Perry Ellis for Men (original) (1985)
by Perry Ellis

I was a big fan of the original, so when I found a bottle of this cheap, I picked it up. Unfortunately, it's not the same; and it's changed for the worse. I'm fortunate enough to still have the original bottle with a small amount left, it has to be 20 years old. Still smells fantastic.

The new bottle smells very synthetic and unpleasant to my nose. I guess this is another example of the new version not performing up to the standards of the original. I'd pass on this one.

3rd December, 2011.

The slight galbanum of the opening blends seamlessly with the bergamot initially to create a very pleasant composition until, suddenly the rose and the carnation and the vanilla erupt and cascade dominating what is to prove a protracted almost indefatigable longevity the accumulative effect of which is nausea and a headache. The dry down is equally cloying with waves of nausea giving way to simple regret but perhaps that is the moss note which dilutes the syrupy lingering tones though not nearly enough. It reminded me of Habit Rouge where a similar vanilla sweetness rises up from the middle and dominates the development entirely

18th March, 2011.

Oh Boy.
Another blind buy mistake.
If only someone had mentioned a Yatagan connection I would have run away quickly.
This, to me , has been the closest thing to Yatagan and for me, that's not a good thing.
Very, very dirty and dry. Smokey and dirty.
Drydown is as follows:
More Dirt.
More Smoke.
Now, I wanna bath!
I imagine this will work for many as it is undoubtedly a well-made frag but it just is not for me.

17th March, 2011.

Best. Ever.

Discontinuing this must be one of the worst decisions ever made. Its erstwhile replacement, the Anniversary Edition, is an abomination and an affront to Signature's reputation. What a classic it was.

Spicy, sweet, intoxicating, alluring, it had it all. And it garnered compliments from all directions, all the time. I have never again smelled anything like it. If you can get the true original, genuine Perry Ellis Signature, you owe it to yourself to do so. In my list of all-time best fragrances, it would easily be in the top five.

4th March, 2011. (Last Edited: 14th April, 2011.)

At long last I've procured another bottle of the discontinued and very hard to find L'Elisir d'Amore! I date a lot of different young men and, without exception, they are all positively mad about this scent. None of them have any idea what it is that I'm wearing (and I wear it quite sparingly), but they’re always so intrigued by it that they constantly nuzzle up against my neck to take in its intoxicating aroma with very long, deep breaths, which they then exhale with a barely audible sigh........ Need I say more?? ‘Heaven, I’m in heaven.......’

And what more is there to say, other than this is a true classic that withstood the decades of fads and gimmicks....... A complex and mysterious ‘signature’ scent that elegantly distinguishes itself from the common mass of generic fragrances. The fact that it's such a 'dude-magnet' begs the question: Why are so many of today's colognes merely an array of insipid clones, when young guys are still so obviously drawn to a well-defined classic such as Perry Ellis For Men (circa 1985)?

17th December, 2010.

It's too bad the original Perry Ellis for Men has been discontinued, as its replacement is a serious downgrade from this classic 80's chypre. Very strong carnation notes in the middle make this something of a unisex scent, but it nonetheless leans more towards the masculine side with the leather and oak moss base. Used sparingly it's an elegant, refined formal scent that's still quite wearable at the office. The fact that you can still buy the 5oz EDT for under $20 on The Net makes this one of the great fragrance bargains out there... for now.

28th May, 2010.