The BEST Fragrance House

Caron


(...and Dior is pretty awesome...but of course I'll always be partial to my dear L'Artisan, Guerlain and Chanel...)

Probably L'Artisan.

Guerlain [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

To me it's

Bvlgari


Their portfolio is fantastic: I love Bvlgari pour homme (these days also the Extreme version!), BLV and Aqva and find BLV Notte and Black very good as well! Â*

-Tero-

Guerlain is easily the best house.

Of course Guerlain is the best house, but L'Artisan has a wider range of fragances I would wear, which I think is the point of the question.

My choice is Kenzo. I`ve got all his fragrances unless Time for Peace Â*

Comme des Garçons

L'Artisan just skins it over Serge Lutens for me. 8-)

Guerlain

[s]...and L'Artisan, Serge Lutens, Frederic Malle, Caron.[/s]

Caron, indeed!

When I wear one of their creations, I feel alive. When I smell one of their creations on a woman, I feel transcendent.

Cheers.

Obviously, that genius house of Thierry Mugler just barely edges out Creed.

Why else would I say that I'm a Mugler maniac?

For me it is a three way tie. There is no way I can decide between L'Artisan, Comme des Garcons, and Creed. All three of these are great houses and produce scents I could not live without.

Yves Saint Laurent!!!!!!!! 8-)I can't believe nobody sad this before!!!! ;D

Lutens has the most scents I absolutely adore lately, but I'm partial to Guerlain and L'Artisan for their versatility.

L'Artisan, Caron, Lutens, Comme des Garcons

I suppose I really don't have a favorite "per se"
but I am quickly becoming a CDG fan. So unique and out there yet still appealing.
They have some really good smell goods too, my likes are:

SEQUOIA ;D
Kyoto
CDG 2 man
Wood Coffee
Palisander
Harissa

Another vote for CDG ..

I think I agree MrB. I am not so interested in the range but more in the fact that my absolute favourite is still Monsieur de Givenchy and I couldn't live without that....I currently own three bottles just in case...

Trot

Creed edges out L'Artisan

Designer: Givenchy

Niche: Lorenzo Villoresi :-*

If I had to pick one, YSL, but usually I go for the frag not name of the designer.

Niche: CREED

Designer: Hugo Boss. A versatile little line when you think about it. Del Mar, Baldessarini, Boss Bottled, Boss Soul, Hugo, Dark Blue, The one that's a ball...A good mix of heavies and lights. You could cover all your needs and seasons.

Ralph Lauren. Polo (Fall, winter), Blue (spring, summer), Black (spring, summer), Sport (summer, fall), Purple Label (Romantic), Silver (casual), Romance (clean), Safari (accountant), a very good mix as well.

CREED. All are unique and well made, even the ones I don't overly care for.

Trumpers has fantastic classic scents, as does the late great Crown Perfumery.

Agreed! (but I would consider following YSL with Guerlain.)

My answer to this has been formed by recently starting to read THE EMPEROR OF SCENT. The tidbits of info Ive gotten even while looking through it have really enlightened me.
I read with great interest the about indifference and maybe even contempt for the mens fragrance segment that apparently most big perfume makers held and hold. After all they are creating ART to glorify the female, not a scent to sweeten the male. I guess deodorants are for that. But since there is money to make, they throw SOME money towards the mens segment.
So for my pick as the best fragrance house I am going to say ESTEE LAUDER.
Well how they most have loved Estee. Here was a woman making a name for herself with sheer force of will and some homemade cosmetics and then she drops her bombshell, ARAMIS. I understand that there is a book written entirely about this subject (it seems to be out of print) chronicling the top secret goings on behind the formulation and launch of ARAMIS and the rivalry with Charles Revson, founder of REVLON.
Lauder and her musketeer fragrance revolutionized male perfumery. And Lauder continues to innovate. The release of Beyond Paradise for Men proves it. Imagine, an aquatic scent that actually smells wet! No one else has achieved it.
I also think Creed, Chanel, and Guerlain rank right up there. Not simply because of the range of scent they continue to provide to the male population, but also in their conviction NOT to dumb down their products and to cheapen their ingredients.

The undisputed answer steming from my preferences has to be:

1. Creed
2. Comme des Garcons
3. Hermes

vote for
smalto
krizia
paco

Lorenzo Villoresi, no doubt!

Caron. And I love Ormonde Jayne.

If I have to pick just one, it's Geo. F. Trumper.
Rick

Hermes

Designer: Yves Saint-Laurent, because of their huge range of ubique scents with an abundance of character

Niche: Creed, you instantly notice the quality and also - with most of them - the striking Creed signature base notes

Hi,

On this subject I think it is your nose that decide

Personnaly I adore what Fragonard does - I undrestand it - and I feel that I could wear all scents.


I do like their other products too.

I do like the house phylosophie etcccccc.....

I think I you feel that the house creations are made for you - this could be your favorite house.


laurent

In this order:

Diptyque, Caron, L'Artisan, Guerlain, Creed, MPG.

But Diptique number one.
--Chris

CARON!

Yves Saint Laurent for me, honies...

Designer - D&G or Chanel

Niche - Creed

chanel and l'artisan

Creed

I've yet to find a Creed scent I didn't like on some level. And several of their scents, I just flat out love and couldn't do without...like GIT and SMW. There's just something about the Creed house scent that I adore. Granted, I'm still fairly new to the scent game, but I've been catching up as quickly as my budget will allow, and so far nothing has impressed me as much overall as Creed.

On top of my list has to be Chanel, they don't make mistakes.
Then it is Yves Saint Laurent.
Lastly, Calvin Klein. Or do they have Puig to work for them?

I have to agree with YSL. 5-10 years from now it might be Thierry Mugler but I can't really judge a house based on only 2 (similar) male fragrances and a really bizarre unisex fragrance.

CHANEL HANDS DOWN

They are about quality, not quanity.

Chanel takes risks. Each of their male fragrances has been different from the previous.

Chanel is exclusive. They don't feel the need to put out a new mens fragrance every year.

The last time this question was asked, I voted for Chanel. However, lately I've grown tired of them.

Today I'd vote for Geir Ness, albeit it only has one male fragrance.

My 2nd choice would be Dolce & Gabbana. It has a scent for every occassion and the only one I'm neutral on is Masculine.

Had they not discontinued Havana, it would have been Aramis for me (they don't do mediocre scents). Havana, JHL, Tuscany, Life, 1965 Aramis - all brilliant, distinct fragrances. Not an extensive line, but full of winners.

However, if I had to stick with just one, it would be RL. But they also discontinued their best offering, Polo Crest.

Andrius Uzkalnis

I'd have to say Bond No.9. Their fragrances have a decidedly fresh feeling and are very unique. I particularily like the Bleecker Street on my honey. He actually smells eatably good!
Yum!!!!
Quizzy

for design house
1) armani
2) bulgari and dior
3) dolce gabbana

I agree with you Mason, for the very reasons you've given. You should be a lawyer, incidentially - you've put your argument very crisply here.

In almost 50 years of fragrances for men, Chanel has hardly produced a single "dud" fragrance. And all of the following probably deserve to be called classics: Pour Monsieur, Anteaus, Egoiste, Egoiste Platinum. They may not be to everyone's taste, but they sure ain't duds. People tend to forget how adventurous Chanel is as a fragrance house (as you say, Chanel takes risks). Fragrances like Anteaus and Egoiste were far from mainstream when released.

A year or so ago when this question was put on Basenotes, I answered MPG. Unfortunately, I've had a loss of feeling for some - but not all - of the MPG fragrances I own. Still love my Chanels, though.

Creed

i think GUCCI and THIERRY MUGLER for men and GUERLAIN,DIOR,GIVENCHY,for women

With regard to Creed I am like Will Rogers,I never met a creed I didn't like.
Designer wise the big A,Armamis/Lauder.

Guerlain is my favourite house - love so many of their scents (Mitsouko, Vol de Nuit, Shalimar I must have around at all times...) but there is at least one Caron that I won't be able to live without (Parfum Sacre) and their originality and artistry is superb. I am sure if I had enough access to their line (as opposed to only about 5 scents available here), I would go bananas over Caron too. For now I am just addicted to Parfum Sacre...
I also love Tabac Blond and Nuit de Noel and En Avion, and have a bottle of The Third Man that I got unsniffed (on the way) for my boyfriend (sshhh, don't tell him!)

CDG
L'Artisan

;D

Lots of yummy fragrances from lots of different houses ...

But the one house that has produced more brilliant innovations and more true classics for -both- sexes ...

Guerlain

One for consideration that I didn't see anybody mention, that I grow more fondly of with each new bottle I get: D'Orsay. I just picked up Arome 3 this week, and though it took a couple of wearings to fully appreciate, it's one heck of a classic scent. Le Dandy is an all-time favorite of many, but there's also Etiquette Blue, Arome 3 Tradition, Chevalier, Nomade, and Tilleul. Three of these were made before 1950, two before 1920. They're very classy and distinctive scents, as well as very well crafted.

For me it's a tie. L'artisan and CDG.

I'm with Marlen on this one. Caron is just so...interesting. Definitely not a house that is afraid to wade out of the mainstream and experiment. Guerlain and Creed would be runner-ups for me, I suppose.

Creed for its quality
L'Artisan for its innovation
CDG for its avant garde eccentricity
Chanel, the best designer house!
Shiseido, makes high quality fragrance for a few designer brand as well.