Perfumes in our modern-day dispensation are as important fashion accessories for women as the trendiest shoes or the hippest handbag. A woman's signature scent speaks oodles about her, her own individual taste, her personal style.

A fresh, invigorating fragrance makes especially a femme d'un certain age feel confident, endlessly feminine. Indeed, perfumes are thought to be the quintessential weapons of seduction. Wearing perfume is a statement that reflects a woman who wants to enhance her sensuality. Not simply to smell good. Fact: sexy women wear perfume. With the unfortunate exception, maybe, of women who have debilitating allergies. For women living in a cosmopolitan city, such as ours has so rapidly become, choosing the right scent is ultimately about reflecting personality more than financial capability.

But perfumes are also for men, an essential aspect of today's conscious well-groomed metrosexual's attire, for whom fashion dictates a perfume wardrobe of at least six. Men's perfumes, commonly known as cologne, speak directly to his masculinity, as well as his own personal style.

Perfumes date from as far back as the Egyptians, who used them as part of their religious rituals and then later for pre-lovemaking preparations. The principal methods of use at this time were the burning of incense and the application of balms and ointments. The use of perfume then spread to Greece, Rome and the Islamic world. The Islamic community has to be credited for keeping the perfume tradition alive in the face of the spread of Christianity, which led to the decrease in the use of perfume. It wasn't until the 12th century and the increase of international trade that this decline was reversed.

Then in the 18th century, industry and the arts underwent profound transformation. So did perfume. Alchemy gave way to chemistry and new fragrances were born. The French, as in most matters concerning style and high taste, emerged the trailblazers, after the French Revolution, with perfume becoming stylised luxury goods. (There was even a scent called Parfum a la Guillotine!) Paris became the world centre of perfume-seeing the ascendancy of such famed perfume houses as Houbigant, Lubin and Guerlain-and has remained that way until this day.

The major fragrance categories are floral, Oriental, Floriental, Chypre, Green Marine and Fruit, and typical plant products that go into the making of perfume are anise, bay leaf, bergamot, cedar wood, eucalyptus, frankincense, gardenia, geranium, jasmine, lemon, lilac, lily and ylang-ylang, to name some.

Today, the perfume business has become a bustling and very lucrative $10-billion industry, inspiring entertainers like Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and the newest entrants into the game, British 'celebutantes'- Their Highnesses David and Victoria Beckham, to climb aboard that train of celebrities launching their own designer lines of fragrances. Note that getting into the perfume line is also a costly endeavour, with costs to launch a new brand estimated to run anywhere between 1 million ponds. There is also a trend towards makeup companies beginning perfume lines, like Iman, Mac and Mary Kay.

What's In The Bottle?

Perfume - costliest form of fragrance with 22% of essential oils
Eau de parfum - 15% - 22% essential oils
Eau de toilette - 8% - 15% oils
Eau de cologne - 4% essential oils
Eau Fraiche (for super subtlety, also the lightest dilution of fragrance) - 1% - 3% oils

Memorable Perfume Moments

* When Ernest Beaux created Chanel No 5, in 1921, for Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel, that venerable fashion icon whom TIME magazine hailed as one of the most influential artists and entertainers of the 20th century, and introduced us to the Chanel suit and jacket, the little black dress and bell-bottom pants. This fragrance, the fifth in a line he presented to her, with its top note of ylang-ylang and rose all over a sandalwood and vetiver base, is still considered by many to be the ultimate in exquisite scents, and has been a timeless favourite of the well heeled, with a bottle allegedly sold every 30 seconds. It is said that silver screen siren Marilyn Monroe once remarked that she slept in only Chanel No 5.

* One hundred seventy-three bottles of the pricey 4-inch bottles of ParfumVI were made-ever. The selling price? A mere 47,500 pounds sterling! The bottle was made of platinum and 24-carat gold, encrusted with rubies and diamonds, and encased in a metal box with a gold key. Two of its patrons allegedly include two famous Mikes: Tyson, the boxer, and the presently beleaguered King of Pop Jackson.
Tips For Wearing

. Apply directly to pulse points, eg crook of elbows or backs of knees

. Don't rub wrists together as this crushes smell

. Spray a little into the air and walk straight into it, especially for heavier scents. This helps to diffuse fragrance evenly over body

. Consider wearing in bra a small ball of scent-impregnated cotton wool

. Consider layering in various products, eg a brand that comes complete with bath/shower gel, body lotion capped off with the perfume scent. This has the effect of leaving the body feeling completly luxurious. The smell also lingers longer

. Perfumes do have an expiration time, a time after which they go 'off'. Keep bottles tightly stopped, away from direct heat and out of sunlight. A tip that they are off is when they appear darker in the bottle. Perfumes in opaque bottles often stand up longer.

Photos: Karl McLarty
Model: Sigail Currie of Saint International
Shoot Location: Body Accents

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