Welcome to the weekly Perfume Chat Room, perfumistas! I envision this chat room as a weekly drop-in spot online, where readers may ask questions, suggest fragrances, tell others their SOTD, comment on new releases or old favorites, and respond to each other. The perennial theme is fragrance, but we can interpret that broadly. This is meant to be a kind space, so please try not to give or take offense, and let’s all agree to disagree when opinions differ. In fragrance as in life, your mileage may vary! YMMV.
Today is Friday, July 4, and it has been a week. Suffice it to say, I’m not feeling particularly celebratory — but by God, my family has served the United States since before there even was a United States, so I’m trying to keep things in perspective and not let the Fourth of July and its meaning get taken from me. Independence and freedom cost too many too much to let them go without a fight, as we were reminded last summer on our trip to Normandy and the D-Day beaches.
On a lighter note, one of my multi-great grandfathers, after whom my father was named, like his father and grandfather and a few more ancestors before that, is mentioned in the Papers of George Washington for having complained to the General that he had been beaten by an officer in the Continental Army. My ancestor was in the state militia and viewed himself as independent of the regular army officers. Apparently he had sassed the officer, who took it upon himself to inflict corporal punishment. General Washington, bless him, took the complaint seriously and ordered an investigation. As if he had nothing else on his mind!
So for the Fourth, I thought I’d write about an all-American fragrance: Tommy Hilfiger’s Tommy Girl. Created by Calice Becker and launched in 1996, it is sold in a red, white, and blue striped bottle, presented as just the kind of youthful, fresh fragrance a true American Girl would wear.
But, of course, there’s much more to it than that, and Luca Turin gave it five stars in the first edition of his book “Perfumes: The Guide.”
Fragrantica lists its notes as follows: “Top notes are Apple Tree Blossom, Mandarin Orange, Camelia and Black Currant; middle notes are Lemon, Honeysuckle, Grapefruit, Rose, Lily, Mint and Violet; base notes are Magnolia, Jasmine, Cedar, Sandalwood and Leather.”
M. Turin describes Tommy Girl as a tea base “clothed … in a fresh floral accord so exhilaratingly bright that it could be used to set the white point for all future fragrances.” I assume that in this case, “camellia” refers to camellia sinensis, the plant from which tea leaves are derived. Apparently, the base tea accord was inspired by the complex scents in the famous Paris tea store, Mariage Frères. Some of the notes listed absolutely appear in various tea blends, such as lemon, jasmine, rose, mint.
Not surprisingly, since I love tea, I find Tommy Girl very pleasant to wear, especially in the heat and humidity we’re having here now. It goes on fresh and it stays fresh, just with different citrus and floral notes emerging as it evolves. My nose doesn’t pick up any leather accord, though.
Have you tried Tommy Girl lately? Are there any other fragrances you consider “All-American”?
Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities 