The first of my San Francisco purchases arrived yesterday afternoon. (Is it possible to feel wistfully nostalgic about something that happened only two days previously?)

I tried my best not to be carried away by the scene — there it was, early August, and people were walking around in sweaters and scarves and jackets. It made me whimper a little. (I think if I could wear a lightweight V-neck sweater, some funky trousers and good shoes every day for the rest of my life, with maybe a hat or scarf or jacket as an accessory, I would die happy.)

I managed to hold off all the way up until the last day, when I couldn’t take any more, broke down in the middle of H&M and bought a cotton jersey scarf. Perhaps the most ludicrous purchase possible at H&M, I know: A scarf, to be worn in the Valley of the Sun. (Maybe I was overtaken by visions of Chuck Bass or something.)

The rest of my purchases were more along the “brilliant!” line, however. When my friend Joe and I were wandering around the Hayes Valley neighborhood — which, I was surprised to learn, has no real visible “valley” involved — he ducked into a store called Flight 001 in preparation for his upcoming trip to Spain (with his parents, for their 40th anniversary). I, meanwhile, beelined for the shelves where I saw the Comme des Garçons fragrances.

“This one is supposed to smell like gold,” I said, waving the “888” at him while he mmm-hmmed his way over to luggage. But I fell in love with the incense-themed bath and room sprays named after exotic cities: Jaisalme, Kyoto, Zagorsk, Avignon and Quarzazate. I wanted almost all of them but decided on Quarzazate, which has a great blend of woods, pepper, spice, and almost a camphoraceous accord straight out of the bottle.

Want to experience it yourself? Order a sample vial for $3 here, or find the full 1.7-ounce bottle here. (For some reason, the Flight 001 website doesn’t list the Incense line among its Comme des Garçons offerings, or I would send you there instead.)

And as a postscript: When I got home, I also couldn’t stop thinking about a (now-discontinued) Tumi T-Tech laptop case that was on clearance at the store for about $60 off the original price — it was the last one on the shelf. When the fragrance showed up today — the last thing I bought was the first to arrive! — I took it as a sign I should thank the store for its quick delivery by buying that laptop case, too. So I did.
ammit

WHAT SAM WORE: 8/7/08
The shirt: Long-sleeved cotton button-up wtih epaulets and … sleevelets? What do you call those tabs that hold your sleeves up? (answer: sleeve tabs) (Ben Sherman, San Francisco)
The pants: Glen plaid trousers (Ted Baker, Las Vegas)
The shoes: Black leather slip-ons by Rush by Gordon Rush (Last Chance)
The scent: Quarzazate by Comme des Garçons
Listening to: “Human Fly” by Nouvelle Vague

sammit

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