Reviews of No. 89 (1950)
by Floris

Floris is one of the oldest extant perfume houses and they have an extensive range of fragrances for both sexes -- none of which are much good. Their main store is in Jermyn Street in London -- just walking in and out of the shops in the street is a pleasant but rather strange experience -- like being stuck in a time warp, all suede loafers, cravats and gentlemen's barbers. No. 89 is a dry manly rose and pretty much a soliflore. Floris have pretty much thrown their lot in with synthetics nowadays, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was some rose oil or absolute in here. It's cheap and very nice indeed.

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.

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!

Notes:

Top: Bergamot, Orange, Geranium, Nutmeg
Middle: Orange Blossom, Rose, Jasmine, herbal notes
Base: Sandalwood, cedar, vetiver

No. 89 is Floris' flagship fragrance and the favorite of Ian Fleming, James Bond, Inspector Gadget, Kim Jong Yil and few other high profile celebrities and fictional characters. It also shares a few properties with No. (89 - 1).

No. 89 is based on a formula which is intended to represent what an english gentleman is smells like. Some say it also "reeks" of funeral parlors. I haven't been to a lot of funeral parlors, but I don't think that they would smell like No. 89, which is a grand yet understated aromatic woody floral. This is no "old man"/"dead" smell, nor is it a sombre scent. No. 89 opens with a complex citrus-floral-spicy accord which then gives way to a prominent flowery middle notes phase. However No.89 is never overly floral because of a well assimilated nutmeg note which provides a spicy kick to the mix...yes, the overall impression is still of a gentleman's rich aromatic floral fragrance, but its never overbearingly like Enya's garden.

Comparisons to Czech & Speake no. 88: No. 88 and 89 share some similarities. Infact the notes pyramid share a lot of notes. Both open with a burst of bergamot; No. 89's opening is more elaborate, but the heart notes are what sets the two apart. No. 88's luxurious and powerhouse notes of rose otto, cassie and frangipani in concert with sandalwood introduce a distinctively full-bodied accord which is missing in No. 89. Instead, no. 89 has a less potent rose note, and features an equally dynamic if less ravaging spicy-floral mix as its distinctive accord. No. 88 also has a longer march to its drydown, which richer and fuller than in No. 89 due to its richer concentration of oils (its an EDP). No. 89 has a soft woody floral drydown - I don't get a lot of vetiver or cedar, but instead there is an outlier of a sweet floral note which is kind of interesting and lends a certain powderiness to the drydown.

No. 88 and 89 do share some similarities and No. 88 was probably inspired by No. 89. If you find the rich composition of no. 88 too much to handle, try the floral-spicy concoction of no. 89; the reduced potency and the diluted rose notes alongwith the nutmeg might feel fresher and less daunting. Eitherways, No. 89 is a fine fragrance in its own right, and a true classic. I can't picture the grim reaper handing it out at anyone's "going away" party.

Rating: 8.6/19

I like this juice but it's an odd duck. Strong citrus opening and smooth base, but the heart is just plain flowery soft. Not that it calls attention to itself as in Egoiste or Dunhill '34--or other great frags, it just says 'hello, I am here' in an undistinguished, inoffensive way; which, depending on your way of thinking is understated class or just plain officewear.

All I know is my girlfriend loves it. Good enough for me.

I wouldn't describe this as a soft fragrance. Maybe it does soften through the day, but if anyting, I would say it starts off rather tight. It is a fairly strong fragrance if worn too heavily. It is great, cool, complex frag best for warmer days IMHO. Very masculine, but not a barbershop fragrance. Subtle and cool is how I would describe it. One of my favorites for Spring and Summer.

No 89 is a very interesting scent for men. At first hit you are exposed to a very fresh citrus type smell, but its not hard, its softened by the use of flowery notes. This middle note stays with you for a long time, and settles to a very soft and woody end note. It lasts all day, and re-releases as you heat up. It works very very well at the office, and I've not been tempted to try it anywhere else. Its a gentlemans scent, and it just oozes class.