Banana Republic Classic (1995)
by Banana Republic

Very nice. Citrusy, summery, subtle and clean. Does not last long but the bassnotes are heavenly fresh. I find the smell lingers longer on clothing than it does on my skin. Doesn't stand out in terms of longevity or pungence, but doesn't offend either. B+/A-

8th September, 2011.

Probably the most citrus fragrance of my collection. Imagine a mixture of limes, lemons, tangerines and mandarins. Yes, this has got to be the Vitamin C of colognes!
Very refreshing and "clean" scent but unfortunately the longevity and sillage are very weak as I only get about 2 -3 hours. It´s a good summer scent but nothing out of the ordinary.

11th August, 2011.

Banana Republic CLASSIC is indeed a classic, rather masculine-smelling cologne. The composition reminds me quite a bit of the Calvin Klein omnisex jug perfumes: somewhat aquatic, somewhat citrusy, vague and indistinct as far as specific notes are concerned. Among the synthetic floral renditions, this one may contain water lily or lotus or something else light and inobtrusive, compatible with these sorts of modern scents, which also sometimes contain tea notes—and this one may as well. CLASSIC is really quite evasive, when all is said and sniffed, a sort of “one-size-fits-all” fragrance. As this fragrance dries down, a vetiver-like note becomes more and more evident, making this seem, again, a classic made-for-men perfume. Overall this sort of modern (largely synthetic) perfume, comprising primarily “abstract” notes, does not appeal to me very much, but for those looking for this sort of thing, I'm sure that CLASSIC would do quite well. Nothing to get excited about, but also nothing to offend.

2nd July, 2011. (Last Edited: 9th July, 2011.)

I first owned a mini of this years ago, and I would wear it on random occasions when I wanted to smell fresh without attracting much attention. Even one day when I worked for a perfume distributor, one of the workers commented on the scent one day because she knew it wasn't one of the bottles we carried.

When I smell this in the bottle, it smells very citrus. I get a strong lemon scent. It's a nice scent. There's some type of mossy background behind it. It's real light, and mostly unrecognizable. When I spray it on, the initial blast is pure alcohol scent. It dries down and for a short time the top notes really smell great.

Somewhere in the mid notes I feel it gets too femme for me to truly like this scent. The base almost disappears and leaves a vague trace of some scent that used to be there. In this sense, it is a good daytime work cologne. I think it's mostly for men, but certain women could easily wear this because it's definitely unisex.

I remember when I bought my mini bottle it was in the men's section of Banana Republic, so I really am unsure how it is marketed. Something I am going to try now that I got a new 1.7 oz bottle is to try layering this with something a bit stronger and more masculine. If I find a good combo, I believe it would be a nice blend.

**I will add that I used to do this with Candies for Men, which was way too sweet on it's own, but layered with some woody masculine scents, it would work great**

16th September, 2010. (Last Edited: 28th September, 2010.)

BANANA REPUBLIC CLASSIC by Banana Republic

Clean and fresh like a lemon mist after a morning shower, Banana Republic Classic is the perfect eau de toilette for summer weekends on Nantucket, the Vineyard, and the Hamptons. With notes of citrus, honeysuckle, and bergamot, this is the fragrance counterpart to crisp linen and espadrilles, white handkerchiefs and straw hats—and tall gin tonics. Girls in summer dresses and the hissing of summer lawns. In other words, BR Classic evokes the icons of summer. Even the streamlined bottle with its matte nickel top evokes another classic: Chanel No. 5—and yet, BR Classic is as American as Gatsby and Daisy on a summer porch in West Egg.

3rd June, 2010.

I picked this scent up today and LOVE it. Great clean scent that reminds me a fresh laundered linens. Awesome spring and summer scent. If you like Thierry Mugler's cologne or the Gerdarme series, you'll LOVE this! Light, clean, floral with citrus scent that has respectable longevity. Drydown is green/sandlewood. Great stuff. Imagine a soapy Tam Dao.

15th April, 2010.