What Does Your Past Smell Like?

Smells like teen spirit

Like everyone else during the mid-’90s, I was into pleated plaid skirts, Clueless and CK One. In Grade 9, I wore Davidoff Cool Water and Ralph Lauren Polo Sport and spritzed everything with them. Smelling their fresh citrus and floral notes—like lemon, lotus blossom and jasmine—evokes my jittery schoolgirl butterflies. As my high school years progressed, my fragrance journey matured. Tommy Girl and Gap’s Dream were the feminine florals that all the cool girls wore, including one of my best friends. One whiff brings me back to high school; it’s like flipping through an old yearbook, reading old crumpled notes or crying through an episode of Felicity. I can practically smell the teenage angst. I got my first lesson in sophistication working behind a perfume counter at 16. I started out as a demo (a.k.a. perfume spritzer) and ended up with an unofficial education in fragrance—in particular, the perfumes worn by classy women in fitted blazers, high-heeled pumps and silk neck scarves. Not only did it help me develop a keen sense of smell (and mad gift-wrapping skills), it opened my eyes—and nose—to the world of classic fragrances. I’d always known Chanel No. 5, my mother’s signature scent, but I became well versed in Cacharel, Kenzo and Boucheron.