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Obsessed with "formal" fragrances

post #1 of 4
5/6/06 at 1:35am
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  • Ged
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Hi all,

As background I am 29 - you know, approaching end of life as some posters would have it :'( :-/

Anyway, I've lost interest in some of my more casual frags (D+G, Eternity, Issey) and tend to wear things like Armani Eau PH, Bvlgari, Dunhill '03 and Edition, Guerlain Vetiver and Essenza di Zegna as casual weekend scents. Are these too "serious" for casual wear?

Then I have a plethora of what I would consider to be very formal frags - Dunhill '34, three Chanels (PMC, Antaeus, Egoiste), Gentleman, Derby. Even some of my newer frags (Gucci PH and Rive Gauche) were both apparently created as "retro/70s" frags. I find myself attracted to the very old fashioned frags or the retro 70/80s powerhouses.

And it doesn't get any easier - most of the other wishlist frags are Habit Rouge, the "formal Creeds" (BdP, Tabaromes and REL), the classic Hermes (Equipage and Bel Ami).

To try to redress the balance, however, my next purchases will be Dior Homme (semi formal, semi casual) and Gucci Envy (casual,sexy) .

Is this too boring for a 29yo? Any suggestions? I don't like gourmands or overly sweet frags, but I did smell Body Kouros the other day and was quite intrigued...

Ged
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post #2 of 4
5/6/06 at 2:28am
The way I see it, you are obsessed with very good classic fragrances; nothing to worry about. For me Formal/casual classifications are not that important really. For example Guerlain's Vetiver, Chanel's PM and Bulgari PH are all very versatile scents. What a stupid cliché, but obviously you should wear the fragrances you enjoy
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post #3 of 4
5/6/06 at 2:37am
Hey now- none of those frags are boring! I'm only 23 and I'd be delighted to wear any of those (in fact, I often do). I just discovered Antaeus, and it was the first thing that sprang to mind as I read your post (until I got to the part where you already own it).

I think you'd enjoy CdG Avignon. It's pure frankinsence and myrrh- I don't smell anything else in there. Very warm and classy, IMO.
Anything from the Kouros family is good. You could make any one of them a 'casual' frag if you wanted. I love Kouros, so I'm going to bite my tongue here.

You know, there have been threads recently about age and frags. Personally, I think that if you wear classy, quality frags (like you do), then you can do no evil when it comes to style. You obviously know what you like, you like good stuff, and you shouldn't worry. I think Envy and Rive Gauche are casual enough without falling into the realm of fruit and adolescence. Perfect choices.

Good luck on your quest-
-ben
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post #4 of 4
5/6/06 at 5:34am
Hi Ged !

Most of the fragrances you mention were (and still are) some of my favourites : Edition by Dunhill is what I call a classy fragrance indeed !

Yet, if you feel comfortable, then why bother ? From what I can tell, people around me never look strangely at me when I'm wearing something like Tsar by Van Cleef & Arpels, although you could easily call it an "oldie" ! And I am 26... I used to wear that one at work and during week-ends, and only gave it up because my tastes suddenly changed ; otherwise nothing was more pleasant than a splash of it after a shower, and before putting on a T-shirt or something casual. And the most enthusiastic compliment I ever got about my fragrance was when I used to wear Armani Pour Homme, which could hardly get any more classic than it is...
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