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Collection Cornerstones?

post #1 of 14
1/3/13 at 1:42pm
Thread Starter 
I was talking to a guy at work today about fragrances (I was wearing Aventus and he asked me about it) and he asked me for some good suggestions for fragrances to form the bedrock of an aspiring collector. I was a little bit thrown to be honest as it tends to be a personal thing for me in that if I like it, I buy it, I recommended he tried a few of the Creeds as an introduction and then look to brands such as Diptyque, Amouage, Malle etc but I was wondering if anyone could make recommendations?
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post #2 of 14
1/3/13 at 2:32pm
Perhaps Egoiste & Dior Homme from the Designer side.
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post #3 of 14
1/3/13 at 2:48pm
If I was him, I'd start with designer fragrances. I'd just go to a department store and test as many bottles as possible. Then he could purchase maybe one or two, sign up for Basenotes, and then ask the community what fragrances are similar to those two fragrances.

To start him off with Creed, Amouage, or Frederic Malle seems a little too aggressive. There's nothing wrong with starting with designer fragrances. There are some great gems if you look hard enough.
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post #4 of 14
1/4/13 at 2:14am
Thread Starter 
I did think some of the designer fragrances might be easier but I dont really have much experience with them. The only one I could think of would be Dior Eau Sauvage or maybe some of the Chanel range but he seemed quite interested in the niche side of things.
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post #5 of 14
1/4/13 at 2:23am
I would look to vintage designers like the great 80s powerhouses and the Jean Kerleo Jean Patou releases... Or if he wants relatively current, then Terre d'Hermes is a great all-around relatively easily acquired designer scent that is always a great way to start a fine collection.

Edit: If he wants niche, then I suppose Creed is as good a starting place as any (though I personally don't care for most of them). Green Irish Tweed is the best they offer, IMO, and it is extremely versatile so that would be a good first addition.
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post #6 of 14
1/4/13 at 3:31am
Encourage him to sample as much as possible (testers in store and then moving on to ordering samples) and work out his own tastes.

All these suggestions are great starting points for testing, but no way would I suggest buying them unsampled (unless the aim is really to collect bottles and not be concerned too much with how they actually smell).

I never liked perfumes until I stumbled across CdG and Diptyque, CdG forms the cornerstone of my collection, but my mainstays might revolt others.
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post #7 of 14
1/4/13 at 6:42am
Does he want to be a collector, or does he want to start a wardrobe that he will wear?

If the former, I can't help much, but there are probably millions of threads and google searches about classic fragrances.

If the latter, I don't think there's a universal answer. There are things everyone should probably smell, but there's no sense in buying something if you won't enjoy wearing it. I'd echo others: he should sample a broad range and learn about his own taste. And also it's important to recognize that some scents aren't entirely approachable for everyone at first. You might look for some "starter" versions of some obvious categories: I'd look at leathers, florals, chypres, aquatics, woods, citruses, etc., and think about some good introductory fragrances.
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post #8 of 14
1/4/13 at 9:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mlsweeney View Post

If I was him, I'd start with designer fragrances. I'd just go to a department store and test as many bottles as possible. Then he could purchase maybe one or two, sign up for Basenotes, and then ask the community what fragrances are similar to those two fragrances.

To start him off with Creed, Amouage, or Frederic Malle seems a little too aggressive. There's nothing wrong with starting with designer fragrances. There are some great gems if you look hard enough.

I have to agree here. Starting out with designer frags is a much maligned way of starting a collection on this board sometimes. Don't start throwing niche fragrances at him or he will probably think all frags cost an arm and a leg while there are so many good designer frags to start with.
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post #9 of 14
1/4/13 at 9:21am
I'm with misweeney and Darjeeling here. Only the individual with his or her own nose can properly assess what should be cornerstones of his or her wardrobe.

I suppose if he is anosmic, you could point him to L'Instant if he just wants to smell good to others. Would have to be pretty perceptive to comment on your Aventus if he can't smell, of course.
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post #10 of 14
1/4/13 at 9:39am
I really don't think there is any one fragrance that is a staple in all collections because of how different each of our tastes are.
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post #11 of 14
1/4/13 at 10:22am
Hard to give any specific advice related to the names of actual fragrances, since there is a lot of testing to do. But if I was to recommend a market segment, instead of a mere name/house/perfumer, I'd recommend to try designer scents and/or the exclusive/premium lines of most designers, simply because they offer at, comparatively affordable and/or good value for money scents, quite constant diversity, tolerability and versatility.
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post #12 of 14
1/4/13 at 11:24am
A slow start with designer fragrances does sound sensible, but on the other hand, there is a lot of dreck on the shelves, copies of copies, and bad flankers of something that was generic juice to begin with.

So I say, throw in some niche too. I haven't heard of any newbies dying from taking a hit of Lutens

I don't understand why Serge Lutens is regarded as so avant garde, they smell lovely and pretty accessible to me, at least the bestsellers, and always have. Even when I was new to this hobby they captivated me. You don't have to first go through the limbo of timid and faceless designer fragrances if what you really crave is more, something different. Just jump in, the water is lovely
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post #13 of 14
1/4/13 at 12:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by furrypine View Post

A slow start with designer fragrances does sound sensible, but on the other hand, there is a lot of dreck on the shelves, copies of copies, and bad flankers of something that was generic juice to begin with.

So I say, throw in some niche too. I haven't heard of any newbies dying from taking a hit of Lutens

I don't understand why Serge Lutens is regarded as so avant garde, they smell lovely and pretty accessible to me, at least the bestsellers, and always have. Even when I was new to this hobby they captivated me. You don't have to first go through the limbo of timid and faceless designer fragrances if what you really crave is more, something different. Just jump in, the water is lovely

Absolutely agree.
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post #14 of 14
1/4/13 at 2:41pm
Chanel Pour Monsieur
Habit Rouge
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