenotes member to wear only one scent!
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post #16 of 24
1/8/06 at 5:48pm
A signature is your personal mark in signing. Apply that concept to smell.

It has certain snob value to people who'll pick one relatively expensive and recognisable scent, and use that all the time as their "signature" odor, and let everyone know how say Chanel 5 is the only scent worth wearing.

Others just buy the cheapest scent around that they like e.g. Brut, and stick to it. They don't really think of it as their signature, but others will.

I've seen lots of posts on Basenotes saying "I want to find" or "I've found my signature scent".
I haven't seen any saying "Well, know that I've found it there's no point me hanging around here as I'm wasting my time".

This indicates that in practice there's no such a thing around here - check out the SOTD posts and see if there's anyone who has continuously posted that he's wearing the same scent day in day out, day after day.
Renato
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post #17 of 24
1/8/06 at 5:53pm
interesting "debate"! I like what has been said, and I wish to add my 2 pennies

I think a signature scent is the one perfume that people can recognize you buy. Say you are trying to sneak up on a friend who knows you well, and the wind carries your scent to his nose (in my mind every basenoter is a Ninja ) he would think: 'My spidy sense is tingling! my friend is near'

cartoony, but I think it's a nice way to put it


-Sym
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post #18 of 24
1/8/06 at 6:52pm
i agree wit symptome, it's what ur recognized by, for instance when i smell certain frags, i.e. very sexy for him and polo blue for example i immediately think of specific people, it's an instant association, even tho the might not wear it exclusively they are still recognized by it...gio
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post #19 of 24
1/8/06 at 7:32pm
Thread Starter 
So Giovanni, you say you can associate a smell with someone even though they do not wear it exclusively. Does that mean that, most basenoters, who change their scents daily (SOTD), would still have a signature scent. See, this is where I am confused. If you wear a different scent each day, how in the world can a person associate your presence by a distinct smell as you would smell different every day. Thus how could you have a signature scent???? Would you not have to be associated with the scent you wear the MOST? I'll stop now and let this "signature scent" issue rest.

Jim
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post #20 of 24
1/8/06 at 8:58pm
To me, there are two definitions and they're quite closely related. I suppose it depends on which side you like to view things from.

A signature scent is

1) the fragrance that you've chosen to represent you or one that you like the best. It doesn't matter why but it is a fragrance that you choose to wear quite often. This leads to the second argument

2) the fragrance that people associate with you because you wear it so often
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post #21 of 24
1/9/06 at 8:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renato

A signature is your personal mark in signing. Apply that concept to smell.

It has certain snob value to people who'll pick one relatively expensive and recognisable scent, and use that all the time as their "signature" Â*odor, and let everyone know how say Chanel 5 is the only scent worth wearing.

Others just buy the cheapest scent around that they like e.g. Brut, and stick to it. They don't really think of it as their signature, but others will.

I've seen lots of posts on Basenotes saying "I want to find" or "I've found my signature scent".
I haven't seen any saying "Well, know that I've found it there's no point me hanging around here as I'm wasting my time".

This indicates that in practice there's no such a thing around here - check out the SOTD posts and see if there's anyone who has continuously posted that he's wearing the same scent day in day out, day after day.
Renato

right on Renato. I think you are alluding here to a phenomenon much more common on Basenotes than the sedentary life of the "signature scenteur" : the Holy Grail scent. Many of us stick around on the boards, and sniff around the fragrance counters, long after we have sufficient scents for any occasion, always in search of the scent that will make all others evaporate into thin air. Its kind of a teleological notion of the signature scent, but we all know its just an excuse to keep indulging our senses ad infinitum.
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post #22 of 24
1/9/06 at 2:18pm
Hi all,

A simple fact here seems to be torturing most of us !!! a person that do wear the same fragrance every day for a few years - may I just point that this is the norm (not a hobby I mean)

Automatically this person have a signature scent by definition !!!


May I just say that "Mr Smith" and Mrs Smith probably dont think about it that much - they buy the same bottle they are so used to it or someone else buys it for him/her (easy presents).

For the general public it stays there - now there might be a few of "us" looking for that special signature scent - well if you dont find it so easely it is not such a big drama - the perfume industry needs you - you buy all these bottles and still no find what you like - and here we go the subjects has been weel covered.

There is one scent somewhere waiting for you !!!

Laurent
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post #23 of 24
1/9/06 at 3:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by laurent


There is one scent somewhere waiting for you !!!

Not for me!! Just as my ears will always be evolving toward different types of music, and my eyes toward different artistic works, my nose is too fickle to settle down to one particular fragrance.

#
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post #24 of 24
1/9/06 at 4:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by laurent


There is one scent somewhere waiting for you !!!

Laurent

I've found it! So I wear it about 10 times a year. No one seems to associate me with it though.
Renato
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