Reviews of Tom Ford for Men (2007)
by Tom Ford

I am shocked that Tom Ford for Men is so unpopular here! To me, this is almost the perfect understated winter workhorse.

It opens with a nice, bracing bouquet of dry citrus and spices. There is no sweetness in the citrus at all: it is a very manly opening. Soon after, the citrus fades I get a slightly green but mostly peppery patchouli accord. Mossy woods and tobacco gradually enter the equation and soon we have a nearly perfect masculine base.

The evolution is steady and fluid. Tom Ford for Men is one of those scents that is blended so well that the evolution is difficult to track in terms of distinct phases. It just morphs and evolves as the notes fade in and out. There is nothing synthetic or cloying or obnoxious about it.

It lasts well over 12 hours on me, but stays close to the skin. I feel good in it, and people like it. There are no standout notes, but that is not a requirement for me. It is a standout in that it smells great.

This is a great cologne. The dry down is the best. If you only want one cologne, this is the one. Job well done Tom Ford.

For all the hype, this is a disappointing (and very short-lived) fragrance. It’s certainly masculine but in a run-of-the-mill sort of way. If you love subtle scents, which require constant re-application, this one may be for you.

[Original submission date: 10 April 2008]

Well somebody has to give this puppy a thumbs up so i better step up! It is a well blended subtle concoction in a well designed bottle if supported by slightly overly heated publicity ( you can youtube the commercial and be amused ! ) The fragrance is nice and i'm not sure whay people here seem to require something either very unusual or with overly loud sillage. This one attracts positive comments and just like some of the greatest Creeds ( such as Neroli Sauvage ) it whispers at people for attention...and gets it. Look, if you want something that screams "I'm here" and "I'm not subtle" buy the original Polo ( green bottle ) and spray it in copious quantities. You will be emitting fern like odours for weeks. As for Tom Ford for men this is a solid offering and i would have thought warrants more thumbs up here. Each to their own i guess.

Great juice! This may be really dependent upon skin chemistry. If someone told me this one was made for me, I'd believe it! And it lasts forever, 12 hours or more (but again, that might not be the case for you). My "mind's nose" is teased for hours by the great dynamism of this fragrance. It may not be "challenging," nor break new ground in any other way, but the simple dynamism of this fragrance is as good as it gets. I would have dismissed this one as bland and boring a year ago, so I'm glad to have obtained a bottle at this point in my olfactory understanding. Now, most of the time, I don't want to be "challenged," but instead want to enjoy the fragrance, and TFFM fits this job description perfectly (no I was not paid to write this! LOL).

Unappealing. Very dark and musky, with a strong cinnamon tone. It smells like something made for a much, much older man. I was expecting a fragrance from Tom Ford to be young, hip, and edgy. This just smells like something a retiree in Florida would wear. The drydown is a little more tolerable, but still not worth waiting for the top and middle notes to fade away.

I agree with the naysayers here. Tom Ford the person is an interesting charachter. Part of me wants to like him for the innovation he still can show in men's fashion, part of me wants to hate him for being an opportunist and pretending to understand the nich fragrance market The hate wins with this one. Interesting at first, but nothing groundbreaking . The dry down reveals it to be a powdery scent with horrible longevity. The extreme version is much more robust if you really want a Tom Ford fragrance and don't want to pay Private Blend prices.

What a choker. With money no object you would have thought Tom might have chanced his arm a bit and created something interesting, but no, the dollar signs were flashing and he's pushed out a safe, predictable masculine oriental with no redeeming qualities at all. All of the flankers are better than this and some of them are pretty mediocre. Play safe -- fill your boots.

I can't fault Tom Ford's business decision to tap into the full range of fragrance buyers by putting out a firmly mainstream frag as his flagship and a bunch of niche frags as flankers. Trouble is good business usually makes for crappy fragrances. Tom Ford for Men strikes me as a failed attempt to create a modern, mainstream version of classic frags (Heritage and New York pop into my head as I sniff). The problem is that the notes are dimmed so much that what are usually just side-effects of the older school style, the powdery drydown and "perfumey" feel, are pretty much the whole deal here. I'll stick to the excellent Bois Rouge and Oud Wood.

This has a whisky type quality about it that I simply do not care for. It is a rather clumsy attempt at creating a sophisticated fragrance, and it simply fails to deliver on any level. I could have lived with the rather boozy notes had they evolved into something smoother,and had in any way finished well. Wearing this was absolutely no fun at all.

I was really impressed with how this smelled on the spray card so I got a sample of it. It starts out great, kind of sweet, a little smoky citrus, and dusty dry woods. It starts very masculin. But I didn't like the dry down on my skin. It started to smell like baby powder. If the top notes lasted longer, I think this would be worth it.

Indeed, not a groundbreaking scent. When I sampled this scent, I liked it. When searching for a bottle, I stumbled on L'Instant de Guerlain PH, which actually smelled the way Tom Ford for Men smelled in my mind!

By comparison, Tom Ford for Men looked like an airy, pale, watered down version of L'Instant PH. So I chose to buy L'Instant and leave Tom Ford for Men as it is. Tom Ford for Men has a certain 'airy' vibe to it, that makes it less luxurious and more mainstream. It's a property that usually is only found in simple aquatics.

However, on hot, humid, summer days, I think Tom Ford for Men is the lightest, best masculine oriental that you can wear. It's overpriced and it faces the burden of being a Tom Ford: I think people expect more. And rightfully so, perhaps.

I can't help but feel a little disappointed by Tom Ford for men.
The "cologney" opening offers a promise unfulfilled. It aspires to a Colonia Intensa character with zesty citrus notes and a woody-leather-floral heart but unlike the AdP product it just fades from my skin in less than an hour. It is well blended but I just can't accept the total lack of longevity.
This is my first thumbs down.

I like it, finally a manly oriental sans vanilla. Longevity is average however (about 4-5 hours). It's is a little expensive for what it is though. It is versatile, could be a good date cologne, good office cologne, day/night, summer/spring/fall, you name it. Very clean, sharp, and powerful.

Smells like a designer scent more than a niche. Too bad it doesn't last long because I think it smells much better than most niche fragrances. A clean, flowery scent. Just doesn't last.

I like it, but I know Tom Ford is capable of scents that are much more interesting. The quality is there, the sillage and longevity are all excellent, but it becomes a little, "so what" to me after a while. I'm glad I own it, but I rarely wear it, since there are so many more interesting fragrances which I find much more pleasing in my wardrobe. My purchase of this one is an example of one of the rare times I allowed myself to purchase a fragrance based on sales hype rather than my nose. Not a stinker by any sense of the imagination, but it smells pretty mediocre to me. Who knows? It may grow on me like so many others have. I haven't given up on it yet.

I was quite perplexed to find this one so middle-of-the-road and yet so sublime that I'm always eager to wear it often... I think it's one of the best all around fragrances a man can buy these days. Sure, it smells cologney, and there are times when it reminds me of Escada PH, L'Instant de Guerlain PH, Obsession for Men, and a whole slew of things we've all smelled before-- but dammit if this isn't the one that just gets it right. A crisp tangy orange over a slightly dressed up aromatic base. I don't really know what the cypriol contributes, but this does have a wonderfully musky base-- and women have commented positively on it. Sure the clear plastic cap looks like the puffed up reservoir tip of a condom-- and knowing how Tom Ford is, it's probably no coincidence... but the classic notched bottle and amber colored juice are a fitting complement to this scent which is understated and perfectly balanced.

Lasts really well on me and it's one of the most versatile fragrances I own. It proves that a fragrance doesn't need to be novel to be perfect.

This is a layered, nuanced, spicey fragrance (oriental) which gets sexier as it dries down. While it is very similar to the Baldessarini in my opinion, the Baldessarini is only a E de C, while this is a E de T, which gives it more staying power. For those having trouble detecting the fragrance after a short time of wear, you may want to ask someone else if they can smell it - your olfactory sense might be immune after some time of walking about in a nimbus of fragrance.

My wife loves it!

Great smell but no lasting power, at least not on my skin! It was gone within the hour!!!

After creating such phenomenal scents like Gucci Eau de Parfum, Eau de Parfum II, YSL m7, Gucci Pour Homme, the Rush and Envy series, YSL Nu, and finally Black Orchid and Black Orchid Voile de Fleur, I don't know why the genius called Tom Ford had to be this cruel to the single fragrance that bears his own name. There is absolutely no ambition, story or mystery to this fragrance what-so-ever.

Yes, it is a great scent, I agree. Yes, it is very well-made, I know. Yes, it is nice and safe, yet unique and stands out in an army of oceanic/citrusy mediocre releases that overcrowd the fragrance display areas all around the world. But all the nice things kind of end there. It is not a home-run, groundbreaking, brave, sparking up discussion, the urge to go and have sex etc. sort of fragrance. And those are the emotions that I am so used to feeling after applying Tom Ford creations. The opening is light, like his website also mentions with a heavy layer of lemon. It is safe, comforting and clean. I get the bergamot, mandarin and maybe a little basil, yet there is absolutely no traces of violet, or ginger in this. Then I get more citrus, slight amber and a warm base of woods.

That is it, the end all/be all of this scent. It is not layered, yet comfortable enough to wear everyday right?

WRONG!

The scent disappears after 15 minutes. I swear that is how long it takes, even if you empty the whole bottle. Where is the Black Orchid or Gucci Pour Homme longevity? How am I supposed to wear a fragrance everyday when it disappears after only two minutes? It is very inconsiderate, to my taste. It is almost like saying, "this is my cheapest fragrance, so this is what you get in return: reapply like every two minutes". The bottle is chic as usual, and we all know the controversial ad images, but this is his first release I am not entirely happy about.

Not too keen on the top notes, but then it gets dead sexy. The longevity is just how I like it, 6ish hours on my skin. Sillage could be improved, dying to try the improved version.

Originally got a sample, went back the next day to buy 50ml, they were out of stock though, my lovely SA gave me 2 4ml miniatures for free :D!

I love it from the beginning to the end. It last on me the whole day. No problem with that. I like the topnotes (citrus-oil, bergamot, grapefruit) The basenote is warm and strong. I don´t get it. Some says it last not long enough...they lost their sense of smell. 2 Thumbs up

This starts off fresh, sweet and orangy. But, gudzooks, no sooner had I walked out of the store, and it's gone! Did my skin absorb it like a sponge or had I just sprayed water? Just because you can design clothes, doesn't translate easily into having a good nose to make perfumes - from rags to frags.

Too fruity and overpriced. I think this guy is so overrated. His scents fall in the dreaded unisex category. I still think Sean John is the best American scent. Unforgivable rocks. Tom Ford is an overrated designer in my opinion and this scent and Black Orchid are perfect examples of that. Way overpriced.

We don't get the TFFM adverts in Australia, so I feel my opinion is based truely on the smell of this fragrance. Sophisticated. Refined. But cheeky. A bit 70s. A bit now. Sweet, spicy, woody and fresh all at once. My fav at the moment.

Tossed all my other synth/citrus scents when I met Gucci Pour Homme,then came M-7 and now Tom Ford for Men. Its a light fragrance that seems to open up your sinus cavity and the fruits are wrapped in a nice masculine resolve. Women love it, especially the next morning. NICE!!

Top: lemon leaf, italian bergamot, mandarin, basil, violet leaves, ginger
Mid: orange flower absolute, black pepper, tobacco leaf absolute, grapefruit flower
Base: deep amber, cedarwood, virginia patchouli, vetiver, oakmoss, leatherwood resin, cypriol root.
Well the Ford website has lots to look at and you can play with the image of the bottle to get the above information. In my opinion – all hype, no substance. All these rare and specific products jumble together into a vague, sweet, powdery, slightly stale cloud. The only good thing about this is the brief orange opening. Everything after that is yawn and yuck: yawn over what we’ve seen in so many other current men’s fragrances, yuck over the awful vanilla note that is headache-inducing. So many interesting ingredients! So poorly executed! Try the Ford-designed Rive Gauche for something interesting, avoid this lame product.

I like the basic scent of Tom Ford for Men, its a truly warm and likable fragrance. This could be a great multipurpose fragrance that would work for many occasions. However, both the longevity and the sillage leave a lot to be desired. This stuff stays very close to the skin and fades away in a couple of hours. Tom Ford for Men could be a great fragrance, but these short comings makes this offering somewhat of a disappointment for me.

HOT GLUE!!! Like the sticks of glue that you insert into the back of a hot glue gun, like the kind you get at a craftstore! That's the first impression I got from testing this! HOT GLUE!!! Think about it... think about it...

I'll be honest; I had much higher expectations for something with Tom's name on it. Yes, I understand it is intended for a mainstream audience... and priced accordingly. And, in that vein, it's heads and tails more interesting than your average Lacoste, Burberry, Kenneth Cole, or RL. But, again, this is Tom's signature fragrance and the one that will be smelled by the most people, so pardon me if I still had high expectations.

So, yes, I was a little disappointed to get something that feels very soft/warm, very flat, and very fleeting. I kept waiting for it to do SOMETHING, to go somewhere, to give me some of the romance that Ford does so well (where is the sexiness of Gucci PH, M7, or YSL RGPH?) I didn't get any of that here... I just kept sniffing myself and... waiting.

Black Orchid is wonderful and I loved it at first sniff, as I have several of the pricey private line. I wanted to love this one, but just don't think it's worth it. I'll try the Extreme, but if the initial EDT version is just an excuse to get Tom some free publicity by putting out an inferior product (while putting all his hopes in the $$$ Extreme version), then that just doesn't cut it.

Not earthshaking, but decent. Of course, we expected more, but for $60 a bottle? Get real. The Extreme will be better, but this is as good as a lot of stuff I've paid more than $60 for.

I love how it starts of so fresh, sweet and even fruity, and then dries down to a sexy aura.

Problem though? It's an EDT, so compared to Black Orchid which is sold as an EDP, the longevity really sucks.

TOM!!!!

I had very high expectations for this. I mean, this is Tom Ford here, and I love almost anything this man puts his name on. However, I hate to say it, but I am disappointed. My main concern is it goes on and then POOF it's gone - leaving me wondering, “Hugh??? Nice, but, that's it?!” In less than an hour, it's presence has faded so much that it was almost pointless to put it on to begin with. On the other hand, the bottle is lovely and it's opening is very nice. But, still, I am sorry, nothing too “Earth shattering,” unique, or special outside of the initial Wham bam . . .

Overall Opinion . . . Very hit and run loverish.

I would love an "extreme" variant of this that has better sillage. I would love something that stays awhile. That would be a keeper.

Sorry, Tom. I still love you. :-)

unbelievable. tom ford is simply a genius. buy if you have sampled any of his other creations such as rive gauche etc. although not a fan of m7 this shows the man's talent. sillage and longevity both very good.

After wearing Tom Ford's Black Orchid off and on for a while I was really anticipating his latest Tom Ford For Men. What I liked about B O was it's longevity. TF for M smells great and is masculine but the downside is it does not last more than 20 minutes. Very dissapointing.

Having just purchased Black Orchid and falling in love with it, I was so looking forward to sampling his offering for men. I was disappointed; it smells more mainstream and ordinary than the edgy, unusual Black Orchid. Surprised me, because I thought Ford would be even more daring with his men's creation. Perhaps I would have liked it more had I never smelled Black Orchid - she's a tough act to follow! I'll give it another whirl sometime, but for now I feel sort of blase about it.