Fracas for Men

I just picked up a bottle of Fracas for Men online (blind). I always liked Bandit, but never even knew that there was a men's version of Fracas. Has anybody tried it? Is it anything like the original Fracas? I did a search but didn't come up with much conclusive.

Luckily, it wasn't very expensive, so if it is nothing to write home about, no problem.

Thanks,
John

Thanks for the reply. That is about what I expected; as I mentioned, it was quite inexpensive. But, I have and enjoy Bandit and thought this one might be a fun one to try. Nevertheless, knowing at least that it probably isn't going to make me ill when I smell it is a plus.

There is no year of production in the basenotes directory. Anybody have any idea when it was produced, or by whom? (also, who owns the Piguet license?) It seems as though the prices for both Bandit and Fracas (the originals for women) are all over the place; Neimans has them for $90 and then online the same size EDP is $15-25 on a number of sites.

John

Edit (accidentally posted twice).

Thanks.

Yes, once I've had a chance to give it a try for a few days, I'll definitely post a review. It is still strange to me, though, that given the popularity and fame of Fracas and Bandit that I've heard almost nobody talk about Fracas Men, whether good or bad.

But, I agree with you about the bottle, even seeing the image online, I wonder why on earth they didn't just go with the classic, simple rectangular bottle like the regular Fracas and Bandit. That weird, art-deco thing they came up with looks like something more suited to Fritz Lang's Metropolis.




John

My bottle finally came I had a chance to try it out over the holiday. Overall, I like it well enough (especially for the price paid). It starts off pretty sharp but shortly thereafter I get lots of mandarin and lavender. It's not something I'd want to wear everyday or that will become my signature scent, but it was definitely worth the try. One of the other reviewers in the directory likened it to Guerlain Habit Rouge, but I don't get that connection at all. It reminds me more of the various French lavender-y/barber shop/shaving cream scents.

The packaging (as we've been talking about) is truly the oddest thing; comparing to my bottle of Bandit, it looks like it was produced by two different companies. The font is the same on each, but even the Bandit box is made of thicker cardboard and lining. The bandit bottle and top are made of thicker glass and the bandit top is metal. The Fracas man bottle even has a cheap sprayer and the top is made of flimsy plastic. Finally, the Bandit is made in France, the Fracas for men is made in the US.

For a brand that sells Bandit at places like Bergdorf Goodman for $90+, I'm a bit bewildered that they'd still release Fracas for men in such shitty packaging. It is SO cheap looking (despite smelling okay) that you'd think it would dilute the "image" of the Piguet brand. It would be something like finding out that L'artisan parfumeur makes "Charlie."