VIP for Men (1987)
by Giorgio Beverly Hills

Very similar to the original Giorgio for Men, but more refined. I just got a sample and immediately fell in love with the top notes. They are just like regular GfM, but less "in your face" and smooth. Then the scent morphed briefly into a mini-mess that had me worried it would go south quickly... That fear was unjust, as the scent quickly recovered into the GfM heart and then dry-down I have come to love, only again more subtle and refined. Overall I honestly can't say which version I prefer as they are both classics and top masculine choices in my book. That said, as the original has been re-released and can be had in all its former glory for $20 or less for a 118ml bottle, while VIP has to be acquired for mega bucks on eBay (to get the discontinued original bottles) I guess I would stick to the original at its "steal" price. VIP is great stuff if you can get a bottle at a sane price though.

9th September, 2011.

It's a bit "blob"-like, meaning that I don't get good note separation, and it's a bit too sweet as well. Add to that the strong patchouli note (which I don 't like), and I can't really think of any reason to ever wear this. I have other fragrances that are somewhat similar (vintage Chaps, Boss #1, etc.), but go off in different directions that I prefer. Since I only wore this one, as a small dab to the wrist, and it seems reasonably natural smelling, I'll just give it a neutral and leave it at that. Longevity and sillage seemed to be at least very good.

26th February, 2011.

I don’t know what I was expecting but I know it wasn’t this. My first whiff of this was a beautiful cedar / patchouli scent—at first I thought I was getting the dry down in the opening, but, looking at the pyramid, it appears I was getting the heart notes. And what a wonderful rich heart—cedar, patchouli, cinnamon, rose—all identifiable in a clear, crisp accord. Somehow I missed the opening notes completely—probably because of the age of my sample and the fact that half the liquid was missing from the unopened sample tube. Regardless, the opening heart notes are some of the best wood / spice notes I’ve had in designer fragrances. This is probably not how the fragrance was designed, but it’s enough to tell me that it must have been a winner.

The rose note (a very good one) hangs on for a long time—I suddenly realize that I’m in the drydown because the rose note is surrounded by moss instead of cedar and patchouli. In the drydown I get much more moss than I get anything else; the tonka and amber is present and provide a light pleasant sweetness. The leather contributes a smooth richness to the base. This is (from what I can determine from my sample) quite a respectable fragrance—potent, masculine, and very well constructed—an excellent fragrance.

8th December, 2010.

VIP smells like a richer, more complex version of the original Giorgio for Men. They're clearly related, but I like VIP better --- it's less brash, and transitions through its stages more smoothly. The leather, wood and spice notes are very nicely balanced. If original Giorgio were a Jaguar, this would be a Bentley. Both are very distinctive and don't smell like anything else out there. Five stars for originality and composition.

10th March, 2010.

Interesting and well made blend from the 80's.
Bold and Masculine, yet not as brash as its predecessor, this was always my preferred Giorgio fragrance. Although I never wore it much, it's a fragrance that I have appreciated because of its quality and unique character. What I really love is that in the original fragrance ad for VIP it reads something to the effect of " One in one thousand will wear it". Quite the opposite of the mass produced, girly man scents of the 21st century, which are too afraid to make a statement and actually distinguish themselves from the rest. (There are exceptions, but all in all I think there needs to be a major shake-up in the fragrance world. By the way, both Giorgio fragrances have now been relaunched, but they do not smell the same as the original blends.
The differences may be subtle, but rest assured, you'll be getting an inferior creation.

20th May, 2009.

Patchouli and leather floral chypre. Touches of cinnamon and another spice with oakmoss in the base. Woody notes like to dance around in the middle. Not a bad scent at all.

30th October, 2008.