Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One (Now Complete)

[N.CAL Fragrance Reviewer]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

It's very hard. I just have to go with my gut. And my gut's decisions are honestly surprising me.

The ones that I was hoping for got wiped out.

 

[Trauerkraut]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

For me it is useless to contrast one perfume to another: I'd rather judge them separately as good or not good...

 

[otterlake]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

The ones that I was hoping for got wiped out.

Alas.

The heart wants what it wants.

 

[Danny Mitchell]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

For me it is useless to contrast one perfume to another: I'd rather judge them separately as good or not good...

These are Brooks' favorite types of comments. Haha

I tend to agree in some degree with Trauer, but hypothetical contests can be fun.

 

[otterlake]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

It's all in fun.

 

[LiveJazz]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

It's very hard. I just have to go with my gut. And my gut's decisions are honestly surprising me.

Sometimes it's useful (and fun) to mostly remove thinking and go with your first instinct. It can be easy to fall into Basenotes groupthink traps without even realizing it, and it's nice to take few steps back and really ask, "which do I like" the most? This is a big reason I like blind sampling.

 

[Joe Kilroy]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

Brooks, I take it you mean Havana vintage in the tall blue bottle? You surely can't be talking about the current version in the square bottle?

 

[Joe Kilroy]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

Didn't I once hear you comparing Tuscany to ....was it Azzaro ? Or Havana?

 

[otterlake]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

Brooks, I take it you mean Havana vintage in the tall blue bottle? You surely can't be talking about the current version in the square bottle?

I'm talking about the current Havana, but I don't think current and vintage are very different. They're very, very close.

Didn't I once hear you comparing Tuscany to ....was it Azzaro ? Or Havana?

Tuscany is often compared to Azzaro PH, though I think the prominent herbal component of Tuscany differentiates it.

 

[Joe Kilroy]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

I'm talking about the current Havana, but I don't think current and vintage is very different. They're very, very close.


Tuscany is often compared to Azzaro PH, though I think the prominent herbal component of Tuscany differentiates it.

I'll have to try my Havana again soon. Better luck this time.

 

[otterlake]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

ROUND THREE

And then there were eight!


1) Aramis Havana (1994) vs Tom Ford for Men Extreme (2007)

Boozy, spicy, dense, and unique fragrances. One an indomitable classic in the barbershop lane and the other a singularly rich, decadent gourmand in the 2000s style with an atypically earthy throughline.​

Winner: Tom Ford for Men Extreme - I appreciate Havana for the glorious throwback masterpiece that it is, but what I enjoy most about it is the riotous drydown. The unusual opulence of the Tom Ford is very "me" and I love all of its phases.



3) Aramis Special Blend (2019)
Bvlgari pour Homme Soir (2006)

Two designer fragrances that march to the beat of their own drum and offer appealing accords I haven't encountered elsewhere (or at least I haven't experienced these accords presented with the same clarity). They're all-occasion scents that skew in different directions (woody-spicy vs citrus-green, respectively), with a no-frills directness that I tend to think of as casual rather than formal.​

Winner: Aramis Special Blend (2019) - The Aramis has a little more pizzaz than the Bvlgari. I love the Bvlgari's unique tea note, but after a half hour, what you see is what you get, even if what you get is pleasant. The Aramis feels simple, but it still offers a journey with distinct phases.



3) Aramis Tuscany per Uomo (1984) vs Floris Leather Oud (2014)

Maybe these don't really belong in a faceoff against one another, but they offer blends I think of as "daytime" with a throughline of strength with leather anchoring the composition. One is more strongly herbal, the other is floral.​

Winner: Floris Leather Oud (2014) - Tuscany is spectacular, even in current form (I actually like how the herbal elements become more prominent in the reformulation without the oakmoss "glue" holding them together), but so is the Floris, and it's the seamless, crisp, slightly formal blend of the Floris that I find myself admiring more.



4) Cartier L'Envol (2016) vs M.A.C. Shadescents Velvet Teddy (2016)

Two different unisex-skewing honey scents with prominent floral notes, both released the same year. Velvet Teddy is stronger, warmer, dirtier, while L'Envol is luminous and dewy.​

Winner: Cartier L'Envol (2016) - I think L'Envol's watery, translucent, amber-y effect is original and accordingly worthy of great acclaim. It's something I wouldn't want to be without. Velvet Teddy has a really well-done blend with a terrific "wild honey" note, but it's not as singular an aromatic experience.

 

[LiveJazz]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

Wow, TFFM Extreme beating Havana! Did not see that coming, as I know you love Havana a lot.

I need to try Floris Leather Oud. Your comments are certainly selling me on it.

 

[otterlake]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

Wow, TFFM Extreme beating Havana! Did not see that coming, as I know you love Havana a lot.

I need to try Floris Leather Oud. Your comments are certainly selling me on it.

I didn't see Havana getting dethroned either. But when the matchup happened, it was clear which way it had to go.

Floris Leather Oud is kinda in the Oud Ispahan line of things, but with geranium instead of rose, and a beautiful clean leather note that I think beautifully balances this "style" of floral-oud fragrance. It supposedly utilizes genuine oud, for what it's worth.

 

[Joe Kilroy]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

Is the Aramis Special Blend exclusive and expensive like it sounds, or available in public outlets?

 

[otterlake]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

Is the Aramis Special Blend exclusive and expensive like it sounds, or available in public outlets?

It's a limited edition release but the big department stores seem to carry it. I got it from Lord & Taylor for $70.

 

[Danny Mitchell]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

I looked for it at Macy's about two months ago but the one by me didn't have it. Maybe with the holidays they got a few in. At the time, they only had the regular Aramis and Tuscany.

 

[otterlake]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

I looked for it at Macy's about two months ago but the one by me didn't have it. Maybe with the holidays they got a few in. At the time, they only had the regular Aramis and Tuscany.

You can always order online from these retailers.

I haven't seen any in-store testers.

 

[Joe Kilroy]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

I looked for it at Macy's about two months ago but the one by me didn't have it. Maybe with the holidays they got a few in. At the time, they only had the regular Aramis and Tuscany.

Do you like Tuscany Danny?

 

[Joe Kilroy]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

It's a limited edition release but the big department stores seem to carry it. I got it from Lord & Taylor for $70.

Thank you. Amazing research posted here by the way. I like the way you judge each on its own merits, not in comparison.


ps- I haven't given up on Havana , by the way. It's just been so humid here, hard for anything to leave the skin.

 

[Danny Mitchell]

Re: Wardrobe Death Match: There Can Only Be One

Do you like Tuscany Danny?

Yes, sir, I do.