Sunday Cologne / Fantastic Man 
Byredo (2009)

The bergamot is strong in the opening, but anise and cardamom - in the order of intensity - dampen it a bit and add some mildly spicy richness and variety. The result is an unusual but pleasant aroma.

The drydown adds a bit of incense that blends into the previous mix, together with a lavender-centric floral side that stays in the background quite discreetly.

The base develops a crisper note by means of a fairly bright patchouli; and whilst not without a certain bite the latter never becomes too intrusive.

I get moderate sillage, good projection and six hours of longevity on my skin.

People in different areas spend their Sunday's differently, so it is hard to see how a fragrance can represent a day for everyone - Escada's Casual Friday may be one of the exceptions. This spring scent is executed well and not without original touches, although the end is a bit too generic. 3/5

Not to be turned off by its generic name, Sunday Cologne beats everything out of its way as soon as I got hit by its notes. The perfect cologne for me yet I have only work it once using a sample from Neiman Marcus. The comparison to Terre d'Hermes is evident yet Sunday Cologne is in an entirely different classification of its own (and because no perfume can touch my love and devotion to Monsieur Ellena). The bergamot is what I expected it to be in its top note and how this transformed seamlessly into the surprisingly less vetiver and calming Patchouli (and I hate patchouli). A rare 10/10 for me. I usually attach an experience or a snapshot of my day into the fragrance in describing it but for Sunday Cologne, I cant seem to think of a single experience or mood that reminds me firsthand of why I liked or why I relate to this scent. I guess, this is an entirely new experience and entirely new perfume for me to revolve my experiences around instead of the other way.

An easygoing take on the spicy-fresh aromatic masculine cologne. Lacking the richness and dimensionality of all-natural blends it's well-blended (sparse?) enough for me not to be distracted by any particular note's shortcomings. I find traces of spiced vetiver reminding me somewhat of a milder Terre d'Hermes.

Pleasantly versatile to wear on a regular basis but calling it 'fantastic' is definitely a stretch too far. Right, Mr. Reed Richards?

Byredo Sunday Cologne is accurately named in that it's a take on the traditional cologne concept, but it's certainly a departure from the normal concept (usually involving neroli) and in EDP, is notably spicier and dirtier than most of its cologne-named kin from other houses.

The cardamom factors in a lot for me as far as the spicy/dirty concept, along with the fresh bergamot to start. The lavender more or less fills the floral freshness role that neroli would otherwise achieve in other colognes or freshies. So Sunday Cologne is both laundry fresh and dirty at the same time, which isn't a quandary for me but a charming duality. It settles into a mix of vetiver and oakmoss, an agreeable enough drydown.

It wins major points for creativity but loses some performance, which is average at best, especially for an EDP. Surely this is ideal for warm weather day use. I've not tried the EDC version on skin but perhaps it would better suit others. Personally, I lean toward the maximum concentration version in such cases.

At $150 for 50ml and $230 for 100ml, retail pricing is a bit steep so this was definitely a stretch for me but I'd recommend looking for deals for this one.

7 out of 10