Signed with a Spritz

Available at luckyscent.com

Women have long been told that they should have a signature scent. While I whole heartedly agree with this statement, I am quick to add - so should men. There is nothing sexier on a man (in this case, my husband, since he is the only man I am allowed to consider sexy, except for Bradley Cooper - but since they share a name he is considered a free pass) than a sultry, smokey, masculine cologne, and good socks, but I digress...

I recently found myself at The W Shop in the W Hotel. For those who may not know this gem of a boutique, within the confines of about 200 square feet, The W Shop has a finely edited selection of clothing, shoes, books, skincare, sex toys and anything else you may have not wanted TSA to see forgotten at home. Now while I wouldn't suggest the vibrating rabbit for your great aunt Mildred, this tiny boutique is a wonderful "go to spot" for that "hard to shop for" cool girl or stylin' guy in your life.

On this particular rainy afternoon, as I do my loop around the store, I am drawn to the fragrance corner where I spy a handful of cologne options. Being the ever doting and curious wife, I pick up the tester bottle of 2 Man by Comme des Garcons. I sniff the nozzle and deem it worthy of a spritz so I ask the lovely sales associate, who has aleady given me an emphatic greeting, for a tester card to sample said product. After repeated pumps of the nozzle, I conclude that the tester is empty. Ms. W quickly reaches into a locked cabinet to look for a replacement tester. Much to our dismay, I am HOLDING the replacement tester and it is bone dry - images of my 2011 Thanksgiving turkey run through my head - again, digression...

Right about now, Husband wanders in to see how much money I am not spending and sees me stuffing the bottle up my nose as I try to inhale it's remaining 4 fragrance molecules. He looks embarrassed so I pull the bottle out of my left nostril and say "I thought you might like this." Given that he is my husband and has witnessed the birth of our children, a snot covered cologne bottle does not really phase him. He takes a whiff of the nozzle and concludes that he's pretty sure he likes it but would like to try it on. Ms. W apologizes and explains that they are currently out of testers. Apparently, guests of the hotel like to use the boutique as their own private vanity and will often times spritz available samples on themselves 3-4 times a day for the duration of their stay. Cheap bastards!

"No worries," I say, "Let's just open up a bottle if you're out of testers," to which she replies, "I am only allowed to open tester bottles."

Hmmm... what would Karen Katz do (please feel free to google Karen Katz)? Of course, being the offspring of retailers and having worked in the fashion industry as both an employee and business owner for over 25 years, I know the answer to that question. Undoubtedly, Ms. Katz, upon noting that the tester was empty, would have opened up a bottle of store stock - without hesitation. She is, however, the CEO of a major luxury retailer and can do whatever the fuck she wants. I do not know the circumstances behind Ms. W's refusal to do so. Who knows, perhaps she was on a final corrective and any deviation from policy and procedure would have warranted termination. I can't say, but what I can say is that W lost a sale and a customer that day - not just for the occasion, but going forward. I find it hard to patronize a business where they would choose a $120 bottle of cologne over servicing a customer - one who was actually ready and willing to make a purchase. W Hotel, in the business of hospitality, was not very hospitable.

But back to the yumminess that is 2 Man - it's an earthy combination of Vetiver root, mint, leather and mahogany. For those of you who feel this is a bit too testosterone driven, it does have suble undertones of kumquat, nutmeg and saffron to bring balance without too much floral or citrus. It is so balanced, in fact, that the Libra in me wants to douse it (evenly) all over my body (which is all very well and good as it is being marketed as a "unisex, androgynous" fragrance, despite the name).

At the end of the day, the W experience did do me a favor. It left me wanting more, and in the entertainment world, that is considered a win.

Go get Comme des Garcon 2 Man - you need this in your life.