No. 89 (1950)
by Floris

No. 89 is truly one of the best midcentury scents available. It does have that Georgian-Victorian flair of musty citrus, white flowers, rose, sandalwood, and musk. No. 89 certainly carries Floris's house citrus note in the opening, but that dries down to a beautiful rose that is enriched by spice, musk, and moss. Overall, very nice and I suggest you try it. It will not of course wow anyone because that's not what is was meant to do--it was meant to be dry, conservative, lightly floral, and lightly musky.

Very refined, classical citrus based fragrance. Very rich and flawlessly engineered.

Quite gentle, although it is able to put out some sillage – for hours and hours.

Sandalwood and slightly animalic musk are taking the lead role soon after drydown starts to shine.

This is a fragrance for those who like refined, a bit dry, festive and also distinguished casual British style. This is also for those who, for example, find Eau Savage too common or stuff like Ungaro II too hard to handle.

No. 89 is a classy, very easy to wear anywhere anytime. It’s pleasant, fairly masculine and I suppose it would make an excellent companion especially with some nice suit.
One fragrance I cannot easily be seen to be worn on some rags.


Personally I get my clothes mainly from flea-markets and down sales.

This is a beautifully subtle production from Floris, and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole journey from application ,to it's termination some ten hours later.Normally I bemoan a fragrance that has little or no evolution, but when the opening is as refined as this, I will make an exception.The drydown had the blended sharpness of the rose and ylang ylang to ensure that this never strayed into the sentimental. My initial feeling was that this might be a little stiff and formal for varied use, but I think when something has this much class, you can wear it anywhere.

Per the Floris website, the notes are different than previously listed, so I give them here:

Top notes: bergamot, lavender, neroli, nutmeg, orange, petitgrain
Heart notes: geranium, rose, ylang ylang
Base notes: cedarwood, musk, oakmoss, sandalwood, vetiver

To me, No. 89 is a gentleman’s scent with a gentle floral heart. A slight bit of spice (nutmeg), a bit of powderiness and a clean floral character. I get a fruitiness that vaguely suggests peach. A delicate woody base that I adore. I think this is very well constructed. It takes a few wearings to fully appreciate this gem, so do give it a chance to grow on you. I am glad I did!

If anyone wonders what the Floris house note is, smell no. 89. This is THE citrus house note. Nice eau de cologne. Kinda just there.

This is not a fragrance to write home about. The type of gentleman this was intended for would consider that vulgar. He's one who expects this fragrance to serve a clearly defined purpose: smell unobtrusively decent, as an English gentleman should. Fresh citrus on top for a morning perk up, settled before the Georgian door of his home snaps shut behind him. Subtle rose and soft spices for the office. Quietly stated quality, no surprises. Like the crisp white Sea Island cotton shirt by Turnbull & Asser and the pinstripe suit by Anderson & Shepherd he's wearing. From a bygone era, but nice to have around.