Defining a modern fragrance

Your question depends heavily on definition of the word modern. "Modern" when used with fragrance reminds me of modern art as opposed to more traditional art styles. Traditional art is usually representational, depicting people, nature, or events in history that the artist thought was significant or represented an aspect of visual beauty. Traditional fragrances also model nature to smell like beautiful things from the world such as citrus, green plants, flowers, leather etc. "Modern" fragrance like modern art would be to use things from nature like natural essences or synthetic mimicry of natural scents to mix together into abstraction or an all new structure of things that is not a naturally occuring fragrance. Many fragrances today are "modern" in that they create scents that are far from just mimicking nature or real scents in the world but take things to an all new level of creation by use of balance, harmony, rhythm, and design in the mix of ingredients. Examples of modern fragrances are Gucci pour Homme, M7, Acqua di Gio, etc. Most fragrances today are "modern" designs.

Following modern art styles there is post-modern art which is different from modern art in that postmodern artists use images of the real world or actual objects from the world that are still kept in their "real" form, but combined in an abstract way. Post modernism began with pop art in the lat1960's and continues today as the most prominent art style. Post modernism in fragrance design also use images from the world combined in an abstrat way. Examples of postmodern fragrances are Comme des Garcons synthetics like odor 53, Garage, Dry Clean, Soda, and Tar. The CdG incenses are also postmodern in design. Other postmodern fragrances are the Demeter Fragrance Library and many of the Ava Luxe scents.

Am I overthinking this? It may be easier to just say that anything is modern that is not traditional!?

A very interesting topic and a very accurate Buzzlepuff's reply.

and what about Creed? Making parallel with art I would class Creed scents as primitive (naive).
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post-modern scents should be a bit apocalyptic, for instance - you buy some CdG scent (for instance, - Tar), spray it on youself in the morning, and at the end of the day you die. A bit funny, isn't it?

Fragrance's are like love, they are timeless! As long as somebody likes , and is willing to wear a frag. it will never be called dated.IMHO Good taste is limitless, just as love is!

Yesterday's Modern is today's Traditional. Perhaps we should be discussing Contemporary?
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I like your idea of Creed as primitive. Very provocative. Commes de Garcons as Performance Art is cool, too.

I don't know if I could name five but I'd certainly say AMen is modern.

Modern: Guerlain, Jicky.
Post Modern: Tom Ford, Rive Gauche.
Contemporary: État Libre d'Orange, Jasmin et Cigarette.

When I think of a modern fragrance, I think of Chanel No. 5

Although it's imprecise, I casually use "modern" to designate what came after the "Cool Water" paradigm shift, i.e. fragrances relying on heavy doses of Calone or Dihydromercenol; light, fruity, ocassionally gourmandy sweet; often with characteristic "white musk" bases; while eschewing traditional ingredients popular up to the late 80s such as castoreum, artemisia, or large doses of oakmoss. "Contemporary" would be a better choice, perhaps. Classing the Jicky to Chanel No. 5 era as the beginning of modernism makes more sense historically.

This is where I get confused and one of the reasons why my opinions are so strong when people call fragrances "old man" fragrances.

If it were just fresh and aqautic frgrances that are supposed to be modern, I can at least see the logic (although I still wouldn't agree with it). But how can A*Men, Le Male, Terre and Pi just to name a few be, considered modern, while other powerful sweet orientals be considered "old man"?
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This is exactly what I say.

Cool Water is a very good frame of reference for modern Men's colognes.
God bless Mr. Creed for conjuring GIT.

But to the thread starter, sometimes people say Modern and mean futuristic?, sometimes they mean current or contemporary?

My joke vote for contemporary goes to Fahrenhiet, for the petrol/crude oil note.
My joke vote for future goes to Terre D'Hermes, for the explosion/gunpowder/destroyed building note.