Which is the "Best Contemporary Classic" for men?(Oct-07)

[msi_21]

Personally interested in modern interpretations of classical concepts in perfumery, I choose some of the most successful perfumes in this contest which launched after 2000.
I added Oct-07 in the title because I think we would revise the options list in poll.
Let us share our opinions on the issue.

[Off-Scenter]

Funny, but none of the listed scents have excited me in the least. Must be something wrong with me...

[knightowl]

My vote goes for M7.

Rive Gauche is a close second...

[zztopp]

The list contains 4 fragrances which I think highly of: Rive Gauche pour homme (incredible barbasol accord + earthy patchouli), Terre D'Hermes (Ellena's big smash - better than his overpriced Frederic Malle Angelique sous), Dior Homme (superb spicy leathery iris) and YSL M7 (a great easy on the wallet oud fragrance which accentuates the raspberry facet of oud) .. for sure imo these 4 are top quality fragrances and can compete with any "niche" offerings (and surpass many).

With all that said, its a tough choice picking just one .. but since I am in an oudy Montale mood nowadays, I will go with YSL M7...for now.

[jasper_244]

I would have to go with Terre D'Hermes for being unique in this era !
Having said that - I cannot place it but i definitely reminds me of something my dad wore a lot of in the early 80's ... So it gets points for reminiscence value as well.
Close second defintely goes to Rive Gauche - a personal favorite.

[msi_21]

Funny, but none of the listed scents have excited me in the least. Must be something wrong with me...

Dear Vibert, as I said the options of poll will be revised, so please mention your choice in this regard.

[shifts]

Dior Homme, by far.

[ChrisW]

I'm stuck between Dior Homme and M7. Oh well, better sleep on it.

[narcus]

It never fails to be the least favorite: L'Instant

From unlimited choice / same category I would have loved to vote for : Eau Noir

[the_good_life]

The only one of these I really enjoy wearng is Terre d'Hermes. I like the idea behind dior homme but it just isn't me. Can't stand M7 and prefer Barbier des Isles to Rive Gauche. L'Instant is blah compared to the earlier Heritage (IMO, of course).

Edit: forgot about Pi - I smell vanilla excess just thinking of it. Gucci ph is very good, but I prefer Envy. Also, I find this list to francocentric. Where's Richard James EdT, Burberry Brit, Floris Santal, Helmut Lang Cuiron, Trumper GFT? Classic, IMO, but not enough visibility, perhaps.

[sanatik]

i voted for hermes and have rive gauche, m7, gucci ph & dior on my pending list.

[Boal]

For me Rive Gauche and M7. I am voting for M7 because Rive Gauche already smell like something from the past.

[Nicolas V]

Although I do not enjoy it as often as I did before, I chose Dior Homme.

[DustB]

I voted for L'Instant. I started to like it a lot last fall/winter/spring. TdH is pretty good I guess, but smelling the bottle has never made me want to wear it. I'd say TdH and L'Instant, from this list, are the best all-arounders. Couldn't go wrong and probably wouldn't get fatigued by them no matter how often or where one wore them.

[ChrisW]

I went with Dior Homme. I liked Rive Gauche and Terre d'Hermes too and they both wear very well, but I don't think they are classics. I think M7 will most likely become a classic, but Dior Homme is the most contemporary to me.

[Off-Scenter]

Dear Vibert, as I said the options of poll will be revised, so please mention your choice in this regard.

Sorry - I didn't get that.

Now by "successful" do you mean mass market impact/designer fragrance, or what scent lovers are going to remember/crave after 20 years or so?

[ChuckW]

I have owned all of these, so I can speak from experience.

In terms of all-season versatility, Terre D'Hermes is king. I guess Rive Gauche would be a close second. L'Instant a distant third.

All the rest are a little season dependent, in my opinion. Gucci, M7, Pi, Dior...they're all cool weather choices.

For a classic, I think all-season is a requirement. Hence my vote for Terre D'Hermes.

[frank06]

My vote goes to Terre D`Hermes,great in all weathers & good for lots of different occasions.

[IKL]

I'm going with YSL M7. It's challenging, unique and modern yet totally classic in terms of composition (without falling into the perfuming trends of yesteryear).

[knightowl]

I'm going with YSL M7. It's challenging, unique and modern yet totally classic in terms of composition (without falling into the perfuming trends of yesteryear).

Very well said!

[KiatBkk]

I'd go with L'instant EDP. It suits me so well, just like Pi, but Pi is very sweet it could be cloying in warm weather here. I also have M7 (I like it a lot, but quite heavy), and Rive Gauche (not so nice in heat).

[innamoramento]

For me M7... although it wasn't easy.

[MikeFromManhattan]

I have to go with Pi. It's one of my all time favorites (I'm wearing it today).

[msi_21]

The only one of these I really enjoy wearng is Terre d'Hermes. I like the idea behind dior homme but it just isn't me. Can't stand M7 and prefer Barbier des Isles to Rive Gauche. L'Instant is blah compared to the earlier Heritage (IMO, of course).

Edit: forgot about Pi - I smell vanilla excess just thinking of it. Gucci ph is very good, but I prefer Envy. Also, I find this list to francocentric. Where's Richard James EdT, Burberry Brit, Floris Santal, Helmut Lang Cuiron, Trumper GFT? Classic, IMO, but not enough visibility, perhaps.

Thank you for your comment on list. When we talk about CLASSICAL perfumery, french designer come to my mind quickly. Therefore I admit that any list I wrote about classical perfumes would be something "francocentric"!
About your list, I should say, they are niche fragrances except brit and Cuiron, and as far as the list is about main stream luxe masculine fragrances, only these two exceptions can be added here. So I think it would be good to add them in the next round of the poll. Perhaps in november we can recreat the list with other members recommendations.
Also IMHO it's unlikely that these two(Brit and Cuiron) can survive in this contest!
--------------------------------------

Sorry - I didn't get that.

Now by "successful" do you mean mass market impact/designer fragrance, or what scent lovers are going to remember/crave after 20 years or so?

When I creat the list, the BEST mass market designer fragrances were in my mind. Which one is the best reinterpretation of the classical perfumery concepts? Who did it better?
Also it could be a good subject to establish another poll based on your second alternate...

[CologneJunkie]

I was torn between Terre d'Hermes & M7...I ultimately chose M7.

Great choices!!!

[globetrekker]

I have to give the nod to Terre d'Hermes. A number if nice scents here, but TdH stands out to me.

[Off-Scenter]

In terms of most impact on the course of mass market perfumery, I'll go with M7, if only because it introduced oud to the wider public.

[rompip]

Pi

Comfort warmth happiness.

[LiveJazz]

In terms of most impact on the course of mass market perfumery, I'll go with M7, if only because it introduced oud to the wider public.

But hardly anyone bought it! Considering how much of a commercial flop it was/is, I'm surprised YSL hasn't discontinued it by now. Rive Gauche too. Note: I'm not commenting on the quality of these two; I'm just expressing surprise and admiration for YSL.

As for the vote, I, of course, went with Dior Homme, and Gucci PH was the runner up.

My passion for TdH, the Basenotes flavor of the moment, came and went. It doesn't excite me, really. I'm not a vanilla fan, so Pi was out from the start. Envy has a sharp, synthetic note in it that puts me off; so does L'Instant. Rive Gauche is a wonderful and creative perfume, but like M7, it did not really make an impact. Besides, it neither really suit me.

After owning every one of those on your list at some point, I can honestly say that Dior Homme and Gucci PH are the only two that continue to hold my attention and admiration due to their complexity, user-friendly natures, and uniqueness. Thus, Dior got the vote and Gucci gets honorable mention.

[msi_21]

[QUOTE=LiveJazz;1070566][COLOR="DarkGreen"]But hardly anyone bought it! Considering how much of a commercial flop it was/is, I'm surprised YSL hasn't discontinued it by now. Rive Gauche too. Note: I'm not commenting on the quality of these two; I'm just expressing surprise and admiration for YSL.


Why it happened about M7 in the market? What was wrong about it?
I saw it got european FiFi award in 2004, but it wasn't successful in market.

[LiveJazz]

Why it happened about M7 in the market? What was wrong about it?
I saw it got european FiFi award in 2004, but it wasn't successful in market.

Well, I can't comment on Europe. Maybe it was successful there. But not here in the USA! I think it's just too good for us, if you know what I mean . Let the people have their schlock.

[msi_21]

Well, I can't comment on Europe. Maybe it was successful there. But not here in the USA! I think it's just too good for us, if you know what I mean . Let the people have their schlock.

M7 wasn't successful in US? The same is true here in Persian Gulf states and Iran.
I think this is the reason that no brand wants to invest in bringing new ideas to the market.

[Bytebuster]

My one is L'Instant by Guerlain.
Pi is to sweet and it makes me feel like that I'm swimming in a vanilla sea.
M7 reminded me the these Asian balms like Tiger Balm or the others. Eventhough I don't smell it don't much now, but still smells medicinal to me.
Rive Gauche is nice and I love it, but it is not that unique to me because of a lot of Vetiver.
Gucci PH is nice too. I like it too, but it is a bit different kind of Incense fragrance for me.
Dior Homme reminds me, like it does with some other members of BN, make-up bag or old lipsticks.
Terre d'Hermes was my secon favourite. I use it with great pleasure but it is still orangey like some other fragrances of Hermes, thus this either is not that unique for me.
When I compare all of them then I see L'Instant by Guerlian is very different for me. I can not compare it with that much with other fragrances and it is the one which gives me the most classic sensation then the others. If I'm not mistaken one of the Hugo Boss fragrances reminded me L'Instant, that's all.

[wicozani]

My vote goes to Terre D`Hermes,great in all weathers & good for lots of different occasions.

Agreed, and that's why I voted for it! Even though my SOTD today is Dior Homme.

[smeller]

I voted for M7, but I believe Fahrenheit 32 has a place on that list, even if it's not my cup of tea.

[Bwitney Speeohs]

I think the sweet, feminine, modern (contemporary) oriental scents are flash in the pan and will likely soon be replaced by the "next" modern mass marketed scents (ouds)...I already can't wait for the next "next". Only the best of the era will be remembered and that is exactly why Dior Homme will become a classic.

Terre d'Hermes is the illegitimate son of Gucci pH and Givenchy Pi is his flamboyant cousin. Both Terre and Pi were fun for their time, but they lived their lives too fast and are now burn outs living in the country. They will only be referred to in "remember when" discussions...maybe..

I too find the list quite limited and incomplete. The November list should be interesting.

[DrOfTheSoul]

I voted for M7 because it opened by a door and took a risk greater than any of the others listed imo.

BTW I guess I need to try Dior Homme again, but last time I thought it was just blah...

[EnvYuS]

I don't see Terre d'Hermes as a contemerary classic at all. I thought of M7 and Gucci pour homme as the two that stood out and I chose Gucci.

[nthny]

Terre d'Hermes gets my vote... for SURE! It's the definition of contemporary classic, utilizing standard men's fragrance ingredients such as citrus and vetiver and light woods, but contemporary in that they are combined with more adventurous notes, to create a more modern effect, without the animalic base notes.