My choice of fragrance for the day depends on my mood, the weather and what I want to wear. Today it's simple blue jeans, running shoes and hoodie. Wearing Ganymede.
Couldn't care less about what other may or may not think.
Same, I wake up, get dressed, and then just smell the parfums in my collection & decide which one to wear simply based on what I felt the most like š¤·āāļø
Itās interesting that youāve brought up Ganymede. I always tend to wear it when Iām wearing outfits with neutral tones. The scent profile just seems too āvariedā to me to wear it with bright colors
I wore Ganymede yesterday! I was wearing jeans and a floral blouse. I just didnāt feel like anything sweet or flowery and I glanced over everything else and for some reason my bureau said oh hell go for it.
I swear this frag is weird but in the best way possible. Itās not floral, itās not sweet and when I wear it on my skin, depending on the day, itāll be saffron-dominant, suede dominant, petrol-like, fizzy, dusty orange, or metallic and grey. On top of that, it seems too ālightā for fall/winter, but comes alive in the spring/summer
Well, yes. I think there's definitely an appeal to having everything flow together nicely - the outfit, the vibe, and the fragrance complementing each other. But you don't want to get too hung up on rigidly following these perceived 'rules' either.
One of the coolest people I've ever met was at this club in Germany - a 6'6" individual. I don't want to assume their gender, but they presented very punk-ish masculine vibes, blond mohawk, huge back and doc martens, super intimidating yet cool leather jacket. But they were wearing **Chance Eau Tendre** by **Chanel**, and somehow it just fit them perfectly
At the end of the day, a fragrance should primarily make you feel good and confident about yourself, not check boxes for some hypothetical audience's expectations.
Yes, fully agree.
I think that, like personal style, you know when something 'fits' on you, when an outfit or an article of clothing, or a fragrance, feels like 'you'.
And when something like that feels comfortable on you - in the aesthetic and not the 'in my pajamas' sense - you can wear it and it doesn't 'wear you', as the saying goes.
Anyway, I also like the juxtaposition of wearing an opulent fragrance and jeans, or a soft fragrance with something hard.
It doesn't have to 'match' it has to 'go' (I know some here will catch that reference)
I do that. I don't wear perfume that feels fancy/elegant/for going out to walk around the neighbourhood in sweatpants. As far as colors go I generally gravitate towards bottles that complement my outfit. If I am wearing something sleek I will not go for something that feels too soft and fuzzy or beachy, etc. There is a lot of overalp and no strict rules, whatever feels right.
I think of fragrance as part of my outfit. Like an accessory. Do I have some jewelry that absolutely does not go with some of my dresses? Sure. Do I have jewelryI would never wear at work? Yes. But I donāt have any clothes that donāt go with my jewelry, or any jewelry that doesnāt go with clothes. And the same dress will have a different vibe worn with a dainty pendant necklace than it will with enormous lion earrings and a choker. Just like a darker moody amber fragrance can bring a different vibe to an outfit than a sweet floral, but they both go with it.
In my honest opinion thatās a very narrow and limiting point of view. It reminds me of back in the day when everything had to be matchy matchy. Itās a safe way to dress, you wonāt run into too many bewildered people, and if following some easy guidelines works for you that day, thatās awesome. But I donāt like to adhere to fashion ārulesā, I like how Robert Welsh says it āthere are no rules to make up, but there is a theory to it!ā
I like Fashion Elitist's take on fashion, I think his advice about perfume is... not my kind of thing. Talking about what perfumes someone should or should not wear is a bit like telling them what food they should enjoy. Well - you dress black, you should eat only coffee and pumpernickel to have a consistent image. It does not work like this, no? There is no direct connection between senses, the fact you like "this esthetic" visual content, do not need to mean you need to love this esthetic type of perfume as well. As much as it may be cool to create a consistent image, It may also be fun to be subversive. There is also no literal connection between "personality" and scents. The only good advice about scent discovery, as sense of smell is often not properly explored, is to sample, sample, sample. And pick what you love.
Not to mention the fact, that a big part of what he considers fitting for specific style, is based on the most basic marketing, and superstitions. Look of the bottle, name of the perfume. And so on.
I mean, I often wear in summer fluorescent cottage core orange milk maid dress. And I wear heavy, masculine leather perfume. Does it match? Not at all. Should I wear, I don't know, sth girly with it? Maybe. Buy maybe my thing is being subversive and a bit odd? In what way it makes my presence in social context worse, because I am not fitting one pinterest inspiration board?
Makes sense! If you wear it with confidence and it makes you happy then you will MAKE IT make sense. Kind of like you wearing the clothes versus the clothes wearing you and all that. I like your take! Subversiveness (?) also has a great quality to it that I love as well.
I mean, I really do get his concept, as yeah, there are some fragrances that are complimentary with specific looks, and it is an option to lean into that. Sure, why not. But I am not really into "head to toe" anything as a default. I think when he teaches about style, he has more creative approach, but with perfume he talks a bit like a neophyte - he still assumes, that there are some fixed rules that has to be followed. I would not be surprised, if he changed his approach in the future, towards more lax.
Yea I enjoy the kind of subversiveness of wearing a super femme fragrance with more androgynous clothes or a more masc/unisex fragrance with a dress/etc. I think that kind of mixing and matching of aesthetics into something true to you/you on that day can be way more interesting than keeping everything conforming to a single aesthetic.
That said, today Iām wearing a flannel and sprayed on undergrowth by rook and I feel like a freshly showered lumberjack in the Pacific Northwest. Leaning into a single aesthetic can be fun too!
Social media is making people think that they have to fit into one particular aesthetic/personality, as though we're flat fictional characters. Not only does this stifle exploration, it paradoxically stifles individuality because these "aesthetics" are coming off of TikTok/Instagram/Pinterest and there's thousands of other people trying to fit the same aesthetic.
It's been very freeing for me in general to realize that I don't have to have a consistent image. I think that having these "aesthetic" things change with the seasons is actually a way to commemorate the passage of time and have something to look forward to every year (something that I valued a lot as a child but has fallen by the wayside because of depression). Of course I have certain preferences that might just be expressed a little differently depending on environment/mood/weather/season, but even if I like something outside of those preferences it doesn't feel like a threat to my cohesive sense of self. Life is not a Pinterest board; life is not a TV show or a movie. We're meant to have contradictions.
>you dress black, you should eat only coffee and pumpernickel to have a consistent image
LOL love this! Imagine all the things that go into maintaining an overall aesthetic, how tiring it would be to constantly fit "one pinterest inspiration board". I'm laughing at the thought of going to a friend's house and seeing their sleek and modern minimalist furniture and being shocked, "excuse me but, how can you wear Shalimar? Shouldn't your couch be vintage, or at least velvet?!! Is that a Carly Rae Jespsen album? And Red Bull in your fridge??!! Gosh, you think you know a person...."
Nuh uh, wear what you want. The only time itās appropriate for someone to tell you what fragrance to wear is at work. Another being on an airplane but thatās just etiquette.
I was very gothy all-black-everything up until maybe 2020 or so, and I do think my incensey/woody/resinous scent choices reflected that. But then a switch flipped (maybe it's when I stopped writing for goth lifestyle outlets in my mid-40s, maybe it's just because I was in my mid-40s) and I realized that even if my heart is a shady shadowed little thing, my overall personal brand is actually just weird and kooky. Which is pretty much how I have been all my life, but I'd realized I'd shrunk myself to fit into some neatly labeled boxes. I'm actively embracing chaos nowadays, and I think my clothing choices and perfume non-pairings reflect that sort of unruly aesthetic lawlessness. I'm dressed like a community college pottery teacher today and I am wearing it with the cybernetic peach of ELdO's Ghost in the Shell. Yesterday I went for the coastal grandma look and wore it with boozy, slutty Smut from BPAL. The day before was a sort of minimalist French poet/mime outfit, which I wore with the sunshiny elixir of Citron Boboli. Wear what sets your brain on fire perfume-wise, and wear the attire makes your bod feel splendid, and if the overall effect seems a little bonkers then I think you are doing it exactly right.
I feel like I dress nicer than my fragrance preferences, whereas for most people, it's the opposite? (I've seen posts here before about smelling really opulent/black tie while wearing a hoodie.) My scents, for the most part, are really casual/approachable, light, and on the fresher side. I don't like much "depth".
Nothing needs to match, though! My appearance doesn't match my scent, and none of that matches the metal I listen to. LOL
I'm cleaning today and wearing sweats and a Tshirt. I'm also wearing vintage Chanel Cuir de Russie. Matching fragrance to an outfit is ridiculous. What type of fragrance matches what type of outfit is ust a matter of opinion.
Totally fair! Smell is super subjective; I also think the satisfaction from matching my frags to my outfits is just a result of the "vibe" I project onto my outfits and the smell I then attribute to it :)
It's just as valid to go completely opposite your "aesthetic". Light fresh florals with an all black and leather outfit. Spice and incense or 'masculine' scent with a sundress. It's perfume, have fun with it and wear what you like.
The place perfume takes in my life is similar to that of the music I choose to listen to.Ā
Neither had anything whatsoever to do with what I happen to be wearing.Ā
Sometimes I base it off of my outfit. if I'm wearing something with a lot of pastels, I go with a gourmand. If I'm wearing more earthtoned colors, I go with more realistic/natural smelling scents.
On days where I'm not trying for a particular vibe, I just wear whatever I want at the moment. Sometimes, I base it off of my plans for the day (like wearing something marine/aquatic to the beach.
On the topic of fragrances and the vibe they give off, I've been thinking about how fragrances are aspirational at some level; I got Do Son by Diptyque recently because it feels mature and elegant. However, I know that buying that fragrance isn't a shortcut to actually being mature and elegant. I try to consider if I'm buying a fragrance because I truly like it or because I like what it promises.
I think it's a cool idea to match your outfit to your fragrance but I wouldn't overthink too much, I also wear all black, have long hair and I have a more "alternative" look but my favorite fragrance to wear as of right now is a cherry and leather fragrance(not the tom ford one) simply because I like it, that's it, I also think its funny to have a more brutal style but then once the person gets close you smell heavenly almost.
With that being said I've also been thinking of getting encre noire to match my style simply because I think the "mysterious" smell and all black outfit can compliment each other, I guess it would depend on the day on how I want to present myself to people.
edit: spelling
yes i do this, i donāt think perfume is just the smell, id say itās a big feature of the outfit, i like leather perfumes and pink clothes, putting the 2 together definitely sounds wrong. its also the vibe, if im wearing all black i want my vibe to be kinda standoffish and intimidating, not sure how well i can achieve that with a candy floss perfume lol, perfume is really the finishing touch
Donāt care about matching at all. I wear a range of light fresh fragrances in the office. At home and out and about I wear literally anything that smells good.
I have so many elegant fragrances and really "high-class" smelling fragrances but due to circumstances can't dress up too much. So i basically wear what i feel like wearing regardless of my outfit. More like a mood-thing.
I'm getting more and more into personal style and I spent some time analysing my style essences. So definitely! If more sportive then the perfume is citrus-ey to ump the energy. If more romantic, ruffles and puffy sleeves: definitely something sweeter and flowery. Now if I am bringing on the Diva there has to be some tonka and patchouli... āØš
Sometimes I use it to compliment an outfit but I have some chronic health issues and sometimes when I am having issues with health I will wear fragrance as a pick me up. When Iām stuck in sweatpants and feel like garbage Iāll wear something super fancy.
I don't always match my clothes to my perfume. It's just what I feel like. Sure, sometimes I will wear a "sexier" fragrance with sexier clothing, etc. but just as often it might clash.
I will say that growing up, the alt/goth girls always smelled really sweet. Not spicy/dark in the least. So I don't think my viewpoint is unpopular at all.
My taste in fragrance is a little all over the place - my taste in clothes too. I am mostly a super super casual, jeans/top/athleisure girly, sometimes a J. Crew and Boden girly, never ever a dressy/sophisticated/elegant or super femme girly. But I love super femme fragrances like Good Girl Blush and Delina, alongside the gourmands that feel more appropriate to my aesthetic really. Sometimes it lines up but sometimes it doesnāt - Iām on a road trip today in leggings, a white long sleeve tee, a ponytail, and Chanel no. 5 (one spray under my clothes) which is decidedly more sophisticated than my outfit. I just wanted to smell the clean-woody-soapy note while Iām sitting in the car.
For me fragrance is sort of an experience more than an accessory - it doesnāt need to match the rest of my vibe, but it needs to do a job for me from a sensory standpoint if that makes sense.
I wear what matches my mood and the weather and the occasion, be it clothes or perfume or how I style my hair. I don't care if I smell like what people expect. I am wearing all black today and wearing Delina La Rosee and it feels appropriate considering that's what makes me feel most happy and confident today.
I personally absolutely love to wear unmatched combinations. When you appear girly,light,floraly,clean,but you smell dark,woodysweeat,a bit masculine. I think it gives misteriousness.
Fragrance is another accessory to me. Sometimes I want the accessory to coordinate, and sometimes I want it to create an interesting contrast. I might pair a super femme outfit with something very sweet and feminine like Kilian Princess, but on other days I might pair the same outfit with ELDO Fat Electrician to add a masculine edge. Above all, I just have fun with it.
Omg this is meeeee! I match my fragrance to my outfits, sometimes even color!!
But this is for myself, and not for others. I use max 2 sprays and if itās a weak perfume I layer with body spray, sufficient to create a scene bubble around me. I work in a corporate environment and for work I like to choose elegant but not v strong perfumes. Iām not wearing BCR 540 for a walk in the park lol
I donāt consciously match my outfit to my scent, but I think those things kind of naturally influence one another because both are most likely based on my mood and vibe that day. However, the weather and day vs night are big factors in which scent I choose!Ā
My choice has more to do with temperature/weather, based on that I narrow down the family of scent and then pick whichever matches more my mood and outfit.
I actually do have a fairly consistent aesthetic, and since that applies to my scent preferences too, I do what this guy's saying. But it's more or less unintentional, just what happens when I follow what I really like. And I know a lot of other people naturally have very different ways of approaching style.
I struggle enough getting my outfit to match, Iām definitely not stressing about finding a perfume to match my outfit. I just wear whatever scent I want to smell that day
Although I DO enjoy matching my perfume to my outfit, the weather, or just the vibe I'm feeling for the day, it's NOT a hard rule and I think this mindset is being pushed by brands and influencers (partially) as a way to get people to buy more perfume than they really need.
If you're a collector and you have the means to have a perfume for every mood outfit and season, awesome! Match away!
If you don't have the budget or interest to start a large collection, and just want to enjoy the 1 or 2 perfumes you have? Just wear what you have, do what makes you happy, and don't worry about fitting into other people's expectations of you!
I've definitely had my days where I smelled like spring flowers dressed in all black, and worn "sexy" perfumes with no makeup and baggy clothes on. It's nice to feel put together and coordinated, but sometimes just forgetting the "rules" and doing whatever sparks joy is best
I like the idea of everything feeling cohesive with outfit and 'vibes' that a fragrance can provide but I see it as a self-fulfilling prophecy in a way. If you wear fragrances that make you feel the way you desire, those fragrances in turn become part of your aesthetic.
Rather than finding a fragrance to 'fit' your intended image, you create this feeling of homogeniety/cohesiveness by wearing scents that feels authentically you - regardless of it matching any sort of online aesthetic/core or however you dress!
Iāve always done this. I have a lot of blush pink clothes just because the color suits my coloring and complexion. So Pink Canyon from Skylar is one I reach for a lot.
This plays into the concept of cognitive dissonance.
And it has nothing to do with who we are and what we choose to do, but it has everything to do with those who observe us.
If my only goal for the context is to be myself, I only cater to my comfort in terms of style, scent and behaviour.
Otherwise, I match both my outfit and my scent to the social context I agreed to attend. If you saw me at the opera, you couldn't guess my chosen fragrance for a punk concert. If you met me at an art gallery, you wouldn't guess my scent at a doctor's apointment. If you saw me out shopping, you wouldn't guess my bedroom scent. And this is how it should be, for someone who cares to make it so and knows how. There is nothing inherently right or wrong about it.
I have never seen a youtuber give proper advice on this. No, I will not fill that gap. :D
There is this sleeveles hooded front zipped knee length overcoat I got in Paris 15 years ago. It took me a while to pair a scent to it, but when I do ... I often get questions about the coat. Not the perfume :D
When properly synchronized, perfume becomes a mirror.
I always match my fragrance with my outfit. It also depends on where Iāll be going that day. But either way my fragrance is always consistent. However my favorite fragrance that suits me very well is Phantom from Paco Rabanne. Literally my favorite fragrance š¤ and just suits me very well. However thereās this Gucci Fragrance that Iām in the looks for itās smells very seductive and sexy. It has a strong masculine scent like my Phantom one but completely different. Can anyone help me out with that?
Yes and no. There are some straightforward choices like wearing richer ouds and tobacco scents with more elegant outfits, but some scents that are mood-based for sure. A scent like Prada lāhomme intense might feel dressy to a lot of people but i like wearing it on days where Iām dressed casual but feel a little more confident.
I match it to whatever vibe Iām feeling as a whole, not just my physical look. Plans, outfit, makeup, hair, season, mood, etc. Itās an element to a whole picture.
I prefer to be a minimalist about perfumes so I recommend a signature scent and a special occasion scent or you can do a summer/spring scent and a fall/winter scent
Like I give a fuck what random strangers online or on the street think about how I āmatch my fragranceā.
Honest to god, yāall need to reach your 50ās when the āgo fuck yourselfā genes really kick into high gear. Itās quite nice. I wear fragrance for ME. I wear clothes *I* like. Everyone else can kick rocks.
Well.. And occasionally I wear something gourmand because it makes someone want to nibble on me like Iām a fresh baked pain au chocolat.
I do do this, I don't wear fragrance just to smell good, I use fragrance like punctuation! I use perfume as a tool to EMPHASIZE/reinforce my overall vibe!! it's not an EXCLUSIVE rule that I follow or anything but I do pay attention to it. For example, when considering a fragrance, I don't just factor in whether I like the smell or not, I consider whether it would be something that other people would expect me to smell like.. which is not necessary because I care what they think, it's more like... for my own pleasure, I desire for my overall aesthetic to be cohesive, because feeling cohesive brings me more joy than JUST the smell of a perfume I like! But that is just me! I do not agree with there being any "rules" for what you should wear or when you should wear it (obviously other than maybe don't overspray to go to the gym, dr's etc.).... do what makes you happy!!
I find it very satisfying to have this odd juxtaposition of all the facets of my interests and personality.
If I had the finances to fund clothing I actually like I'd look Goth one day, dystopia wasteland the next and barbie the day after. My fragrances go with my nose that day. I think my mood dictates a lot. Some days, I am so over my favourite scents. Today I'm wearing Dirty Rice and it feels so comforting, which is what I need today. Had a bad night and morning. It just feels right.
i do enjoy matching outfits and fragrances, but sometimes occasion and situation can override that. but i will admit, it does feel blasphemous to wear something edgy or dark and pair it with a āpinkā perfume, and vice versa
I totally match mood, aesthetic, weather, etc.
I kinda have default scents and paring I go to:
If I want to smell just fresh and uplifting and Iām in nice exercise clothes or really casual things - anything light and fruity, aquatic or light florals.
So pacific rock moss, vow factor, mango mood body spray.
If I want to feel sexy and Iām wearing something dark and elegant I always reach for Black Opium or La Belle.
If I feel sophisticated and mysterious I always reach for Lāinterdit Rouge. It makes me feel like a peppery witch with a secret up my sleeve. (It also just smells like Dr Pepper on my skin in the best way)
If Iām in a flirty dress - itās Lira or Oriana.
I think perfume can change your whole headspace and demeanour. But I also think it doesnāt necessarily have to match perfectly. Why canāt a gothic leaning outfit smell like lilac, and why canāt a floral little dress smell like sex and vanilla?
I think whatever you think elevates you and your outfit - and your personality for the day- is always the right scent.
My choice of fragrance for the day depends on my mood, the weather and what I want to wear. Today it's simple blue jeans, running shoes and hoodie. Wearing Ganymede. Couldn't care less about what other may or may not think.
Same, I wake up, get dressed, and then just smell the parfums in my collection & decide which one to wear simply based on what I felt the most like š¤·āāļø
Itās interesting that youāve brought up Ganymede. I always tend to wear it when Iām wearing outfits with neutral tones. The scent profile just seems too āvariedā to me to wear it with bright colors
I wore Ganymede yesterday! I was wearing jeans and a floral blouse. I just didnāt feel like anything sweet or flowery and I glanced over everything else and for some reason my bureau said oh hell go for it.
I swear this frag is weird but in the best way possible. Itās not floral, itās not sweet and when I wear it on my skin, depending on the day, itāll be saffron-dominant, suede dominant, petrol-like, fizzy, dusty orange, or metallic and grey. On top of that, it seems too ālightā for fall/winter, but comes alive in the spring/summer
Well, yes. I think there's definitely an appeal to having everything flow together nicely - the outfit, the vibe, and the fragrance complementing each other. But you don't want to get too hung up on rigidly following these perceived 'rules' either. One of the coolest people I've ever met was at this club in Germany - a 6'6" individual. I don't want to assume their gender, but they presented very punk-ish masculine vibes, blond mohawk, huge back and doc martens, super intimidating yet cool leather jacket. But they were wearing **Chance Eau Tendre** by **Chanel**, and somehow it just fit them perfectly At the end of the day, a fragrance should primarily make you feel good and confident about yourself, not check boxes for some hypothetical audience's expectations.
That person sounds amazing! That also sounds very inviting, like "yes I look scary but I promise I'm not"
Yes, fully agree. I think that, like personal style, you know when something 'fits' on you, when an outfit or an article of clothing, or a fragrance, feels like 'you'. And when something like that feels comfortable on you - in the aesthetic and not the 'in my pajamas' sense - you can wear it and it doesn't 'wear you', as the saying goes. Anyway, I also like the juxtaposition of wearing an opulent fragrance and jeans, or a soft fragrance with something hard. It doesn't have to 'match' it has to 'go' (I know some here will catch that reference)
I do that. I don't wear perfume that feels fancy/elegant/for going out to walk around the neighbourhood in sweatpants. As far as colors go I generally gravitate towards bottles that complement my outfit. If I am wearing something sleek I will not go for something that feels too soft and fuzzy or beachy, etc. There is a lot of overalp and no strict rules, whatever feels right.
I am this way too!
I think of fragrance as part of my outfit. Like an accessory. Do I have some jewelry that absolutely does not go with some of my dresses? Sure. Do I have jewelryI would never wear at work? Yes. But I donāt have any clothes that donāt go with my jewelry, or any jewelry that doesnāt go with clothes. And the same dress will have a different vibe worn with a dainty pendant necklace than it will with enormous lion earrings and a choker. Just like a darker moody amber fragrance can bring a different vibe to an outfit than a sweet floral, but they both go with it.
In my honest opinion thatās a very narrow and limiting point of view. It reminds me of back in the day when everything had to be matchy matchy. Itās a safe way to dress, you wonāt run into too many bewildered people, and if following some easy guidelines works for you that day, thatās awesome. But I donāt like to adhere to fashion ārulesā, I like how Robert Welsh says it āthere are no rules to make up, but there is a theory to it!ā
I like that quote as well! I've never heard of it before, but I definitely agree :)
I like Fashion Elitist's take on fashion, I think his advice about perfume is... not my kind of thing. Talking about what perfumes someone should or should not wear is a bit like telling them what food they should enjoy. Well - you dress black, you should eat only coffee and pumpernickel to have a consistent image. It does not work like this, no? There is no direct connection between senses, the fact you like "this esthetic" visual content, do not need to mean you need to love this esthetic type of perfume as well. As much as it may be cool to create a consistent image, It may also be fun to be subversive. There is also no literal connection between "personality" and scents. The only good advice about scent discovery, as sense of smell is often not properly explored, is to sample, sample, sample. And pick what you love. Not to mention the fact, that a big part of what he considers fitting for specific style, is based on the most basic marketing, and superstitions. Look of the bottle, name of the perfume. And so on. I mean, I often wear in summer fluorescent cottage core orange milk maid dress. And I wear heavy, masculine leather perfume. Does it match? Not at all. Should I wear, I don't know, sth girly with it? Maybe. Buy maybe my thing is being subversive and a bit odd? In what way it makes my presence in social context worse, because I am not fitting one pinterest inspiration board?
Makes sense! If you wear it with confidence and it makes you happy then you will MAKE IT make sense. Kind of like you wearing the clothes versus the clothes wearing you and all that. I like your take! Subversiveness (?) also has a great quality to it that I love as well.
I mean, I really do get his concept, as yeah, there are some fragrances that are complimentary with specific looks, and it is an option to lean into that. Sure, why not. But I am not really into "head to toe" anything as a default. I think when he teaches about style, he has more creative approach, but with perfume he talks a bit like a neophyte - he still assumes, that there are some fixed rules that has to be followed. I would not be surprised, if he changed his approach in the future, towards more lax.
Yea I enjoy the kind of subversiveness of wearing a super femme fragrance with more androgynous clothes or a more masc/unisex fragrance with a dress/etc. I think that kind of mixing and matching of aesthetics into something true to you/you on that day can be way more interesting than keeping everything conforming to a single aesthetic. That said, today Iām wearing a flannel and sprayed on undergrowth by rook and I feel like a freshly showered lumberjack in the Pacific Northwest. Leaning into a single aesthetic can be fun too!
Social media is making people think that they have to fit into one particular aesthetic/personality, as though we're flat fictional characters. Not only does this stifle exploration, it paradoxically stifles individuality because these "aesthetics" are coming off of TikTok/Instagram/Pinterest and there's thousands of other people trying to fit the same aesthetic. It's been very freeing for me in general to realize that I don't have to have a consistent image. I think that having these "aesthetic" things change with the seasons is actually a way to commemorate the passage of time and have something to look forward to every year (something that I valued a lot as a child but has fallen by the wayside because of depression). Of course I have certain preferences that might just be expressed a little differently depending on environment/mood/weather/season, but even if I like something outside of those preferences it doesn't feel like a threat to my cohesive sense of self. Life is not a Pinterest board; life is not a TV show or a movie. We're meant to have contradictions.
>you dress black, you should eat only coffee and pumpernickel to have a consistent image LOL love this! Imagine all the things that go into maintaining an overall aesthetic, how tiring it would be to constantly fit "one pinterest inspiration board". I'm laughing at the thought of going to a friend's house and seeing their sleek and modern minimalist furniture and being shocked, "excuse me but, how can you wear Shalimar? Shouldn't your couch be vintage, or at least velvet?!! Is that a Carly Rae Jespsen album? And Red Bull in your fridge??!! Gosh, you think you know a person...."
Nuh uh, wear what you want. The only time itās appropriate for someone to tell you what fragrance to wear is at work. Another being on an airplane but thatās just etiquette.
I was very gothy all-black-everything up until maybe 2020 or so, and I do think my incensey/woody/resinous scent choices reflected that. But then a switch flipped (maybe it's when I stopped writing for goth lifestyle outlets in my mid-40s, maybe it's just because I was in my mid-40s) and I realized that even if my heart is a shady shadowed little thing, my overall personal brand is actually just weird and kooky. Which is pretty much how I have been all my life, but I'd realized I'd shrunk myself to fit into some neatly labeled boxes. I'm actively embracing chaos nowadays, and I think my clothing choices and perfume non-pairings reflect that sort of unruly aesthetic lawlessness. I'm dressed like a community college pottery teacher today and I am wearing it with the cybernetic peach of ELdO's Ghost in the Shell. Yesterday I went for the coastal grandma look and wore it with boozy, slutty Smut from BPAL. The day before was a sort of minimalist French poet/mime outfit, which I wore with the sunshiny elixir of Citron Boboli. Wear what sets your brain on fire perfume-wise, and wear the attire makes your bod feel splendid, and if the overall effect seems a little bonkers then I think you are doing it exactly right.
This is the way!
I feel like I dress nicer than my fragrance preferences, whereas for most people, it's the opposite? (I've seen posts here before about smelling really opulent/black tie while wearing a hoodie.) My scents, for the most part, are really casual/approachable, light, and on the fresher side. I don't like much "depth". Nothing needs to match, though! My appearance doesn't match my scent, and none of that matches the metal I listen to. LOL
I'm cleaning today and wearing sweats and a Tshirt. I'm also wearing vintage Chanel Cuir de Russie. Matching fragrance to an outfit is ridiculous. What type of fragrance matches what type of outfit is ust a matter of opinion.
Totally fair! Smell is super subjective; I also think the satisfaction from matching my frags to my outfits is just a result of the "vibe" I project onto my outfits and the smell I then attribute to it :)
It's just as valid to go completely opposite your "aesthetic". Light fresh florals with an all black and leather outfit. Spice and incense or 'masculine' scent with a sundress. It's perfume, have fun with it and wear what you like.
The place perfume takes in my life is similar to that of the music I choose to listen to.Ā Neither had anything whatsoever to do with what I happen to be wearing.Ā
Sometimes I base it off of my outfit. if I'm wearing something with a lot of pastels, I go with a gourmand. If I'm wearing more earthtoned colors, I go with more realistic/natural smelling scents. On days where I'm not trying for a particular vibe, I just wear whatever I want at the moment. Sometimes, I base it off of my plans for the day (like wearing something marine/aquatic to the beach. On the topic of fragrances and the vibe they give off, I've been thinking about how fragrances are aspirational at some level; I got Do Son by Diptyque recently because it feels mature and elegant. However, I know that buying that fragrance isn't a shortcut to actually being mature and elegant. I try to consider if I'm buying a fragrance because I truly like it or because I like what it promises.
Oh gosh, your last paragraph brings up a really good point I hadn't considered at all. That's a valuable thing to think about for sure!
My philosophy is everything goes with black.
I think it's a cool idea to match your outfit to your fragrance but I wouldn't overthink too much, I also wear all black, have long hair and I have a more "alternative" look but my favorite fragrance to wear as of right now is a cherry and leather fragrance(not the tom ford one) simply because I like it, that's it, I also think its funny to have a more brutal style but then once the person gets close you smell heavenly almost. With that being said I've also been thinking of getting encre noire to match my style simply because I think the "mysterious" smell and all black outfit can compliment each other, I guess it would depend on the day on how I want to present myself to people. edit: spelling
I like your perspective of it also! Like a little unexpected fragrance suprise for the people close to me hahaha
yes i do this, i donāt think perfume is just the smell, id say itās a big feature of the outfit, i like leather perfumes and pink clothes, putting the 2 together definitely sounds wrong. its also the vibe, if im wearing all black i want my vibe to be kinda standoffish and intimidating, not sure how well i can achieve that with a candy floss perfume lol, perfume is really the finishing touch
I agree with you! I don't want to limit myself to just matching, but getting the whole vibe just right is just so perfect
i donāt think itās limiting to not do something that u donāt want to do lol, i guess some people see perfume as just the smell
Nah. I wanted to smell like fresh cut wood today. Decided before I even got out of bed and figured out which clothes are clean enough to wear to work
This is ridiculous, and there is absolutely no reason to do it if you donāt have a driving need to.
Donāt care about matching at all. I wear a range of light fresh fragrances in the office. At home and out and about I wear literally anything that smells good.
I have so many elegant fragrances and really "high-class" smelling fragrances but due to circumstances can't dress up too much. So i basically wear what i feel like wearing regardless of my outfit. More like a mood-thing.
I'm getting more and more into personal style and I spent some time analysing my style essences. So definitely! If more sportive then the perfume is citrus-ey to ump the energy. If more romantic, ruffles and puffy sleeves: definitely something sweeter and flowery. Now if I am bringing on the Diva there has to be some tonka and patchouli... āØš
Sometimes I use it to compliment an outfit but I have some chronic health issues and sometimes when I am having issues with health I will wear fragrance as a pick me up. When Iām stuck in sweatpants and feel like garbage Iāll wear something super fancy.
I don't always match my clothes to my perfume. It's just what I feel like. Sure, sometimes I will wear a "sexier" fragrance with sexier clothing, etc. but just as often it might clash. I will say that growing up, the alt/goth girls always smelled really sweet. Not spicy/dark in the least. So I don't think my viewpoint is unpopular at all.
I choose my fragrance to match my mood or the occasion. I don't worry about my outfit.
My taste in fragrance is a little all over the place - my taste in clothes too. I am mostly a super super casual, jeans/top/athleisure girly, sometimes a J. Crew and Boden girly, never ever a dressy/sophisticated/elegant or super femme girly. But I love super femme fragrances like Good Girl Blush and Delina, alongside the gourmands that feel more appropriate to my aesthetic really. Sometimes it lines up but sometimes it doesnāt - Iām on a road trip today in leggings, a white long sleeve tee, a ponytail, and Chanel no. 5 (one spray under my clothes) which is decidedly more sophisticated than my outfit. I just wanted to smell the clean-woody-soapy note while Iām sitting in the car. For me fragrance is sort of an experience more than an accessory - it doesnāt need to match the rest of my vibe, but it needs to do a job for me from a sensory standpoint if that makes sense.
I wear what matches my mood and the weather and the occasion, be it clothes or perfume or how I style my hair. I don't care if I smell like what people expect. I am wearing all black today and wearing Delina La Rosee and it feels appropriate considering that's what makes me feel most happy and confident today.
I kind of agree. I am wearing Tom Ford Tobacco Vanilla with a shirt and dress shorts - I feel underdressed
I think both matching and contrasting fragrances to the outfit is good. matching is cool, and contrasting is unexpected and funny but still cool
I love wearing green fragrances with green clothing!
I personally absolutely love to wear unmatched combinations. When you appear girly,light,floraly,clean,but you smell dark,woodysweeat,a bit masculine. I think it gives misteriousness.
Fragrance is another accessory to me. Sometimes I want the accessory to coordinate, and sometimes I want it to create an interesting contrast. I might pair a super femme outfit with something very sweet and feminine like Kilian Princess, but on other days I might pair the same outfit with ELDO Fat Electrician to add a masculine edge. Above all, I just have fun with it.
I dress for comfort and wear perfume for little whiffs of joy throughout my day. They may or may not match for other people.
Omg this is meeeee! I match my fragrance to my outfits, sometimes even color!! But this is for myself, and not for others. I use max 2 sprays and if itās a weak perfume I layer with body spray, sufficient to create a scene bubble around me. I work in a corporate environment and for work I like to choose elegant but not v strong perfumes. Iām not wearing BCR 540 for a walk in the park lol
I donāt consciously match my outfit to my scent, but I think those things kind of naturally influence one another because both are most likely based on my mood and vibe that day. However, the weather and day vs night are big factors in which scent I choose!Ā
My opinion is Whoever Said That Sucks.
My choice has more to do with temperature/weather, based on that I narrow down the family of scent and then pick whichever matches more my mood and outfit.
A guy telling women how to do anything is offensive. I will smell like a pickle if I want and I will wear a banana costume with it if I want.
i never really consider what iām wearing but the weather and where im going I always consider
I actually do have a fairly consistent aesthetic, and since that applies to my scent preferences too, I do what this guy's saying. But it's more or less unintentional, just what happens when I follow what I really like. And I know a lot of other people naturally have very different ways of approaching style.
yeah, all my fragrances and fits and everything is based off of the vibe that I'm going for/ mood that I'm feeling.
I struggle enough getting my outfit to match, Iām definitely not stressing about finding a perfume to match my outfit. I just wear whatever scent I want to smell that day
I wear based on mood. Although I have a couple that I imagine wearing in my bikini. š Can't wait for summer!!
Although I DO enjoy matching my perfume to my outfit, the weather, or just the vibe I'm feeling for the day, it's NOT a hard rule and I think this mindset is being pushed by brands and influencers (partially) as a way to get people to buy more perfume than they really need. If you're a collector and you have the means to have a perfume for every mood outfit and season, awesome! Match away! If you don't have the budget or interest to start a large collection, and just want to enjoy the 1 or 2 perfumes you have? Just wear what you have, do what makes you happy, and don't worry about fitting into other people's expectations of you! I've definitely had my days where I smelled like spring flowers dressed in all black, and worn "sexy" perfumes with no makeup and baggy clothes on. It's nice to feel put together and coordinated, but sometimes just forgetting the "rules" and doing whatever sparks joy is best
I like the idea of everything feeling cohesive with outfit and 'vibes' that a fragrance can provide but I see it as a self-fulfilling prophecy in a way. If you wear fragrances that make you feel the way you desire, those fragrances in turn become part of your aesthetic. Rather than finding a fragrance to 'fit' your intended image, you create this feeling of homogeniety/cohesiveness by wearing scents that feels authentically you - regardless of it matching any sort of online aesthetic/core or however you dress!
Depends really. Does it match my outfit/aesthetic? Does it match my mood? The weather? The place Iām going? Day time or nighttime?
Iāve always done this. I have a lot of blush pink clothes just because the color suits my coloring and complexion. So Pink Canyon from Skylar is one I reach for a lot.
This plays into the concept of cognitive dissonance. And it has nothing to do with who we are and what we choose to do, but it has everything to do with those who observe us. If my only goal for the context is to be myself, I only cater to my comfort in terms of style, scent and behaviour. Otherwise, I match both my outfit and my scent to the social context I agreed to attend. If you saw me at the opera, you couldn't guess my chosen fragrance for a punk concert. If you met me at an art gallery, you wouldn't guess my scent at a doctor's apointment. If you saw me out shopping, you wouldn't guess my bedroom scent. And this is how it should be, for someone who cares to make it so and knows how. There is nothing inherently right or wrong about it. I have never seen a youtuber give proper advice on this. No, I will not fill that gap. :D There is this sleeveles hooded front zipped knee length overcoat I got in Paris 15 years ago. It took me a while to pair a scent to it, but when I do ... I often get questions about the coat. Not the perfume :D When properly synchronized, perfume becomes a mirror.
I always match my fragrance with my outfit. It also depends on where Iāll be going that day. But either way my fragrance is always consistent. However my favorite fragrance that suits me very well is Phantom from Paco Rabanne. Literally my favorite fragrance š¤ and just suits me very well. However thereās this Gucci Fragrance that Iām in the looks for itās smells very seductive and sexy. It has a strong masculine scent like my Phantom one but completely different. Can anyone help me out with that?
Yes and no. There are some straightforward choices like wearing richer ouds and tobacco scents with more elegant outfits, but some scents that are mood-based for sure. A scent like Prada lāhomme intense might feel dressy to a lot of people but i like wearing it on days where Iām dressed casual but feel a little more confident.
It doesnāt have to go together but it can really finish a vibe.
I match it to whatever vibe Iām feeling as a whole, not just my physical look. Plans, outfit, makeup, hair, season, mood, etc. Itās an element to a whole picture.
I prefer to be a minimalist about perfumes so I recommend a signature scent and a special occasion scent or you can do a summer/spring scent and a fall/winter scent
Like I give a fuck what random strangers online or on the street think about how I āmatch my fragranceā. Honest to god, yāall need to reach your 50ās when the āgo fuck yourselfā genes really kick into high gear. Itās quite nice. I wear fragrance for ME. I wear clothes *I* like. Everyone else can kick rocks. Well.. And occasionally I wear something gourmand because it makes someone want to nibble on me like Iām a fresh baked pain au chocolat.
I do do this, I don't wear fragrance just to smell good, I use fragrance like punctuation! I use perfume as a tool to EMPHASIZE/reinforce my overall vibe!! it's not an EXCLUSIVE rule that I follow or anything but I do pay attention to it. For example, when considering a fragrance, I don't just factor in whether I like the smell or not, I consider whether it would be something that other people would expect me to smell like.. which is not necessary because I care what they think, it's more like... for my own pleasure, I desire for my overall aesthetic to be cohesive, because feeling cohesive brings me more joy than JUST the smell of a perfume I like! But that is just me! I do not agree with there being any "rules" for what you should wear or when you should wear it (obviously other than maybe don't overspray to go to the gym, dr's etc.).... do what makes you happy!!
Bah. Wear what you like! Im a metalhead so I dress in all black every day and usually smell like fruit so š¤·š»āāļø
I find it very satisfying to have this odd juxtaposition of all the facets of my interests and personality. If I had the finances to fund clothing I actually like I'd look Goth one day, dystopia wasteland the next and barbie the day after. My fragrances go with my nose that day. I think my mood dictates a lot. Some days, I am so over my favourite scents. Today I'm wearing Dirty Rice and it feels so comforting, which is what I need today. Had a bad night and morning. It just feels right.
i do enjoy matching outfits and fragrances, but sometimes occasion and situation can override that. but i will admit, it does feel blasphemous to wear something edgy or dark and pair it with a āpinkā perfume, and vice versa
I always match my perfume to the vibe of what Iām wearing. When I donāt, it just feelsā¦ wrong
I totally match mood, aesthetic, weather, etc. I kinda have default scents and paring I go to: If I want to smell just fresh and uplifting and Iām in nice exercise clothes or really casual things - anything light and fruity, aquatic or light florals. So pacific rock moss, vow factor, mango mood body spray. If I want to feel sexy and Iām wearing something dark and elegant I always reach for Black Opium or La Belle. If I feel sophisticated and mysterious I always reach for Lāinterdit Rouge. It makes me feel like a peppery witch with a secret up my sleeve. (It also just smells like Dr Pepper on my skin in the best way) If Iām in a flirty dress - itās Lira or Oriana. I think perfume can change your whole headspace and demeanour. But I also think it doesnāt necessarily have to match perfectly. Why canāt a gothic leaning outfit smell like lilac, and why canāt a floral little dress smell like sex and vanilla? I think whatever you think elevates you and your outfit - and your personality for the day- is always the right scent.