I've been reading a delightful book called Ooh La La!:: French Women's Secrets to Feeling Beautiful Every Day
"French women are taught to first find out who they are in this world. Yes, there are many, many fragrances to choose from, but a French girl is taught to decide first her essential self - and then she proceeds to find a perfume that matches her own unique personality, and style and intellect. As she matures and becomes a little more worldly, she might change her fragrance to something that is more complex and that can signify her experience, her travels and her accomplishments. The French woman is in charge of the fragrance and not the other way around, and you can be too, by simply making a choice."