4711

I think that a lot of fragrances have an interesting cultural context. In Germany, the original cologne came from the city of Cologne. It was a very light scent; sometimes men can wear it. It's called 4711, named for the street number (it was originally made at 4711 Glockengasse, maybe it still is).

I love the stuff, but that's because I live on the Gulf Coast, which is hot and humid most of the time. You can put 4711 in the refrigerator and then spray it on when it's hot. The light scent in a cold mist is pretty refreshing.

While I find it a fun summer-time fragrance, I just found out that for German people, 4711 is an old lady aroma. They get a whiff of the stuff and they don't think lawn chairs, barbecues, where did I put my sunglasses? They think about their grandmothers.

A German friend of mine (who's lived here at least 20 years) says she would never wear the stuff, although she finally admitted she thought it was kind of a pretty scent. To her, it just said old lady.