Male fragrance suggestion for business, everday and evening??

Hello,
I am new this forum and am looking for help with fragrance. I am 24 yrs old, and I want that says high powered executive. I am looking for a scent that is versatile enough for business, everyday and even evening wear. I understand that it might not be possible to have all these requests in one fragrance so a few that suit the bill is fine. I use to wear allure homme, ralph lauren purple, le male, and kuoros but I would like to deviate from metrosexual scents as well as smells that everybody is wearing. I am looking for something that is masculine but elegant (subdued), modest and confident yet oriental and myseterious. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Thank you for all the suggestions. I am intrigued by the big 3 classics: antaeus, arpels pour homme and bois de portugal. However, also as previously mentioned, I'm worried that I am not mature enough for the smell so it would seem come off as pretentious. Also, the fact that that many people wear this...would that affect its novelty? I have been doing some research and "santos" by Cartier stuck out to me. Any opinions on that one? I like something classic and timeless but I don't want it to be old. While I have not smelt any of the aforementioned classics, I do know that I do not like the cool water, safari by polo and drakkar noir b/c those smells really date somebody. This is why I'd be skeptical of something like the extremely popular green tweed. I'll try to get to store so that I can smell those scents and let you know what I think. Where do they carry the 3 fragrances?

Glad to know that there are other 24 yr old's interested in these things, Gimpy. I tend to like things older and more classic for my age so I think look wise, I will not have a problem fitting the fragrances. However, maybe self esteem wise I have some catching up to do. Do you have other suggestions along those lines since you have all of them. I think I will start out with just one. Currently I am leaning toward the Arpels Pour Homme instead of the Antaeus b/c reviews seem to be more favorably consistent for that fragrance. I am mainly looking for a signature smell. You say these work for evening wear too? Or are they strictly evening types? Too overwhelming for business?

DustB,

You are correct that the next step is to just go out and test them for myself. I found a local Perfumania that I will visit to get an idea of some of these scents. Are there any other stores in the greater Bay Area (San Jose to San Francisco) that carry fragrances? I'm weary of getting fakes...not sure if this is a prevalent practice but I do have reservations as I am not well versed in this field.
Second, why is that circa 1980s has such a great showing when it comes to classic fragrances? In particular, to what I was looking for...what was it about those few years?

Update for those that follow. I made it to Jacqueline's in San Francisco today and was assisted by who I believe to be the owner. His name escapes me. I had an enjoyable experience with him. He took a liberal approach to my questions - by giving neutral responses. He said that he does not want to influence my decisions and feels he is there to just show me the fragrance. I need to decide for myself. I had about 15 paper samples, these are the ones that I like best: (in order of preference)

Van Cleef
Declaration Cartier
Santos Cartier
Weil PH YSL
Chanel Antheus

I have yet to try a few of the others and I will try to do so tomorrow. I am really interested in giving Creed a try (Millesime Imperial and Bois du Portugal). See what the hype is all about. Others I intend to try are Tiffany men, Lanvin L'homme, dunhill '34, kiton men, guerlain vetiver, nicole miller men, egoiste and perhaps some hermes smells.

I am worried about how "everyday" some of the scents are as my office attire is more business casual (trousers, dress shirt, sweater). Suits on occasion. I think Paul Stuart, Canali, Zegna, Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren Purple good clothing representations of the look I like so I suppose the smell should follow suit. Conservative business but approachable for everyday...country, athletic, elegant, and relaxed after work. Never pompous but complex...always attentive to details.

You are correct. I was naming those brands as clothing I like to give people an idea of image.

This is the direction I'm heading towards next based on recommendations as well as reading reviews:
I am really interested in sampling Lalique pour homme, L'essence de Declaration, Santos Concentree, Lanvin L'homme, Kiton Men and Tiffany Men. After smelling, I prefer something a bit more modest. Some that didn't make the list include: Knize Ten (a bit too strong)..reminded me of band-aids. I requested for something tobacco and was given what I believe was Tabac (not sure which one) but was told it was pure tobacco. However, I did not feel comfortable in it and I think what I am looking for is something more smokey tobacco...very faint nice cigarette/cigar smell (perhaps a subtle black & mild). My nose enjoyed Celine but sidelined it since I wanted something with maturity, complexity and more power to it. I feel elegance and taste and more refined in modesty BUT not timid. I want something with character and says I have money and power but I don't need to show off. The difference btwn new wealth achievers (flaunting labels/brands and gaudy), which I detest and those with experience and taste don't need to be as flamboyant. So based on some of the reviews - the previously listed, Weil PH and Van Cleef seem the direction I want to head. I really want to try Creed (M.I, green irish,bois portugal), Hermes and Givenchy scents. Favorites so far have to be Weil but I worry about it staying power. Still need to test these on the skin though.

I went back to Jacqueline's in SF today and was turned away. Andre (I remember his name now) said he had already given me enough samples and that unless I decide to buy, he cannot show me anymore. I guess he lost a sale. While some upscale places have good service, I am usually quite turned off by sales people, usually my age, that believe they live the lifestyle of the products they sell. This was not the case with Andre as he was 50 something year old man. I know I'm young and most probably rule me out as somebody worth their time, but I think that is the wrong approach to customers. I find rarely would there be an occasion where a sales person's time is more important than a customer's. I also figure if you love what you do, talking to anyone about your interest is good.
I ended up sampling fragrances at Neiman Marcus where I was greeted by many rolling eyes. I tried Herme's, but found it too citrusy. It is nice though. I think Bois Du Portugal smelt great but I'd personally prefer that for something more casual. Surprinsingly, I liked tabarome millesime. Miliesime Imperial was too sweet and green and GIT just smells like Cool Water. I tried Kiton Men and found that too modern. JHL was very classic and conservative but not quite me. My favorites thus far are Van Cleef, Santos Concentree, Weil PH, Tabarome Millesime, Bois Du portugal, Duc du Vervins and homme were nice. Other notables include Christian Dior Noir and Boucheron homme. Couldn't find Lanvin l'homme but did try Arpège. Which was too sweet...same w/L'essence de Declaration. I will try to have a more in depth analysis over the weekend.