Weekly Scent Discussion #16: Classic Floral or Modern Sweet?

So do you love Classic Florals, with all the powder, aldehydes, and soapiness that harken images of ages past or are you more for the modern sweet and sugary desserts and fruits that inspire many to eat delicious things?

I definitely lean more toward the Classic Floral (and Chypre) mainly during the warmer months. However, I do find myself wearing more sweet fruity or ambery stuff when its cold out, cuz I can't take the sweet stuff when it's hot out- although I do not own any true gourmands, only fruity orientals and nutty scents- wait... are the latter considered gourmand? All in all, I am an old-fashioned girl who has a great appreciation for things with a more refined aesthetic.

I, like you, have trouble with the sweet scents during the summer. I can't wear my Sweet Redemption in the summer for that very reason. I love complex scents with a lot of depth and I find that I get that complexity I want from the scents that are considered "dated". But on the flip side, Every so often I just wanna smell like a dessert. That's when I bust out my Choco Musk

For admiring 'observation', definitely, the classic florals, although some are either 'too much' (powdery, heavy) or just do not feel like myself - therefore, 'detached, aesthetic admiration'.
From the few I came to know and own, I do love and wear some I do not feel mismatched with, the easier and more delicate ones like Mme Rochas or Arpège. The new formulation of L'Aimant, on the other hand, felt too rosy-vanillic sweet, somewhat too 'lovely & youthful' for me, in regards to the inner attitude.

I simply can't find any attraction to the second category of edibles and the ones which all seem to have some certain common base - I initially thought perhaps it was some kind of characteristic of what many people called 'drugstore fragrances'. But after smelling through many popular 'mainstream' department fragrances of the last years, I had come to the conclusion it didn't matter the price nor the brand value. They all share something sticky and a little musty, like matte sugar water mixed with honey. Extremely artificial and obtrusive at the same time. Ethyl maltol? Not sure... Maybe a certain type of musk also involved, sugary musk seems to be a big factor in all the modern sweet fragrances (with alibi cameo notes of some flowers and tea or coffee), spoiling them all for me.
I did try one dark chocolate-smelling fragrance, even over a longer period, and it was enough for me to see once and for all that I feel most uncomfortable smelling like a walking cotton candy machine or be associated with it. For me, sweetened amber seems enough for colder seasons if I want something sweet and cosy.

One thing I can say for sure is that, if a company wants to play it safe, it only needs to throw in some vanilla. One can observe - not only here but in general - that fragrances with vanilla can count on higher acceptance/tolerance than those which try without. I, for my part, am not a big fan of dominant vanilla, perhaps that is why it just amuses me to see the above proven every time.

It depends on the setting for me, Briarthorn. Classic florals don't go well with athletic activities, for instance. A spritz of something by Jo Malone is perfect for the gym.