Pret a Porter by Coty

A timeless classic. Citrusy and floral, it’s fresh and simple – one of those that never fails but still has its own unique stamp. I’ve worn it for years and it always suits me.

I started using this EDT a couple of years ago because an older woman in my family gifted it to me and I didn’t want to be ungrateful. At first, I didn’t love it as it wasn’t my style (I usually go for gourmands and sweet scents), but after a week of wearing it, I started feeling very drawn to it. The trail isn’t much, but it became a very pleasant perfume for everyday wear: fresh, interesting and clean… it reminded me of the perfumes of the ‘cool girls’ when I was a child. I grew so fond of it that I eventually bought a second bottle, despite initially saying I didn’t like it. It brings back very lovely memories.

Citrusy at first, then leaves spiced flowers after a few hours. It’s clean and citrusy but has body. Used to the current invasion of vanillated and sweet perfumes for women, this reminds me of men’s fragrances. I like this EDT, its concept and the sense of modernity it conveys, but it’s a nineties modernity of cool girls heading to the office in minimalist suits and kitten heels. And afterwards, happy hour with their equally cool and cosmopolitan friends. It also reminds me of the song Vogue by Madonna. It’s an energising fragrance that adds dynamism, but also clean and neat. These days it suits a ‘clean girl’ style, with the typical look of a white tee, an oversized black blazer, wide-leg jeans and black kitten heels; hair neatly pulled back in a bun and a glowy, clear complexion. Perfect for daily wear. You can find them for around 10 euros for 100 ml. Not bad at all. And it turns out they have a whole collection of cities, but here on Fragantica they don’t seem to be listed? Tokyo, New York, Berlin, Milano, Paris. Around 12 euros. I’d love to try them but I don’t know where! They don’t seem to have them in Primor or Druni.

I keep buying it whenever I see it and I’ve lost count of the bottles I’ve used since it launched (and since I discovered it). I feel that this fragrance still maintains its original spirit despite some reformulations. It’s clean, transparent, with a spicy opening, citrusy and sharp, finishing with woody notes. A classic. Ideal for hot and humid days (though I confess I wear it all year round). As for its projection and longevity, obviously it depends on everyone’s skin pH… on me it performs excellently.

Although it’s declared as feminine, I’ve never hesitated to admit that for many years it has been part of my wardrobe. And it will stay there until the day I die. I enjoy it in the most absolute intimacy. From time to time I apply a couple of sprays to the back of my hand, close my eyes and my mind automatically transports me back to my adolescence. In those moments, nostalgia washes over me for those years and I reconnect with happiness for a few minutes. Because yes. Because Prêt à Porter was the fragrance most teenagers wore in the late 90s. The one used by that girl you liked so much and who you died to see at every moment, even though in her presence your legs turned to jelly and your stomach shrank to the size of a grain of rice. Because Prêt à Porter was the fragrance of that girl you kissed for the first time on that starry summer night on a dark park bench, right at the moment you felt the world crumbling beneath your feet. You can have fragrances purely out of melancholy, simply to remember times or people who marked your life and made you happy. Regardless of gender or age. Regardless of the fact that the happiness you felt in those moments has been unwound by time little by little until you become aware that nothing will ever be as before again.

Citrusy and super easy to wear, though I reserve it for staying in.

An accessible cologne that follows the path of the innovative perfumes of the era with an identity of ethereal and effervescent cleanliness. It recalls CK with its aura of soap-free cleanliness and pure oxygen. For lovers of the aseptic cleaning juice that is Calvin Klein’s Water.

The opening is identical to CK.

I use it for training, as it doesn’t last more than an hour on my skin and has zero projection. I bought it because they said it projected; perhaps the ones from the 90s did, but these reformulations are nowhere near that.

Prêt à Porter was a sung-for gift I received for my birthday or Christmas, dates very close together. It announced summer, an ideal season to use it. At first I didn’t like it much, it reminded me of the mythical CK One of which I’m not a fan, but it had a tiny feminine touch that I appreciated. Over time, that powerful and spicy citrus won my heart. It lasted more than three hours on my skin, a triumph because my pH likes to annihilate fragrances. Today I consider buying it again; its price is incredible for everything it offers. It lifts spirits and is a great companion on hot days. The three Bs, without doubt.

I had to squeeze past the manager at Mercadona just to try the Pret a Porter tester. What a nostalgia trip to my younger days; back then it looked so chic, but now it smells citrusy and fresh, perfect for summer. It lasted all afternoon and I woke up with the scent still in my hair. A bargain, I wonder if I should buy the bottle.

Floral aroma with citrus, very 90s, like Calvin Klein One. I used to wear it at uni, but the longevity was very short.

I used to have yellow Adidas deodorants and this perfume has that same vibe. It’s ideal for the office: it lasts, you notice it but it doesn’t overpower, it’s ‘corporate’ and the price is a laugh. It’s my first bottle and when it runs out, I’ll buy another without a second thought.

It was one of my first teenage fragrances. I wore it at night and the next day it was still on my skin and clothes (even in my hair when I didn’t wash properly). I remember it as feminine but leaning towards unisex. The opening is citrusy and as it dries down it leaves a spicy and woody scent. At the time, I thought that for being cheap it had personality compared to my friends’ perfumes.

I discovered it in the 90s and used it a lot; it gave me energy, vitality and confidence, so much so that it pushed me to move house. I left it then, but in 2020, during the lockdown, I desperately searched for a fragrance that would make me feel good. I had an urge to find ‘The’ fragrance and refused to go back to Pret a Porter several times, until I thought: why not? I tried several before deciding. If I can help anyone, I’d say I chose it again and I have no regrets. It gave me that energy, vitality and comfort I loved before. I fell in love again: it lasts more than 6 hours on my skin and, being accessible, you can use it without holding back. That fresh opening that smells like a bouquet of flowers, then settles and becomes special and enveloping without being invasive. It’s unforgettable.