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Talk to me about FLORIS

post #1 of 12
9/26/10 at 8:41am
Thread Starter 
Recently I have stumbled across this house, oh-so-long neglected by me for I haid the (probably unjustified) impression of a pseudo natural focused and quite elitist house.
2 days ago, on the hunt for Serge Lutens I found myself in front of a little Floris counter and decided to give it a try. Having now sampled Elite and 89 I think I ought to test this line more thoroughly.

Elite gave me a hard time analysing it, I had the impression of pepper up top (very cooling) mixed with sweet and fruity flowers as well as green, fresh cut plants in the likes of d'Orsays Tilleul.

89 : Citrussy old-school lavender opening backed up with a prominent oakmoss (among other stuff i guess) to make it a typical english fougere. Alright, but there are too many others in similar style way better. Isn't this supposed to be the James Bond frag?

I also have a yet to be tested sample of JF.


So I'd would like to hear oppinions and suggestions regarding this house.
Do you like it as a whole and do you have certain favourites?


I have read that it has severely suffered from recent reformulations?

Any input appreciated
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post #2 of 12
9/26/10 at 9:04am
I liked 89 (especially the drydown) and would like to retest it again; I might want to buy it. I disliked Cefrio and found it to be the stuffiest citrus scent I have tried.
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post #3 of 12
9/26/10 at 10:53am
a formerly great house which has reformulated all of its great scents to death. no. 89 used to be a typical british masculine floral, now it's hairspray, sandalwood is totally synthetic and their new anniversary limited edition smells like any old drugstore scent. i have a vintage bottle of their gentlemen's cologne which really shivers me timbers, but those glory days are over. santal, cefiro, elite i find to be standard "designer fare." if you want true brit, trumper is the better choice.
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post #4 of 12
9/26/10 at 11:14am
The only one I like is JF, but on my skin it simply doesn't last more than a couple of hours. If JF ever came in an EDP I'd possibly buy it, but I find the other Floris fragrances very bland and overpriced for what they offer. Same with Czech and Speake, Geo F.Trumper, Jo Malone, Miller Harris, Ormonde Jayne, Penhaligons etc. I've yet to smell something that would make me get my credit card out.
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post #5 of 12
9/26/10 at 12:14pm
timaru: No. 89 is supposed to be the James Bond frag, yes. There's an "all things James Bond" web site that asserts that too.

From some of the lengthy debates I've seen here and on other forums, there is no true link in book or movie that backs up No.89 as a scent the character wore. BUT, it seems that it was a personal favorite of Bond author, Ian Fleming.

Trumper's Eucris is the only scent that evidently made an appearance in a movie I believe . (And it wasn't being worn by Bond, it was in the bathroom someone had stocked for him).

Because of this Bond "connection," an office mate of mine wears Floris 89. It wears well on him. Very pleasant, somewhat mature scent. Frankly, I find it a bit more elegant that his usual level of sartorial support. It's a nice scent, somewhat in the vein of many Penhaligons. I'd wear it, but since it's all he ever wears, I leave it alone.
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post #6 of 12
9/26/10 at 12:25pm
Many years ago as I tried some of the English houses and hated their offerings. Here I am older and perhaps wiser revisiting them again and the result has been quite different: I am loving them. Floris in particular has been a stand out for me. This week I have been wearing ELITE. I have found my "fall" fragrance. It is an odd one and if you read the reviews you'd see that most people can't stand it. There is a whole "cigarettes/booze/after shave" thing going on but I love it nonetheless. Go figure.
I enjoy No. 89 (the powdery sandalwood dry down especially) and JF (a lighter fresher GIT) but for me ELITE is perfection.
Also, don't be stuck only exploring their frags designated as male. Floris Edwardian Bouquet is wonderful and perfectly wearable by a guy.
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post #7 of 12
9/26/10 at 12:58pm
Thread Starter 
I actually tried the bouquet, too much lilly of the valley for my taste...
@the good life: that's what i feared, those i tried all smelled like pale shadows from a greater time.

so sandalwood is maybe still another one to try?

anything else?

I`d hate to pass on a house before giving it a fair go...
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post #8 of 12
9/26/10 at 2:34pm
I enjoy 89 when worn lightly. Nice citrus opening, going to a rose heart. It finishes with a muted sandalwood base. Not spectacular, but nice. It's quite strong for the 30 minutes or so, so take it easy on the trigger.
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post #9 of 12
9/26/10 at 8:23pm
Two of my favorites from the house are Malmaison and Vetiver. Unfortunately, as far as I know, they have been discontinued. They are hard to find but can be found if you are persistent.

Malmaison is a polarizing fragrance, and some do not like it. I think it is terrific, and wears superbly in cooler weather. Vetiver is a very good spicy vetiver with an elegant drydown.

My other favorites from Floris are No. 89 and Elite, which have already been mentioned. I do not like JF, as I don't care for that distinctive GIT/Cool Water accord.
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post #10 of 12
3/5/11 at 10:07pm
My only experience with the house of Floris is the original Zinnia, and I love it. I bought it for my wife but both of us wear it and we both absolutely love it. I do not wear it too often afraid of running out since probably we will not be able to find another bottle. We have not tried the 1990 reformulation, but I doubt it will be as good as the original.
And using Loungeboy words: perfectly wearable by a guy.
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post #11 of 12
3/6/11 at 5:25am
I've tried all the men's ones. I think the line is OK, and a couple really worked for me.
* Vetiver (discontinued) A deep, spicy vetiver.
* Elite. Dry herbal green.
Some others are pretty good but I have others quite similar: 127, Limes.
A couple were borderline where I liked some things but not others: 89 (bit powdery) and JF (bit too fresh-synthetic).
A couple didn't work for me, especially Cefiro (fusty), Santal (too sweet and vanilla)
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post #12 of 12
3/6/11 at 6:39am
Santal is the only one I found full bottle worthy, although I probably should have picked up a discounted bottle of Vetiver when I had the chance. I agree with the_good_life, that Santal is synthetic, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying it. It's in the world of Gucci Envy, but I prefer Santal. I agree with others that Elite is old school in a pretty good way and that JF is GITish. I like No. 89, but there are other men's rose fragrances I prefer to it (Dominico Caraceni & Aramis 900 come immediately to mind).
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