A Signature Perfume . . . For Women

I grew up in the aura of Chanel No. 5—that classy glass bottle with distinctive lettering—and the idea that women never changed perfume. Perfume seemed to be the essence of personal branding, part of a signature style, part of our emotional makeup. I have never liked to change perfumes!

But I lingered with Eau de Patou, which remains a favorite, Ma Griffe (Carven), Amazon (Hermès) and Joy (Patou) in its small black bottle with the red top. The price per ounce make me think before using it (as a result, it eventually evaporated or the stopper became too difficult to dislodge).

Then, I shifted to a lighter Trophée (Lancôme), a unisex perfume with a golfball-shaped stopper and bright green box But a decreasing number of perfume stores carried Trophee, and after nearly 20 years of loyalty, I changed. My kids gave me Lacoste for Women, which became a new favorite about seven years ago

But with time, it became more and more difficult to purchase Lacoste in the regular perfume stores. Instead, the shelves were lined with Lacoste Pour Femme. But it was not the same. Even the bottle was different.

Several weeks ago at the Sephora in Cannes, I scanned the shelves of perfume for the elusive bottle. There it was. Lacoste for Women right beside Lacoste Pour Femme. 62 euros. I had to see the bottle to be sure.

“We don’t have a tester,” the salesgirl said. As if I had asked for the impossible. . . .

“I need to make sure it is the frosted bottle, that it is my Lacoste for Women.”

But she stood steadfast, refusing to let me peak under the cellophane and into the box.

A manager appeared.

“Pas de problème. We will just carefully open the packaging from the bottom, slide out the box, et voila.”

It was my bottle! My favorite.

“If it’s not on the shelves, we can always order it for you,” the manager added.

To top it off, with our Sephora cards, we got a 20 percent discount on the purchase. And I can delay the need to seek a new perfume.