Reviews of Domenico Caraceni 1913
by Domenico Caraceni

A finely tailored rose-dominant scent that hints of refinement and impeccable taste, very much like a bespoke suit or an exquisitely cut dress; I find DOMENICO CARACENI 1913 to be comfortably gender-neutral. However the potent rose element is a double edged sword and may even be a little too sweet for some (though not for me). Just avoid overspraying or getting this on fabric lest you start smelling as though you've accidentally spilled on some rose cordial during lunch.

What an impressive fragrance, but what really impresses me is the number of stunning reviews of 1913 here on BNs. Seldom have I seen so many reviews of this standard for one fragrance. Could it be that 1913 is so special as to bring out the best in the reviewers? I think so. What can I say that hasn't been already, well not much new really, only that in the first hour I believe I can pick out elderflower.... I can also offer glowing praise though. 1913 is wonderful and is on my 'Wishlist'.

A beauty, what more can I say.A rose for men , yet wearable and masculine.
Read the positive comments below and skip the negative ones, and then for pete´s sake, order this while you can! And if you´re still dissapointed, send your bottle to me.

An intriguingly complex fragrance that has some rose in and out of the scene. Love this, but I find it hard to understand and fully appreciate. I think of this is a sophisticated avant gard fragrance with enigmatic sharp/soft olfactory elements, that is one thing indoors, and something else outside--- particularly in the winter. In the cold weather the notes pop like mad with almost shimmering 3-D sillage. Although I don't see cinnamon in the pyramid, I smell a distinct rose and cinnamon combo in the chilly air, that is out of this world. When worn in warm weather, the rose in DC 1913 has to fight for its place in the sun and it is a tad lacking in excitement. I smell no tobacco, sadly, although there is a lot of incense that I can't define as frankincense, since I have no earthly idea what stand-alone frankincense smells like. This doesn't really smell like a fragrance that evolves from a custom tailoring connection or heritage, as does Kiton fragrance. It would be a closer association to say this fragrance takes its inspiration from a quality high-end art gallery or small chic museum, IMHO. Keep it light on application and it can be subtle and sophisticated. Overdue it and it's probably obnoxious. A masculine semi-rose best for Fall and Winter.

Aw, shucks. Folks, foetidus beat me to the punch!

What he said--word for word.

( I am only surprised N_N hasn't reviewed this yet. One would think the Baron de Charlus would be a huge fan, or could I be mistaken? )

I shall content myself to add that this one is not for the under 35 crowd and that it is sartorially demanding. I cannot imagine wearing this without a suit and tie.

Confound it! Even if I were in a hurry I couldn't bring myself to tie a four-in-hand, it demands a Windsor knot.

Good in warmer climates, unlike my all time favorite suit and tie frag, Dunhill '34 or my Autumn/Winter rose, Egoiste.

I have got to buy a white raw silk suit . . .

*sigh*

The Baron de Charlus once told me: "According to the estimable Mario Justiniani, I should love this scent. Sadly, no. Certainly, this is a decadent, hothouse, highly androgynous fragrance, but not in any intriguing way, or so my nose and imagination inform me. Instead, we are treated to a fairly relentless assault of sickly, sweet roses with a definitively cloying and synthetic feel to them. It put me in mind of certain of the scents of Frederic Malle (not many of which I admire).
The association with vampires, mentioned by one reviewer, was unfortunately lost on me. Indeed, I am positive that not one of the vampires of my acquaintance would be seen dead or undead in this fragrance. On the other hand, it did put me in mind of certain overheated salons which my position in society obliges me to endure -- invariably filled with pampered, elderly ladies whose conversation is as suffocating and tedious as their fragrance.
In the domain of decadent dandy's scents, there are far more interesting choices: Anucci Man, Sybaris by Puig, possibly even Frederic Malle's own Musc Ravageur. In the realm of roses, there are also far more intriguing creations: for instance, Alain Delon's Iquitos or, even better, Parfums de Rosine's Rose d'Homme.
Much as I admire certain reviews of the admirable Mario, I am afraid I have nothing good to say of Domenico."

This is the smell of an elderly old woman who is drunk on rose oil and red wine. terrible scent-----i've tried it multiple times now, and multiple times i have felt nauseated. very feminine, very one dimensional, and very cheap smelling.

It's another rose scent that's dark. It's dark but not deep because it lasted 4 hours for me. Starts off green and slightly soapy. Ends with a light aoud-ish accord. Poof. Felt like a big disappointment.

A very impressive rose fragrance: The opening of Domenico Caraceni 1913 boasts a strong repertoire of aromatics, rose, and citrus… Great notes, but above all else, this is a fragrance of blendings, proportions, and refinement. The opening aromatics come mainly from the excellent geranium; I am particularly struck by use of the geranium in this fragrance because it seems at once traditional and modern – I think it might be THE major player here. The rose is deep and masculine – it has a lot of presence and it seems to give its character to the fragrance, but to my nose, it takes a subsidiary position to the geranium. The citruses also act as a support group; I cannot differentiate the citruses one from another, but the citruses are an extremely important element of the total accord. It is truly a fragrance of creative and refined combinations. A strange thing to me is that I have never been able to get the tobacco or frankincense from the drydown. I get a soft rose, a soft spice, a now and then geranium hovering over a soft but solid cypress and musk skin scent – it’s breath taking. I like the top and heart notes very much, but I love the soft, sophisticated drydown with or without tobacco and incense.

I couldn't possibly imagine wearing this fragrance during the day. It is dark, it is somber. Even the rose, hidden in its middle notes with the incense (and cloves?), could not turn this into a green floral happy thing. This is what count Dracula would wear if he really existed. It is the perfume of the vampire: bizarre and sensual, sinister and seductive at the same time. Perfect for biting a victim's neck at the midnight hour.

It seems as if at one time on Basenotes, the male discussion board literally exploded with discussions on Domenico Caraceni. Many on Basenotes talked highly about DC, so my expectations were pretty high. I also love rose scents. Falling in love with DC seemed like a no brainer, right?

Well...it's not that simple:

- The top notes of DC open with what I can only decribe as aromatic pungency - some Basenoters have described it as boozy, and I can see why. The combination of frankincense (yes, right in the top notes - charging out of the gate) and petit grain give it a grain alcohol-ish aura. Not extremely pleasant but not off putting either. It is incredibly bright and anyone who would take a hard sniff of their skin right after applying DC will most likely recoil back in pain.
- The rose and geranium notes arrive and boy, are they DARK. I thought No. 88 was a dark rose scent, and it is. But in my opinion DC is much darker. Of course, it's a gentlemanly and conservative kind of darkness. Confectionery roses, in all of their glory. PLEASE do not take these descriptions as me saying DC and No. 88 are similar. They are not. However the geranium / rose accord when it arrives, strikes the same 'shadow', if you will. It's quite unmistakable.
- At about an hour or two on my skin, the scent really gave off a lot of sillage. Simultaneously, the scent became much more melancholic and 'sad'. The color I associate with this is dark purple. I imagine this is perhaps the saddest fragrance I've ever smelled. I remember some talk here on the board about DC and it's 'aromatherapy' aspects - so perhaps I'm not alone in this.
- I didn't get the 'new magazine smell' that some Basenoters mentioned - to me, that description sounds like glue, ink, paper, etc. I couldn't smell any of these accords in DC.
- I don't agree with some online reviews that mention a chypre-like quality in DC - to me, I smell no amber or mossy notes. Supposedly there's tobacco in the middle notes? I didn't smell any either.
- Caraceni makes suits (in Italy) and yet, I don't think DC smells like a well tailored suit at all. Perhaps the perfect scent for a funeral, or a night going out to a Goth club - but Italian tailoring? No.
- The first time I wore DC, I thought it smelled powdery. I hate powdery scents. The 2nd and 3rd time I wore it, this powdery effect was nonexistent.

Do I respect and admire this scent? Yes. The way this fragrance transitions from top, middle and base notes is quite fascinating. Many 'classic' scents achieve this well calibrated sequence of notes so the perfumer who did DC (?) knows his stuff! Plus the scent literally reeks of quality, without coming across as too high brow. Which is not as easy as it sounds.

Do I want to own it? No.

There is a brief, pungent blast of sour citrus when I put on Domenico Caraceni, followed by a unique and mysterious blend of sweet rose, honey, and dark fruit. These elements blend into a rich accord that is at once familiar and elusive. It evokes some dim olfactory memory that slinks about the fringes of my memory without ever fully revealing itself. I don’t know if I’ll ever fully recognize it, but it keeps teasing and tugging at my nose.

The fruit begins to smell of plum to me, an as it merges with the rose I am reminded of the lush, sweet scent of passion fruit. Sweet spices, including perhaps cardamom and cinnamon, waft in as the scent develops, and I begin to perceive hints of creamy sandalwood, and perhaps even rosewood peeking up from the depths. Very warm musks make themselves evident as well, but the accord that results is so well blended that it soon becomes impossible to distinguish its components.

Domenico Caraceni’s deep, yet elusive heart beats on in a consistent rhythm for a matter of hours before the balance begins to alter. The sweet spices and honey notes fall away, leaving a clearer and cooler rose exposed over very delicately balanced woods and a guardedly animalic musk. The very gradual drydown descends through layers of smooth wood, warm musk and a few powdery notes before the whole scent fades away entirely. Sillage and projection are moderate, and longevity is better than most. This scent will surely be compared to Czech and Speake’s No. 88, which to me seems a darker, drier, and “craggier” scent than Domenico Caraceni. I also think that No. 88 is more hard edged and potent. Both scents strike me as extremely dignified and sophisticated, but the sweet, plumy note and the very warm musk in Domenico Cararceni leave me thinking of it as the gentler and more comforting of the two. If you’re looking for a masculine rose scent and find the Montale Aouds too harsh or assertive, you should try this excellent scent.

In all candor, I had expected to fully hate this one. Simply put, it's because most rose-based frags for men don't work well on me (Black Aoud the obvious exception, with a few other Montales in the exception category.)

Iquitos I find wonderful but cloying (on my skin); L'Ombre Dans L'Eau is beautifully constructed but far too green for my taste. I could go on, but you get the general idea.

Caraceni, though, totally took my breath away. The remarkable use of frankincense and tobacco here was/is nothing short of genius, and the rose absolute used was/is anything but cloying. (I grew up in the funeral industry, so trust me when I say that I know how cloying the wrong rose scent can be. There's a vast gulf between embalming fluid rose/memorial wreath rose and Black Aoud rose.)

Stupendous stuff -- I finally understand what all the hooplah is about.

A rose scent with a dirty little secret, Domenico Caraceni 1913 blushes arrogant spices with mellow roses, and forms perhaps one of the most intriguing out of this batch, next to Lime Aoud. 1913 isn't quite as dirty and gritty as Voleur de Roses; nor is it as clean and fragile as Rose Poivree, it's somewhere in the middle. The similarities it has are very minor and superficial; 1913 stands out as its own bold and crafty scent.

Right from the get-go, 1913 is set up to be a magnificent fragrance. The top notes are petitgrain and geranium, followed by a heart of bigarade, rose, and a little tobacco, falling on a base of frankincense and cypress. Just looking at those notes, we see an unusually exotic combination. And the scent just keeps getting more exotic! The initial spray is a deeply rich, aromatic mixture of petitgrain and geranium, which lasts for about three minutes, then something strange happens... a heart of rose springs up and begins to smoothen out the scent. This is the first peculiar thing; as top notes generally take ~ 15-20 minutes to vanish. In 1913, however, the rose springs out, but does not replace any of the top notes. It first blends in quite nicely, then begins to dominate the scent, as the top notes start to fade and are replaced by the heart of bigarade and tobacco. Surprisingly, the tobacco is very light and hardly noticeable next to the spiced accord of bigarade; perhaps to allow the sweeter base of frankincense and cypress to bleed through the transparency (tobacco is used as a "final" base note in most scents, because it tends to last longer than any other note, and it stays dominant the moment it's introduced) and shift the scent once again. As the heart dries down, a wonderfully potent, sugared note of frankincense yawns to life, and is anchored to woodsiness by cypress. Both notes accentuate the rose, and favor the progression of change... no longer is our rose so bold and dominant; rather, it has matured, and accepts the replacement of its life. Cypress begins to ebb away at it, as frankincense adds a grand finale of spicy-sweetness, and the roses die. Even after their death, though, there is a very subtle, smoothly aromatic sense of rose essence when the frankincense relaxes a little, and the cypress isn't so potent.

One of the most flawless and effortless executions of a rose-guided scent, 1913 is my favorite [rose] scent; it's not safe and tranquil like Rose Poivree is, yet it's not raw and dirty like Voleur de Roses... but it's not quite the middle grounds, either. It's hard to describe this scent, due to it's peculiar construction and the way each note is played out, but the sheer intelligence and thought behind this, coupled with the unusual ingredients used, makes this yet another sure-buy, and a wallet-breaker at that...

The fragrance notes of Domenico Caraceni Pour Homme EDT are:

Top Notes: Petitgrain, Bourbon Geranium
Middle Notes: Neroli Bigarade, Rose Absolute, Tobacco Essence
Base Notes: Frankincense, Cypress

In my opinion, Domenico Caraceni Pour Homme has to be considered one of the very best of the Men’s Rose fragrances. Domenico Caraceni Pour Homme opens with a very strong, beautiful, and exquisite masculine Rose. Although Rose is listed as a middle note, the first few minutes are dominated by this powerful and very clear note of Rose. This Rose is so strong and makes such a fine impression that I almost want to compare it to something like a trumpet call. After the first few minutes, the intensity of the Rose is rounded off just perfectly with Neroli and grounded by essence of Tobacco. This beautiful and wonderfully pleasant accord of Rose, Neroli, and Tobacco seems to me to last and slowly fade for a few hours while the very attractive base of Frankincense and Cypress is gradually revealed.

Man, do I like wearing this fragrance. Frankly, it just feels good to wear this one. Domenico Caraceni Pour Homme quickly became one of my top favorites, and now I cannot imagine being without it. I highly recommend this fragrance.