Oscar de la Renta pour Lui (1981)
by Oscar de la Renta

A vile sickening patchoulli bomb, the fragrance equivalent of high shoulder pads, tight blazers and red leather zipper jackets. Interesting perhaps as a historical study, but too dated to be wearable and evokes the excess silliness of all the 80's and their gaudy glory.

The scent has longevity, but so does mosquito repellant, you'll want this stuff to go away after about half an hour, but it just won't. I mistakenly wore this once to have a co-worker remark "umm oh, is that your cologne" followed by a disgusted expression. I'm forced to agree, this stuff is dated and simply unwearable, avoid it.

19th December, 2011.

To me, this fragrance IS the early 80's. A few of my friends and aquaintances wore it back then and smelled wonderful. It was quite fresh yet persistent, a little soapy yet sophisticated. I tried it many times because I truly loved it. Horror! I smelled like Oxydol (a laundry detergent my mother used when I was a child). I have good memories of Oscar de la Renta pour lui when worn by other men and that's why I give it my Thumbs up! I don't know whether this fragrance is still available where I live but I haven't seen it (or smelled it) for years.

7th September, 2011.

Pour Lui smells like somewhere between Tsar and Versace L'Homme; a little more accessible and a little less agressive...really nice!

5th August, 2011.

Another 80's masculine with lots of ingredients. This is probably as dense as you can make a fragrance with "fresh" in mind, and I bet that was the case here. The opening makes your nose sizzle after it hits your face smack in the middle with a bar of aromatic and aldehydic soap.

It becomes considerably lighter and refined afterwards, with smoky, piney, herbal and floral notes hovering over the base which is somehow able to show its face beneath all the layers. It feels somewhat chilled as well.

I find the drydown dark and comfy, and not that high in volume.

All in all, Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui, is complex and pleasing in all stages and environments (maybe except in cold weather) to my nose. Great fragrance.

21st July, 2011.

spicy-fruity-leather powerhouse fragrance of the 80ties.It stands in a line with azarro pour homme,yatagan by caron, devin by aramis, trussardi pur homme, kouros by YSL, Zino by Davidoff.
unbelievable strong, intense, long-lasting and great sillage.very masculine.
The approach to this fragrance ends up in a love-hate relationship: this is a great, unique and very special scent and already the opening is overwhelming: an overloaded blust of a unique compilation of fruits,leather,musk,oakmoos,sandalwood etc.etc.but still the drydown is so strong and severe, even violent -like a thunder storm !
You´re waiting for the calm and the silence but this fragrance keeps up top speed and it makes you speach- and restless. you haven´t time to breathe hard and this is for me the crucial point why I personally prefer azarro,trussardi, van cleef etc.- these fragrances end up in a more settled character-they are more refined and subtle and not a permanent assault of your senses.(pour lui is an olfactory explosion!)
Pour lui is a great fragrance but it´s beethoven and wagner mixed up top speed!

8th June, 2011.

Kind of a fruity powerhouse? It opens with some of Herrera for Men's pomegranate / berry, fruity christmas-wreath vibe, but on top of much darker, sharper woods and herbs. This, like Calvin, is a powerhouse that for me is redeemed by the relative lack of the most bitter, acrid notes often found in this genre. As it goes on, it gets more leathery and less piney, starting to resemble Bel Ami quite a bit, but while Bel Ami brings warm colors to mind (brownish orange?), Oscar Lui has more blue and purple notes from the cool fruitiness. I also like the fact that I don't find much anise, but a lot of clove and nutmeg; the spice mixture is fairly in-line with my tastes. The main objection I have by the base is that it's too medicinal, like the fruit is from berry-flavored cough syrup. Still, intriguingly complex. While this genre isn't really my thing, I think it could be quite a good pick for a leather lover! [P.S.: based on numerous threads, my mini is the vintage version.]

24th May, 2011.