Vintage 
John Varvatos (2006)

Ignore the rookies who like to tell you that this one is gone in an hour. Those are the same people that you can smell from 2 stores away at the mall...and wear things because Jeremy or one of the other lame 'influencers' tell you to.

That being said, Vintage is a great take on the 80s nostalgia mixed with the fruity stuff that defined the 90s. Classy, barbershop and masculine. Pine trees, lavender and tobacco are the big 3 here. I get 5-7 hours of longevity. Sillage and projection are moderate. This is a great fragrance for people who don't need their odor to attract people. Many, many compliments from both sexes though...and for a lighter projecting juice, that speaks volumes.

Like most John Varvatos scents I've used, this fragrance is much classier than the price would suggest, and it really proves. It's a mature type of scent, but it's not "real vintage" smelling. It doesn't smell like Old Spice, Brut ir anything like that. This is a different type of mature, and it has just the right amount of sweetness. John Varvatos perfectly blends classic and modern together in such a way that i just can't see anyone disliking the scent.

It's rich, warm, cuddly and inviting. The spicy and earthy top notes smell stunning. The juniper berries, fir and cinnamon are all very clear and distinct but compliment each other excellency. The tobacco scent is masculine, refined and memorizing. Cinnamon and woods make it a wonderful holiday scent. In the dry down, i also get a little lavender which actually is the only bad thing in this smell. I find it to smell a little like detergent. I get a little bit if that suede but it's not super distinct, nor does it stay for very long.

Totally to me, tobacco is definitely the dominant note. I'd either call it a dark pipe tobacco, or dark cigar tobacco. The fragrance doesn't smell black, but more dark brown, due to the tobacco accord. Cold temperatures, sit on a sofa near the fireplace, listin to music, kids are playing in the background, family and loved ones are having a good time is what come to mind when Vintage is worn.

A Drakkar Noir throwback with a touch of 90s fruitiness (the tobacco-y drydown recalls the likes of Remy Latour Cigar), this is a smart, sharp composition for folks who miss the 1980s but aren't prepared to hunt for vintage bottles.

It's well-blended with a nice dose of dark, piney stickiness, but does suffer the fate of most genre pastiche pieces: it feels a touch anonymous.

This one is very tart and slightly juicy from a lot of rhubarb. Something boozy yet has kind of a spiced vanilla and chamomile is mixing with the tartness. The spiced vanilla seems sweet at first, but the tartness smoothens it out. I get more suede than I do tobacco. This is also a little smooth and clean from a lavender and juniper combo. Not enough juniper to make this remind me of pine...more of a subtle and green brisk feel.

Vintage by John Varvatos is definitely a brown scent and quite abstract from the rhubarb approach. This is a modern scent, but does have noticeable retro inspiration through the dark booze and leather traits. Perry Ellis for Men (1985), or the old Revlon formula of Chaz (1975) immediately come to mind.

I get a firm 8 hours of low projection from this through 5 sprays. It's a little weak but not as bad as I was expecting from the negative reviews.