KL Homme (1986)
by Lagerfeld

I cannot overstate how great this is. KL Homme is a beautiful, smouldering, and mysterious oriental fragrance which exudes an amazing sense of warmth that is hard to adequately describe in words. I find a lot of similarities to Habit Rouge in this, but without the bitterness or powderiness of Habit Rouge - this scent is unbelievably smooth. Whereas Habit Rouge is a refined, well-mannered aristocrat, KL Homme is a sly, restrained sexual animal on the prowl. It has a beautiful orange-tinged woody opening and middle accord, which morphs into a spicy vanillic drydown. Although I don't quite consider this a "powerhouse" - it's just too damn smooth and silky to qualify - it has very good longevity and radiance. If I were to describe the overall feel this fragrance transmits, I'd say it's heat. Sexual heat. Unlike many of the masculine scents from the period KL Homme doesn't kill you with harsh spiciness, but rather it slowly entices you and draws you in with its deep, rich, hazy warmth.

Many thanks to AromiErotici for sending me a sample of this beauty.

I find KL Homme & Lagerfeld Classic to have this copperish overtones to it which gives off a very metallic/aldehydic opening accords..theres definitely rose, rosewood, dirtied up leather and hints of vanillic sweetness & cinnamon. These scents smell better when they settle a little (maybe after half hour..? ) and yeh, do not overspray.

Another little gem from the '80s pushed to the side by modern tastes, KL Homme seems to draw some of its inspiration from an even earlier fragrance - Estee Lauder's feminine classic, Youth Dew. The top notes draw on a very similar bergamot meets spiced, floral amber, but toned down in terms of volume and amped up on brightness via a fizzy burst of aldehydes. In the drydown KL Homme changes character, becoming an amber driven by patchouli and opoponax, a slight rosy hint making a showing in the heart before it becomes smoothly animalic in the base. It has a hint of smokiness and soapiness that gives it a slight synthetic vibe, but I find it quite wearable none the less. The longevity and sillage are quite robust, as many of this style and era are.

The first time I wore this fragrance I loved it. Since then I have developed a strong reaction against many leather notes, and KL Homme was the first one whose leather note turned on me and became destructively repugnant. I still remember how rich and vibrant it was when I first tried it. I should have paid more attention to the interference with my breathing that I had experienced - it was sending me a message. (Edit of May 6, 2006 review. Changed from a thumb’s up.)

ORIGINAL REVIEW: An unmitigated rosewood in the top notes accounts for most of the massiveness. It is rather easy to determine the heavier individual notes in this—rosewood, definitely; cedar wood, most assuredly; sandalwood, uh-huh; civet, loeather, oh yes—for sure; rose, probably. All these dense notes are so apparent. As to the lighter notes, there’s probably some citrus in the beginning (rosewood always overpowers citrus to my nose), some aldehydes show up after fifteen minutes or so. And after that a few florals begin to fade in—not to forget some patchouli and musk. This is the heaviest designer fragrance I’ve encountered. The first ten minutes are so oppressive I almost have trouble breathing, and I really love this juice. 06 May 2006

The comparisons of KL homme to Obsession for Men are on the money! If the pyramids from JaimeB and Basenotes are to be believed — and I believe them — these two fragrances share many notes. There are notes not shared, of course, but to the nose, these are twin brothers, born together in 1986, and I'd bet that most people (Basenoters excluded) wouldn't be able to tell them apart in a sniff test.

There are differences, but they owe to personality, not essence. Obsession certainly isn't meek, but it doesn't jump off the skin quite as boldly as KL homme does when both are freshly applied. On the other hand (or arm, in my personal testing) KL homme dries to a smoother middle and finish than its brother. While the spice in Obsession continues to stick up like a sharp tack piercing the other elements during the heart and dry down, the spice in KL homme blends with the surrounding notes to create a velvety, soothing quality.

I disagree with references to KL homme as a powerhouse. It certainly doesn't stomp into a room, demanding attention like Bijan for Men, or even the more composed Grey Flannel. Lumping KL with these, or Polo or Quorum, risks turning people away from a frag they just might like. In fact, KL homme might be a good "transition" frag for those looking to escape the watery depths of the current trends.

Truth is,KL homme and Obsession both odeserve thumbs up and a place in your wardrobe. But if cost is an issue, having just one of them will suffice.

As a practical matter, KL homme may have been discontinued years ago, but I recently found NIB, sealed product in a small fragrance store. I was able to test before buying, found it to be fresh, and bought multiple bottles. Apparently some of the good stuff is still going around. Buy it.

It's about time I posted a review on this juice. This 1986 Spicy oriental is straight up good to go and a no nonsense powerhouse fragrance. THIS just flat out rocks and the bottle is all that too.

Citric wood opening that after 5 minutes opens the door to a floral wood accord with a touch of rose. The patchouli isn't prominent in the heart notes and blended splendidly.

Amber,civet,musk and vanilla base holds the bottom of this bomb from lagerfeld. If you're wondering whether to get this or not, stop wondering and just log onto paypal already.