Two scents came to my mind instantly while wearing Il by Lancetti: Sandalwood cologne by Geo F. Trumper and, as other reviewers noted, Egoiste by Chanel. As Trumper's Sandalwood has already been somewhere spoken of as one of the many nephews of Egoiste... I guess Chanel is the first reference for this one. The opening is a fairly bold sweet accord of sandalwood, neroli, cinnamon, white musks, carnation, lavender, vanilla, in short a sweet, almost creamy woody-spicy accord with the usual "masculine" flowers. A tad humid too overall. On the base there is a really light mossy-leathery accord, which emerges better on the drydown, although it remains quite sweet, soft and floral for the whole evolution. Refined, really aromatic, a bit sweet but I guess it was the trendy thing back then, a good weekend-nighclubbing scent – not exactly my first choice for office, in other words. A bit derivative and also perhaps outdated, but comparisons aside, a nice scent indeed!
7/10
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Armani Eau Pour Homme by Giorgio Armani (1984)
A nice, clean, soapy scent with a darker masculine heart. It opens with gentle floral-citrus notes, light herbs, spices. Classic, elegant, discreet and unintrusive, with a general softness which makes it remarkably graceful and relaxed. The darker earthy base is light, but detectable, giving the right amount of "masculine substance" to the scent. Nothing new or breathtaking, but surely a totally modern and versatile signature scent, refined and good quality (at least its vintage version). I agree with Luca Turin noticing a close similarity to Eau Sauvage – or better say, a bit of a washed down version of Dior's milestone. Still pretty good, though.
7,5/10
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Gianfranco Ferré for Man by Gianfranco Ferré (1986)
Ferré for Man is another good and austere masculine fougère with the typical Italian dark "gloominess" of many Italian masculine scents of its era. A dark and dry elegance comprising traditional accords of mossy, herbal, leather and earthy notes, with a hint of traditional masculine flowers. Although being quite a conventional dark fougère, it still has its own personality, mostly expressed in a slightly more restrained, lighter and more sophisticated look, if compared to other similar but rawer powerhouses like Quorum. And above all, a genius sweet/floral breeze all over, which gives the scent a breath of grace and gentle class. Modern and sophisticated.
8/10
8/10
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Yves Saint Laurent Pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent (1971)
YSL Pour Homme opens with a citrus, slightly milky accord, dense and subtly musky, with a juicy dark note of carnation and smoky woody notes (vetiver, sandalwood, perhaps even a hint of tobacco), well softened and made more "gentle" by a heavy dose of lavender and herbal notes. A relaxing, friendly, elegant scent with the right dose of "masculinity" (mostly represented by a light chypre base accord), easy-going and refined – a sophisticated weekend scent, without the formal "austerity" of an "office-scent" and without the naughty boldness of a "night club-scent". A brighter and lighter version of a classic fougère, more herbal-citrus, still a bit musky. To be honest, though, nothing more than a good scent (in other words, in my opinion, not that memorable).
6,5-7/10
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Joop! Homme by Joop! (1989)
The initial notes of Joop Homme slightly reminded me for some aspects of Nemo by Cacharel, mostly because of the same kind of "nutty", white-musky creamy accord, more fruity and less woody (although the sandalwood is there). A nice and peculiar blend indeed, really spicy and somehow milky, in a quite modern synthetic way. White, artificial, a sugar candy from the future, fairly ahead of its time in my opinion. It does not evolve that much, though: on the drydown you have the same tonka, cinnamon, cardamom, sandalwood and other spices blend, just more dry and a bit less creamy. Basically a synthetic spicy-woody-creamy scent. A bit cloying for a while and perhaps not that "ahead of its time" anymore. Kurkdjian must have loved this when he was composing Le Male!
7/10
***
... and the best one for me in this round:
Krizia Uomo by Krizia (1984)
Krizia Uomo (vintage version here) has a really peculiar and memorable opening, a sharp and angular green accord of pine needles, wet grass, with a really light aqueous feel (not calone, think more of a "lacustrine" smell), classic masculine flower notes, and a subtle bittersweet fruity note. At the same time vibrant and organic, but with a really intriguing abstract and futuristic "angular" feel. On the base, aromatic woods (vetiver?), mossy notes, and a super sharp, black, cutting, discreet leather note. After a while the scent starts to become more and more dry, some green notes fade, and it all focuses around the leather note – dusty, austere, black, dry and linear, sophisticated and simple, more thin and modern than other leather notes from that era (which often tended to be more heavier and powerful). The green-mossy breeze is still around – a light, dark green which subtly surrounds the central leather note. The same futuristic, dark and martial elegance of Krizia Moods Uomo, really modern and versatile. A gem!
8/10
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