Reviews of Stetson (1981)
by Stetson

I can't say if I like it or not - as it smells typically like the "attar" (concentrated perfume) that is available in India. Since it is commonplace, I don't feel very attracted to it.

A cheap feminine oriental for men? This could pass as a cheap Guerlain to unsuspecting noses. Good for starters.

This is way too animalic for me at the beginning, then it softens up, but there's still too much animalic jasmine for me to want to wear this regularly. If it wasn't for that, this might be quite nice, though too feminine for some men. My guess is that this might work well for a guy who sweats a lot, unlike myself. I don't mind the spices or powderyness to it, but due to the animalic qualities, I much prefer something like Carven Homme, and since they cost about the same, there's no reason for me to reach for Stetson.

Cleaning out the attic in the summer cabin, I found a small bottle of Stetson. I don’t remember ever owning Stetson (don’t even remember smelling it)—it was probably left by the previous owner, which would make it over thirteen years old. Of course I had to test it. After the harsh initial blast, it settled down to a lavender / citrus accord. The mid notes are a light wood and floral, and the dry down is a sweet amber accord. It really doesn’t have much longevity, but that could be the result of its age and its weathering. I actually found Stetson surprisingly ok—surprising because of its drugstore reputation, its age, and at least thirteen years of -30° winters and summer attic heat. Stetson is rather ordinary, but it is something I might wear for a casual occasion now and then. It really surprised me—I was thinking about giving it a thumbs up simply because it isn’t terrible.

Stetson is the only thing my dad wears. It's distinctive, but it lacks depth and complexity. The drydown is pretty nice but again, it's pretty simple and really doesn't present much depth. The patchouli seems to dominate the fragrance on my skin, and it's not particularly my favorite scent (but I don't exactly dislike it either). Basically, I'll put it this way: it's a cheap cologne and it smells like it.

This was the first cologne I ever purchased. Before that, I used my brother's Old Spice as a standby (I got Canoe, British Sterling and English Leather as gifts, but I guess they did not make enough of a impression). Anyway, I was about to graduate high school and Stetson was popular with teenagers in 1983 since it was not our father's cologne. Very strong smelling which is why I would not wear it now.