The Dreamer
Versace (1996)

A gorgeous tobacco, in the '90's style, in its own right, but I prefer D&GPH vintage for the extra citrus & creaminess.

This is the perfect tobacco, in my point of view. Centered around a green-ish tobacco leaf profile, this doesn't get the slightest tinge of sweetness, as nearly all in this genre do.

Rouge Perfumery's Tabac Vert is the niche version of this type of tobacco leaf profile, but it veers way to sweet for me, especially in the heat and humidity.

But Dreamer I can wear nearly all year, accept for the hottest summer days.

If you can find the Giver version(original), or a later Made in Italy bottle, it really is worth the cost, at today's prices.

8.5/10(vintage)

A dreamy iris fragrance.

The iris combines with a bit of lily for freshness, a bit of juniper to stop it becoming powdery, a bit of tobacco to add complexity, a bit of amber for depth, and a bit of tarragon for spicy interest.

My recommendation: keep on sniffing the comforting bliss.

A “cruder version of Tommy”? Well, I guess if you live long enough you hear it all.

The Dreamer is, in a word, magnificent. And I’ll leave it at that.

The Dreamer is a masterpiece, something that turned heads and drew compliments to anyone who is wearing it. One of the most versatile fragrances in terms of temperature variations and occasions. This scent will never get outdated, so smooth and soothing. Although it is a safe and very appealing scent, don't let that fool you, because it's also a very sly and seductive fragrance that will provoke many enthusiastic compliments.

This opens up very aromstic with the lavender and some very ligh pepper giving this some personality. The heart of this is my favorite as the scent starts to become more rich as the resinous and wet tobacco comes in and the floral notes creep in giving this additional freshness. The dry down is also great though as the tobacco becomes the main player alongside the amber and cedar making this smell very refined, fresh and rich. The end result is very refined, just mature enough to be worn with a suit and tie without smelling too serious, and smells very approachable.

Kind of a plain scent to me (at least for the first hour, see below!). It' s like a much simpler, cruder version of Tommy with some amber sweetener and an impression of tobacco (cedar/tarragon/pepper?).

It's not bad though and I can appreciate the juniper and tarragon combo, especially how it sort of recreates the scent profile of more elaborated fragrances with just those 2 notes (and maybe some hedione).

So then it comes down to price whether it's a thumbs up, down or neutral. Well, it's one of the cheapest designer edt's out there... but I still can't give it a thumbs up. Can't give it a neutral either because it smells too dated and simple for that. You're better off paying 10€ more and getting a 100ml of Tommy. That's around 30€/100ml over here. The Dreamer is only 20€/100ml but I don't think it's worth it because it'll have you smelling not even half as great as the Hilfiger will.

Edit: Unexpectedly, in the far drydown, The Dreamer actually becomes a very pleasant scent! I think I also heard Jeremy Fragrance say this come to think of it. In the end it's like the scent of a dry, white bar of soap mixed with a (prada l'homme like) powdery patchouli and a flowery tobacco! This is really nice but I don't know if I can live with that opening and first hour of wear before it finally gets there! I think it has to do with the iris and maybe a patchouli being 100% subdued during the first hour.

Anyway I changed my mind from thumbs down to neutral because of this.

The Dreamer by Versace is a very likeable and easy to wear fragrance. It is a masculine yet subtle fragrance that has some nice complexity to it. The Dreamer opens with a very pleasant smooth tobacco note blended with lavender and tampered with a fresh citrus. A very pleasing opening. As The Dreamer dries down I detect a chocolatey accord, looking at the notes listed I don't see any cocoa so I'm not sure where this is coming from but I really enjoy this aspect of The Dreamer. I wonder if it could be a combination of the tonka and tobacco? The fragrance then settles into a more white floral scent, as time progresses it stays closer to the skin. I get about 5 hours of longevity on my skin on a cool day. Projection is average initially and after about 3 hours becomes more intimate. I never wore this gem in the 1990s or early 2000s and admittedly only purchased this scent about 6 months ago from a pharmacy so it is relatively new to me. While I can see this subtle fougere fitting into the late 90s it certainly still comes across as a very wearable scent today. The Dreamer is a versatile fragrance, probably more suited to autumn and spring, that can be worn on a date night or out having dinner and drinks with friends. I'm very happy I have finally added The Dreamer to my collection.

Nice bottle. The predominant Iris made this a bit feminine to my nose. Then mix the iris with the tobacco and it became very cloying. I wanted this to work but it just didn't with my chemistry. Still a neutral as I can understand this will work well for others especially if you like floral and tobacco notes.

horrible stuff. ghastly - and you can't get it off. I changed shirts twice, washed my chest 3 times (once with dawn dish soap), and finally showered with hand soap containing rock salt. and I can still smell it. I've read the scent pyramid and I still can't tell you what I'm smelling, only that it's overwhelmingly sweet and hits my migraine spot dead on

The opening blast is characterised by a fresh blast - juniper with whiffs of bergamot initially, which is complimented by an impression of lilies soon after the start. a slightly powdery green iris note, which is on the darker side on me. It is not very boozy in character. I find the juniper a bit underwhelming, with a lily and the iris being a bit on the bland side, but a bit more convincing overall.

in the base a soft note of fresh, slightly ambery and sweetly fruit-vanilla flavoured pipe tobacco, with a touch of tarragon

I get moderate sillage, excellent projection, and eight hours of longevity on my skin.

This is a pleasant, soft and sweet scent for spring evenings, which is quite simple, but works out quite well in the combination of notes. A bit generic at times, but performing solidly. 2.75/5

I got this one in 1998 or so to break my Acqua di Gio habit. I was sick of it.

For 15 years, this was my go-to special occasion fragrance. I love it. I'll always have a bottle. It's easily the fragrance I have been wearing the longest that I still wear on occasion.

I wish I were better with my notes so I could say more than "it smells good, with a tobacco/amber close."

As I've even seen it in drugstores, it's easily found at a good price point. It's not exactly a great beginner fragrance but it is close.

The Dreamer is a good fragrance, however nowadays I find it too sweet and sometimes cloying. A decent performer in projection and longevity. The scent takes me back to the nightclubs in the late 1990s; the smell of The Dreamer would be present in the atmosphere inside the club. I will wear this fragrance rarely as I do like it but it's too 1996-1999 nightclub vibe and I don't think that kind of scent works today. I'd say The Dreamer is for the collector who will spritz it occasionally to reminisce the old days.

Get a citrusy-lemony impression for about the first minute...for the rest of the ride , its pretty much a bouquet of flowers and " green " tobacco leaves...does strike me as D & G Pour Hommes kid brother...Looking up to big brother and trying to be like him...still , a pleasant all purpose fragrance...but nothing to get really excited about , hence , my only reason that made this a neutral...