Stores in U.S. to try/smell "fancy" colognes?

[Guest]

Upon reading the "top five colognes" post, I realized many of them I had never seen nor smelled. I've pretty much only tried stores like Nordstrom and Sephora at malls, and while they have a large selection of smells, most of them are the basic designer colognes.

Are there chain stores in the United States that carry some of these more "elegant" (and often French) colognes?

[Guest]

Sephora has an edited selection from some of the better houses (one or two from Hermes, one or two from Guerlain and perhaps something from Caron). Saks has quite a lot to choose from in their NY store and it is a relatively easy testing experience. I know Bergdorf and Barney's carry quite a few good names, but I don't know how comfortable you will feel just testing (I am not saying it would be difficult, just that I never tried).

I would make Saks your first stop. In my limited experience, I could try two or three things at most in a day. On the other hand, what do I know. I lost interest in the subject and decided never to get anything. If I use anything at all, it is from a bottle of Caswell Massey No. Six that is old enough to vote.

[Guest]

Sephora has an edited selection from some of the better houses (one or two from Hermes, one or two from Guerlain and perhaps something from Caron). Saks has quite a lot to choose from in their NY store and it is a relatively easy testing experience. I know Bergdorf and Barney's carry quite a few good names, but I don't know how comfortable you will feel just testing (I am not saying it would be difficult, just that I never tried).

I would make Saks your first stop. In my limited experience, I could try two or three things at most in a day. On the other hand, what do I know. I lost interest in the subject and decided never to get anything. If I use anything at all, it is from a bottle of Caswell Massey No. Six that is old enough to vote.

[Guest]

I've had good success with Neiman Marcus.

[Guest]

You guys think Neiman or Saks has a wider variety than Sephora?

[Guest]

Head straight to Bergdorf Goodman, New York.

They have a great selection of the old classics that you won't find anywhere else.

[Guest]

I second the motion for Bergdorf's. If you come in with some good quality names to try, my experience is that the staff will not push you to buy right away. They understand that you need to wear a scent for awhile to see how it dries down and evolves on your skin. They also had, in addition to blotter strips and spray testers, 5-ml samples of several scents, including some by Creed, which they were happy to dispense. One of the best things about the BG scent counter, though, is that they have a box of expresso beans available to clear your "palate" between sniffing scents. It's the only way I've ever been able to get beyond two trials without complete olfactory distortion and fatigue.

[Guest]

Bergdorf's is great. I'll never forget how one of their female associates described NU in eau de toilette, as 'macho and sexy.' The fragrance was created, for women.
Keep in mind that while it's fun to try the latest and the greatest, and while niche houses do produce provocative scents, the great classics from established names like Guerlain, Dior, Chanel, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Nina Ricci, Hermes . . . are often tough to beat. I'll put L'Heure Bleu, Rive Gauche, Diorella, Eau Sauvage and Signoricci, against any niche fragrances.

Sadly, many of the great classics no longer smell the way they used to.

[Guest]

. . . . Sadly, many of the great classics no longer smell the way they used to.

Should the change be laid (as I have heard) to replacement of natural ingredients with synthetic over the past quarter century or so?

RWS