Le Mâle (1995)
by Jean Paul Gaultier

Perhaps it is because this was the first fragrance I ever purchased, or perhaps it is the fact that while wearing this the last 9 years I have received more compliments that I can count, or maybe it is the amazing sillage and longevity which causes the whole laundry basket to emanate of vanilla and amber for days after I have put in it a shirt with a modest application of Le Male. It is hard for me to be concise when praising this fragrance, because while going through 3 bottles, I do not have only one reason why I love JPG Le Male, but at any given time I can give at least a dozen different ones.

I have also heard the criticism, with terms such as "chemical meltdown" and "overwhelmingly cloying” often going around. I disregard these critiques, because in the end of the day, 12 to 14 hours after initial application, an aura of warmth and sweetness is still prominent and heads turn regardless, and if it is a synthetic sweetness that causes this effect, well then so be it. Perhaps time has come where a well-done synthetic can compete and hold its own with the all-natural offerings out there.

I will gladly go out on a limb and reserve Le Male's place among the venerated classics. Decades later, we shall speak of it in the same breath as Guerlain Vetiver, Grey Flannel and Dunhill Edition. Not because it shares their notes or themes, but because it shares the qualities of a classic: amazing versatility, breakthrough combination of notes, remarkable progression and development, and the sillage and longevity of a thoroughbred. I just do not know of any fragrance that was released in the 90s that better captures the essence of the decade and has even two of these characteristics let alone all four.

A thumbs up for the ages.

This fragrance is so unique. It is soft but spicy in the same time. My Swiss exboyfriend was wearing it and anytime i smell it reminds me of him. He was sexy, charismatic, charming, sometimes tender and sometimes wild, exactly as this fragrance.
Last time i smeled it few days ago on one Italian man...when i looked at him i thought hmm, he is handsome but when i smell the cologne i thought oh...he is soooo sexy.
I understand the girl in Critic´s review...this fragrance also turns me on:-)

This review is under revision.

Smells like toothpaste in the top!

Though, it has a nice vanilla base but the middle notes is awful.

It was around 3 pm, about 7 hours after I had sprayed it and I was just socialising with some friends. Then it got very windy and a gale force proportion gust of wind burst through the window and swept my shirt. Suddenly a girl uttered " Who's wearing Joop? It turns me on". She followed the trail and finally decided I was the source. She then realised it wasn't Joop! Before she could correct herself on being so insulting, I smiled and said "Le Male.. Jean Paul Gaultier"

ATTRACTIVE!

"Le Male" is really a wonderful and exceptional scent. It is sweet, spicy, flowery and very feminine but at the same time also very strong and masculine.
I can't imagine of any scent that smells similar to this one.
The main notes of Le Male are mint, lavender and vanilla, but somehow Le Male is so overpowering, that it is really difficult for me to smell one of those ingredients.

The best time to use Le Male seems to be cool weather or evening.

The worst thing with Le Male is the fact, that so many people use it (and use it wrong) even when it does not seem to fit them very well. That keeps me from using this one.
If you should like Le Male (like I do) then PLEASE apply it sparingly! That will make a far better impression.