A white tee is at face value, just a white tee. Layer it under a cozy cashmere? It becomes an accessory. Belts, while technically functional, have adopted a decorative agenda, popping up on totes, shoe buckles, and anywhere except waists; look to Miu Miu and Ganni’s form-over-function approach for proof. Creating an outfit requires the finesse of styling—so why has it taken so long to adopt the same logic to perfumery?
Designing an olfactory personality, a term coined by Guerlain perfumer Delphine Jelk, is a long-overdue perfume application technique that’s just gaining momentum in insider circles. Think of it like the more sophisticated, chicer, and more elegant older sister to fragrance layering. It’s an evolution of the perfume cocktailing experience, treating scent like a complete outfit instead of one, singular statement piece. The principle: spritz multiple perfumes on different areas of the body (and your clothing). “This personalized scent trail is created by combining fragrance, applying one to pulse points, another to your hair, and an all-over scent—perhaps something behind the knees as well,” explains Jelk. This creates an aura around you that is your own bespoke signature.
