Givenchy Gentleman (1974)
by Givenchy

Givenchy Gentleman

Gentleman seems such an out-dated word in the 21st century. I don't think it carries the same significance it used to. When the word gentleman was used back in 1974 when Paul Leger designed Givenchy Gentleman it connoted a sense of style and carriage. Which is just what the fragrance Givenchy Gentleman does, too. Gentleman starts with an herbal top of tarragon cut very slightly with cinnamon. The tarragon is the star of the show in the first act and the sharp herbal quality is quite nice. The cinnamon really is difficult to pick up and it is really only there in a very minor role. The heart is an earthy patchouli along with a slightly smoky vetiver. M. Leger gets the balance right as the patchouli never becomes too pronounced and the vetiver adds a contrasting bite. The base of this is an animalic scent lover's dream as civet and leather take this into the dark. The raw mix of these two notes are again delicately balanced and they both blend beautifully. The five notes in Gentleman are nothing new but in the hands of M. Leger they prove to be a well-composed piece of fragrance construction. Givenchy Gentleman has slightly below average longevity and above average sillage. I might wonder if we know how to use the word gentleman properly anymore but I definitely know what one smells like, now.

I've heard there's been a big change in the reformulation, so I should note that this review is for the current version.

The top notes of GG are almost coyly misleading - a bright, tangy-sweet, powdery lemon note dominates. If you've had those lemon drops with the tart powder inside, you'll know the effect. As the top notes wear off, however there is a distinct upwelling of exceedingly skanky, animalic patchouli, vetiver, and civet; very loud and almost "hot" in a bestial way. I find patchouli often gives me an uncomfortably unclean feeling, and GG lays on that sweaty patchouli with a trowel.

I like animalic fragrances, but this was too much for me, and I wound up trading my blind-bought bottle away. None the less, reformulation or not, this is very good, very bold, and unique.

After rolling my eyes at the oft-offered Pi Neo, I grabbed GG and gave my arm a spritz, the bright invigorating opening notes taking off like a citrus-scented rocket. A few minutes later the notes glided down smoothly to fine powdery woodsy notes reminiscent of Azzaro pour Homme's own amazing drydown. I had expected to sense an outdated miasma around a scent launched in 1974 but there was none. I think GG has been reformulated to give it a more updated feel but thankfully it retains enough of its vintage charm to remain a classic gentleman's fragrance.

When one has over 80+ scents and equal number of samples and minis, we would tend to forget some of those gems which gets obsured in between niche/cliche? i guess, it has to do with the kind of weather we have today in Bombay.. it's been raining heavily since yesterday..overcast weather with cool wind. in all, it's been a beautiful day and a pleasant climate. on day like this, i chose to wear my favorite, Givenchy Gentleman.
Opening accord demonstrates "scent dynamics" only seen in scents like Patou Ph, Habit Rouge EDC et al.... damp note of patchouli wrapped in wormwood (think Ungaro I) with mild wouch of spices. the combination on Patchouli+Wormwood is overwhelming to the extent, it's so realistic that one could touch it olfactorily. Touch of spices adds a hint of sweetness and the scent progresses into a "heavenly blend" of patchouli, woody accords & civet. one aspect which i absoultey adore about this scent is - all the way to the mids, Patchouli is covered by this distinct note of camphor/napthalene?...gives it a smoky, white, cool feel. This phase is simply divine, it lasts for nearly 3+ hours..after which, GG relaxes into a soft halo of patchouli, woods and aN irreplaceble accord of supple, saddle leather
what stands out is the master blend and the quality of ingredients. outside niche/clichedom, this would be one of those rare offerigns which such an explicit use of Patchouli and wormwood..with the kind of blend we experience in scents like Patou Ph, PDN New York, Guerlain Habit Rouge et al... i know this has been reviwed over 100 times on BN..but just cudnt resist posting about it one more time..
I have read the Vintage version is even better..im so curious to get my hands on that one too..Xmen..here i come :)

Rather than waste everyone's time writing a long review about a formulation that no longer exists, let me just get this out of the way: yes, I've worn the vintage GG, and no, the new formulation is not as good as the vintage version, I know. That being out of the way, the new GG deserves to be reviewed on its own merits, and I'm happy to say that it is a very good fragrance. Formerly a woody oriental, the new GG is now more of a woody chypre, and It is a rather linear scent, not veering too far away from it's patchouli core. The woody notes really take a backseat to the patchouli here, and if it's a mildly spicy and formal patchouli scent you want, look no further. Patchouli fragrances are often either rich and heavy, or earthy and dirty - the new GG is clean and smooth, but the patchouli is still very much in the forefront and providing some nice mild spiciness. This is not headshop patchouli, this is more of a "club" scent for a mature man. What I like better about the new GG is the fact that it's not weighed down with amber and civet, and is therefore light enough to wear all year round. I've been wearing this all this summer (I'm wearing it as I write this in August), enjoying it the whole time, and I look forward to wearing it for the fall and winter. Perhaps Givenchy should have given this fragrance a different name, since there is very little resemblance to the vintage Givenchy Gentleman. It's almost a completely different fragrance, but a very good one at that.

This is one powerhouse powdery leather scent. This greatly reminds me of the smell of oriental "Red Packets" that I receive during Chinese New Year. I am still having a hard time detecting the vetiver. You would want to be careful with applying Gentleman, the sweetness can get overbearing. Remains one of my favorite formal scents.