Fendi (original) (1985)
by Fendi

This was my "signature scent" for over ten years, and I'll always love it, no matter how "dated" it may seem. A lovely, warm, sensual fragrance with excellent longevity. Be careful with the layering and formulations, as a too-heavy hand will do you in! A quick spritz of EDT should have you covered for hours! Full-strength parfum, especially if layered over the lotion, can give a very harsh bug-spray like chemical note that should be avoided. Also, the lotion has a pearlized sheen to it that always annoyed me.

I just bought a bottle of Fendi edt usniffed in my local drugstore on clearance for $8. Poor Fendi! Reduced to the drugstore bargain bin! I can see how people would think it's overbearing - it's not the style we are accustomed to today - and I do get the medicinal note that Tanto mentions. I also smell a vegetal note (celery/cilantro-like) which must be the geranium. As it dries down it's a bit spicy, and has a tobacco shop/pipe tobacco honeyed quality that someone mentioned. I get powdery leathery rosy florals on top of that. It's definitely a 1980's power chypre/oriental. It reminds me of Coco a little, also Paloma Picasso, also Agent Provocateur (although that's recent), even 1000 de Patou a little. It's dated, but I go around in other dated fragrances that are even more obnoxious. I quite like this little bottle. It smells sexy and dressy-uppy. If this edt is the reformulation, I can't imagine how potent and rich the original parfum must have been. Not bad for a drugstore bargain bin find.

One of the prettiest and softest non-feminine foral. On my skin, it is a snug and warm scent that I can't resist sniffing. Sadly under-rated. I wish more men will wear this.

Wore this when I was likely too young for it (High School), but then I was also wearing Poison and Opium then, as well. I still keep a bottle around and found this one for almost nothing at an antique store. Great on me for special winter evenings. Even smells good on my hubby, too!

Strong, overbearing, and medicinal. This is one fragrance that I find has "no appeal". The best way to wear this fragrance is to keep it in it's bottle on top of your dresser !! When it was popular in the mid 80's, women would wear this and think they were so "fashionable" BUT what they don't realize is that when they walked out of the room, other people would comment on how horrible it was. I'm so happy that this stink water is now out of vogue and we no longer have to suffer through smelling it on others.

I remember as child smelling this on my Godmother. For the sake of scentiment I purchased it at a grocery store, and jokingly spritzed it on. Eventually I began seriously wearing it, despite the fact that it is a women's perfume, and really does "smell like an expensive fur coat" (as described by Fendi). I received a few compliments for it (once from a man at the gym, who seemed to think I had exceedingly good taste...) It was also my signature fragrance while I vacationed in Brazil. I have no idea how or if I pulled it off.

Fendi's original perfume is a rich and elaborate fragrance, based in Patchouli, geranium, tobacco, spices, honey, etc., etc. The top notes are jarring and I do not like them--sharply floral. The middle notes sometimes reacted funny with my chemistry and smelled putrid--I preferred to wear it on clothing rather than have it mix with my man-oils. The basenotes, with the noticeable presence of patchouli, are what really attract me to the fragrance. But for me, as a male, it is not worth waiting for them to develop! I have since bought a patchouli cologne that spares me from walking around in the voluminous gowns, lustrious floral and mink robes of Fendi's original.