Un Homme
Charles Jourdan (1979)

Un Homme is a rich potent fragrance in the old style, can still be made with acceptance in modern times. It reminds me in various stages of Vintage Rochas Monsieur crossed with Vintage Aramis. It distills raw masculinity into a bottle. No apologies, no excuses. Hairy chest, steely-eyed, and deep, projecting voice masculinity with style and class.

A strong citrus opening is laced with aromatic accents of lavender, tarragon, and anise in a distinctly French foody manner. The opening subsides to a positively breathtaking jasmine, carnation, and cyclamen over a sweet and spicy woody-mossy base. The florals last for quite some time as the familiar chypre base unfurls slowly and stealthily. The dry down is the best part.

There is a remarkable harmony that comes from joining aromatic herbs such tarragon and marjoram, a pronounced anise note, and true oakmoss (of which there is a generous helping in my vintage bottle).

Charles Jourdan Un Homme is blissful to my nose, truly sensational. It's sophistication as an aromatic fougere really is evident as it dries down and all the elements coalesce and the patchouli fades in and has this choreography with the oakmoss, swirling, undulating, wafts of repose. It is definitely not a beast like many of its contemporaries, but something so nuanced couldn't be a beast, it must hum mellifluously.

I can definitely see Un Homme as the predecessor for the wonderful Zino, but Un Homme has character and wisdom that is transcendental. This is such a rare gem and I will relish each spray for hopefully years to come.

A spicy-woody anisic fougère – which is darker … like Azzaro pour Homme with a suntan.
I think it’s better.

Charles Jourdan Un Homme (Vintage 100ml spray) -

Not mandatory, but definitely recommended for aromatic fougere enthusiasts who favor such hallmarks like Azzaro pour homme and Patou pour homme.

The opening begins with a round and full lavender/ anise that is really well done.

Over the course of a few hours, the moss / cedar / patchouli surround you with an aura of “just got a fresh shave” goodness, mercy!

Charles Jourdan Un Homme is clearly a legend in the masculine barbershop category and as such has achieved unicorn status on the grey market. Limited availability pushes this one near or above 2 dead presidents for 100ml. Good luck and happy hunting because this one is worth it!

4.5 stars

I like this ok. Everyone on here seems to like it, and I've received a glowing compliment while wearing it today, but I'm not quite enthusiastic about it. I'm not a fan of Azzaro pour Homme, so this near-smell-alike didn't have the best prospect of becoming a personal favorite. It's fine, though.

Un Homme goes on with a highly aromatic lavender and bergamot tandem with supporting anise-like herbal French tarragon before transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart, a distinct anise note emerges, co-starring with moderately smooth aromatic patchouli, mossy-green oakmoss and slightly sweet sandalwood, as a just detectable cedar underpins the focal ingredients in support. During the late dry-down, the anise vacates as the sharp cedar moves from support to co-star, with a relatively dry amber from the base unveiled also as a late co-star, with remnants of the sandalwood, patchouli and oakmoss trio remaining, now in support through the finish. Projection is average, but longevity very good at 10-11 hours on skin.

I confess that I am not much of an aromatic fougere lover. Many compositions in the genre that wow others I am only remotely enamored with. That said, there are definitely exceptions like Patou pour Homme Prive, Azzaro pour Homme, and now Un Homme by Charles Jourdan. As fougeres go, Un Homme, along with Patou pour Homme Prive has got to be one of the two bests I have sniffed to date. The composition immediately draws the wearer in with a fabulously balanced aromatic lavender and bergamot citrus open. It only gets better from there, as the anise, oakmoss, patchouli and sandalwood driven heart again displays perfect balance with none of the key notes jockeying for position, instead perfumer Caron brilliantly has them all harmoniously coexisting to amazing effect. Possibly the weakest aspect of the composition's development is in the late dry-down, as the natural smelling cedar wood and amber driven finish is somewhat simplistic in comparison to the rest, but make no mistake, it smells heavenly too. So in the end, even one who does not seek out aromatic fougeres like this writer, has to admire and acknowledge greatness as found in Un Homme by Charles Jourdan. The bottom line is the approximately $100-$150 per 100ml bottle on the aftermarket discontinued Un Homme is just about as fine an aromatic Fougere as has ever been created, earning it a "Near-masterpiece" to "Masterpiece" 4.5 to 5 stars out of 5 rating, and an easy super-strong recommendation to all vintage perfume lovers.

I once bought some Blend 30 from a generous chap who sent along a nice bit of Jourdan Un Homme.

This, that, and vintage Azzaro pH are the epitome of the masculine aromatic fougere standard set back in the late 70s (to me, at least). If you like the anisic quality turned up to high volume... check some old Captain Molyneux as well.

Charles Jourdan, much like Christobal Balenciaga, would ultimately become much better known for shoes in the modern era than anything else, and just like the late Balenciaga, would not live to see any masculine perfumes bear his name (although Balenciaga was alive to witness a few feminines at least), meaning this creation was made entirely without his input. Another uncanny similarity to Balenciaga is the fact that this debut masculine from the house would be an equally mild, traditional, almost palatial aromatic fougère like Balenciaga's Ho Hang (1971), both in a decade when bold and brash was the standard. There are differences however, and owning one doesn't rule out the need for the other, and if one enjoys either than one should possess both, for they are of a unique style that was rarefied even when new. The house of Charles Jourdan wouldn't explore perfume very far, as the children of the late house master would inevitably run the company into the ground after a series of very controversial stiletto heels marked the brand. Only a singular masculine was made and Un Homme (1979) is it, being released right on the cusp of the powerhouse era, making it even further against the grain than perhaps Ho Hang was, but those in the know often favorably compared it to the barbershop standard of Azzaro Pour Homme (1978), which preceded it by a year. I can definitely see what those folks are on about, because there is a similar anise and lemon top to this fragrance, but it is buried under a much more complex pyramid of herbal notes that merge with a base that borders between chypre and fougère, while Azzaro stays in it's neat and tidy fougère fast lane. The nose here is Françoise Caron, sister to the more prolific perfumer Olivier Cresp, and herself the nose behind the famed Hermès L'Eau d'Orange Verte (1979) which debuted concurrently with this obscure gem.

When I tell people what this is or show them the bottle, they either have zero idea who Charles Jourdan is, or didn't realize he had fragrances if they remember the name, always citing the shoe boutiques inhabiting high-end shopping districts as where the name rings a bell. The scent opens with that familiar anise and lemon, but it's far drier and more subtle than Azzaro, sour even, plus darker compared to the later Aramis Tuscany Per Uomo (1984), which is far brighter yet. The lemon/anise accord in Un Homme is quickly swathed in an herb bath of tarragon, majoram, and cradled in piquant bergamot and medicinal English lavender. Before you know it, the anise is barely present in the company of all the greens and lavender, allowing the heart quicker access to the nose of the wearer. Supposedly the note breakdown of this heart contains patchouli alongside carnation, cyclamen, geranium, and cedar. I smell the last two notes here, as they're unmistakable, but the rest is buried in blending. The base here has a creamy sandalwood and castoreum leather, both which are present but quiet compared to how they're usually presented, with oakmoss doing most of the talking, and a dot of coumarin for to complete the hay-like fougère accord. This is still clearly a fougère, but it's chypre-like gentle dryness sure blurs the lines, and when combined with the soft and mildly sour citrus/herbal top, draws this closer to the aforementioned Ho Hang than Azzaro to my nose (outside of the anise), and with the sharp geranium/lavender mix, incidentally pairs very well with many vintage mid-century after shaves. It's not mega-classy, super macho, or particularly romantic, but Françoise Caron delivered a very relaxed and understated brand of masculinity that was most certainly an underdog in an age of baroque aromatics and bulky leather scents. People who fell in love with this upon release likely used it as a signature and stood apart from the crowd of guys using more popular scents at the time, and it still easily could be due to it's relative subtlety for the style and the era in which is was made, feeling rather "niche" if not for it being long discontinued.

Un Homme Charles Jourdan must be a well-kept secret by perfume collectors in any case, as it still gets some love on forums and the rare Instagram post but barely gets hyped by the YouTuber FragBro set, although there are still some shameless types trying to charge niche prices for surviving stock as if it was, so don't jump on the first offer you find for this if it sounds like something you want to explore. Un Homme Charles Jourdan is an underdog in the same barbershop family as anything mentioned above, but is definitely greener and more herbal than any of the vanillic or metallic stuff in the same category. To be sure, something this relaxed and confidently masculine can be an everyday wear but will date you unless you work around folks who love really old-school compositions (or just work alone), but as a weekend day wear in spring or fall, this won't let you down. It's not sharp enough for summer and loses power in cold weather, so keep that in mind. Fans of vintage smells won't need much further convincing to try this, but for those of you out there running more streamlined wardrobes, Un Homme may seem a needlessly expensive and precious variant of something already owned that's much easier to replenish (like Azzaro or Tuscany), so that's some food for thought too. I just love an underdog, so this is definitely right up my alley, and I also love barbershop smells, particularly herbal ones as they're less common in the mainstream that they used to be and are so smooth, they make a perfect generalist alternative to the "blue stuff". My roommate commented that I had that "just shaved" smell when I put this on before going out for food, and I said "that's exactly what I love about this", and perhaps you will too. A certified obscure classic here, and unlike Charles Jourdan's vintage stilettos, it won't give you varicose veins from wearing it too much. Thumbs up.

A fantastic fougere with a chypre soul combining the very best of both style of the 70's 80's golden era. It quickly shot up to one of my very favorite scent in my collection.
BN reviewers have done a great job elaborating, I would just add that to my nose there is more spiciness to it than appears from the reviews and it just add to the delight of Un Homme but I can't quite figure out if it comes from the type of lavender used or what..

Highly recommended.

Stardate 20180131:

-Aromatic Fougere.
-Barbershop.
-Great Classic Masculine
-Therefore discontinue
Checks all of those boxes. There is nothing more I can add except that among the old aromatic fougere gang, this is closest to Blend30.
The dusty-mossy-herbs and the leather brings it close to Blend 30 but there is Tuscany style Italian brightness that gives it a unique style.

Great and FBW

Ohh my "redolent" guys, I utterly love this type of old school concoctions. An excellent hidden gem straight from the 80's for us. I surely detect all around aromatic-fougere elements (lavender, bergamot, hesperides in general, dry-aromatic spices, herbal "kind of anisic" notes in particular) but to me this scent is most of all a woody-mossy-leathery chypre rich of floral/aromatic nuances and muskiness. I detect aldehydes in the opening and a general sense of powdery/metallic "frozen" waxiness (with rubbery/leathery shades). More chypre than this is somewhat hard to pick up around, imo. This scent is closer to Oleg Cassini and Denim that to Azzaro Pour Homme (which is less woody and more properly crisp/herbal, bitter/laundry and dry-spicy) in my humble opinion. While Azzaro Pour Homme keeps on along the way to be herbal-spicy-anisic (with a tons of nuances), Un Homme deflets towards a powdery-woody radiant muskiness with soapy-leathery-waxy facets. Anyway many airy-fougere green/hesperidic "presences" are surely notable and soon bracing. A vintage old-school dusty chypre (woody, powdery, poudre-resinous, misty, aromatic, simply amazing) for us. This by soon "itself unveiling" talky chypre radiancy overstates an initial (however notable) fougeresque fresh piquancy. A grey but all at once radiant-poudre (almost talky) type of classic fragrance, you can get all around a widespread sort of "stale air aura" conjuring the aroma of stored clothes (sort of stuffy fabrics preserved by naphthalene), démodé man's belt, boot polish, moldy woody closets, hand made soaps, furs, penicilin powder and grandma colognes. If you tend to appreciate (conceptually and yet aromatically) scents a la Caron Yatagan, Aramis Devin, Oleg Cassini, Maurer&Wirtz Tabac Original for Men, Vintage Arrogance Pour Homme, Cabochard de Gres, Monsieur Rochas, Visconti di Modrone Tabacco d'Harar, Guerlain Sous le Vent, original Denim, Geo F. Trumper Eucris, Captain Molyneux, Oscar de La Renta Pour Lui, YSL vintage Kouros, Hermes Equipage, Knize Ten, Moustache Rochas etc, etc....well, you can't miss Charles Joudan Un Homme. A diaphane opening is by soon an amazing revelation of aromatic elements and chypre accords, a blast of artemisia, terragon, rosemary, lavender, bergamot, dry patchouli, carnation/geranium, resinous amber and powdery-woody tonka. Along the way leather, wax, dry tobacco and oakmoss start emerging with all that wondeful charge of talky-honeyed chypre nuances. Amber provides talky warmth, a touch of animalic and sticky thickness while jasmine (a stuffy honeyed kind of) takes emerging with all its honeyed "cologney" appeal. Sharp floral notes (geranium and carnation in particular) enhance a general sense of vegetal earthiness, clean detergent refinement and neutral soapiness. The woodiness is mostly cedary and almost incensey (with a secret pencil shavings far echo). All around the atmosphere is powdery, leathery, soapy/barber-shop (with hints of hesperidic wetness) and mossy/incensey (actually soapy/aldehydic more than incensey). Along dry down musks, jasmine and tonka enhance an amplified sense of evocative fresh/airy exoticism. In our depressing age of job flexibility, global terror and shut doors this classic potion exudes manly comfort, leatherwears luxuriousness, sensible wisdom, Grand Hotels conventions, exotic travels and love for tradition, all in one we catch that left back optimistic aura projected by our great dads in the age of creativity and success.

Un Homme by Charles Jourdan is an extremely solid, charming and well-made aromatic fougère for men clearly in the same league of Azzaro pour Homme, playing pretty much the exact same main key notes – anisic-powdery notes of lavender and sage on green, flowery-mossy woods. But there's a twist unique enough to make it worthy having; it smells basically like a sort of wilder, darker, grassier version of Azzaro. “Wilder” not because it is more aggressive or louder, actually in fact it smells really mannered and classy; but because it has some really vibrant, natural quality which makes it really close to the actual smell of wet grass and freshly-cut green branches, also with a nondescript sort of “cloudy” feel, evoking a tense gust of air before a storm. Also spicier and dirtier, with bold notes of cloves and patchouli that provide weight to a feel of subtle dark leather that will gain more and more strength as time passes. So imagine Azzaro pour Homme in its utmost vintage splendour, just wrapped in leather and wet grass. Azzaro pour Homme “The Kinky Gardener Edition”. I also agree to references other reviewers made – Captain Molyneux, Oscar de la Renta pour Lui, Krizia Uomo... dark-green aromatic fougères, that's the family and Jourdan surely sits on the top of it. Brilliant!

8,5/10