Lauder for Men (1985)
by Estée Lauder

A typically smart and category-merging fragrance from Lauder.

Gorgeous start with a bright citrus tone that transitions comfortably to the strong green spirit connecting the top to the heartnotes (galbanum, juniper, clary sage.) It’s a beautiful synergy,and wonderfully constructed to allow you to continue to make out the individual notes. I’m a huge fan of clary sage oil and I just found myself giggling at how clear its voice was in this fragrance.

By the heart of Lauder for Men, the florals rise fully to the surface. Maybe jasmine, and a sharp carnation, but muget. Muguet! Who thought of putting that odd combination of delicacy and potency that the muget conveys in the middle of this potent chypre née fougère? Brilliant move! The heavy, almost waxy floral quality that muguet imparts is the ideal piece to transform the heart slowly to a woody/tobacco base.

People call this a brute, a Masculine Power Frag, a knuckle-dragger? Wow, I know my gender sensors might be calibrated differently than most, but I find Lauder a wonderfully assured, long-lasting fragrance that is ultimately a floral chypre that could easily be worn within current American gender norms by both men and women.

Lauder for Men reminds me that while Estée Lauder is principally known for its feminine fragrances, to my mind, their best fragrances are the Lauder/Aramis masculines.

19th August, 2011. (Last Edited: 25th August, 2011.)

This was among my favorite 80's fragrances, and one I recently rediscovered.

Say what you will about "powerhouse 80's fragrances" that announced your arrival in a big way. This certainly did that in its day, and I regretted its seeming lack of availability as the 80's genre gave way to the trends of the 90's. Lauder was still a favorite in a not-too-obtrusive way. It's floral yet animalic, yet it's also woody, spicy and mossy. There's a lot going on, but the surprise of the lot is the longevity of Lauder in a cologne strength. There are EdP's that I wish had this level of staying power and sillage. It's bold, it's rich, it dries into a very subdued and luxurious leather/tobacco/oak moss/amber mixture.

By modern standards, the florals in this are bound to induce the under-40 set to think of a visit to that rich old Aunt from whom they stand to inherit someday. They fail to realize that it's the same notes that are also so captivating to those of us with an appreciative nose. As others have observed, don't overdo application or the sillage will be quite overpowering.

Lauder was (and still is) more a fragrance for the board room, the suit & tie crowd, the over-40 bracket who still recall the sheer quality of the fragrance and appreciate the complexity. Unlike other scents from the 80's, this has aged well and is perhaps as timeless today as then. I'd strongly recommend.

17th August, 2011.

Lauder Fer Men sits somewhere between a spicy fougere and a citric chypre. At a first sniff it could be easily dismissed as its classic structure may brings to mind of many fragrances of the same genre/period, but if you go deeper you'll discover an outstanding composition that, through the usual chrisms of the 80's powerhose style, is able to create its own language made of floral patterns, green notes and slight animalic nuances. An overall aromatic aspect is clearly reamrkable throughout the fragrance evolution and reaches the top of its relevance when the green tobacco note starts to play.

Overall Lauder for Men is a fragrance that moves in two different territories for several aspects: It's strong and bold as an 80's powerhouse but at the same time takes the distance from the most typical compositions of the genre by introducing a few feminine elements in its structure (manily the florals). It stettles halfaway between the american masculine style and the european taste (vanilla in the base). It's classified (and to me also smells) as a spicy fougere but it also has many characteristic of a chypre. A great composition.

Be careful with dosage as Lauder For Men can easily turn into Louder For Men.

5th August, 2011. (Last Edited: 9th August, 2011.)

Lauder For Men is definitely not for everybody. It is so far from today's fragrance trends, I'm surprised that Estee Lauder even still makes this. It's a very powerful citrus chypre in the "old lady" style of chypre classics like Boucheron Pour Homme, Givenchy III, Scherrer, and Aramis 900. Well, if Lauder For Men is an old lady's fragrance, you can call me Grammy, because I think this is awesome.

Lauder is classified as an aromatic fougere, which I don't understand at all because it so blatantly smells like a chypre to me. I don't smell any of the animalic or tobacco notes everyone talks about at all. What I get is a very strong citric chypre with a lot of clean green notes that add zest and big presence to Lauder For Men. As I said earlier, this is not for everyone, and the old lady jokes will undoubtedly come from those who don't like this scent.

This is a powerhouse fragrance from the 80's, but it smells nothing like other Eighties fragrances. I think this is mainly because it lacks the leather notes and heavy richness that most of the Eighties macho frags have. Although this would make a great feminine scent, I do find Lauder For Men to be very masculine as well - it smells very classic French, and I believe that fragrances like Lauder For Men were made with European tastes in mind. The awesome dowdy 50's/60's French styled ribbed bottle matches the style of this scent perfectly.

The only thing 80's about Lauder For Men is its strength and boldness. Sillage and staying power are both significant, so you need to be careful with the dosage.

MY RATING: 8.5/10

17th May, 2011.

A well-behaved powerhouse. This is complex and refined. Lots of notes - florals, spices, moss, leather, incense - vie for attention, leading to something akin to a VC&A PH "light" effect. This is not as flowery or leathery as VC&A's PH; not as loud or muscular as Trussardi's Uomo; more "conservative" and formal than Oscar's Pour Lui; not as skanky as YSL's Kouros; not as leathery-green-sweaty as Dior's Jules...it sort of sits in the middle of the spectrum of 80s powerhouses. It's great stuff, but usually when I'm reaching for a powerhouse I'm looking for a particular effect or mood and Lauder doesn't fulfill that need for me. It's almost clinical in its refinement - the scent of a bureaucrat or company man. I could see accountants and finance people in the 80s wearing this as a signature scent.

23rd April, 2011.

Just tried it today. A flawless shiny thing. Perfect balance of greens, some florals and spices. Dries down to a pleasant leathery whisper, like walking through a high end mens shoe store. Perhaps this fellow is too smooth though. There's nothing here that really sets him apart. He's anonymous, like a spy or an assassin. Maybe that's why nobody seems to know about him. But he gets the job done though, doesn't he? Has that classy Lauder vibe, kind of the American Mlle Chanel. My only gripe about Lauder is the packaging. It often doesn't do justice to what's within; downright cheap sometimes. But maybe they pass on the savings to us!

30th March, 2011.