An encounter with a scent can bring back long-forgotten memories of people and events from our pasts. Just passing someone on the street wearing a certain fragrance can send you back 20 years. If I were standing next to someone on a crowded elevator wearing Aramis I’m sure that it would conjures up memories of my father and long car rides on Sunday afternoons.
If you were a teen in the 1980s you must have had at least one boyfriend that drowned himself in Polo. For me the magical scent of my teen years was Drakkar Noir. That was until Cool Water came along, the ‘unfair advantage’ scent worn by my then boyfriend (now husband). Today I am particularly fond of Herrera, Hummer and Acqua di Parma. Any favorites or special memories?
In all fairness I can't leave out Old Spice, a comforting scent that will always remind me of my grandfather.
Oh, you're so right about those 80's colognes!!!
ReplyDeleteI had the Polo boyfriend AND the Drakkar Noir boyfriend. Actually, for reasons that are unclear to me now, I used to drown myself in Drakkar, too. (When I wasn't wearing Lauren or Liz Claiborne.)
In my old age, I'm no longer a huge fan of the men- wearing-cologne thing, although I have to admit that a whiff of Joop! instantly reminds of a particularly fetching boytoy...
You weren't alone Martha, I would wear Drakkar too so that I was reminded of a certain boy. Oh Lauren and Liz Claiborne...those bring back memories!
ReplyDeleteScents are without a doubt the best triggers of memory!
ReplyDeleteFamiliar perfumes always remind me of either people (Farenheit, an old boyfriend who, sadly, died very young; Chanel 19, my mother; etc) or periods of my life, such as CK's Escape, which I wore when I moved to England in the mid-90's).
I also find that cooking smells are tremendous to trigger memories. Nothing reminds me more of my childhood than the smell of warm olive oil with onion and garlic - which is pretty much the beginning to almost every Portuguese dish!
Wow--I had completely forgotten about those primary colored, triangle-shaped, plastic bottles with the "jewel" of perfume in the center!
ReplyDeleteOMG, Drakkar Noire, such a throw back to high school!!
ReplyDeleteI really like Jean Paul Gauthier's mens cologne. Its kind of almost feminine but sooo good on a masculine guy in the same way that certain men can pull of a pink shirt and look so sexy.
I always buy Old Spice for my husband (though he doesn't use it!) - it remains on 'my' cabinet shelf and I take sniff of it now and then ;-)
ReplyDeleteBhavna
http://anindiansummer-design.blogspot.com/
This is so true! Hah. I can only associate one name with Polo. I had a Drakkar Noir as well. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear someone has a fond (if sad) memory associated with Fahrenheit...I loved the smell but connect it with three jerky love interests over 10 years that all liked it--but I should have seen a pattern! (shake fist)
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