Giorgio for Men (1984)
by Giorgio Beverly Hills

This smells like "old LADY". My blind buy venture might save others from this nightmare.

16th January, 2012.

Giorgio Beverly Hills for Men is a powerhouse floral chypre that opens with a loud, orange and aldehydic blast. The opening might scare some folks away, since the sonic boom that Giorgio unleashes has been known to induce clenches. But stand fast and tall and this 1980's classic blossoms into a very pleasant fragrance. The more I wear Giorgio, the more I enjoy it. As it develops, Giorgio transitions from a heavily floral fragrance to one that is rich with patchouli and more florals, before peaking with a sweet oakmoss accord, consisting of (in addition to oakmoss), honey, vanilla and amber. The dry down is incredible, hands down the best part of the fragrance. Giorgio lasts forever on my skin and the sillage is exceptional (or unfortunate depending on your point of view). This type of fragrance is so out of the mainstream now that you may never smell another person wearing it. What a pity. Giorgio is a beautiful, masculine that deserves more than a home in the TJ Maxx bargain bin. I store mine on a launch pad, always ready to take this puppy for a ride, full throttle up.

10th December, 2011. (Last Edited: 11th December, 2011.)

Mmmmmm. A big thumbs up. Laundry soapiness at its best exuding by this barber-shop woody oriental, a pity for the faint longevity. Giorgio for Men manages where Paco Rabane For Man a bit failed with its too "toilette kind" and irony lavender-geranium central combo, i mean in the attempt to create a laundry feel really appealing and not utterly restrained like a detergent. The combination of balsams and honey and the watery feel (from citrus-lavender) are as well modulated that the smell is like a powdery milky-musky cloud , not properly creamy but almost immaculate and talky. The sense of cleanliness is nearly ethereal. The fragrance though is masculine and autoritative because a sheer note of patchouli turns it out bold and conservative, the initial abundance of citrus (mostly orange) create  a manly laundry feel in the link with balsams while the note of amber imprints the right dosage of exoticism. The mildness coming from the honey-benzoin and from the chord of orange and cinnamon is fairly and cleverly  restrained as in the english old items for toilette with their "bath foam" kind of feel. A floral note of rose seems to take part of the balanced orchestra entering its role in the game of the cleverly calibrated mildness whose level of modulation, as well as the cologne feel, are a reminiscence of fragrances like Equipage and Ho Hang. I don't detect herbs or angular and earthy floral notes in the blend, at least from the version i tested on my skin, the unique kind of greeness is made by the boise' type of cloudy musk that closes the round of this marvellous fragrance. Carnation is listed even if the sensation is to smell a rosey odour, any trace of geranium thanks God. A bit out of time nowadays this is anyway one of the best masculine fragrances ever in my opinion that combines moderation, virility and exoticism. 

1st December, 2011.

I gave the EA version a regular wearing today (1 spray to chest), and I've never tried the original one. It's probably strong enough for me, but I won't go to two sprays because I find that this kind of frag can nauseate me. I think it's the combination of patchouli, amber, and wood, especially cedar. Here, there is sandalwood and cedar listed as notes, but they must be very mild, because barely detect anything resembling wood and this frag doesn't bother me too much. There is also the possibility that it's too blended, because the new Givenchy Gentleman doesn't seem to bother me. Givenchy Gentleman has better note separation, so right now I'd guess it's the blending that is most likely to blame.

Anyway, Giorgio for Men does seem strong enough, but I could certainly imagine it being stronger (in the original formulation). It has a bit of that "synthetic"/rubbery amber thing going that's common in many older frags, but it's not too bad. This is not really the kind of frag I enjoy most these days, but it does seem to be at least a decent formulation, unlike some others I've encountered. Over time, I find myself enjoying more. It seems to come together nicely, a sort of orange-tinted, vanillic, herbal-tinged, mildly sweet/ambery and mossy fragrance. Longevity is excellent and projection ("sillage") is moderate to good with one spray. Considering the prices for this new version, I think it should be considered an excellent deal, though not for those who don't like "old school" fragrances.

15th October, 2011.

Recently found this in a CVS drugstore. A big 4 oz. bottle for twenty dollars. Quite a comedown from his old Rodeo Drive heyday. But Giorgio for men was always overshadowed by his even more ostentatious and haute bourgeoisie sister. So now that he's back, not many people remember him from back in the day. Which is good, because now you can wear him and not fear that all the response you will get is "Hey, 1985 called, they want their cologne back!" No, Giorgio for men, despite the fact that he's gone slumming, is still quite the dapper fellow. A delicious, smooth, balanced, artfully blended masculine fragrance. Why it's not considered a classic is perplexing. It's a masterpiece of sorts...certainly the best thing I've ever smelled from Giorgio of Beverly Hills. Super long lasting and wildly potent; I can't imagine that more than one squirt would ever be needed. Which makes Msr. Giorgio a Super-Bargain!

28th August, 2011.

Excellent throwback scent to when I was younger, growing up in the eighties. This, and the original Polo were my staples back then and they both still smell great and hold up today. Giorgio is a great combo of patchouli, other aromatics and moss. A very masculine scent with tremendous staying power and sillage. Almost as good as the scent itself is the under $20 price an 118ml bottle can easily be acquired for nowadays. This one may have been reformulated, but it is just as good now as back then. Bottom line is Giorgio for Men should be in every man's fragrance wardrobe, IMO.

17th August, 2011. (Last Edited: 18th August, 2011.)