Perfumes

[Art Tatum]

I too use Acqua di Parma, but most people in my circles don't like it. I suppose it is b/c they are accustomed to the more ubiquitous fragrances out there.

[BirdofSydney]

I believe that a fragrance is part of an outfit, yes, and as such of course does not belong with every outfit (there's no item of clothing I *always* wear except, I guess, underpants. I suppose there is only one exception - two if you count swimming - though ironically fragrance is certainly appropriate here. But I digress.)

My favourite is Givenchy Pour Homme, which I find to be traditional but not antiquated (there are some scents which I like, but will need to be older to pull off). The real drawcard for me is complexity - not simply one idea, fruity, woody, whatever, but many working in harmony. Simpler fragrances, to my mind, belong in aftershave or deodorant. Or, for that matter, in pieces of fruit, wood, etc.

Like every rule, I imagine there are exceptions, and I will find eventually a fragrance of simple elegance. But, meanwhile, I take heart that the perfumiers of old concocted complex symphonies of scents, and maintain that one-note takes are to these masterpieces (and their modern counterparts) as a cheap RTW is to the best bespoke.

On a final note, there may be some truth in the "stability" argument for synthetic ingredients. I have a fragrance (which fortunately was given to me and I don't particularly like) which seems to have gone "off" - a little like corked wine.

Kind regards,

[rip]

I tend to wear colgne almost every day, either Chanel Egoiste or Dunhill Xcentric.

On a side note, I am becoming increasingly annoyed with the trend not to offer colognes except in an atomizer, which uses approximately 4-5 times as much as an open top bottle. Case-in-point: equal sized containers of Chanel and Dunhill, the Dunhill in an atomizer. The Chanel lasted me a little over a year, the Dunhill was empty after about 3 months (these were used consecutively). This has thrown me back using Chanel exclusively, since my perfumer can get it in a non-atomizer.

Remember, a well-behaved cologne always waits for you to enter the room first.

[tteplitzmd]

A posting in May by me expressed my curiousity over the difficulty in finding Atkinson's Gold Medal---I am pleased to report that I found it in Perugia, and I believe the company still exists in England (London), although the formula may be made now in Italy. Interestingly a NY distributor has a licensed version which is inferior yet a legitimate knock off (Cambridge Chemists, NYC).

I would encourage others to seek out the Atkinson's Gold Label---a somewhat citrusy scent..

[Cliff]

I have been using Acqua di Parma for some time now as a summer scent. I also use JHL, which is getting difficult to find and Creed Original Vetiver. Wonderful scents.

[Phil]

There definitely is a trend toward switching from natural to artificial bases for the scents. I’ve found fragrances I used to be able to wear from Guerlain and Roger & Gallet to no longer be wearable because of the change. They now leave a chemical taste in my mouth or give me a bad headache, where they at one time did not. It could also be some of the petroleum based extenders used these days to give the scent more “staying power.” I also favour citrus-based scents and still like 4711 and Eau Sauvage. They’re nice reliable standbys. Of the newer offerings, I like the Jo Malone offerings. Some nice light stuff in there.

[Incroyable]

I prefer:

Miller Harris' Terre de Bois

And I also have a bespoke perfume from Mr.Douglas Little

[maxnharry]

My favorites are:

Eau d'Orange by Hèrmes
Blenheim Bouquet by Penhaligon's

[sonam]

Hi,

This is my first post here, and I found londonlounge through a fragrance board that I frequent; by way of introduction, I am a lawyer in my late 50s, and live just outside of NYC. I have enjoyed fragrance since my teen years; some might call my interest in it "serious", LOL!

Today I'm wearing Annick Goutal's Eau de Monisieur, which opens with citrus, followed by oakmoss and rests on a base of amber and sandalwood. It's a lovely scent.

Some of my other favorites (but by no means my entire collection) are Ambre Précieux and Baïme from Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, Messe de Minuit from Etro, Melograno from Santa Maria Novella, and Tabac Blond from Caron.

I feel that fragrance is part of a gentleman's wardrobe, and have never been shy about wearing it.

Pleased to mee everybody!

[K-tie]

Am I the only one using the original green RL? My wife doesn't like it, but I love it, especially on cold days. So it happens that I pull it out from the drawer every now and then...

Btw, I read an article a couple of years ago about bespoke perfume. If my mind serves me correctly, there is small region in France where there are several perfumemakers preparing bespoke scents for individual customers. I've searched the internet, but have only found commercial tourist trips to Florence and major perfume designer names charging $10,000+. Would anyone be able to enlighten me on this subject?

[Incroyable]

Am I the only one using the original green RL? My wife doesn't like it, but I love it, especially on cold days. So it happens that I pull it out from the drawer every now and then...

Btw, I read an article a couple of years ago about bespoke perfume. If my mind serves me correctly, there is small region in France where there are several perfumemakers preparing bespoke scents for individual customers. I've searched the internet, but have only found commercial tourist trips to Florence and major perfume designer names charging $10,000+. Would anyone be able to enlighten me on this subject?

In Florence there is Lorenzo Villoresi who will consult with you and make a perfume to suit your personality. You can read more about him here. There is also Creed in France who charge something in the order of what you have listed, though Villoresi is cheaper if memory serves. I'm interested in hearing about others that anyone may know about.

Douglas Little also does custome fragrances as well as Frederic Malle in Paris. Guerlain, I believe, still does it as well.

[uppercase]

Hi,

This is my first post here, and I found londonlounge through a fragrance board that I frequent; by way of introduction, I am a lawyer in my late 50s, and live just outside of NYC. I have enjoyed fragrance since my teen years; some might call my interest in it "serious", LOL!

Today I'm wearing Annick Goutal's Eau de Monisieur, which opens with citrus, followed by oakmoss and rests on a base of amber and sandalwood. It's a lovely scent.

Some of my other favorites (but by no means my entire collection) are Ambre Précieux and Baïme from Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, Messe de Minuit from Etro, Melograno from Santa Maria Novella, and Tabac Blond from Caron.

I feel that fragrance is part of a gentleman's wardrobe, and have never been shy about wearing it.

Pleased to mee everybody!

Welcome to LL, sonam.

I haven't heard of most of the parfumeurs that you mentioned; where can you find those brands in either NYC or London?

[alden]

Well done Sonam, and welcome to you.

Tabac Blond from Caron is a Fall/Winter fragrance made for those tweed jacket and flannel suit days. In some ways many gentlemen, including yours truly, look forward to cooler weather as much for this extremely elegant perfume as for dressing in heavier cloth. It is only available from Caron boutiques.

One of these days I will do a “photojournal” report on this historic French house. In the meantime you can find information here:

http://www.parfumscaron.com/UK/haute_pe ... iques.html

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier is a small Paris based shop http://www.maitre-parfumeur-et-gantier.com with some excellent products as well. Iris Bleu Gris, Ambre Precieux, Parfum d’Habit and Racine are the classics from this house.

If you are interested in these niche makers from Paris then you might want to get to know the works of Patricia Nicolai http://www.pnicolai.com Her “New York” fragrance is very well known.

Frederic Malle, who dresses at Anderson & Sheppard, is the founder of an exclusive fragrance house, Editions de Parfums. He has assembled the works of a variety of talented parfumeurs in his shop on Rue de Grenelle in Paris. That’s a very nice tweed 2 B from AS he is wearing in the picture.
http://www.editionsdeparfums.com


Cheers

[sonam]

Hi,

Thank you for your warm welcome.

In NYC a lovely fragrance shop is Aedes de Venustas, they also have a web site at: http://www.aedes.com/home.php and will sell samples. They carry most of what I spoke of as well as a few of those also mentioned by others. Also worth smelling if you go there, are fragrances by Villioresi, Lutens and Montale.

Annick Goutal is difficult to find in the US; using a Google search and buying online is my strategy for many niche fragrances.

Nicolai and Malle have wonderful scents also; most of the Malle line is available at Barney's in NYC.

As for bespoke fragrances, there are many hacks out there who are to be avoided; but the "big names" from the "big five" (the not-widely-known fragrance houses - such as Givaudan - who actually make the fragrances for designers) do moonlight on the side. They charge, I'm told, upwards of $3000 for a consult. In my opinion, however, there are so many lovely fragrances from so many niche houses that a bespoke scent is almost redundant.

[felipe]

I used to wear colognes from Trumpers and other similar fragrances (also like Blenheim bouquet like another reader) but eventually standardized on 4711 because it's so good for the price. If only I could find something that's as good and cheap with more spicy notes for the winter.