Reviews of R de Capucci (1986)
by Roberto Capucci

R de Capucci: R de Capucci was probably the coolest dude back then. it is well mannered, mildly powdery, fresh out of the barbershop with a nice after shave cologne kinda feel. it undoubtedly comes across as a green scent..not gritty, but intense, more like holding a bunch of freshly sprouted leaves against nose...doing so, the leaves would give off a slighlty bitter, almost citrusy feel..my point is, the citrus doesnt take ones attention away from th lovely green accord, it's anything but restrained and classy and it wants to make an impression as an remarkably fresh and green scent without smellin dated or lemony. Surprisingly, after 15 minutes of application, it gets a bit powdery and the green notes gets a bit more intense, here it reminds me of the structure of the chanel classic, Pour Monsieur. if anything, this could've easliy become Pour Monsiuer Concentrate...would have been very apt. Notes of lemon gleam past now with a shin to it, giving this gem a freshness and making it more versatile. floral accords adds to the charm and gives it the signature accord of an era it represented..basenote are pretty soft, mildly powdery, sweet, mossy with lots of fresh vetiver, vanilla like sweetness and patchouli..
This is for someone who admires Chanel Pour Monsieur type scents

When I first sprayed R de Capucci (I had bought blind due to the recs of BNers) I was immediately reminded of the opening blast of Monsieur de Givenchy. That is, however, where the comparison ends.* This is one of the most interesting fragrances in my wardrobe. Beautifully balanced and very long lasting. The dry down is fabulous without ever becoming cloying or "stale". Truly a "sleeper".

*shouldn't say comparison ends. As I think about it, is is very much like MdG only with more "oomph".

Green chypre of leather and the typical oakmoss. Very nice citrus opening, excellent floral heart and a fantastic drydown of chypre ingredients. Classy blend of a subdued macho fragrance.

I was shocked at the Yatagan comparisons here. Over the years of wearing it, I have come to dislike Yatagan immensely and yet I admire this fragrance – I don’t find anything similar in the two. To my nose R de Capucci is similar enough to Antaeus to be a lighter version of that Chanel classic. It has similar notes and similar progressions. It’s doesn’t have the special Chanel touch of the original Antaeus, but R de Capucci is an excellent version that I have chosen to purchase in lieu of the newer, reformulated Antaeus. To my nose, R de Capucci has more fluidity and subtlety, and its less aggressive nature makes it more acceptable in modern circumstances. I don’t get much powder in the opening; I get a clean green / citrus accord with aldehydes and a slightly animalic background. The animalic background never broadens or intensifies; it stays as a far off background note through the run of the fragrance. The rose in the middle comes to me in the form of a rose / jasmine / green accord – quite beautiful and deep, but to my nose, the rose is in equal partnership with the jasmine and the green. The green is probably the vetiver that acts sharply green instead of immediately exhibiting its earthy woody persona. The drydown is an excellent leather / moss that must have strong elements of vetiver and patchouli because leather / moss is, perhaps, my least favorite drydown, and I enjoy this particular drydown. There is little or no sweetness in the fragrance yet the fragrance doesn’t come across as heavy or dark. R de Capucci is an excellent fragrance. It has strong elements of the classic ‘80s fragrances, but it is quite wearable today: Whether it reminds of Yatagan, Antaeus, or Aramis, it is an excellent scent – get it while you can.

This was my signature fragrance for years. I love the large range of notes which are all distinguishable but are blended beautifully and never fight; it is amazingly uncluttered. The top is a blast of fresh celebration, very clean and pure champagne citrus. The heart boasts a beautiful deep rose and aldehydeic florals with some rich jasmine. The drydown is phenomenal, the balance of leather with the other notes simply astounding. I don't know why this is not more widely known or rated. The only thing it isn't is sexy. It's too clean for that.

R. de Capucci has a classical opening of citrus and aromatics with plenty of dry, powdery lavender. Next up is a very rounded sandalwood supported by toasty spices, including a distinct touch of nutmeg. There is a dry, edgy rose in the heart as well, its character sharpened by an angular bitter note that seems to emanate from the woods. Since there's quite a bit of powder in its composition, R. de Capucci might come off as stuffy and "perfumey" without this bitter edge. Instead, the scent registers as tough and uncompromising. It's no Yatagan, but it's certainly not trying to smell "pretty," either.

R. de Capucci's bitter note eventually reveals itself as a very sharp vetiver, which takes over for the rose as the woody accord's principal accent. The drydown arrives quickly, but it is extended and attractive. All traces of the floral and aromatic notes dissipate to leave the vetiver resting on a very mossy leather base. There is nothing remotely sweet in R. de Capucci, and the impression that it leaves is that of a particularly austere chypre.

If you like Yatagan but find it too confrontational for daily wear, it's worth seeking out R. de Capucci. It's just as dry and austere as the Caron, but less harsh and animalic. In fact, it's civilized enough to make a sophisticated office scent.

A delightful chameleon, this green chypre.

R starts out bright and green and clear, very citrusy without being overpowering. It then moves into a spicy carnation middle -- probably my personal favorite in the evolution of it all.

The final dry-down is really special -- masculine and dry without being overly powdery (not too much tonka!) and/or egregiously sandalwood-y.

Hirch_Duckfinder, I owe you one.

Great fragrance in typical 80s style. I don't see the comparisons to Aramis, seems to be a little closer to Antaeus than anything I've smelled.

Very masculine, refined, elegant and classic. A great purchase and despite being discontinued it can still be found online.

I don't know why RdC doesn't get much attention but it should, it's a lot better than most of the scents people usually talk about.

The easiest description of R de Capucci is a lighter and subtler and much more wearable version of Aramis. If you like the basic fragrance notes of Aramis you will really enjoy this one. It contains many of the same notes of the venerable 1960's favorite but is It's like a shy cousin that is a little more sensitive and interesting in the middle notes. The drydown is less glaring leaving out the sandalwood and with an addition of a small amount of leather/amber to soften the chypre effect. I find it very enjoyable, but I can't get past the similarity to the other one which I learned to avoid long ago.

The other reviewers covered this fragrance so expertly there is little left to say except for my personal observations and opinions.

This fragrance is slightly more formal than I expected it to be, almost along the same lines as Boucheron pour Homme, a very crisp citrus but with more green and less of the musk or powdery aspects. One of the most interesting aspects of this scent is the way the notes are almost separate in some ways, for instance when I sprayed R de Capucci on my undershirt after the pleasant initial green citrus blast I got a wild vetiver that seemed out of control, at least when I smelled the patch where I sprayed, but over the next few hours I observed the sillage. Of course the vetiver was still noticeable but it lost its wild quality. But it was still quite apparent in the patch where I sprayed.

As I sit here sniffing a card sprayed with R de Capucci I can say it it wasn't love at first sight but we got acquainted and now I am quite fond of this exhilarating scent. You should give it a try as well.

Notes:
Top: Bergamot, Lemon, Petitgrain, Clary sage, Green note
Heart: Jasmine, Mandarin, Clove, Rose, Aldehyde
Base: Patchouli, Moss, Leather, Amber, Vetiver, Musk, Tonka

As the_good_life, Eluard and hirch_duckfinder point out, this is a vastly underrated and overlooked fragrance. We have all experienced (and at times, been assaulted by!) those unrestrained, brash overly leathery and mossy grandpa scents from the late 60s. R de Capucci (RdC) is that fragrance but after spending a season with the guys from Queer Eye for the Straight guy.

As soon as I spray it on, RdC pleasures the senses with a smorgasboard of intricately arranged and extremely pleasing notes. Its an exhilirative attack on the senses. Theres lemon and sage with the subtlest hints of jasmin and rose - this cocktail is boosted by superb use of aldehydes which provides just the right degree of sparkle. I could spray RdC over and over again just to experience this opening set of notes. The composition then shifts a gear, loses a couple of notes, but maintains its bright feel by introducing a superbly rendered clove note which maintains the luminous path blazed so far. Half an hour later, RdC dries down a noticeable yet never suffocating notes set of leather, moss and vetiver.

RdC is a "summer chypre". Its a chypre perfect for people wary of harsh mossy fragrances from 760 B.C (made by cavemen for cavemen). It wont make you feel like as if you are being strangled by a raw leather belt which has been left in the sun for far too long. RdC lays a welcome mat before sipping you your hard-to-ingest capsule coated with a layer of sugar. You feel good and well taken care of. Layering Yatagan with Aramis wont do - you just have to try RdC on its own.

I hate to be the spoiler on this one, but IMHO, R, is a mix of Yatagan and Aramis. Two great fragrances, mind you. If you like "macho" fragrances get this one, but contrary to what has been written, there is nothing Guerlain going on in this beautifully done 80's tour-de-force. Quite good, but not exactly what I expected.

Notes:
Bergamot, Lemon, Petitgrain, Clary sage, Green note
Jasmine, Mandarin, Clove, Rose, Aldehyde
Patchouli, Moss, Leather, Amber, Vetiver, Musk, Tonka
Unquestionably the greatest Capucci contribution to perfumery and indeed one of the best chypres ever produced. In fact, I believe this is one of the best perfumes ever produced. The quality, the mastery of the assemblage, the charmingly smooth, yet intellectual texture – this is the chypre complement to Eau d’Hermes, no less. Shake your heads in disbelief but this one is on par with creations by Roudnitska, Daltroff, and the Guerlains. A fantasy citrus according to the H&R genealogy (which I find a bit misleading), fresh chypre in other categorizations. More complex, less citric than Capucci pour home, a chypre but not identifiably “80s.” There is no herbal Artemisia bludgeon here, but a cleaner, straighter greenness in the top notes, more in the direction of Bowling Green, but infinitely more sophisticated – and the floral middle notes come on quite early. Gentle, slightly dark rose, smooth aldehydes, the sublime use of jasmine add up to an incredibly suave, classy feel. Brilliant! The base is softened by Tonka and amber, but nothing is here is remotely powdery. The “macho” components are very subtly employed, making this much less dated, or dateable, than your Portos, Ho Hang, Yatagan, etc. Soft, suede-like leather, low key, nothing either birch-tarry (as in Cuir de Russie or Lonestar) or lushly sweet (as in Royal English Leather. Mossy notes are dominant in the base, there is some dry patchouli and just a hint of Tonka sweetness, all this melting together into sheer delight. All in all, R stays very “clean,” as hirch-duckfinder correctly notes, but do not confuse this with the limp, synthetic, fabric-softener “clean” of the ‘90s and ‘00s, it is infinitely superior. I should add that R is much finer on skin than on a test strip – it is one to be tested live. Regrettably I do not know the perfumer. A big name, an unsung hero, a one hit wonder? Whichever, “R” is a perfectly balanced display of subtle masculinity, seamless from top through base, refined as an Italian silk suit. Speaking of which, this is far superior as a suave suit scent to Kiton Men, which, while decent, smells like ineptly thrown together synthetics in direct comparison with R. The difference in quality between the two rose notes is an object lesson in the art of perfumery. In fact R degrades a whole lot of better known gentleman’s fragrances to the status of pimply faced kids. Can you understand now, why after trying this I was obsessed with getting my hands/nose on every other available Capucci? I found them all and none matched this, not even the glorious Punjab. I will go out on a limb and say: no one with the remotest interest in fragrances can afford to ignore this. I speak in earnest. This is the sleeper of sleepers. Or, as Squire duckfinder has patiently proclaimed for some time and much more succinctly than myself: "Wear 'R' de Capucci!"

I come to second Herr Duckfinder’s opinion of this overlooked beauty. The accord that I most love is the Oakmoss/Patchoulli combination. Here it is combined with some rich green notes and a perfect amount of leather. Polo Crest, which I also love, combines O/P with a heavy dose of jasmine, and Polo (Green) combines it with some green (natch!) medicinal notes, but neither have the classic masculinity that leather brings. More people should give Capucci scents a try — they are extremely well-made and criminally underrated.