If you smelled (insert perfum) on a man? (add your own)

Or a woman, for that matter.

OK. I hope I can get a good number of people participating in this thread because I feel it is an interesting subject. For my part I know that there will always be people, whether a minority or a majority, who may think a certain scent odd when I wear it. In the case of ostensibly femenine fragrances I'm happy to wear certain things even if they're described by the women I know as girly, femenine, odd, etc.

Even so it's nice to know you're not alone when you spray something and think, 'I can pull this off. This works.' so I'm asking anyone who wants to participate to make a list of fragrances which you wear that are ostensibly for the opposite gender. Or fragrances you're interested in buying. Or fragrances which you think have unisex potential. Then hopefully people can comment on your list with a word or two about how they might react to smelling that composition on a man or woman.

I can do a bit from both sides. Two of my sister's most commonly worn fragrances are Chopard's Noble Cedar and Kenzo Jungle Pour Homme. Partly because she is allergic to a great many things and these do not effect her. Partly because she simply enjoys them. For my part I think unless I was quite familiar with either scent I doubt I'd even recognize that they were masculine scents if I smelled either on a woman.

For my part I'm kind of shameless when it comes to wearing women's fragrances. Often it's simply because I like them better or because EDP concentrations are more readily available.

A good number of these are very basic and fairly common designer scents, some not so much. I'll only make a partial list: Bvlgari Blv, Obsession, Gucci EDP, Molinard and Annick Goutal's vanillas, Arpege, BAV, Kelly Caleche (most recent addition to this lineup) D&G La Roue de la Fortune (next most recent and I'm currently in love with it) Chloe Eau de Fluers Capucine, a number of scents from the Aqua Allegoria series, Guerlain SDV, Annick Goutal's Tuberose and Rose Absolu, Habinata, Fracas (EDP), Chanel Cristalle eau verte, Agent Provocatuer, and Lalique le Parfum.

The majority of those I'm pretty comfortable wearing, or I like them so much it doesn't matter.

Anyone care to add their views, or throw out some cross-gender fragrance choices for others or themselves to remark on?

I do care what people think. I find it interesting. Generally speaking I'm not going to let it stop me wearing what I want, but it's always fun to know what other people think. Especially when it comes to fragrance and gender. Opinions can vary so wildly.


I know many more women who think this way than men.


Another factor for me is bottles. Though to be honest I don't really like 'girly,' bottles, but some bottles for femenine fragrances are just porn. Like Lalique le Parfum, and really I don't see anything especially femenine about it.


Nice list. I sampled Mitsouko recently, thinking I'd like it, but the EDT was all they had and it was really, criminally dissapointing. Simmilarly I can't come at most of the Shalimar reformulations. Though I've never tried the Parfum. Some of the limited editions are nice though.


For my part I want to get the Fracas parfum but it seems like a lot of money when I like the EDP already. Bandit is really good. I think it's very unisex. Germaine Cellier did another leather, Jolie Madame, which seems much more femenine to me. But that could just be the reformulation.


Even L'heure Bleue?

Quite a few of those in my list are fairly unisex as well. I like unisex fragrances that balance in the middle. Even though I own a lot of fragrances which are ostensibly for women I think many of them could have been marketed to men, or made unisex without too much drama.


You should buy some popular scents like Curve, Fierce, etc and empty them. Then refill them with femenine fragrances and give them to guys you know :P

I like Jolie Madame, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the modern EDT is perhaps not all that close to what Cellier made. Hopefully I'll find some vintage and be able to verify this.

Also Kelly Caleche was in my list. Transparent Rose/Leather, how is this not unisex? I get a big kick out of wearing this.


CK One and CK Be are still pretty big sellers as far as I know. Also most niche outfits do loads of unisex fragrances, and designers make their fair share too usually in the form of eaux like Eau de Cartier, Lalique, or the various Bvlgaris. Bvlgari Black was a somewhat recent unisex hit. Also many designer exclusives are unisex.

Incidentally I just paid $10 for a bottle of Diesel Plus Plus femenine. lol. Such an ugly bottle/box but the smell is a real guilty pleasure.

Favourites?