Reviews of Elite (1980)
by Floris

I'm in the minority among Basenotes reviewers of this scent. Here's my take on it: Elite is woody-floral with a green citrus top. The notes, to my nose, marry very well. It seems a bright and optimistic fragrance, not what one would usually think of when seeing patchouli, cedar, oakmoss, vetiver, and sandalwood all stacked up in a fragrance; but in Elite, the top notes and the unusual combination of lavender and tuberose give the whole a real lift and brighten it considerably. Even in the drydown, the gentler notes persist. This may not be to the taste of those who prefer "modern" fragrances, but it's pretty well put together and deserves the occasional outing.

Neither here not there.
But principally, it simply does not harmonize all the discordant notes.
I think I'll skip it.

I'll respectfully disagree with the negative and neutral comments, for me this is a terrific scent.

Bergamot, cedar leaf, grapefruit, juniper berry, petitgrain
Bay, fir balsam, lavender
Amber, cedarwood, moss, musk, patchouli, vetiver

This has a lovely green, bergamot-rich opening. The juniper and leafy cedar add fresh notes. Bay (laurel) adds to a terrific aromatic green-herbal theme. The laurel is outstanding here, being reserved yet uplifting (as befits its ancient Greek usage in victory crowns). This is a dry, well-blended scent. There are good coniferous elements lurking in the background. The drydown continues the green theme, with mossy and light musk notes. The drydown gets cool: the moss-musk-vetiver/grass produces a classy, somewhat austere British sort of mood (which I love). I think this is a great green scent: it is aromatic, not sweet, lively and yet formal. At times it reminds me of Truefitt & Hills Grafton. Big endorsement.

A fragrance by numbers that only briefly tweaked my interest. The balance in the drydown seemed poor, and none of the constituent parts really stood out, or indeed provided the stimulus for a noteworthy accord. The freshness in the top notes went straight into fairly bland, monotonous middle and base notes. This is by no means unpleasant, but it lacked an edge, and a personality of its own.

Strange,I dont know about this one.Sometimes I like it and other times I am negative.It is definately unique and quite old fashioned.I wouldnt say it smells cheap like Aqua Brave as it still has a hint of sophistication with its mossy dry down.
I cant say it is overly citrus as I dont like many citrus fragrances.I am in the 40 to 50 age bracket and can wear this comfortably.More of an autumn/winter smell than for warmer climes.Quite nice used with body products.E.G deo and soap as it adds to the longevity and warmth of the fragrance

A strong, 80s type of rough masculine. Powdery and forceful, the citrus isn't crisp or fresh by any means, and the heart is all jumbled together. To me it just comes of as a rush of strong, discordant herbal and floral notes.

This is the type of fragrance I picture being worn by a smarmy guy dressed in a shiny suit who, dipped in cologne, jumps into his Bentley to drive off to the country club. Perhaps it's the Floris Britishness shining through, but I just can't find anything to enjoy about this one, and I can usually find something nice to say about almost any fragrance. The benchmark for male fragrances in the formal category is, IMHO, Tiffany for Men, and this isn't even close. Floris' other masculines like JF and No.89 are much more wearable and enjoyable.

A rough citrus and floral vetiver. I can barely smell the entire lopsided structure on me, though. The vetiver at the bottom is pretty good.

I’m not impressed by the opening; it seems dissonant, rough by miscalculation rather than rough for purposeful masculinity. I don’t really know what causes my problem with it, but I am getting a combination of citrus, patchouli, cedar, and lavender – it’s the creamy lavender that is not my favorite, so maybe it is the lavender combination that I am objecting to. The heart notes are not much of an improvement over the opening because the lavender and the cedar get stronger, and I’m really not liking it. I just don’t care for the accord, even though the middle seems well presented and balanced. I like the base a little better than the top and middle because I am a vetiver lover, and the vetiver is quite apparent, but it is not especially well used, IMHO. All in all, Elite doesn’t get my vote. I guess the GOOD thing I can say about it is that it is unique, and it does tell us a bit about the company: Floris is willing to take risks, and usually that is a good thing. But sometimes risks fail.

Harsh and manly. Vetivery. Something a man in his late 40's should wear. A power scent for a powerful man (or a man who wants to seem powerful). Arrogant.

A fresh citrus clean scent. Very strong when first applied and the grapefruit is odd. Once it starts to dry down it is much more acceptable (it gets better after about 10 minutes). Fine for business but not a night time fragrance.

I can see why some of you have given a thumb down for this one but was it really right ???

It is a 80s style scent and I think it is 80s by excellence.
It is strong nearly arrogant in your face and smelling of men with a big M.
But Floris made it with tallent I think the tuberose and patchouli gives this scent Class - a hint of vulnerability with a very strong Vetiver finnish.

There are strong fans for this kind of scent out there - if not, women would probably buy it for him... for her !!

I am not surprised in 2007 it is all citrus and citrus and citrus - you have got here a 80s Classic that will make you stand out if you like it on you !!!

What can I say.....it is from Floris !!

Recommended - not for everybody for sure

Laurent

The grapefruit topnote belies the rest of this fragrance. As soon as its grapefruit freshness fades, Elite changes into what I can only describe as a somewhat stale and musty yet somehow tingling, predominantly florals and lavender scent with a woodsy base. It’s not all that different from No. 89, but I think No. 89 is a little better in that it’s not quite so stale or heavy, and falls closer to Etiquette Bleue’s territory (though nowhere near that good!). The mustiness (almost rottenness) adds a certain "masculine" quality to the floral notes, but the tuberose still falls outside my comfort zone. Elite is an interesting name for this fragrance, as it somehow does capture my somewhat jaded image of the “elite,” as in those musty old men who sit on the boards of large corporations. Floris says this is for the mature, confident individual. I cannot argue with that. One would have to be very confident to smell like a basement filled with rotting flowers.

Perfect fresh fragrance of green things like lemon/veyver/bergamot ... and and and...!

Not one of this hectoliter-fragrances!

A strong men's floral along the lines of the original Van Cleef & Arpels and Oscar de la Renta. There is something nasty in Elite though, somehow the florals come across as very dissonant and overtly powdery to my nose. Shortly, this smells really dated in the same way as Aramis and Paco Rabannne PH, NEXT!

"Doctor, are you developing a cold?", my able assistant asked me last night. "I ask because you smell like you might have applied some linement to your chest."
"No, my good man, I'm testing yet another fragrance this evening, Elite from Floris and, yes, I can see where you might think it medicinal."

This scent cannnot quite figure out what it wants to be. It is quite vile when first applied, like stale champagne the morning after. It soon settles down, though this is of only very modest benefit. Containing fresh grapefruit, bergamot, lavender, tuberose, oakmoss, and woods (Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Vetiver), Elite is indeed quite sour, and aromatic to boot. There is a minty, or menthol-like note that is given off, thus evocative of liniment. I suspect this is due to the combination of the tuberose and grapefruit. In any event, I don't see what all the hub-bub is about, and am happy I only acquired a decant to try.

Wicozani

An anniversary gift to me from my fiance. I love it, its very floral and mellow. Could last a bit longer, but great nonetheless.

I was very surprised with all of the Elite lovers out there how much it stinks. It smells like Agua Brava from Puig mixed with sour limes and roses. It is a complete sour floral woody mess. Elite is heavy on the floral notes of rose and lavender and what smells to me like carnation. The grapefruit mixes very badly with the other notes, creating one of the most sickly sour fragrances I've ever smelled. After about 20 minutes it dries down to something somewhat nicer, like a subdued and woodier L'Ombre dans L'Eau by Diptyque. Bottom line, Elite is Agua Brava meets L'Ombre dans L'Eau and it just does not work at all. Thumb way down.

This mellow citrus/woody scent is very sophisticated, confident, and mature. There is a touch of tuberose to give it its unique signature. The combination of bergamot, grapefruit, sandalwood, vetiver, lavender, oakmoss, patchouli is very classic..add the tuberose note and the flavor is apart form the woody/citrus mainstream scents. Very well constructed and from the oldest family run perfume house in London!