I find it incredibly sexy when I come across a woman who admits she wears men’s cologne. It’s the confidence that comes along with making that choice that does it for me. The industry does a good job segregating fragrances and having the courage to break the rules takes knowing yourself and what works on you. Continue reading
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Tagged A Different Company, Acqua Di Parma, Annick Goutal, Banana Republic, Cannabis Santal Eau, Christian Dior, Colonia, Comme de Garcon, Eau d'Hadrien, Eau Sauvage, Fresh, Gendarme, Good men's scents, Guerlain, Guerlain Vetiver, Hermes, Hermes Eau d'Orange Verte, Infusion d'Homme, Issey Miyake, L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme, Men's Colgone, men's cologne, Men's Fragrances, Men's Scents, Prada, Silver Mountain Water
Your eyes are not deceiving you. This chic young lady loves men’s fragrances and wears them quite regularly. Quick back-story-Johanna is a fashion stylist that I met when she came to the showroom of one of my clients. Our worlds didn’t really collide until one evening I was at an event that The Sound Of Art held at the Hotel on Rivington with Airwalk. I bumped into her and as we conversed, I remember being enveloped by a familiar scent. I proceeded to ask her what she was wearing and she couldn’t quite remember the name. She said, and I loved this, “it’s from that brand where the bottle doesn’t stand upright.” I immediately knew she was talking about Comme de Garcon. That sparked quite an interesting tale of her love for men’s fragrances. I was blown away. It takes a confident man or woman to get past all the “gender specific” marketing we’re fed by the fragrance industry and Johanna is proof-positive that what smells “manly” changes on a woman. I made no connection between what I smelt and her gender…all I processed was she smelt great and it intensified our conversation. Without further ado, Johanna Laracuente:
What’s your earliest recollection of fragrance?
I grew up in a small town in Puerto Rico. Everything around you had an aroma, a unique scent. The smell of the beach, mountains, and rain, mixed with my mothers cooking was memorable.
What fragrances are currently in your rotation?
Prada Amber, Cannabis Rose from Fresh and my fav Comme de Garcon 2
Tell me a bit about your preference for wearing men’s fragrances?
I used to have a roommate that would spray me with Comme de Garcon or Angel Men by Thierry Mugler on his way out. The way my body reacted was amazing. The smell was a lot warmer, so sexy, I loved it! After he realized how empty his bottle became, he opted to get me a bottle for my birthday and is been in my rotation ever since.
How often do you go out looking for something new? What specifically do you look for?
Not often. I choose scents that are unusual and definitely unexpected; hence, the Homme affair. The other night I went to my neighbors place and stole a bit of L’Artisan’s White Pepper (actual name, Poivre Piquant). It is sensual, light and yet masculine. Everyone loved it and lets just say it was a VERY successful evening. I bought it the next day; hopefully it will get a repeat performance!
Have you ever purchased the same fragrance more than once? If so, what was it and what about it made it worthy of a repeat buy?
I’m a creature of habit in certain things. When it works, it becomes a part of my personal scent. I have been wearing Comme de Garcon for 8 years; it’s always a repeat. The chemistry of it on a woman is totally different, and unique on each one.
If you had to give the guys reading this blog advice about fragrances, what would it be?
Wear it, experiment and don’t be afraid to try new things. Wait… or is this advice for something else?
How would you finish this statement? “My most memorable fragrant moment would be…?
Papi all dressed up for work. He had a massive collection of colognes. He loved to switch them up. Whenever I smell Cool Water or Drakkar Noir, I smile and become a little teary eyed too.
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Roger at a birthday get together for a friend. As fashionably late as he was, all in attendance greeted him affectionately and I soon learned why, he’s quite the charmer. I caught up to Roger recently at Diner in the meatpacking district where we traded stories about fragrances. I had a hunch he was into them but not to this degree…read on for yourself.
What’s your earliest recollection of fragrance?
The citrusy linger of my Dad’s Blenheim Bouquet (Penthaligon) on the stairwell, as he slipped on his jacket to go out on Saturday evenings. As a kid, I tried to make perfume by soaking handfuls of lilacs from the garden in cold water and then eventually bringing the whole experiment to a slow boil to concentrate the smell. I recall a heady mess on the kitchen counter.
What are some of your favorite fragrances?
Over the years, I find myself coming back to certain disciplines of thought to which I have handily prescribed a scent – Bel Ami by Hermes, Acqua Coloniale by L’Erbolario and Garrigue by Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier. Thanks to my buddy Antonio, I have a man in Naples who has created something special that I wear sparingly!
There was a time when my go-to scent was Romeo Gigli. In the 80s when severe shoulder-padding adorned even bodysuits from Donna Karan, the designs of Gigli looked artless and yet distinct. Gigli brought the same sense of proportion and colour to the design of his men’s cologne – from the lilac rectangular box with the dark orange label to the citrine green liquid to the bottle itself, which looked like a burgundy domed minaret, with metal coils around its neck. I would stock bottles of it like champagne.
What’s currently in your rotation?
In an effort to simplify my life, I have doubled up on classifications on the domestic front, which means sorting CDs by alphabet and musical genre and arranging the bookshelf by size and jacket cover. In the bathroom, only white packaged products are allowed in the medicine cabinet, and only brown bottled scents are on display, everything else is hidden. Coincidentally, I suppose, I am drawn right now to Flower Power by Comme De Garcons, L’Occitane and Helmut Lang’s Cuiron.
How often do you go out looking for something new? What specifically do you look for?
Not often and little in particular. When a favorite bottle is finished, I’ll replenish it. However, if it’s a new scent to which I’m not keenly attached, I’ll use the opportunity to review a scent I had initially waited to buy or to preview something new.
Have you ever purchased the same fragrance more than once? If so, what was it and what about it made it worthy of a repeat buy?
Several scents, depending on how they reacted to my skin and the responses they elicited. Though I cannot say print or television campaigns inform my choices as much as before, but I remember being repeatedly seduced by the ads for Kouros, Greek god iconography in blue and white, and by the black and white visuals for Jazz by Yves Saint Laurent produced by Jean Baptiste Mondino with a young Naomi Campbell, in silhouette, hair bobbed and playing the part of a scatting chanteuse. Need I say more?
How would you finish this statement, “My most memorable fragrant moment would be…?
I have several: early mornings in general, especially Springtime in the country with the windows open; reading Patrick Susskind’s “Perfume” on the New York subway and noticing a heightened awareness to smells; walking into the Comme Des Garcons perfume shop in Paris for the first time; Fracas by Robert Piguet and the accompanying memories of a prep-school romance to more mature expressions of love and lust, encouraged by Caron’s Yatagan.
Well groomed and versed, that’s Roger Joseph.
Posted in Interview
Tagged Blenheim Bouquet, citrus, Comme de Garcon, Cuiron, Donna Karan, Helmut Lang, Hermes, Kouros, lilac, Naomi Campbell, Roger Joesph, Romeo Gigli
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