Mr Blass (2009)
by Bill Blass

This is a clear case of love at first sight, the moment I ripped the cellophane of the box and a whiff of the scent reached my nostrils I knew I would adore this perfume.
It smells like all my favorite perfumes from the 80's, Quorum, Azzaro pH, Van Cleef & Arpels pH, Fendi Uomo, etc, but in a gentlemanly way, it is not brash and most important, without the "in your face"attitude of the ones just named, it could be said that is a tamed powerhouse, a powerhouse for the 21st century.
To me the dominat note is leather, it reminded me of the car smell of a new car with leather seats, or the leather section of your furniture store, and that leather smell is present from the get go and not just in the basenotes.
Underneath all that leather there is a vetiver note wrapped up in a tobacco leaf and some patchouli, but leather is the king note from begining to end.

15th September, 2011.

I find this very similar to lord molyneaux in the sense that to my nose they both have this liquor note that I love.


It's a powerhouse as others have said and only need two sprays.


overall I give it a 7/10

30th November, 2010. (Last Edited: 4th January, 2011.)

Mr. Blass has a split personality. He can be Mr. Class then moments later become Mr. Crass. Right from the bottle, this presents a cacophony of scents: slightly animalic/urinous, then spicy (nutmeg? ginger?) alcoholic like Jovan Sex Appeal's classier but soused brother.

Then, an hour later, he sobers up and puts on his best mohair tuxedo and combs his brilliantined hair and we're with the swells of the jet set. This performance lasts for a couple of hours and is the highlight of the evening. Soon, though, he starts winding down and losing steam. After 6 hours he's still in the room, but nodding off in an easy chair.

I dig the throwback name (so many male-directed fragrances today are simply named after their older sisters: Beyond Paradise, Intuition, Eternity, Lolita Lempicka...); it reminds me of mid-century classics such as Mary Kay's "Mr. K" and Revlon's "That Man." At times the scent is a throwback as well, but as stated earlier, has it's moments of ennui. Then when you'd think he'd gone home, he pops up again smelling just dandy. I give this a muted thumbs-up for the middle notes and the Rat Pack-era name.

4th September, 2010. (Last Edited: 1st March, 2011.)

This is pretty old school stuff, and pretty damn good. I don't consider this a powerhouse because it's not strong, but it certainly has a kind of retro-1970s smell to it. There's a lot of tobacco, leather, vetiver, patchouli and wood notes in this, and together they smell like a blend of a lot of great 70s power scents, like Calvin, Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme and Sex Appeal For Men. I don't really get an Eighties vibe with this. It's a very complex scent, with many different facets to enjoy during its duration.

This is a great scent for guys who don't like loud scents, because it has all the rich qualities of those great 70s classics, but without the room clearing power. This is a very dark scent, very masculine, and very classy. Would be totally suitable at a black tie function, as well as less formal situations.

Mr. Blass is the perfect example of how low price does not neccessarily equal low quality. I like this better than most niche fragrances I've tried. Seriously.

MY RATING: 8.5/10

13rd March, 2010. (Last Edited: 15th September, 2011.)

A contemporary take on the classic chpyre done so in a desperate attempt in recreating the 80's style powerhopuse while keeping its distance. Mr Blass starts of spicy and aromatic, a lot like Bijan for Men. It's not as spicy though. Slightly woodsy oakmoss drydown but, unlike the 80's scents, it the drydown doesn't linger around long enough to be enjoyed. It is, however, a great throwback to that era of fantastic chypre family scents dominated the market. Kudos to the late Bill Blass.

26th November, 2009.

They should call this stuff "Blass From the Past" as it is very reminiscent of a lot of 1980's chypres.

Citrus topnotes, leather and spice basenotes. Very balanced and restrained. Good for the office or for an evening on the town. Not my first choice for formal attire, but a fun, classy, versatile scent nonetheless. I like it.

13rd November, 2009. (Last Edited: 17th January, 2010.)