Etienne Aigner No. 2
Etienne Aigner (1976)

In the mold of elegant musty lemons, soapy blossoms and musky fougères of past, No.2 carries a floral-hearted tradition in a citrus, sage, lavender accord that tastefully dries indolic, herby, dusty and musky. With a savon-like quality in the fine derogatory label that is the grandma mounting grandpa wiff, No.2 sings its lemon song to a heaving chorus of rose, heliotrope, orris and geranium, that is slighted by bare woodies to an amber rich base of moss, labdanum, coumarin, musk and vanilla. All this supposedly dated action works like a slightly sweeter blooming of the Turkish Arko/Derby shaving soap. Generally, those who have an inclination for pleasant piss alley drifts that swing both ways and a penchant for the chalky side of the grid will be intrigued… Surely, No.2 is a fine barbershop that summons the dandified and the randified mill of clean… Lovely!

Just purchased a lot of two vintage mini-bottles and gave it a proper SOTD wearing. It's very pleasant and reminds me most of Canoe by Dana and Wild Country by Avon due to a powdery note that, albeit less pronounced, is present throughout. Accordingly, it's definitely in the broad "barbershop" category of fragrances. While it has some other interesting and attractive notes, I'm not a fan of this type of powder, so it's not full-bottle worthy for me; would still recommend otherwise.

Top : Bergamot, Clary Sage, Lavender, Lemon, Petitgrain
Heart : Anise, Cedar, Fern, Geranium, Heliotrope, Orris, Rose, Sandal, Vetiver
Base : Labdanum, Moss, Musk, Tonka, Vanilla

This 1976 release by Aigner is a woody fougypre with a bracing opening accord along the lines of Leonard Pour Homme. This isn't to say that No.2 is very similar. It's a kinsman because of the Bergamot, Petitgrain and lavender in the topnotes with cedar leaching upwards from the heart.

Both scents eventually go their separate ways, but both emit a similar vibe with an emphasis on molto masculinity. I can safely say that no woman I know would successfully pull off wearing Aigner No. 2 as a standalone fragrance. This scent is rough, hairy and while it does tone down some by the base accord, it never ventures into the "shared" zone. This is for construction workers and plumbers who want to smell masculine on the job.

That may sound harsh, but it's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. Aigner is my favorite designer house for classic scents and I simply call them as I see them. Do I like Aigner No. 2? No, not really........but I don't hate it either. Let's just say I'm ambivalent. I do enjoy the fragrance after 20 minutes and the drydown has arrived. The hair has been trimmed off it by then and No. 2 becomes an amberized woody with quite a bit of company.

No. 2 has some heavy hitters ala 1970's style construction and for me, it has a difficult time transcending this era. I love masculines from this time period that aren't so "locked-in" and have a bit more versatility. Now, with that said, No. 2 is still very good in that it's well made with great ingredients that have withstood the passage of time. I refer to the integrity of the scent I am sampling.

This is the first neutral rating I have given a classic Aigner because there are numerous others that mimic this same aura and implement the same accord structure with yes.......you guessed it......the same results. While not bad by any means, I have to pass on adding No. 2 to the collection. I actually wear what's in my drobe and this wouldn't see any playing time.

Citrus, bergamot, clary sage and then lavender - can an opening more traditional? On me the drydown mainly brings out geranium, fern and cedar, pleasantly balanced with still freshness present due to added vetiver. In the base his becomes seriously richer based on tonka, labdanum, a light oakmoss and a hint of musk. Well crafted and versatile, this is less brilliant than its original predecessor, but for a while I always enjoyed its easygoing versatility. Good silage and projection with a longevity of four hours.

I owned this fragrance but I heard it was a reformulation, I didn't like it as it had a generic lemon soapy vibe I really couldn't handle (normally I don't mind for soapyness). It is strong and kind of fresh but not my cup of tea. I sold it and never smelled the vintage but this new version gets a thumbs down. Rated: 5/10.

Soapy. And not modern day shower gel kinda soapy...instead it is more like a bar soap from the 70s. Clean as well, bright, a bit lemony and quite strong. The clary sage is very prominent, so much so that it makes this a good frag to have to help with notes association. My bootle smells like it could pass for a Guerlain, as it possess what it has become known as 'Guerlinade'. I blame it on the bergamot/lemon opening and the moss/cedar in the mid and base. I give it a thumbs up for being quite bold and different, especially with so many copies out there, originality and uniqueness are important.