Tom Ford Extreme by Tom Ford, 2007

Having tested both Tom Ford for Men and Tom Ford Extreme, I'm going to commit heresy here and say I like TFM better. What's the problem with Extreme? As the Emperor said to Mozart: "Too many notes, my dear Wolfgang, too many notes." Extreme reminds me of an acquaintance who accosts you at a party, name drops for a few minutes while you can't get a word in edgeways, and wanders off when he spots someone more important. It's just too much about the scent and not about you. My favorite scents are good companions. They are a dialogue. They comfort, boost confidence, intrigue, amuse, flatter, challenge, argue, introduce me to others, bring out parts of myself I don't always notice, take me places I wouldn't go on my own. They reveal new things over hours, days, weeks, decades. Extreme is interesting but it demands all the attention. To appreciate it, you have to pay close attention and before you really grasp it, it's gone away. What I like about other Tom Fords is that they open vistas. Hey, take a look at this, they say, you've never seen anything like it, right? What do you think? Extreme is much more claustrophobic. It lives in a posh place but you keep looking at your watch, wondering when you can go home. I'll give it another try at some point but won't be adding it to my list of friends for now.