What’s your first impression of the Dolce & Gabbana The One Collector Edition?

I think this is a signature scent – it’s pretty bold. I did a campaign for D&G The One Rose a few years ago – I like that and I wear that. I wear floral scents more regularly and this fragrance is so different, it feels more like a special occasion – like something you’d wear out at night for dinner. It goes with the iconic campaign that we shot – it’s very classic and there’s something sort of nostalgic about it. I think that the scent inspired that feeling.

What are your rules for gifting fragrance around the holidays?

Personally if I were to buy a fragrance it would be for my partner or like my sister. Someone I know intimately. It’s such a difficult thing to do! You have to almost know the person’s smell and know what they like. I’ve given perfume before to my sister, partner and mom.

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Now that spend more time in France with your French beau, do you notice a lot of cultural differences about how to wear fragrance?

In France it’s used more discretely. Sometimes I feel like in here in North America we can kind of overdo it. We use like a lotion and then the same perfume. Women in Paris are more subtle with their look and their makeup. I’ve noticed that my friends in Paris have a signature scent.

Are you a fan of wearing a signature scent?

I’m a fan of changing my scent! I grew up with a collection of fragrances. My partner doesn’t understand it – he finds it so disturbing “why do you smell different everyday!” But to me I’m wearing a different outfit – so I wear a different fragrance.

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What are your favourite scent memories around the holidays?

My family does like a big meal – very specific Danish traditional holiday meal. It’s goose and cabbage and apples and prunes – things that are very wintery. When I think of a smell in the house – it’s like apple and vanilla and stewed fruit and things like that. That’s what makes me think of the holidays. Christmas is very food-specific in our family.

Do you a specific dish that you love to make?

The main dish is the usually the rice pudding which up until now my sister has kindly taken over since it’s such a pain in the ass to make! [laughing] It takes like two days – you’ve got to shuck all the vanilla and make cherry sauce. But my goal this year is that I want to be able to make it myself.

Do you have any holiday rituals that you want to pass along to your new addition, baby Rose?

My family just started Secret Santa – I look forward to incorporating that. I love it because we get competitive. We have it in a certain price range so it’s affordable for everyone. My sis in law cheats every year – she does it! I had my sister-in-law one year I got her a really delightful assortment of things. I got her nice tights from Wolford and really nice Dolce & Gabbana nail polish, and a vintage sweater and made her a cute hat – delightful assortment of new and old. I think it’s really nice to give makeup to my friends and stuff.

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