Signature pour Homme
Zaharoff (2018)

Signature pour Homme by Zaharoff (2018) is a fairly impressive effort in men's fragrance from George Zaharoff, a self-styled men's fashion impresario from the US who has never really gone global with his brand like Tom Ford or Calvin Klein, but has nonetheless garnered a cult of loyal customers. Following in the footsteps of his mother Mariana Zaharoff, one-time tailor to the stars who made many one-off couture pieces under the "MZ Zaharoff" label, George Zaharoff keeps his creations a little more numerous than one-of-one, but still relatively low-volume. He initially sold only out of Nordstrom, then his own Chicago boutique (taking over the Marilyn Miglin space there in 2012), until the COVID-19 pandemic killed off his only self-branded physical retail footprint in the States, going back to Nordstrom and a few licensed resellers globally. His fragrances have had roller-coaster fortunes as well, since Signature pour Homme is a reconstruction and modification of his original fragrance, Zaharoff pour Homme (1999), itself lasting only two years on the market initially. Brought back once in 2008, then gone again when fortunes once again turned southward, the original Claud Dir formula of Zaharoff pour Homme was allegedly created to replace Escada pour Homme (1993), but was lost by the perfumer, giving opportunity to use chromatography to analyze (then alter the formula) of surviving bottles George possessed. From this exercise, we get Signature pour Homme.

So the thing about this fragrance is, it smells like a lot of different things to a lot of different people, because love it or hate it, Signature pour Homme is a complex multi-headed chimera born of an alteration to formula based on a GCMS scan of a lost fragrance meant to emulate the original vintage formula of another lost fragrance. Confused yet? So here we have soapy and creamy late 80's/early 90's semi-oriental fougère grafted onto a base of modern leather and synthetic oud nuances, with "blue fragrance" top and heart notes dispersed throughout, yielding a scent that smells fresh and modern in fits and starts, but also traditionally masculine, before finally settling on slightly-smoky aromatics with incense under it all. As an intended signature fragrance from someone who seems to have a refined palate and the money to commission people like Claude Dir to make their fragrances, Signature pour Homme is indeed sophisticated, unerringly masculine, versatile, and feels right at home in most situations or seasons. This is said to be a wet-shaver's favorite, no doubt because Zaharoff has on-again-off-again sold wet shaving accessories scented like this stuff too, and it doesn't seem out of place alongside things like Azzaro pour Homme (1978) and Rive Gauche pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent (2003). Performance is pretty good and will last the day, and the stuff sticks to a shirt collar virtually forever, so I think you get your money's worth in that regard despite the fairly high price per ounce for the fragrance; you won't find discounts due to the ultra-tight distribution either.

On the down side, the usual alpha-male douche-bros that confuse their bank account and dead-lift amounts with having a personality have flocked to this fragrance, like they basically do anything promising the smell of success and superiority to the "beta cucks" they imagine shoving into high school gym lockers or giving hanging wedgies to as if they stopped mentally maturing at 16; so you have to waft through an inordinate amount of shallow self-centered garbage to get any real honest opinions on this one from other people, particularly if YouTube and Facebook are your preferred haunts. Additionally, people owning things like Maison Francis Kurkdjian masculin Pluriel (2014) may find something like Signature pour Homme a bit redundant, as it goes in a similar lavender over leathery-incense and clean patchouli vibe. Most folks I know only want one high-priced blazer-and-tie kind of scent like this, and although the price-per-milliliter is in favor of the Zaharoff over the MFK, the shaky limited distribution is not. Some folks might not want to be worried about replacing their Zaharoff Signature pour Homme in the same way George was forced to replace his Escada. That said, this is a solid, eminently-wearable effort; and although I find George's courting of influencers and the "cool kids club" spectacle it creates to be embarrassing, I can't in good conscience say he doesn't know what he's doing where the creative direction on his main line is concerned. Get a sample before blind-buying at these prices, but otherwise be optimistic about this one. Thumbs up

Zaharoff Signature Pour Homme EDP (decant)

Looked in to this one after several Basenoters mentioned it as a favorite for wet shaving enthusiasts. Not much more to add to the previous reviews as it is very good and definitely scratches the barber shop vibe itch.

To my nose, it has characteristics of a few of my favorites like Azzaro PH, Zino Davidoff, Charles Jourdan Un Homme and particularly the dry down of Jacomo de Jacomo. Compared to these specifically, this one is a bit sweeter but still incorporates elements of the common accords you will find in the aromatic fougere family, which is always working to remind you of foamy shaving cream.

Signature Pour Homme could easily be just that, as I could see wearing this year-round in practically any season. Projection is close to the skin, and longevity is 6-8 hours. Well done!

3/5 stars

Zaharoff Signature Pour Homme

What is there to say about Zaharoff Signature Pour Homme? For starters it’s a stunner. But lets not get ahead of ourselves. I’m not usually one to natter on about the history of perfume brands but in this case I’ll make an exception as I think it’s warranted.
The original 1999 Zaharoff Pour Homme was styled on Escada Pour Homme, George Zaharoff’s then signature scent. When the Escada was reformulated, as usually happens with most fragrances given enough time, he commissioned Claude Dir to create Zaharoff Pour Homme to replace his beloved signature. Business was going well but things didn’t work out as planned...
After some misfortune due in part to timing (9/11), an enormous business deal fell through and both the men’s and women’s scent lines were discontinued.

Fast-forward to around 2018 and after a long hiatus, George Zaharoff was able to find and recommission Claude Dir, the original perfumer, to create the new Zaharoff Signature Pour Homme. The original formula for Pour Homme was lost so the fragrance was reworked from a personal bottle in George’s possession. Zaharoff Signature smells nothing like the Escada. I like Escada but to my nose Signature is far better...

If only the big designer brands still made scents like this. Now given what often passes for fragrance by the standards of modern designer houses, luxury as a word is, I think, overused and frankly abused. This one really is luxury in the sense that it isn’t pretending to be something it’s not, it is quality top to bottom. George has managed to keep alive old school Designer values, where the creativity, style, substance and panache, not bean-counters, led the way. This fragrance reminded me just how good a product can be and be made and when you make use of it, it can impart something more than the sum of its parts. It can be uplifting, though simultaneously imparting a sense of calm and a quiet feeling of joy.

Signature Pour Homme is a luxurious scent..creamy...resinous lavender amber leaning towards an oriental fougere...lavender like I haven’t smelled before...spicy and resinous while staying smooth, rounded and non-herbal. Nothing juts out. The whole thing is blended exquisitely with incense, myrrh, cedarwood and sandalwood. It wears with more a feeling of oud than a scent of oud but the agarwood is clean and mild, becoming a touch more noticeable as the fragrance begins to drydown and it plays a small but essential role in providing a woody melange with the sandal, cedar and patchouli where the woody resins also come into their own.
It manages to express a mildly barbershop and golden aura. A fougere without a moss note but as it dries down the lavender and coumarin keep it shave-ey in a refreshing innovative way. And the cedar is fabulous. My God it’s good.

Signature Pour Homme brings to mind the feeling of being in a steam filled bathroom, being cleanly showered and just shaven, with that luscious hum of quality shaving cream still hanging in the air.

The ingredients feel quality. The blending second to none. The density is perfect taking a translucent weighting with good body enough to appreciate individual notes (vintage Tiffany For Men comes to mind, feel not scent). On skin it blooms, all ingredients shining without outshining each other, working harmoniously to balance the whole. There is some mild sweetness too, but again, tempered by the resinous woody facets. It performs well on my skin; I’m able to smell it at least 12 hours later and even longer on clothing.

The effort is apparent and a keen soul will notice every detail has been painstakingly poured over inside the bottle and out. I would happily wear this day or night, formal or casual and any season (though will have to test in Summer heat).
And as wisely hinted at by the makers, it could be effortlessly worn as a Signature.
It is beautifully masculine, and a luxurious finish to getting ready for the day or evening ahead. No flaw from head to base. This scent just puts a smile on my face.

Based on Signature Pour Homme I’ll be exploring more of the house’s fragranced offerings and may even try their cigars. George Zaharoff and Claude Dir made something truly special here.

9.5/10

Quick first impression: will buy. A proper modern fougère with woods, spices, incense, and a well-contextualized oud note.

It smells like the kind of man who has his life together,and appreciates the finer things in life,but doesn't look down upon those who don't or can't. Zaharoff Signature is actually very versatile, signature scent.you can put it in all season day and night.it's not complex or obnoxiously loud.it's luxury barbershop oozing class & finess. a wonderful tribute to the classic masculine fougere.warm, yet fresh,simplicity of it, without being overly fresh.it is a pure pleasure to the nose mature and classy.

The lavender when paired up with the patchouli and vetiver comes off classic and earthily sweet. when the myrrh and woody notes make their entrance this scent becomes something with a bit more depth and richness.the myrrh-lavender combination is very refined,and lasts till the very last hours of the dry down.no harsh or chemical lavender. lavender here give smooth feeling.the patchouli is clean, and lends a spicy abstract to the mix without every hitting that stereotypical patchouli note which can often dominate and ruin an otherwise good fragrance. totally is easy to dismiss as a simple barbershop style fougere but i do not get that typical soapy element with so many other barbershop style frags.yes it smells clean,and masculine but the amber is this scent is so well executed and very refined it blocks out the soapy effect. performance is very good.

TLDR: Excellent (4.2/5). A complex fougere of great subtlety and quality.

Zaharoff Signature is a modern take on the classic fougere. Like Gravitas by Naughton & Wilson, which seems born of the same spirit as this fragrance, this scent shows how the fougere genre might have evolved had the best designer houses not largely turned in a different direction after the dominance of this type of scent during the 1980s.

This fragrance is not an homage to pre-IFRA ingredients that one finds in, for example, Meleg's Fougere or Rogue's Bon Monsieur, both of which are very good but also very much backward looking, I think. Rather, Zaharoff Signature Pour Homme has the complexity one associates with the endless ingredient lists of the 1980s powerhouse fougeres, but takes its long list of ingredients to a novel destination that is very contemporary.

As such, there are nods to some classics here (to my nose, the mid here has a little Drakkar Noir to it & here and there I also get reminded of Dior's Jules [the 1980 version, although it is a chypre]), but this is not to pigeonhole this scent as an 80s style green composition. It is so much more.

Lavender is there in the opening, of course, and the spices give it a barbershop tone for the first few minutes. But then a green, slightly sweet pear note emerges to move this scent in a distinctly different and very 2020s direction.

There follows a masterfully blended, very high quality array of notes that swirl around themselves to create an aura of dazzling complexity. This heart of the fragrance is brilliant. Truly superior.

Indeed, given the fact that one of the few notes my nose can clearly distinguish in this blended middle mixture is a clean oud (possibly natural, in part), the prices for which Zaharoff offers this stuff must be among the best bargains in independent perfumery at the moment.

The base features some sandalwood creaminess, an amber and incense warmth and the remains of the oud. This base could have become harsh, animalic or overly dry, but Claude Dir has added just enough patchouli, and allowed subtle sweet notes to linger from the opening, so as to prevent any discord in the base.

This fragrance could have been a mess but instead, it is just the opposite --so well composed and artfully blended that the wearer gets treated to an aromatic symphony instead of a jumble of smells.

Projection is noticeable for three hours or so on me and then it slowly recedes until it becomes a skin scent after about 7 hours. Longevity is considerable. I get about 10 hours in moderate warmth and humidity.

The presentation is tasteful. The bottle and box are of good quality as is the atomizer. The cap is distinctive enough to make this one easy to pick out on a crowded shelf.

Too many fragrances are said to embody niche quality at designer prices. In the case of Zaharoff Signature Pour Homme, this compliment is genuinely deserved. This fragrance is a must-have for fougere lovers. You should be at least sample it. (Free samples are available on Zaharoff's website.) Highly recommended.