VIP For Men by Giorgio Beverly Hills, 1987

Very similar to the original Giorgio for Men, but more refined. I just got a sample and immediately fell in love with the top notes. They are just like regular GfM, but less "in your face" and smooth. Then the scent morphed briefly into a mini-mess that had me worried it would go south quickly... That fear was unjust, as the scent quickly recovered into the GfM heart and then dry-down I have come to love, only again more subtle and refined but still with plenty of strength, longevity and projection. Overall I honestly can't say which version I prefer as they are both classics and top masculine choices in my book. That said, as the original has been re-released and can be had in all its former glory for $20 or less for a 118ml bottle (update: Giorgio for Men now has been reformulated around late 2011/early 2012, so look for the earlier re-release bottles that have a mossy green color to the juice still sold for the same low price on eBay), while VIP has to be acquired for mega bucks to get the discontinued original bottles I guess I would stick to the original at its "steal" price. VIP is great stuff if you can get a bottle at a sane price though. A 5 stars out of 5 powerhouse masterpiece for sure.

I dont know what I was expecting but I know it wasnt this. My first whiff of this was a beautiful cedar / patchouli scentat first I thought I was getting the dry down in the opening, but, looking at the pyramid, it appears I was getting the heart notes. And what a wonderful rich heartcedar, patchouli, cinnamon, roseall identifiable in a clear, crisp accord. Somehow I missed the opening notes completelyprobably because of the age of my sample and the fact that half the liquid was missing from the unopened sample tube. Regardless, the opening heart notes are some of the best wood / spice notes Ive had in designer fragrances. This is probably not how the fragrance was designed, but its enough to tell me that it must have been a winner. The rose note (a very good one) hangs on for a long timeI suddenly realize that Im in the drydown because the rose note is surrounded by moss instead of cedar and patchouli. In the drydown I get much more moss than I get anything else; the tonka and amber is present and provide a light pleasant sweetness. The leather contributes a smooth richness to the base. This is (from what I can determine from my sample) quite a respectable fragrancepotent, masculine, and very well constructedan excellent fragrance.