Italian Cheapies : Lancetti, Parah, Pino Silvestre, Basile, Compagnia delle Indie, Nazareno Gabrielli - and co. ???

[david]

Hoping for some help here, (if possible including italian members).
I have a fleamarket seller here in France who has a huge van, full of italian fragrances, (unfortunately only the cheaper stuff).
So far I have tried the following on test strips, but they are not strong and don't have much staying power :

Basile Syle/Lifetime/Nazareno Gabrielli Homme/Lui di Lancetti/Lancetti Mood Man/ Compagnia delle Indie Woods. All of these were disappointing and seemed to be based around similar accords...mainly citrus. On a test strip after 4 hours the fragrance is faint. All of them are from the same parent company, Weruska&Joel S.r.l. Most of these releases seem like songs played around the same 3 chords...all quite similar.
There are 3 that I find interesting : Compagnia delle Indie Uomo, Parah Noir and Parah Man, (vetiver based).
From the above mentioned houses is there anything I should look out for ?

I did find the Pino Silvestre range more interesting, (they have a lot of newer releases). Pino Silvestre Mediterraneo is great, (once you get past the gagging initial blast of sea salt). Then a warm powdery patchouli note/baby powder note comes into play and makes it really unique.

I also tried Lui Lancetti which gets good reviews, but my fragrance did not seem to correspond. Mine was weak and nothing special. There are 2 different packages and sometimes it is referred to as Lancetti Homme, so there is confusion. Maybe I have a different fragrance, although the bottle corresponds to the image on fragrantica directory (?).
I love the much earlier release, Lancetti Uomo, but all the other stuff from them i find a bit naff.

Grateful for any suggestions/ tips.
Thanks.

 

[Diddy]

Bonjour! How trustworthy are flea market fragrance sellers in France? In south Louisiana, the fragrance sellers at flea markets sell legit fragrances that have not been stored properly and smell little to nothing like their original form. But mostly they sell fakes. Very badly done fakes. And even fakes of fragrances that are already cheap, like Old Spice aftershave.

If you ever travel to Louisiana and/or Texas, just know this….. Buying fragrance (or anything) out of a van is sketchy as hell in the Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Houston areas. Hard pass. Don’t do it. The seller is either selling stolen or damaged or fake items, or could be be identifying you as a “mark”.

Best wishes!

 

[david]

Bonjour! How trustworthy are flea market fragrance sellers in France? In south Louisiana, the fragrance sellers at flea markets sell legit fragrances that have not been stored properly and smell little to nothing like their original form. But mostly they sell fakes. Very badly done fakes. And even fakes of fragrances that are already cheap, like Old Spice aftershave.

If you ever travel to Louisiana and/or Texas, just know this….. Buying fragrance (or anything) out of a van is sketchy as hell in the Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Houston areas. Hard pass. Don’t do it. The seller is either selling stolen or damaged or fake items, or could be be identifying you as a “mark”.

Best wishes!

I'm really sure these are genuine. The Pino Silvestre range were all fine and the Parah. It's more a question of these "stack 'em high and sell 'em fast" firms, where fragrances are very hit and miss. Most are generic and averege at best, but occasionally you can find a real gem. The same goes for Maurer+Wirtz and Morabito. They are churning them out, (so fast the perfume website directories cannot keep up !) and 90% are crap, but once in a while there will be a diamond.

Just to add, it's maybe different in the US, but here in continental Europe and in the UK buying antique fragrances from cars/ vans is the norm, (they are called car boot sales) and I have found some of my best jewels for good prices...often the seller does not know what they have concerning the value. In 40 years of buying I have never come across a fake and there are easy ways of detecting if a fragrance is legit or fake.
I got a 250 ml sealed Eau Noire for €10...when I asked the price the seller said, "is ten euro's okay for you ?" "Yes !" was my answer.
Another time I got a wooden crate full of, (dusty) bottles of vintage Moustache for €30...and a giant bottle of first release formula Macassar for €25.
I would defintely encourage members visiting Europe to check out these boot sales if you are a collector of vintage perfumes.
Most of these markets are patrolled by police and the people organising them are pretty strict and control that fakes are not being sold.

 

[Ken_Russell]

If going for Weruska & Joel, had very good experiences at inexpensive prices with Roberto Capucci fragrances as well as gift sets (including vintage) released by this parent company.

 

[Varanis Ridari]

I don't know if it's cheap anymore, but the original Carlo Pignatelli is worth having if you like Minotaure, Roma Uomo, Jaïpur (without the powdery), or Baldessarini.

 

[hednic]

View attachment 335594

I don't know if it's cheap anymore, but the original Carlo Pignatelli

Hadn't heard of this one before.

 

[Varanis Ridari]

Hadn't heard of this one before.

Very small Italian suitmaker, known mostly for wedding suits (and dresses), ties, shoes, and accessories.

Never got popular outside Italy and parts of North Africa (because across the Mediterranean). The fragrance is worth checking out.

There is no women's version, so don't worry about getting the wrong one.

 

[david]

I have generally been disappointed by the Lancetti fragrances I have tried, (all very weak - Including Lancetti Lui that people seem to rate highly) but very positive regarding the Pino Silvestre I have tried so far. They are all strong and seem to have quality.
Update : since trying more Lancetti's I do like a lot of them. I don't really get all the love for Lui Lancetti though. I's just so, so for me.

 

[Franco65]

they are not strong and don't have much staying power

that's why they're cheap, they were sold in drugstores and supermarkets....now no more!

 

[david]

that's why they're cheap, they were sold in drugstores and supermarkets....now no more!

Has the company Weruska & Joel gone bancrupt ? I googled it and the website says, 'permantly closed' (?)

 

[david]

I hope this is not the end for Pino Silvestre !!!

 

[Franco65]

Has the company Weruska & Joel gone bancrupt ? I googled it and the website says, 'permantly closed' (?)

Most likely! Anyway, the new Pino Silvestre had nothing to do with the old one. I had a mini when I was six yrs. old I can still remember the scent!