Week 34 of SotW marks the approximate two-thirds point of the experiment like every week this one held its share of surprises and interesting scent factoids. We start with the raw numbers. 1,213 posts this week which is only the second time weve been over 1,200 posts. The last time was back in Week 28. 687 different scents were mentioned. 439 of those scents were worn only once for an individuality index of 36.2%. That individuality index is the second lowest since Week 14s 35.9%. There were 57 scents which were worn for the first time this week which accounts for 8.3% of the overall scents worn. These are interesting numbers to me as it seems lately the higher the total number the lower the individuality index. This was a week when there seemed to be a lot of scent twinnery and more happening on a daily basis. There were many days this week where a scent was worn three or more times on a single day. I dont have a good explanation for it and well see how it develops over the rest of the year.
The numbers for the big 5 were also quite illuminating this week. The leader in both wears, 106, and scents, 29, was Guerlain. The House had the number one scent in Vetiver and two tied at #6 in Habit Rouge and Jicky. The strength of Guerlain as a house is that there are at least six scents that can at any time post a double digit wear week. There were eight Guerlains that had five wears or more this week and that is a pretty normal week for this house. Im also impressed at how Guerlain is the most successful at being so widely worn paired with wide appreciation form the community. I dont think Ive ever seen a Guerlain is over-rated thread in any fragrance forum Ive looked at. Another testament to the uniqueness of this house. If there was a House that could challenge Guerlain it would have to be Serge Lutens as this week it was the second place house in wears at 58 and scents worn, 22. The big differences in the houses are that where Guerlain has some big heavy hitters which post big wear weeks Serge Lutens rarely puts a scent in the top 10 but like this week there were four scents tied with 5 wears; A La Nuit, Chergui, Datura Noir, and Encens et Lavande. I can tell you that this is the house that I can rarely predict which scents will be the top for a given week as there is so much fluctuation from week to week and in this house there are a dozen scents that have a good deal of support from the community. This is also another house which is quite admired by the scented blogosphere. The main reason that Serge Lutens will probably never challenge the supremacy of Guerlain is the availability and price. That being said the amount of support it does see is quite impressive. In third place of the big 5 is Chanel with 50 wears over 19 scents. The most worn Chanel was Egoiste with 6 wears. Chanel is almost the perfect middle between Guerlain and Serge Lutens. It is another highly admired House and it has a mix of widely available scents and exclusive highly priced scents. In fourth place this week is Creed with 42 wears over 17 scents led by Bois du Portugal with 13 wears. This is easily the most debated House on Basenotes as to its quality and price worthiness. What the stats show is that while there may be quite a bit of debate on the forums about Creed when it comes time to decide what to wear there is a significant percentage of this community that will reach for a Creed. This is also a House that can have any of seven or eight scents post a double digit week. That last statement is true of the four Houses Ive talked about. While there may be clear House leaders there are multiple scents worn by the community that have the potential to have big wears week-to-week. Which leads to the last House to be mentioned, Hermes, which posted the worst House number for a member of the big 5 in 34 weeks with 13 wears over 9 scents. The leader was Terre DHermes with 3 wears. I should be listening to Coldplay Viva La Vida while I write this next passage. It is becoming very clear that Hermes membership in the big 5 was solely made on the strength of Terre DHermes and now that it has collapsed in wears so has the house as unlike the other four houses there is no scent to pick up the slack. The other Houses have transitioned from warm weather to cold weather and the scents within Houses have shifted. For Hermes no scent has stepped it up in the cooler weather to support the House numbers and so like an autumn tree, Terre DHermes has fallen and all that is left is a pretty bare looking House. I may have to adjust and start tracking the big 4 from now on.
Other Houses had good weeks as on the smaller side three houses had their best weeks ever; Ormonde Jayne, Profumum, and Rochas. All of these were achieved with uniform wear across a number of scents and not one clear wear leader and a lot of single wears. Two old stand-bys form the 80s had very high weeks for them Aramis and Ralph Lauren. Aramis was not dominated by any one scent. Ralph Laurens renaissance is being fueled by the amount of wear the new Polo Modern Reserve is getting. There has been a lot of chatter about this one on the mens forum and that is translating into increased wears. Two Houses which had been down had impressive up weeks as LArtisan and Bond #9 both post slightly above average weeks after having severely below average weeks last week. Le Labo had an above average week which is not so surprising but the scent which usually leads a big week for Le Labo is Rose 31 but this week it was Patchouli 24. The down Houses this week were Acqua di Parma, Ava Luxe, Bvlgari, and Armani.
In the new scent race none of them made the top 10 but Polo Modern Reserve and Estee Lauder Private Collection Amber Ylang Ylang both had seven wears exclusively by the guys and the girls, respectively. A couple of wears back with five wears were Cartier Roadster and Guerlain Homme.
The top 10 this week is populated with regular members of the list and I have little to add to the list in an analysis way. The only comment I want to make is that the top three scents all posted their highest weeks ever in achieving those heights.
Here now the top 10 for October 18th -24th, 2008
1.)\tGuerlain Vetiver 27 wears (2.2%)
2.)\tTauer LAir du Desert Marocain 17 wears (1.4%)
3.)\tDior Homme 14 wears (1.2%)
4.)\tCreed Bois du Portugal 13 wears (1.1%)
5.)\tYves St Laurent Rive Gauche pour Homme 11 wears (0.9%)
6.)\tGuerlain Habit Rouge 10 wears (0.8%)
6.)\tGuerlain Jicky 10 wears (0.8%)
8.)\tFrederic Malle Musc Ravageur 8 wears (0.7%)
8.)\tMontale Black Aoud 8 wears (0.7%)
8.)\t Prada Infusion DIris 8 wears (0.7%)
8.)\t Yves St Laurent Opium pour Homme 8 wears (0.7%)
In the just missed category were the two new scents mentioned above Ralph Lauren Polo Modern Reserve and Estee Lauder Amber Ylang Ylang. Joining them are Ava Luxe Loves True Bluish Light and Burberry Brit for Men. Thats it for Week 34.
As always, you keep wearing em and Ill keep counting em
Have a well-fragranced week.
The numbers for the big 5 were also quite illuminating this week. The leader in both wears, 106, and scents, 29, was Guerlain. The House had the number one scent in Vetiver and two tied at #6 in Habit Rouge and Jicky. The strength of Guerlain as a house is that there are at least six scents that can at any time post a double digit wear week. There were eight Guerlains that had five wears or more this week and that is a pretty normal week for this house. Im also impressed at how Guerlain is the most successful at being so widely worn paired with wide appreciation form the community. I dont think Ive ever seen a Guerlain is over-rated thread in any fragrance forum Ive looked at. Another testament to the uniqueness of this house. If there was a House that could challenge Guerlain it would have to be Serge Lutens as this week it was the second place house in wears at 58 and scents worn, 22. The big differences in the houses are that where Guerlain has some big heavy hitters which post big wear weeks Serge Lutens rarely puts a scent in the top 10 but like this week there were four scents tied with 5 wears; A La Nuit, Chergui, Datura Noir, and Encens et Lavande. I can tell you that this is the house that I can rarely predict which scents will be the top for a given week as there is so much fluctuation from week to week and in this house there are a dozen scents that have a good deal of support from the community. This is also another house which is quite admired by the scented blogosphere. The main reason that Serge Lutens will probably never challenge the supremacy of Guerlain is the availability and price. That being said the amount of support it does see is quite impressive. In third place of the big 5 is Chanel with 50 wears over 19 scents. The most worn Chanel was Egoiste with 6 wears. Chanel is almost the perfect middle between Guerlain and Serge Lutens. It is another highly admired House and it has a mix of widely available scents and exclusive highly priced scents. In fourth place this week is Creed with 42 wears over 17 scents led by Bois du Portugal with 13 wears. This is easily the most debated House on Basenotes as to its quality and price worthiness. What the stats show is that while there may be quite a bit of debate on the forums about Creed when it comes time to decide what to wear there is a significant percentage of this community that will reach for a Creed. This is also a House that can have any of seven or eight scents post a double digit week. That last statement is true of the four Houses Ive talked about. While there may be clear House leaders there are multiple scents worn by the community that have the potential to have big wears week-to-week. Which leads to the last House to be mentioned, Hermes, which posted the worst House number for a member of the big 5 in 34 weeks with 13 wears over 9 scents. The leader was Terre DHermes with 3 wears. I should be listening to Coldplay Viva La Vida while I write this next passage. It is becoming very clear that Hermes membership in the big 5 was solely made on the strength of Terre DHermes and now that it has collapsed in wears so has the house as unlike the other four houses there is no scent to pick up the slack. The other Houses have transitioned from warm weather to cold weather and the scents within Houses have shifted. For Hermes no scent has stepped it up in the cooler weather to support the House numbers and so like an autumn tree, Terre DHermes has fallen and all that is left is a pretty bare looking House. I may have to adjust and start tracking the big 4 from now on.
Other Houses had good weeks as on the smaller side three houses had their best weeks ever; Ormonde Jayne, Profumum, and Rochas. All of these were achieved with uniform wear across a number of scents and not one clear wear leader and a lot of single wears. Two old stand-bys form the 80s had very high weeks for them Aramis and Ralph Lauren. Aramis was not dominated by any one scent. Ralph Laurens renaissance is being fueled by the amount of wear the new Polo Modern Reserve is getting. There has been a lot of chatter about this one on the mens forum and that is translating into increased wears. Two Houses which had been down had impressive up weeks as LArtisan and Bond #9 both post slightly above average weeks after having severely below average weeks last week. Le Labo had an above average week which is not so surprising but the scent which usually leads a big week for Le Labo is Rose 31 but this week it was Patchouli 24. The down Houses this week were Acqua di Parma, Ava Luxe, Bvlgari, and Armani.
In the new scent race none of them made the top 10 but Polo Modern Reserve and Estee Lauder Private Collection Amber Ylang Ylang both had seven wears exclusively by the guys and the girls, respectively. A couple of wears back with five wears were Cartier Roadster and Guerlain Homme.
The top 10 this week is populated with regular members of the list and I have little to add to the list in an analysis way. The only comment I want to make is that the top three scents all posted their highest weeks ever in achieving those heights.
Here now the top 10 for October 18th -24th, 2008
1.)\tGuerlain Vetiver 27 wears (2.2%)
2.)\tTauer LAir du Desert Marocain 17 wears (1.4%)
3.)\tDior Homme 14 wears (1.2%)
4.)\tCreed Bois du Portugal 13 wears (1.1%)
5.)\tYves St Laurent Rive Gauche pour Homme 11 wears (0.9%)
6.)\tGuerlain Habit Rouge 10 wears (0.8%)
6.)\tGuerlain Jicky 10 wears (0.8%)
8.)\tFrederic Malle Musc Ravageur 8 wears (0.7%)
8.)\tMontale Black Aoud 8 wears (0.7%)
8.)\t Prada Infusion DIris 8 wears (0.7%)
8.)\t Yves St Laurent Opium pour Homme 8 wears (0.7%)
In the just missed category were the two new scents mentioned above Ralph Lauren Polo Modern Reserve and Estee Lauder Amber Ylang Ylang. Joining them are Ava Luxe Loves True Bluish Light and Burberry Brit for Men. Thats it for Week 34.
As always, you keep wearing em and Ill keep counting em
Have a well-fragranced week.
