Do gender distinctions matter when it comes to fragrance? Not to everyone:
Today industry insiders recognize that to more and more customers, buying fragrance by gender is a notion as quaint as gaiters.
To embrace those consumers, Jo Malone, and houses like Fresh, Creed and Bond No. 9, are simply sidestepping the issue of sex altogether, letting the customer decide what is appropriate. A few of these brands are claiming their own store real estate, a neutral environment set apart from the men's or women's fragrance counters.
Read more in Scent of a Person in the New York Times.
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Thanks for the link, Robin! I liked the article, it's better than most articles I've read on this subject sofar.
Small addition: I'm referring to the NY Times article on gender, by Ruth LaFerla.
I liked it too. This is the 2nd perfume article I've seen by her (perhaps there are more, but I just recently noticed her byline)…hoping this means she'll be a regular scent writer for the NYT.
She writes primarily about fashion. She did the article on Laurice Rahmé and her 'Scent of Peace' (Feb. 23, 2006) and a funny one on sophisticated women indulging in cheap scents (“The Guilty Pleasure of Smelling Like Vanilla and Peach”; June 30, 2005). Earlier articles on perfume are from May 2004 and before that. Her first article for NY Times dates back to 1986… I guess you can say she's been around for a while.
Thanks M. The Bond article was the first time I noticed her name, but I remember the “Guilty Pleasure” article too.