The Perfume Equation

I'd like to introduce something I like to call the perfume equation. It goes something like this.

Cute dress + skanktastic perfume = skanky outfit

Cute dress + tasteful perfume = chic outfit.

I see in on campus every weekend, and I'm looking at you, freshmen.  Let me explain. I think that sometimes people underestimate the effect of perfume. Even though you can't see it, perfume plays a huge role in how your outfit is perceived. Let's take a cute dress that could go in either the chic direction or the skanky direction, such as this Elizabeth and James dress:

Now let's say the girl wearing this dress decides to wear, say, Fairy Dust by Paris Hilton.

Even though the dress is only mildy lingerie-inspired, an overly sweet, tacky scent like this pushes that girl's outfit into the cheap, skanktastic category.

Whereas, a perfume like Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle has a completely different effect.

With a slightly more sophisticated, less overwhelmingly sweet perfume, this dress gives off a totally different vibe. Instead of screaming slutty and "I'm trying way too hard," it says "yes, I am sexy, but I'm also elegant, complicated, and maybe a little bit mysterious." I know. It's a tough choice.

Image Sources:
Dress: net-a-porter.com.
Fairy Dust: beautyme.com.
Coco Mademoiselle: Tendance High-Tech