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Have you discovered your favorite designer house?

post #1 of 119
9/20/10 at 12:32pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys:

I think this may have been discussed before, but I couldn't find the prior thread. Anyway, I wanted to know what designer house I would chose to wear exclusively for the rest of my life if I had to pick one. I closely examined about 20 different houses that I thought might be contenders. Based on number of colognes available, quality of scent, and versitility of what is offered, I was able to narrow it down to 2 (Davidoff and Hugo Boss). I ended up going with Hugo Boss, because they do so well with fresh scents, but also have some decent warmer scents as well (In Motion, No. 6). I know that the average basenoter may disagree and chose Chanel or YSL, but I had to go by what I have smelled so far, and what I personally think. I'd like to see which house you would chose if forced to pick one (remember, designer only.. no Creeds or Bonds, etc.)
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post #2 of 119
9/20/10 at 12:40pm
Hmmmmmmmmmm maybe Dior, based on your criteria.
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post #3 of 119
9/20/10 at 12:50pm
I might have to go with Thierry Mugler if i had to go with ONE house only.

because i would use A*Men as night out, Pure Malt as close quarter/romantic/special occasion, B*Men as my mature scent, Mugler cologne whenever i want to be very safe and innoffensive. and theres also Pure Coffee which sounds very appealing to me but i havent tried.
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post #4 of 119
9/20/10 at 12:55pm
CHANEL. -Egoiste and Pour Monsieur Concentree.
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post #5 of 119
9/20/10 at 1:35pm
1. Bond No.9
2. The Armani Prive Collection
3. Acqua di Parma
4. Creed
Gary
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post #6 of 119
9/20/10 at 1:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by G.303 View Post

1. Bond No.9
2. The Armani Prive Collection
3. Acqua di Parma
4. Creed
Gary

-Designer-house...
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post #7 of 119
9/20/10 at 1:54pm
My favourite is probably YSL, if only for the fact that they produce very high quality stuff, and you can often find their stuff HEAVILY discounted online. If not then Chanel, as they produce really good long lasting, decent projection scents.
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post #8 of 119
9/20/10 at 2:00pm
Cartier
I think four fragrances enough to say this designer house is my favourite. Must De Cartier, Santos De Cartier, Pasha De Cartier, Declaration
I just tried these four from this house. And i heard many times about Eau De Cartier, and Roadster. In the future these two can increase Cartier's score for me!!
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post #9 of 119
9/20/10 at 2:06pm
Chanel or Cartier
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post #10 of 119
9/20/10 at 2:13pm
Used to be Chanel, but now I'm not sure. My current top two designer fragrances are from different houses: Michael Kors Michael for Men and Burberry London, but I still thinks Chanel is the best house qualitywise - but unfortunatly a bit boring.
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post #11 of 119
9/20/10 at 2:15pm
Hermes is not a designer house, correct?
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post #12 of 119
9/20/10 at 2:17pm
I might choose Aramis. Their dry, garrigue/leather house vibe is really comfortable and it's the sort of thing I usually reach for anyway.
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post #13 of 119
9/20/10 at 2:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DULLAH View Post

Hermes is not a designer house, correct?

Yes they are, at least in my book .
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post #14 of 119
9/20/10 at 2:21pm
1. Hermes
2. Cartier
3. Yves Saint Laurent
4. Chanel
5. Ralph Lauren
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post #15 of 119
9/20/10 at 2:25pm
ysl and thierry mugler
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post #16 of 119
9/20/10 at 2:37pm
I don't like Chanel, so probably Dior or YSL. Make that YSL - M7, Rive Gauche, Body Kouros, La Nuit are all good.
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post #17 of 119
9/20/10 at 3:55pm
Right now, based on what I own, I'm completely unfaithful to any house - 11 bottles and all from different brands.

But if I add in my wishlist, then it would be:

1. Cartier
2. Hermes
3. Guerlain

Edit:

Only just noticed the OPs comment 'what designer house I would chose to wear exclusively for the rest of my life if I had to pick one'.

So definitely Cartier. Eau de Cartier and Roadster would satisfy my green frag needs, Pasha could take the place of Tsar as something more old school and formal, I have Declaration Cologne already which covers clean citrus, and I have asked for L'Essence de Declaration for Xmas which would cover dirty citrus . I have Must PH turning up any day now, its my second favourite from Cartier, a great spicy oriental, and L'Essence de Must is still a pretty good woody oriental (I only prefer Must PH and in real life I'm not restricted like this exercise!)

And I'd be happy with that.
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post #18 of 119
9/20/10 at 3:59pm
For me, it would unquestionably be 1) Chanel 2) YSL

Perhaps, based on your criteria Chanel wouldn't be a great fit, due to limited offerings. In fact, I am basing it on only 3 that I love (Platinum Egoiste, Pour Monsieur, Antaeus).
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post #19 of 119
9/20/10 at 4:09pm
Pretty much a first place taken up, in almost equal proportions, by Chanel, YSL, Dior, Guerlain
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post #20 of 119
9/20/10 at 4:13pm
Thierry Mugler for sure. I've tried numerous houses, and Mugler is the only one that fits what i look for: gourmands, some variations such as Mugler Cologne or Ice*Men. Plus A*Men is that one fragrance that i find perfect
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post #21 of 119
9/20/10 at 4:23pm
Chanel : AHS, Egoiste Platinum and AHEB.
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post #22 of 119
9/20/10 at 4:31pm
I hate to be a basenotes drone, but I've got to go with YSL. I mean seriously - Kouros, M7, Rive Gauche, et al. I don't know if Aramis counts as "designer" exactly, but it would be the only serious competitor in my mind. If anybody on this forum hasn't scarfed up the whole "gentlemen's collection" at $48/100ml each, you should do so pronto.
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post #23 of 119
9/20/10 at 5:21pm
Thierry Mugler and YSL
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post #24 of 119
9/20/10 at 5:22pm
Assuming this is a hypothetical question, then I would pick Aramis, with Chanel a close second. It would be hard to imagine life without Havana, Tuscany, and Aramis. Almost as hard to live without Chanel PM, Antaeus, and Egoiste.
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post #25 of 119
9/20/10 at 5:46pm
Chanel, no question.
Despite the atrocities done to some of their vintage fragrances, they still produce some of the most beautiful things I have ever smelled. I offer you:
\tBois des Îles
\tChanel Pour Monsieur
\tCuir de Russie
\tÉgoïste
\tSycomore

-Slim
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post #26 of 119
9/20/10 at 5:51pm
Strictly designer? Chanel and Hermes
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post #27 of 119
9/20/10 at 6:17pm
Aramis....
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post #28 of 119
9/20/10 at 6:47pm
I'm gonna go against the grain and even though I really like YSL, I'm gonna say Burberry. I have had great success with Burberry Touch (highest compliment recipient in my collection) and the original Burberry for Men. Also, I wore Burberry Weekend for a long time as my pseudo-signature. In addition to these quality designer scents, they offer Brit and London, two classy fragrances that have always been high sellers. The only scent I have yet to explore, probably because I suspect I won't care for it, is Burberry Beat. All in all, the house makes quality scents that perform admirably by my expectations.
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post #29 of 119
9/20/10 at 7:02pm
YSL - the Rive Gauche and earlier frags are fantastic and affordable
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post #30 of 119
9/20/10 at 7:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by timkm1 View Post

I'm gonna go against the grain and even though I really like YSL, I'm gonna say Burberry. I have had great success with Burberry Touch (highest compliment recipient in my collection) and the original Burberry for Men. Also, I wore Burberry Weekend for a long time as my pseudo-signature. In addition to these quality designer scents, they offer Brit and London, two classy fragrances that have always been high sellers. The only scent I have yet to explore, probably because I suspect I won't care for it, is Burberry Beat. All in all, the house makes quality scents that perform admirably by my expectations.

I am with ya all the way on this House.

Burberry Beat is fantastic. Its the dirty brother of Brit.
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post #31 of 119
9/20/10 at 7:20pm
Burberry. London, London SE, London (Female), Brit, Brit (Female), Touch, Beat for exceedingly rare circumstances and I'm covered.
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post #32 of 119
9/20/10 at 7:33pm
I'd have to say Dior, but I'd base that mainly on Eau Sauvage and it's flankers, as there are a number of their other fragrances I'm no fan of at all--especially Fahrenheit.
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post #33 of 119
9/20/10 at 8:45pm
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There are a couple of houses that I could hypothetically survive solely on. I will rank them in order of preference.

1. Hermes - If I could include their "niche" line (Hermessece), even better, but if not, their regular line is still a mighty class act.
2. Guerlain - If this doesn't count as designer, please disregard. They are surely priced like designers.
3. Chanel - Again, if we could sneak in some "Les Exclusif", better still.
4. Christian Dior
5. Aramis - Only because of Havana, seriously.

*Should we have a poll? :-)
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post #34 of 119
9/20/10 at 10:17pm
Guerlain if they are considered designer. No one ever seems to know how to classify them.

Chanel or YSL. They rarely miss.
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post #35 of 119
9/20/10 at 10:26pm
Chanel, YSL, Hermes. I would say Guerlain, but I wouldn't consider them designer, as Guerlain is not a fashion house like the others. Designer house to me means fragrances that are released by, well fashion houses. Consider them the "flankers" to the styles produced by these houses. Also, the fragrances are a great source of income to these houses for those that do not wear the clothes or accessories produced by them. The house of Chanel would have just barely survived WWII if it were not for perfume sales.
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post #36 of 119
9/21/10 at 12:37am
Hermès (followed by Chanel and YSL)
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post #37 of 119
9/21/10 at 12:43am
Many. I'm so sad of what's become of the great Rochas.

I admire Guerlain, Caron, Dior, Hermes and YSL
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post #38 of 119
9/21/10 at 3:36am
Guerlain
Chanel
Patou (what it was, and partially still is)
Dior
Caron
Hermès
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post #39 of 119
9/21/10 at 7:47am
GIVENCHY
I could alternate Monsieur de Givenchy, Vetyver and Gentleman for the rest of my days and be happy...
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post #40 of 119
9/21/10 at 8:18am
My top picks: Chanel, Dior, Hermès, Kenzo and Bulgari.

Somehow I don't consider Guerlain & Estee Lauder designer houses. And YSL hasn't had a hit in a long while. Their latest offerings are on the 'safe & lame' side - rather disappointing.
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post #41 of 119
9/21/10 at 8:39am
If you would have asked me a decade ago, I would have said Ralph Lauren, simply because of the original Chaps and Polo Crest.

Now that those are gone, I'll go with YSL....excellent stuff at great prices.
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post #42 of 119
9/21/10 at 8:55am
Bvlgari
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post #43 of 119
9/21/10 at 10:06am
I'll go with YSL.
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post #44 of 119
9/21/10 at 7:19pm
I'm glad Diamondflame mentioned Bulgari. I don't think it'd be my top pick, but it deserves mentioning.

(I don't think I can pick one right now. I would need to do more exploring first. And it sounds like Cartier would be a good place to start...)
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post #45 of 119
9/27/10 at 4:32pm
Hermes for me
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post #46 of 119
9/27/10 at 4:51pm
Hermes!

I consider Guerlain as niche, since they're not a "designer" house. Their prices say otherwise!
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post #47 of 119
9/28/10 at 5:14am
I don`t think that Guerlain is a niche house, so i`d pick Guerlain, Cartier Hermes and Dior as my favorite fragrance houses. If I had to limit my wardrobe to just a few brands, these 4 would keep me satisfied.
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post #48 of 119
9/28/10 at 12:28pm
Yes and unfortunately it's Frederic Malle. Why couldn't it be the House of Britney Spears or Paris Hilton? How nice it would be to not have to save up for a fragrance purchase!!
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post #49 of 119
9/28/10 at 4:33pm
YSL, Cartier

I consier AdP to be niche
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post #50 of 119
10/9/10 at 9:45pm
Ysl
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post #51 of 119
10/9/10 at 9:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by calero View Post

I would say Guerlain, but I wouldn't consider them designer, as Guerlain is not a fashion house like the others. Designer house to me means fragrances that are released by, well, fashion houses.

Yeah that's my definition as well.
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post #52 of 119
10/10/10 at 12:04am
for your criteria:
Armani and YSL
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post #53 of 119
10/10/10 at 2:45am
Chanel. It's such a huge favourite that I've limited myself to this brand. Maybe I'm boring in some peoples opinion but I dont need anything else because of Chanel's wide spectra of beautiful scents and rich variety.
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post #54 of 119
10/10/10 at 2:58am
Armani and Dior
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post #55 of 119
10/10/10 at 7:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siifter View Post

Chanel. It's such a huge favourite that I've limited myself to this brand. Maybe I'm boring in some peoples opinion but I dont need anything else because of Chanel's wide spectra of beautiful scents and rich variety.

I second that. Chanel has everything that you need, right down to no. 19 being Unisex.
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post #56 of 119
10/10/10 at 7:43am
Guerlain. 200%

I consider it designer because its distribution channel is the same as the other designer houses. Their releases (modern ones at least) are also aimed at the mass market, except for their exclusive line, which I would consider niche.
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post #57 of 119
10/10/10 at 9:56am
Anyone wanna tally the votes?

I don't but I figure somebody might.

I think YSL, Guerlain and Hermes are in the lead.
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post #58 of 119
10/10/10 at 9:58am
My No 1 is Chanel, as always, followed by Guerlain.
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post #59 of 119
10/10/10 at 11:02am
  • MFJ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by calero View Post

I would say Guerlain, but I wouldn't consider them designer, as Guerlain is not a fashion house like the others.

Yup, you got a point there, one that has been debated over a bit. I tend to also regard (from personal observation) distribution, availability and creative freedom, for my own terms of "niche". Guerlain has always been a very gray area subject for me. Anyway, not much an issue with me...
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post #60 of 119
7/17/12 at 9:19pm
Decided to bump this older thread with my current favorite designer houses.

Bvlgari
Burberry
Paul Smith
Thierry Mugler
John Varvatos
YSL
Zirh
Dior

There are at least 4 frags from each of these houses that I love, which make the list for me. Zirh only has 3 scents that I know of though, and I enjoy them all.
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