1881 (1990)
by Cerruti

Kinda sweet and "green" in the way that it's both herbal and leafy. Lasts a good while. If the top notes don't put you off and you get to the drydown, you're in for a treat as it becomes a nice woody floral. Both elegant and casual and very distinctive.

A top note accord of citrus with green and aromatic notes yields to a floral-fruity heart undergirded by woody oriental notes. This is one I had nearly forgotten, but wanted to revisit after reading Luca Turin's review in "Perfumes: The Guide." I confess that I thought the top notes a bit harsh, but now I see that they lead to a beautiful masculine floriental with delicate resonances that are well worth wearing for their subtle radiance.

The first time I bought this was in Southern France with my (then) French girlfriend. I really wasn't too keen on it, but purchased it because she quite liked it. However, it never really grew on me. A few years later, I foolishly purchased another bottle of the stuff whilst in Madrid - I thought I'd give it another chance. Bad decision! How relieved I was when I finally managed to finish the bloody bottle...

The problem with this fragrance is that there's nothing special to make it stand out, among the myriad of fragrances currently on the market. To be honest, I preferred Eternity For Men than this (and that's saying something). Oh, and the bottle design is so ugly!

On paper, 1881 by Cerutti looked promising: herbal heart tones and woody base notes. On me, it has a tired, dusty-stale smell. I find it to be bitter and irritating.

The first time I sampled this, I was blown away, and i had to have it. It was elegant and strong and manly and on and on. Then I bought it and after wearing it on about 3 occasions, I couldn't do it anymore. It was too much for me. Smells great, the dry down is great but it has become a bit much for me. it is a very old-like scent, hence the 1881 name. Try before buying, and if you buy, get a small bottle lest you suffer the same effects as I.

One of the most discreet yet distinguished citrus chypres to ever have been created. It shares the same league with Grey Flannel, Eau Sauvage, Armani pour homme, Chanel pour Monsieur or Roberto Capucci and has some notes in common with all of these scents too- it's the essence of the timlessly elegant scent, fit for the privileged yet never tasteless or showy gentleman. It embodies the true definition of solid, flawless class. Clean-cut cirus, herbal and aromatic opening, woody and chypre drydown. Starts of very delicately yet still masculine in a distinguished way, but developes a great, yet never brutal or choking lasting power ( unlike the more sensual, potent, carnal Amber version, whih, much more than this one, is easily overapplied if not handled with care and moderation). Personally, i like both the bottle and the name, as both stand, in my opinion, for indestructible conservative values, the rugged, energetic yet stylish puristic simplicity of the bottle being an example of how a true high-end masculine scent should be marketed. The drydown is close to sheer perfection, as it is summing up many of the sensory delights of a Mediterranean surrounding if a few notes- the marine, the mossy touches, moderate floral hints, the antiseptic piney touch, the both relaxing and invigorating touches of aromatic herbs, all of them leading to a very elaborate, but also wearable and fully functional, while still being luxurious and elitist creation which is timeless enough to smell natural and gentlemanly enough to have been made in 1881(and not in 1990) but with the security that, like the most solid investment, will never be dated, not even in our contemporary neoliberal postmodern brave new world, from who's mainly so uninspired, nondescript post-structural scents this one definately stands out.