STYLE : LOOKS : Two Scents’ Worth

Two of this year’s new fragrances speak volumes about the differences--and similarities--between the sexes. Ellen Tracy, described as an elegant scent for women, comes in a smooth, rounded bottle of frosted glass that looks like a rock worn flat by a river current. Pasha de Cartier, billed as an elegant scent for men, is bottled in ribbed silver and gold glass topped by an onyx cabochon. One design is soft and feminine; the other is bold and, um, masculine. But when it comes to how these fragrances smell, they are more alike than not. Both have fruity top notes (peach for her/lemon and mint for him), floral middle notes (jasmine/rose) and woody bottom notes (sandalwood/cedar). Ellen Tracy, $200 for one ounce, is available at Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue stores; Pasha, $175 for 1.6 ounces, is sold at the Cartier shops in Beverly Hills, South Coast Plaza and San Diego.