Paco Rabanne pour Homme (1973)
by Paco Rabanne

A nice soapy fragrance with a decent spices, citrus, and ample musk. Too 70s for regular use today unless you of course were in your prime in the 70s.

Made in the 70's and it definitely smells like it. A classic face-slap opening of lavender and sage - expansive, clean, dry and green, like a less obnoxious RL Polo. After about 5 minutes it becomes a very nice lavender/woody/pine thing, with a bit of a herbacious feel, then the lavender slowly but smoothly turns soapy. This is without doubt a confident masculine fragrance and it's also incredibly intelligent in the middle of it's transition. It's evokes a huge forest where all the trees bear a fruit of old school gentleman's soap and shaving foam, and the green foliage is bone dry. It never becomes powdery or stuffy and remains easily wearable despite being almost completely without sweetness. During it's heart note phase, Paco PH is actually quite a distant, remote fragrance, very insular. I think Luca Turin said something about it being meloncholy or muted, and I have to agree with him.
After a couple of hours, however, it becomes suddenly very cozy as the honey and tonka appear. It's like a comfort blanket made of the soapy lavender (which remains present for the duration), and yet at no point during the lifespan of the scent does it go sweet or gourmandish. How they made a vanillic honey aroma devoid of sweetness and yet still warm and creamy is beyond me, but it's a thing of beauty to wear. It's almost leathery.

This is not a scent for everyone - it's neither "fun" nor "formal," it has no fruit and any florals it may have in it smell like they're from outer space with petals made of Barbasol. It is, however, a clever mix of fresh and arid that is at once comforting and remote. It actually has a texture to it, a depth of quality and inventiveness that makes it a wonderful option for a guy that doesn't like sports scents, but doesn't like heavy in-your-face screamers either. It's manly without being aggressive or butch and in this way, it reminds a little of Rive Gauche, but without the Brut and baby powder feel to it. It seems to be for quiet but confident men, slightly old fashioned but deeply reliable, serious but not mean spirited. Personally, I think it's awesome.

Longevity is excellent - over 10 hours. It projects well, I mean it's on the strong side anyway, but it doesn't seem to annoy people - who can get annoyed by the smell of a clean bloke? I don't care for built in atomisers as I like proper bottle caps, but the atomiser is a nice one. Otherwise, I love the colour and bottle design.

Barbershop tonic in the best possible way.
Great green fragrance. Good opening, sharp, crisp and still maintains a personality even when it mellows out. I still get the green long after the first spritz, I don't get the usual tonka bean/musk/amber "warm and cozy" feeling I usually associate with this combo. Pleasantly surprised at the longevity, left behind a faint skin smell even after I showered (so minimal reapplication required for regular use). For something that has been around for ages in the fragrance world, IMO still has a place in a modern man's wardrobe. Was looking for an older frag to join my relatively young frag wardrobe, and this would be the first in line of an older gen to join its ranks :)

This was a classic scent of the 80's. Great masculine vibe.

Mean, Green and Clean! At first, ages ago, I thought, "Ah, it's a more expensive analog of English Leather," because of it's soapiness. I realized very quickly that the soap was less flowery in this one, and that it has a lot more aggressive greenery going on underneath. It's a semi-piney green, maybe a little like Bowling Green but less sweet. While Guerlain Vetiver (pre-2000) is to me a smoky green with a little added soap, this is a more even mix of green and soap. It's still a clean man, but more of a manly clean man than English Leather, and maybe less lofty in its goals than the Guerlain. For some reason I could see French or Italian guys (including American mafiosos), and moreso older ones, wanting to smell like this, and I certainly wouldn't argue with them. It's almost utilitarian in its simplicity, but it's not generic or uncreative. I worry about a little hint of sourness in there that I don't like, but it never gets strong enough to annoy me.

June 2009. I have just bought a bottle of Paco Rabanne After Shave to bring with me to my vacation in Sicily. This was such a good choice. This perfume is a jewel and all time claasic-perfect for everyday wear and especially fantastic in summer. Do not judge Paco Rabanne pour homme from the first 20 minutes! The start is a mix of floral, green notes together with the typical smell of a bar of soap and has all in all a barber shop character. I cannot say that Paco Rabanne smells distinctive and exclusive, it has a vary independent charcter and gives a shit about ongoing trends. After 20 minutes the whole mix calms down to a very pleasant and harmonious composition. I cannot identify what precisely is in Paco Rabanne but I agree it smells most likely like a bar of soap- and you know what-that is fantastic-I was walking around in Sicily,it was really hot, and I smelled so clean and fresh throughout the whole day. After the morning shower it was real fun to splash the Paco Rabanne in my face-in the beginning it smells like a forest after rain. It is long lasting and has a very pleasant and masculine drydown. It is definately a dominant scent but can still be applied on the skin generously. Try it!