Over the last few months I have become fascinated with perfumes — the science, the history, the subculture. As someone who is neurodivergent, I have a deep-seated attraction to the ‘rabbit holes’ of niche interests, and perfume is an excellent exemplar. I plunged head-first, like Alice, into a wonderful adventure. A couple of things became obvious very quickly. One, I can’t actually wear a lot of perfumes; many of them give me headaches and/or are simply not fragrances I enjoy as part of my day-to-day sensory environment. Two, I don’t like spending a lot of money on perfume, and perfumes tend to cost a lot of money. So I decided to bifurcate my hobby. On one hand, I want to develop my “nose” for scent by testing as many perfumes as I can, and reading up on the history and art of perfumery. On the other hand, I want to curate a small collection of perfumes for personal daily use that suit my olfactory preferences. I’ve been posting about the first project on Instagram, as I go through a bunch of perfume samples I’d accumulated over the years, and some I’ve managed to get my hands on more recently. As for the second project … well, let’s talk about it here.

For the second nostalgic addition to my collection, after Calyx, I chose a perfume I wore obsessively in my early 20s (along with D&G Light Blue): Paco Rabanne Ultraviolet. Launched in 1999, it’s classified as an “amber floral” scent. To me, it’s all violet, all the way. It doesn’t appear to be sold here in stores anymore, but I was able to score a bottle on FragranceNet for about $60CAD. It was my first time ordering through that website, and I was pleased with the experience. The perfume is much as I remember it: a sweet violet bomb. I suppose it’s not very sophisticated; perfume aficionada Tania Sanchez wrote of it that “bathrooms in hell smell like this” which made me laugh because it’s so random and pithy and very par for the course — she and Luca Turin almost inevitably hate every perfume I love (apart from Calyx). Anyway, here are my less pithy thoughts on Ultraviolet:

First impression: sweet violet with a little metallic/peppery tang. There is only minimal progression from this, apart from a slowly developing fruitiness (probably from the apricot and amber notes). It’s a very warm and sweet fragrance, but not cloying — equal parts floral and fruity. The candy-like violet remains center stage throughout. The longevity is quite good: 5+ hours on skin, longer if sprayed on clothes.

It shares some DNA with Lolita Lempicka, but it’s more peppery and violet-y and has no licorice. I recently sniffed a magazine sample of Paco Rabanne Lady Million, and was surprised by a slight similarity to Ultraviolet — Lady Million is like a very toned down, less violety version of it. I will need to test it in person to see if that comparison holds up.

My next “purple” purchase was inspired by my husband. Well, by his signature scent, to be precise. He has been wearing L’Eau de Issey Pour Homme (by Issey Miyake) for more than 20 years — though, like me, he stopped wearing scent on a daily basis in the last 5 or 6 years. Recently, he sprayed some, and I was surprised by how much I loved it … for me! It’s an aquatic fragrance, so no real surprise there, as that’s one of my favourite categories of scents. I decided that I would buy the women’s version, which I figured would smell similar but with a slightly less masculine dry down. (I have since decided that I don’t mind Pour Homme’s dry down.) I’m glad I didn’t end up blind-buying it, though — aka buy without smelling first — because when I randomly stopped in at a Shoppers Drugmart that carried the Issey line, and did an in-person sniff test, I found the women’s L’Eau de Issey to be very different. It smelled much more floral and lacks the yuzu note, which is a shame because that’s my favourite element in the men’s version. But while I was at the store, I tried another Issey perfume and fell in love with it: A Drop d’Issey. This one, too, is more of a “freshie” floral than an aquatic scent, but what makes it irresistible for me — and my husband! — is the lilac note. I ended up getting a bottle from FragranceNet as well, for about $60.

First impressions: lilacs in the breeze. It’s making me think of white sheets billowing on a drying line in a garden filled with lilac trees in bloom on a spring morning. It’s very fresh, not powdery at all. As it develops, the fragrance becomes very creamy (there is an almond milk note that complements the lilac beautifully) but it remains light and fresh. And very lilac-y. I love it. After a couple of hours, on the skin the scent fades to a ‘clean’ white floral not dissimilar from Replica Lazy Sunday Morning. I usually only spray directly on my skin, but one time I accidentally sprayed a bit on my clothes as well, and the lilac note lingered all day; I would get whiffs of it every now and then and it was lovely. A little bit definitely goes a long way if you’re spraying clothes.

OK, so we’ve talked about violets and lilacs, and if I tell you there is one more “purple” scent to mention, what comes to mind? That’s right: iris. I love irises and I find their use in perfumery really fascinating. The smell of actual iris flowers is rather sweet, but what’s often used in perfume is iris root (also known as orris or orris butter) which has a very different scent profile — it’s powdery with hints of earthiness. To recreate the smell of iris flowers, a lot of perfumes add violet notes. My understanding is that, at the molecular level, iris and violet notes are quite similar, being different types of ionones. (Fun fact: ionone comes from the Greek work “iona” which means violet.) Iris perfumes are often described as melancholy which I find strangely irresistible as a concept — don’t ask me why! Maybe it’s a Gen X thing. Anyway. I spent WEEKS researching iris perfumes online with the goal of identifying one perfume that would represent that note in my collection, in a way that most appealed to me. I knew I wanted something that wasn’t too dry and powdery, but rather with at least a hint of sweetness to it. Orris is one of the most expensive perfume components, so most of the perfumes commonly listed as the ‘best’ iris fragrances are expensive ones. For example, Serge Lutens’ Iris Silver Mist tops most of those lists and it costs $300USD for 75 ml — far outside my budget; it’s also not easily accessible to test. I am ok with blind-buying fragrances up to a certain price point, but we are talking, like, $50 here, not $300.

After many deep dives, I finally came up with an candidate that looked to fit my profile and budget. The downside? It had to be a blind buy. And it was a teeeeny bit more expensive than my usual blind buys. Oops.

Yves Rocher is a French cosmetics brand whose perfumes aren’t super well-known here, so it was a bit of random luck that (a) I came across some reviews of Iris Noir, and (b) found a brand new bottle on Poshmark. Doubly so since it’s been discontinued. I paid $65 (all in) for a 50 ml bottle, brand new in its original packaging, which was close enough to my blind buy threshold to be acceptable. The note pyramid listed for Iris Noir is intriguing — top notes of coriander and bergamot, middle notes of iris and ambrette, and base notes of patchouli and tonka — but some of the reviews I found referenced violet as well, which convinced me to pull the trigger. One of the other perfumes I had on my iris shortlist was Guerlain’s Insolence, which also pairs iris and violet, and Iris Noir was described as a similar, less sweet version of that. I was down to take a risk. And it paid off — thank god! I love Iris Noir, though it’s not exactly what I expected.

First impressions: slightly powdery herbal floral. By “herbal” I mean sort of green and rooty. But within seconds, the violet hits. It’s not as sweet (or metallic) as in Ultraviolet, but it’s definitely violet. Early on, it’s more creamy than powdery, and quite warm. Honestly, on me, the balance tips more towards violet than iris, which isn’t a terrible thing because I love that note, but I do wish I could smell more of the iris. After about an hour or so, it does become more powdery, though I can still smell the violet. Longevity is so-so; after a couple of hours, what remains is mostly just a “clean skin” kind of smell.

Overall, to me, Iris Noir is like a more elegant and sophisticated version of Ultraviolet and Lolita Lempicka. I don’t find it particularly melancholy, though it does have a low-key seductive vibe about it. Having since smelled a couple of the other fragrances on my iris/violet shortlist, I can also say that it’s (a) less sweet and more reserved than Insolence, and (b) more sweet and violet-y than Balenciaga Paris, which pairs violet with violet leaf (and carnation) for a different effect — a greener and slightly spicier fragrance. (The difference between violet and violet leaf is an important one if you are researching perfumes based on the notes. Violet leaf is less sweet and more unisex as a scent profile.)

I will have to use Iris Noir judiciously since it is discontinued and my chances of finding another bottle are probably slim, but I’m very happy to have it in my collection for now. I think I am also going to keep looking for a candidate to fill the “melancholy iris” spot in my collection. Any ideas? Leave them in the comments.

Details: GWG vest, Smythe blazer, J. Crew shoes (all thrifted), Ricki’s skirt (retail)

Thoughts: Well, friends, it’s true: I shopped … retail. But hear me out. Do you remember how long I’ve been looking for the perfect voluminous white maxi skirt (or dress)? More than a year. I thrifted a few “compromises” along the way, but they were not 100% right in terms of silhouette. And then! I was at the mall recently on my mission to spend the Simons gift card, and ended up being pulled into a different store by something in the window display. The store was Ricki’s, which I’m fairly certain I haven’t been in for at least a decade. Turns out, they have some very cute stuff! My SIL found an amazing floral coord set (top and skirt) and I found the perfect white skirt … and dress. As you can see, I ended up choosing the skirt, (A) because it had more volume, and (B) because I thought it would be more versatile overall. I was very impressed with the quality given the price point. It’s 100% cotton, and it’s a nice cotton — thick and pretty opaque because, did I mention? It’s also fully lined. And the lining is the same kind of cotton. Honestly, it was unexpected and a very pleasant surprise. The original price was $70 but I got it on sale for 40%, which was an extra pleasant surprise; I felt it was worth its original price, which is rare these days with stuff I see at the mall. I am very happy with this purchase and will happily tempt fate (and put my spill-avoidance skills to the test) by wearing this very white and very fabulous skirt all summer long. This outfit was inspired by something I saw on IG; wearing white and denim is a no-brainer, but I loved the twist of introducing denim via a vest and using a dressier jacket option as a contrast. It turned out so well!

Details: Ardene top (retail), St. John jacket, BDG jeans, vintage belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: OK, the story of this (retail) Ardene top is rather more prosaic than that of the Ricki’s skirt. A friend told me there is an Ardene outlet at the City Centre mall, so on one of my rare in-the-office work days, I went to check it out because my daughter is constantly growing out of her clothes and I’m struggling to find her tween-approved options at the thrift store. I’m not planning to make this a regular thing, but I was desperate to find her some jeans, in particular (she has very specific requirements). I ended up buying her a few pieces, including this ivory crop top which I figured would be an easy summer staple to wear with all her high waisted jeans. And it would be … if she didn’t hate how it fit. Sigh. I refuse to let clothes go to waste, so I took it over. The quality isn’t great but it’s the sort of thing I can easily throw in the washing machine, and it will probably last forever as long as I keep it out of the dryer. Anyway, the rest of the outfit: so cute, right? I got this St. John jacket at a clothing swap a few years back, and it’s finally getting its day in the sun. Its style pairs well with the retro 70s-ish vibe I’ve been feeling lately. Case in point: these jeans. Dressy casual in the best way.

Details: Everlane top, Only & Sons jacket, Fossil belt, Ralph Lauren skirt, Coach bag (all secondhand), Mia shoes (retail)

Thoughts: The weather this spring has been inconsistent, but I refuse to let it stop me from wearing my fave summer pieces. Transitional dressing or bust! Basically, that means wearing my long-sleeve turtlenecks and tights a bit longer than I had hoped, but also means I can wear stuff like this skirt. I consider that a win.

Details: Tahari shirt, Silverado jacket, Frame jeans, vintage belt (all secondhand)

Thoughts: This outfit also ended up having a bit of a 70s vibe, largely thanks to the pants and belt combo, I think. But it felt fresh and not, dare I say it, “dated”. The dreaded verdict, LOL! Which, for the record, I don’t really believe in. A mix of current and vintage pieces will rarely look dated; there is a difference between referencing a particular decade and looking like you walked off the page of history textbook — and, honestly, people worry entirely too much about the latter because you’d have to work quite hard to achieve that effect.

Details: Everlane sweater, Hemant & Nandita jacket, Fossil belt, Ralph Lauren skirt, Coach bag (all secondhand), Mia shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Pulled this old Anthro jacket from the storage closet because it had been sitting there for too long. Time to wear it, or part with it. I felt like this was a good time for that test, because its vibes dovetail nicely with my current style; if I can’t make it work for me now, I probably never will. There are little things about it I don’t love — the sleeves are a bit too long and ‘heavy’ for me, the cut is a bit more boxy than I prefer, and I wish it was a bit shorter/more cropped — but I am giving it a whirl. I played off its colour palette to assemble this outfit, and was not displeased with the result. The experiment continues!

Details: Mexx shirt, Fossil belt, Ralph Lauren skirt, Naturalizer shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Just a quick, easy outfit featuring a couple of fave pieces.

Details: Dries Van Noten dress, Toni T dickie, Lida Baday jacket, Boss belt (all secondhand), Warren Steven Scott earrings

Thoughts: Another piece I recently pulled from my storage closet is this DVN dress. It feels a bit too dressy for my current style (primarily due to the more form-fitting style) but it’s a good length and a fabulous pattern, so it deserves a few wears. I played around a bit to come up with an outfit that felt like “me, now” and I think the result speaks for itself.

As soon as spring began to show signs of springing this year, I also sprung into action planning my annual clothing swap. The last few years, since I turned it into a garden party, I have been hosting the swap in late June or early July to make the most of Edmonton’s nice weather and my blooming plants. But thanks to uncertainties about this year’s wildfire season, I decided to move up the date. I took a gamble that late May would be warm enough and smoke-free … and I won! The air was clear, the sun was shining (but not too much!), a lovely breeze was blowing. Sadly, my garden wasn’t yet in bloom, but it looked presentable. And I got very lucky: the next day was cold, wet, and there was even a hailstorm.

This was my outfit for the day:

Most of the guests were seasoned veterans of the swap, but we had a couple of newbies as well, which was great. And, as last year, we had some of our tween/teen daughters join in as well, as sort of ‘junior members’ of the swap. It’s nice to see that they enjoyed it enough last year to want to come back – some of them were even inspired to start secondhand shopping for themselves. I know my daughter now looks forward to the swap every year. Not only that, but she helped me to set up this year, and it turned the whole prep process into a lovely mother-daughter bonding moment. Another generation of thrifters in the making! We love to see it.

I had a decent amount of stuff to put up for swap, though less than in some past years. As my shopping has slowed down considerably, so has the turnover in my closet; in turn, the supply of swap material is dwindling, especially as a lot of my discarded clothes are now being diverted to my daughter. But I also had some home décor and books to add to the pile – the swap gave me an opportunity for a much-needed de-clutter of my shelves and various collections. To recap for those who may not have read some of my previous posts, my process for editing my closet runs something like this. Brand name clothing which I think would suit a specific friend gets set aside for them first. (If they don’t end up wanting it, I am fine with them doing whatever they think best with it, either passing it on to someone else or donating it. I know my friends will dispose of things responsibly, aka not throwing good clothing in the trash.) Everything else that’s above-average quality gets set aside for the swap; things that are average get donated right away. Whatever is left after the swap also gets donated. Since I avoid crappy clothing in the first place and take good care of my clothes, I don’t have much stuff that is in too poor of a condition to be donated. That being said, I am also looking into local garment recycling options available for clothing that can’t be donated. I know of Blenderz Garment Recyclers, but I am not sure they accept drop-offs directly from the public, as they typically work with thrift stores. If anyone has suggestions, please leave a comment.

Here are a few of the things I brought to the swap this year:

And here is my daughter’s and my pile at the end — as you can see, we did not come away empty-handed:

That teal skirt is actually one of my own pieces. I swear I had asked my daughter if she wanted it before I designated it as part of my “to swap” pile and she said no. Then, lo and behold, at the actual swap, it was suddenly perfect. Go figure. In fact, most of the things I would have picked for her from the swap, she didn’t want. It’s one of the reasons why shopping for her these days is becoming impossible. I guess this is teenagerdom, lol!

Here are the things she picked out (for herself):

She loves high waisted jeans and skirts, so the crop tops are not entirely surprising. What did surprise me was the skirt: it was her favourite piece, and I never would have picked that as something she would like. But it’s cute (and vintage!) so I don’t blame her. She’s super excited to wear it.

And now for my picks:

I have been wanting a purple crossbody bag for ages, so as soon as I spotted that Rebecca Minkoff bag, my day was basically made. I have the same bag in black and red already, and find it a perfect size and design for my needs. Score! The small MbMJ was a last minute pick, and I was surprised to see no one else wanted it. It’s a good size for me, and since I don’t have a grey crossbody, I think it has potential. The opening might be a tad small, which could impact its practicality, but I am going to take it for a test run and see.

The shoes were another “if no one else wants them” pick — they’re great quality and I love flats, so why not. If I don’t end up wearing them, I can always bring them back next year or donate them. But worth giving them a try first.

The Guns ‘n Roses was a nostalgic 90s pick; I am not sure if it’s my style, but I am going to play around with it. Style risks are what clothing swaps are all about. The bleached denim jacket, on the other hand, is totally me. I especially love the back — so cool!

The cardigan is an upcycled piece made by my friend Josh of Prairie Trail Goods, and of course I had to snap it up immediately. It looked great with the outfit I was wearing, so I know it’s going to fit in well with my summer wardrobe. Ditto for the oversized chambray shirt. The skirts were pieces that didn’t find other takers, and I took them for different reasons. I think the polka dot one (HD in Paris) has potential; it’s midi, albeit perhaps a little bit shorter than I prefer, and the black and white pattern is very much up my alley. I don’t tend to wear polka dots a lot, though, so we will see if this skirt has staying power in my closet or not. The plaid skirt (Tracy Reese) was a sentimental pick. I used to be obsessed with this skirt back in 2015/2016 and never managed to track it down in my size. The hemline is too short for my current preference, but I still love the colour palette. I couldn’t let it get donated … for now. I am going to try and see if I can make it work for the me of now.

This tabard-style knit vest was one of my favourite pieces from the swap. I love the design so much! Everyone told me I had to take the Stetson jacket, and I see why they would say that: the vibe is very me. But I am actually a bit on the fence about it, mostly due to the cut/style. Not sure if the proportions will work for me, but I plan to experiment with it and see. If not, I’m definitely saving it for the next swap — it’s a special piece that deserves a good home.

And that’s a wrap on another fabulous swap!!