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Sophisticated office scent

post #1 of 28
3/10/07 at 9:36am
Thread Starter 
I'm looking for a classy scent I can wear at the office that exudes sophistication. Lately I have come to realise that sweet scents are not really for me. As spring is approaching something fresh is welcome as well as Creed and other niches...

Here are the ones I regularly wear:
YSL Rive Gauche
D&G pour homme
YSL M7 Fresh
Hugo Boss Baldessarini (a little sweet)
Creed GIT (also sweet)
Creed MI (too sweet really... though I really like it)
Kiton
Comme des Garcons 2 Man
Michael for men
YSL Kouros Cologne Sport
L'Instant de Guerlain (way too sweet)
Davidoff Silver Shadow (also way too sweet)


Any ideas?!?
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post #2 of 28
3/10/07 at 9:40am
Kiton is perfect for the office--look no further!
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post #3 of 28
3/10/07 at 9:42am
Thread Starter 
I already have that one! And I like it!
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post #4 of 28
3/10/07 at 9:49am
I love classy sophisticated scents for work also:

These are the ones I routinely use:

*Creed Himalaya
*Vera Wang for men
*Creed Silver Mtn. Water
*Ungaro III (my favorite but you have to let it drydown)
*Zino............one spray max though.....two and you will want to take a shower
*Rive Gauche/Rive Gauche Light......again go lightly on the application
*Just received Chanel Antaeus and Dunhill Edition and although they take a while to drydown they epitomize sophistication........
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post #5 of 28
3/10/07 at 10:01am
Go the other way, choose the likes of Kenneth Cole Reaction, John Varvatos, Inspiration, etc.
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post #6 of 28
3/10/07 at 10:27am
Thread Starter 
I'd like to try something niche, as I like Creed scents, yet GIT and MI are too sweet for my taste. I still wear them, though, but after a while the seetness gets on my nerves...
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post #7 of 28
3/10/07 at 11:23am
What about Eau d'Hermes?

Not too sweet, not too leathery, not too spicy, not too floral, but a little bit of them all.

It is a wonderful daily and nightly fragrance.

-joedy
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post #8 of 28
3/10/07 at 11:45am
Creed's Neroli Sauvage perhaps, or Vetiver (1948, not "Original Vetiver").

For fresh I would also suggest:
Dominguez Vetiver Hombre
Brooksfield Men
Rodier pour Homme
Capucci pour homme
- not niche, but nobody wears this in Germany (well, I do ), and they are all excellent. not easy to find, though.

I personally don't like it but alot of folks here are very keen on Gai Mattiolo Uomo. Heady hedione.

If you like traditional Colognes, try MPG pour le jeune homme.
And for an eyebrow-raising exotic-green plus woody base (no sweets): Millesimé by Ronaldo Esper
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post #9 of 28
3/10/07 at 12:29pm
MPG Racine- my favorite use of vetiver. Can't go wrong here.

Bond No. 9 Wall St. - Vetiver by the Sea as I like to refer to it. Resembles Creed MI and Erolfa, but worth testing. Outstanding longevity.

Jo Malone 154 - very light citrus, basil, vetiver scent.

BTW I wore GIT to the office last summer. My coworkers love it. Exudes class.
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post #10 of 28
3/10/07 at 1:24pm
Classy non-sweet officewear?

Chanel Pour Monsieur Concentree
Dunhill Edition
Guerlain Heritage
Givenchy Gentleman
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post #11 of 28
3/10/07 at 2:39pm
These ones can't fail:
- Alfred Sung pour homme
- Azzaro pour homme
- Bogart (original)
- Jacomo de Jacomo
- Krizia Uomo
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post #12 of 28
3/10/07 at 2:47pm
First of all, the most important thing to getting this "sophisticated office" fragrance thing right is not to over apply. I say this all the time, and I try to take my own advise. Never, never, never apply heavy for the office.

OK, Hugh Parsons's Traditional Blue and 99 Regent St. are great for the office.

Applied lightly, Lavin Pour Homme is good too.

Lorenzo Villoresi Uomo is also very fine.

If you go heavy on any fragrance in the office, you will make quite an impression. Oh brother, will you make an impression! While I respect Michael39's opinion, I would be very careful if you are thinking of using Givenchy Gentleman as an office fragrance. N.B.

Joe
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post #13 of 28
3/10/07 at 3:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe_Frances

First of all, the most important thing to getting this "sophisticated office" fragrance thing right is not to over apply. I say this all the time, and I try to take my own advise. Never, never, never apply heavy for the office.

OK, Hugh Parsons's Traditional Blue and 99 Regent St. are great for the office.

Applied lightly, Lavin Pour Homme is good too.

Joe

I agree completely--keep it light and very low key for the office. Lavin Pour Homme is very good. For Niche I would agree with Hugh Parson's Blue (I've not tried 99 Regent St.) and would also suggest you try Mark Birley.
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post #14 of 28
3/10/07 at 4:00pm
My vote would be for

Santos de Cartier; not sweet at all, rather deep and warm. Also, it's from that golden age of the go-go 80's. I could imagine the film set of "Wall Street" to have been perfumed with SdC.
I might suggest with extreme judicious application Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme. I remember walking up to a stranger and asking him what he was wearing to find out this scent which has been a favorite for years.
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post #15 of 28
3/10/07 at 4:44pm
Thread Starter 
I must say that the Italian elegance of D&G pour homme becomes me best. Are there any "Italian style" fragrance that would be suitable for office wear?
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post #16 of 28
3/10/07 at 5:10pm
MPG Racine, Dunhill Edition, Kiton, Hugh Parsons Traditional and 99 Regent Street, Mark Birley, Santos de Cartier are all perfect recommendations for office wear.

I'd like to suggest Trussardi L'Uomo, Helmut Lang Cuiron, Cacharel pour L'Homme, Houbigant Duc de Vervins
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post #17 of 28
3/10/07 at 5:36pm
I'll second the motion for
Chanel Antaeus and Creed Himalaya

and nominate Creed Bois du Portugal as a "can't miss" fragrance - especially if you are meeting with clients. Self-confidence is a great feeling!
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post #18 of 28
3/10/07 at 6:22pm
The Dreamer by Versace, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Baldessarini, Trussardi, Kiton, Krizia, Acqua di Parma are all Italian houses, but there a thousand others too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TricsMan

.... Creed Bois du Portugal as a "can't miss" fragrance - especially if you are meeting with clients. Self-confidence is a great feeling!

I agree to a certain degree. Moderation (as many others here have stressed) is key to BdP...like a finger tip's worth from a sample vial applied to your wrist.

I had an odd experience with BdP in a strong performance based business meeting. I was sporting a late summer cold and decided to wear BdP to a meeting. During the meeting, I noticed one of my clients would occasionally exhale forcibly through his nostrils. Also during the meeting, I noticed a strange chemical taste in the drainage at the back of my throat from my cold.

I recall reading somewhere about some sort of "beads" in certain fragrances and always wondered if that was what my client was trying to expel from his sinus with that forced exhalation. I know what I was tasting...it was the BdP. Needless to say, I never wore BdP to an important meeting again.

Bdp has been a favorite of mine since I was first introduced to it, but it has it's time and place...It's not an answer-all frag to say the least.
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post #19 of 28
3/10/07 at 7:01pm
Wow that's a strange story - explain what you mean by "beads" please.
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post #20 of 28
3/10/07 at 7:34pm
I don't recall where I read it, but I think what the author was saying is that in some perfumes, there are very pungent molecules released during evaporation. These molecules are so strong they are referred to as "beads".

I haven't detected these "beads" any other time since that day and even when I did taste the BdP, I didn't put 2 and 2 together until later in the day when the BdP was settling down. it didn't taste like BdP smells, it was one specific note that collected on the mucus membranes and later revealed their presents...so to speak.

I'm sure I'm confusing the story or more accurately "bastardizing the story" but BdP can be some pretty offensive stuff in the wrong setting....like in an enclosed room with a captive audience.

Some of the more experienced noses here should be able to clarify.
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post #21 of 28
3/12/07 at 9:37am
ClassyGuy,if you are into Italian fragrances, anything by Romeo Gigli is great, I love gigli man. If you are into citrus, try Roget et Gallet. Armani Mania is also universally liked,it was my fave for 3 years,alas the recent Armani Mania has been reformulated, more alcholy and weak, but the original 2003 release was just beautiful,classy,sophisticated fragrance. I'd give my left **** if I could find a case of it.
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post #22 of 28
3/13/07 at 8:30am
I don't know that it's ultra-sophisticated or to your taste, but when I think "office scent", I think Bulgari PH. Hedione, white musk, woods, a little citrus.. supposedly a "tea" accord. A well-behaved scent and not overly sweet. Tends more to "warm" than "fresh" though.
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post #23 of 28
3/13/07 at 9:07am
I'd say Égoïste Platinum , but go easy on the spray.
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post #24 of 28
3/13/07 at 9:57am
Just finishing up my bottle of armani code, and got a couple of complements from the ladies,one of them walked passed by me and said "you smell nice!" the sillage is poor so I do reapply through out the day, maybe twice. i agree, the top note is a bit harsh and reminds me of a bug spray but it quickly fades and the basenotes are just nice!
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post #25 of 28
3/13/07 at 4:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe_Frances View Post

If you go heavy on any fragrance in the office, you will make quite an impression. Oh brother, will you make an impression! While I respect Michael39's opinion, I would be very careful if you are thinking of using Givenchy Gentleman as an office fragrance. N.B.

Joe


LOL - I wondered why I got an office to myself! I thought it was a status thing, but now realise it was a patchouli thing
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post #26 of 28
3/13/07 at 5:00pm
Amouage Dia
Guerlain Heritage
Guerlain Imperiale
Trumpers Eucris
Creed Citrus Bigarrade
Creed Neroli Sauvage
Creed Original Vetiver

- Heritage is the way to go if you are on a budget - quality to price ratio is unbeatable
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post #27 of 28
3/13/07 at 8:23pm
Chanel Pour Monsieur or Pour Monsieur Concentree.
Nothing else need be said.
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post #28 of 28
3/14/07 at 3:06pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys, thanks a lot for the abundance of recommendations. I have made a list and will be doing a sampling session shortly!
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