This week I headed to Harrods, not to do some Christmas shopping (note-to-self: must start that soon), but to chat with Claudia Schiffer.

The supermodel was there as the face of the first Alberta Ferretti fragrance to sign bottles of the scent. Unlike other celebrity personal appearances I’ve been to, where the A-Lister is normally wheeled out and then away in the blink of an eye, Claudia and designer Alberta spent over an hour signing autographs and talking to fans. Impressive dedication.

I hung around to talk perfume with the fragrant pair.

‘My first scent memory is Shalimar by Guerlain, my mother’s perfume,’  said Alberta. ‘Perfume is like a business card, very often you will remember a person by the perfume she wears. It is an important choice that you need to use with extra care.’

But while she’s clearly a one-scent woman, Claudia’s more of a fragrance flirt. ‘Always choose a fragrance that suits your mood; a perfume should enhance and compliment how you are feeling,’ she told me.

This probably explains why Alberta has a signature scent, while Claudia is not just the face of Alberta Ferretti’s debut fragrance, £35 for 30ml (edp), but also 18 La Lune, £35 for 100ml (edt), part of Dolce & Gabbana’s Anthology perfume collection.