Saks Fifth Avenue for Him (2007)
by Bond No. 9 For Saks Fifth Avenue

Saks Fifth Avenue for Him kicks of with some of the most played-out topnotes in the business, that ubiquitous mix of grape soda, lavender, violet, and aquatic Windex smell that every masculine scent uses when they want to smell like every other masculine scent at the Macys. However, there's a decent wood scent hiding under the laughably common top.

Given about 30 minutes, the silly aquatic grape mess burns off and I'm left with a really interesting mix of lavender and pine that's actually very nice. Sadly, that aquatic note stays in the background, like trying to sniff a top-notch niche perfume while someone spills chlorine bleach next to you. Later, a nice pine tar note comes in, smelling kind of like licorice at first, but ending up smelling like piney leather. Unfortunately, hat Windex/bleach note ends up ruining everything at the end, forming a really cheap-smelling metallic "woody amber" base that overpowers and ultimately destroys the really interesting woody/lavender/leather thing that was happening.

For anyone who's read my reviews, you know any scent with that dumb Windex/chlorine "woody amber" chemical in it gets an automatic thumbs down from me, though to be fair, those lavender/pine/licorice/leather middle notes are fantastic and worth a sniff. For people who enjoy creative aquatics or, well, guys who like mall scents and kind of want to smell like everything else but then they don't but then they do again, Saks Fifth Avenue for Him may be your grail!

03 June, 2012

I will speak today about a fragrance from the Maison Bond No. 9, which all fragrances are inspired by New York city, where beauty shines through the presentation of the bottles, all in star shapes with specific decorations to each fragrance. But I will speak more specifically about Saks Fifth Avenue for Him,
created by Michael Almairac and released in 2007.

On my skin, the fragrance begins with plenty of freshness guaranteed by bergamot, dominating the beginning of the fragrance. Chili, Black Pepper, on top, as Basenotes says? Not on my skin! Sorry Basenotes, you're wrong. After about 10 ~ 15 minutes, bergamot decays a bit, making the cardamom to become noticeable, however subtly, serving as an excellent transition from the fresh tone from the beginning, to a slightly sweet-woody tone (yes, sweet, but for just few minutes, believe me) guaranteed by a mixture of woody aroma mixed with a light incense which stands out more and more from the dry-down, thereby decreasing the semi-sweet aroma, now leading to a more comfortable level as time goes on, remaining that way until the end.

An excellent casual scent. Perfect for those who likes the suit and jeans style.

In my opinion, the perfect day by day scent for a successful business man that is not so focused on a formal dress. A pleasant classy and versatile smell that offends no one.

21st August, 2011

A lush, creamy aquatic....almost a bit powdery. Not sure if this would get a little cloying on a really hot day, but certainly nice for a cool spring one. Certainly one of the nicer Bond No. 9's I've tried. Worth the cost? Eh, not sure at that price.........

29 April, 2011

Classy, masculine scent for day wear; spicy and assertive but gentle and seductive...love the first blast of chilli, nutmeg, cardamon and bergamot...very well done...then the incense takes over for ages, mixed with amber and guaiac wood...also very well done indeed...

I like wearing this scent on special occasions for work as it has that special "good feel" factor to my nose...

The longevity is fantastic and guess it must have good sillage...

Big Thumbs up...!!!

22 February, 2011

Absolutely beautiful.
At first, this struck me as another "faceless" copy issued by BOND. (i.e., in the vein of some garbage from Hugo-Boss, Armani, or Polo)......I recommend not throwing your sample decant away; it may grow on you....like it did on me.
It took only a few wearings to realize its depth and complexity.
It's a really multifaceted aquatic, and I can even detect a subtle hint of mint.
This "aquatic" is very atypical, and strikes me as more of a warm/vegetal aquatic, than what one may expect from this typically passe genre.
My only complaint RE: Saks Fifth Ave is the (relatively) weak longevity.
Definitely a worthy contender.
A unique genius of an aquatic!

08 May, 2010

This upon first sniff doesn't really compell anybody or seem particularly unique or worth the money. After it dries down this really shines. It's a spicy, semi sweet incense with a wood base and subtle black pepper and chili. The chili is the intriguing part of this fragrances combined with the incense and smells quite unique. The quality is there but this is a typical genre so it can easily be categoried with many other scents including designer scents. Regardless, it's still top quality although, I don't believe it's worth the retail value.

07 May, 2010