Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Female Fragrance Discussion › Could you consider Shalimar unisex?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Could you consider Shalimar unisex?

post #1 of 27
Thread Starter 
I have become unbelievably obsessed with fragrences lately. And I have fallen in love with 2 perfumes... Shalimar and Chanel No 19. As a guy who is in the closet and already insecure, I don't want to bring too much attention to myself. But I don't think I can bare not having Shalimar any longer! Could it be unisex? And which one? I believe it was the EDP at Macys I fell in love with but as long as the other variations are similar im okay with it. Thank you!!!
post #2 of 27
Vanilla oriental and green leather floral are perfectly unisex. (In addition, in this forum, you'll see we don't divide frags in masculine/feminine).

Make sure you don't get the Shalimar Parfum Initial, the newest flanker, but the classic Shalimar. The parfum concentration is (as for most Guerlains) richer, but at $360 for 30ml, quite expensive. The edp (likely what you smelled at Macy) is perfect too.

cacio
post #3 of 27
Yes, unisex. Apply with a light touch and you'll be tastily elegant
post #4 of 27
Especially today's formulation of Shalimar is very unisex - much drier than the old one.
post #5 of 27
It is! During the past years, especially in reformulation years 2007-2008, it is totally unisex.
I never liked it before, but now...I want it very very badly. Leather, vanilla and resins...it is really nice made!
post #6 of 27
hmm..actually..I sometimes see Shalimar more on the masculine side..you know,it's not exactly a "pretty" scent, as the new flankers are (not that I don't like Shalimar, I really love it!)...it goes through these really rough and smokey phases..just do it!
post #7 of 27
In general, I consider any scent unisex, but Shalimar has indeed the potential to be aptly and easily worn by both genders
post #8 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. G View Post

Especially today's formulation of Shalimar is very unisex - much drier than the old one.

I have to agree.....the older version was too much for me.....I can see where some could make the older version work.....It was not for me.....The new version is unisex for sure!!!
Gary
post #9 of 27
Agree that the newer formulation is drier than the old-and even before this current formulation,I've always thought Shalimar wearable for a man. The new juice is even more masculine,as others have pointed out. Yes,wear it please! Any concentration will do but I find EDP works best for me as a daily wear scent. I get more citrusy powder than smoky vanilla from EDT but it can be nice when weather is very hot. Extrait is luxurious and unfolds very slowly on me,maybe a little too langourous for everyday.Feel like lying about on a fainting couch fanning myself when wearing it!
post #10 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by allabouteve View Post

hmm..actually..I sometimes see Shalimar more on the masculine side..you know,it's not exactly a "pretty" scent, as the new flankers are (not that I don't like Shalimar, I really love it!)...it goes through these really rough and smokey phases..just do it!

what she said
post #11 of 27
It is unisex, but it is an iconic female fragrance. All the detectives in the tv smell shalimar in the air, and know that a woman was there
post #12 of 27
Absolutely unisex. On my skin it is not feminine at all, I get a lot of leather, almost no vanilla, in a blind sniff test I'd never know it was a "woman's" fragrance.
post #13 of 27
It may be marketed for women, but I feel it's very unisex. Wear it and enjoy!!
post #14 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by sarıpatates View Post

It is unisex, but it is an iconic female fragrance. All the detectives in the tv smell shalimar in the air, and know that a woman was there



So true!!

No, really, I find it extreeeeemely alluring and sexy (especially the drydown),but in a very niche-genderless way!
post #15 of 27
I don't consider really well made fragrances to be (nor should they be) gender specific, I think Guerlain fragrances can be worn by either sex, in the same way Britney Spears/Paris Hilton fragrances can't be
post #16 of 27
Yay, Pony. You've got good taste. Wear what you want. It's all about self-expression. Be true to yourself.
post #17 of 27
Yes - as with all other fragrances also.
post #18 of 27
Yes - as with all other fragrances also.
post #19 of 27
It's cleary a lady's fragrance and should only be worn by men who want to smell like a lady. I enjoy it very much.
post #20 of 27
I'm a man and I generally don't agree that female fragrances can be comfortably worn by men. I love Chanel #5 and Dune but a man who wears them smells like a woman. Even Diorella and Vetiver Pour Elle, which I love and which Luca Turin recommends for men, smell feminine when I've tried them. Shalimar, on the other hand, smells very unisex to me, especially the EDT. I don't think it's any less masculine than Habit Rouge.
post #21 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by Silver Focks View Post

I'm a man and I generally don't agree that female fragrances can be comfortably worn by men. I love Chanel #5 and Dune but a man who wears them smells like a woman. Even Diorella and Vetiver Pour Elle, which I love and which Luca Turin recommends for men, smell feminine when I've tried them. Shalimar, on the other hand, smells very unisex to me, especially the EDT. I don't think it's any less masculine than Habit Rouge.

Welcome, Silver.

On this site, many of us believe that gender labels are subjective. This has been discussed over and over, and in one instance the thread was finally locked. Some men happily wear "women's" scents, and some women happily wear those "made" for men.

It's all in the perception.

The important thing is enjoying the scent and smelling good!

http://www.basenotes.net/threads/249...-sensibilities
post #22 of 27
I respect that opinion and I wouldn't try to convince anyone otherwise. I can only speak for myself and report my own experiences. I would love to be able to comfortably wear some of my favorite fragrances that are marketed to women (I mentioned 4 of them in my post above) but unfortunately I've found that the gender labels are generally accurate for my taste. Shalimar is the only exception so far. There are those who may agree with me and I think it's important for that view to be part of these discussions.
post #23 of 27
Shalimar borders on unisex, for sure. I'm a man and I wear the EDC sorta often (and I'm not even gay!).
post #24 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by Primrose View Post

It's all in the perception.

That's really the point! Funnily, I love and wear Shalimar (extrait), but I have never considered it my most easy-going frag marketed to women to pull off in public.
I also have to disagree with the original discussion in this thread. The vintage (zig zag boxed) Shalimar strikes me as the easiest to wear for me, whereas I find the current EdP (Jade Jagger box) very sweetish/vanilla-y for my liking.
post #25 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larimar View Post

That's really the point! Funnily, I love and wear Shalimar (extrait), but I have never considered it my most easy-going frag marketed to women to pull off in public.
I also have to disagree with the original discussion in this thread. The vintage (zig zag boxed) Shalimar strikes me as the easiest to wear for me, whereas I find the current EdP (Jade Jagger box) very sweetish/vanilla-y for my liking.

I think the sweeter trend is to interest younger women.
post #26 of 27
I should clarify that I was referring to the batwing bottles upthread when I mentioned "current" Shalimar. That's where discussion on Shalimar ends for me. I don't want to talk about the re-reformulation in the Jagger bottle. I have nothing nice to say.
post #27 of 27
Shalimar is gorgeous on either man or woman . Husband has been sprayed with it before and it smells good on him.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Female Fragrance Discussion
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Female Fragrance Discussion › Could you consider Shalimar unisex?