Pierre Bourdon's Top 5

[cescpistol]

What do you think are Pierre Bourdon's top 5 creations for men? I haven't tried much so my opinion is very limited. Anyway, mine is:

1. Cool Water
2. Canali Man
3. GF Bluemusk
4. Good Life
5. Live Jazz

Hope you guys can share yours.

[derekp]

Ambre Topkapi is by far my favourite scent of all time. I know a lot of people are divided on it, but it is precisely to my taste.

2. Mark Birley for men is a fantastic citrus that doesn't get much talk here.
3. Dolce Vita may not be the most sophisticated perfume, but I love it on a woman.
4 & 5. The pair he's made for Frederic Malle. Not really my thing, but both very interesting.

Queue Kouros love fest. ;-)

[Kevin Guyer]

Kouros
Cologne à la Française
Cologne à la Russe
Cologne à la l'Italienne
Green Irish Tweed (possibly with Oliver Creed)

[zztopp]

Kouros
Cologne à la Française
Cologne à la Russe
Cologne à la l'Italienne
Green Irish Tweed

If you want to list GIT, you should mention all the authors as listed by Michael Edwards i.e., Bourdon + Olivier Creed. However I don't think GIT qualifies as its not a solo Bourdon effort.

[fraddicted]

He also designed Bergamotto Marino for Ferre, if memory serves!

[Kevin Guyer]

If you want to list GIT, you should mention all the authors as listed by Michael Edwards i.e., Bourdon + Olivier Creed. However I don't think GIT qualifies as its not a solo Bourdon effort.

Perhaps you're correct in slapping me on my scented wrists over this. However, I was just going by Luca Turin's attribution from The Guide, "...it was composed in 1985 by Pierre Bourdon, who three years later rehashed a similar structure in the hugely successful and endlessly imitated Cool Water." As you know, I e-mailed Creed recently asking them if Bourdon created GIT and they wrote me back stating that GIT is a sole creation of Oliver Creed. You state that Edwards claims it was a collaboration between Creed and Bourdon, so we have 3 possible attributions.

[scentsitivity]

I am wearing Mark Birley today and would vote for it as well.

[Le Grand Duc]

I only know three of his; one I like, two I disslike!

I like his Kouros..!

I disslike Live Jazz, and the über-mainstream Cool Water!

But hey, the man created Dolce Vita, gotta love him for that!

[Sorcery of Scent]

In no particular order:

Feminitè du Bois
Bergamotto Marino
Kouros
Paul & Joe Bleu
Dolce Vita

[hirch_duckfinder]

Perhaps you're correct in slapping me on the wrists over this. However, I was just going by Luca Turin's attribution from The Guide, "...it was composed in 1985 by Pierre Bourdon, who three years later rehashed a similar structure in the hugely successful and endlessly imitated Cool Water." As you know, I e-mailed Creed recently asking them if Bourdon created GIT and they wrote me back stating that GIT is a sole creation of Oliver Creed. You state that Edwards claims it was a collaboration between Creed and Bourdon, so we have 3 possible attributions.

And yet Turin has not been sued or asked to change his attribution; indeed, the second edition carried the same attribution. Creed have been known to ask for threads on forums to be removed when somebody expresses an opinion questioning their statements, so why have they not asked/demanded that Turin change his attribution?

[LiveJazz]

Kouros
French Lover
GIT
Live Jazz
Cool Water


...in that order. I can't believe he made Mont Blanc Individuel! Just found out. That stuff is a cloying mess!

I got really excited when I saw this thread. Thought it was Bourdon's 5 favorite scents!

[zztopp]

And yet Turin has not been sued or asked to change his attribution; indeed, the second edition carried the same attribution. Creed have been known to ask for threads on forums to be removed when somebody expresses an opinion questioning their statements, so why have they not asked/demanded that Turin change his attribution?

You should email Creed USA to find out. You can also ask Creed why they haven't been sued when they state that one of their fragrances was created for so and so famous personality.

[Kevin Guyer]

You should email Creed USA to find out. You can also ask Creed why they haven't been sued when they state that one of their fragrances was created for so and so famous personality.

It's no use contacting Creed USA about anything. They sent me a rubber stamped answer to my inquiry as to who created GIT, in which I specifically pressed the Turin/Edwards claim of Bourdon's involvement. This is what I got in response from Creed USA: "Thank you for your interest in CREED and for writing. CREED Green Irish Tweed was created by Olivier CREED."
So back on topic, until convinced otherwise, I still think Green Irish Tweed is a valid entry into Bourdon's top 5 masculine creations.

[hirch_duckfinder]

You should email Creed USA to find out. You can also ask Creed why they haven't been sued when they state that one of their fragrances was created for so and so famous personality.

You should email Creed USA to find out

They are hardly likely to answer that.

You can also ask Creed why they haven't been sued when they state that one of their fragrances was created for so and so famous personality

In my opinion, that would be because they are very careful about how they word things and who says them. Claims appear as rumours with no clear source. They are different in many places. It would be easy for the company to deny they made them and claim that somebody else down the chain made them. It woyuld be very complicated top tie any particular claim to any particular person/time.
Also, I don't know the US legal system but Creed would have significantly more resources than, for example, me.
Maybe a "class action" could be attempted?

[L'Aventurier]

I haven't tried all his fragrances, but he's got a lot of classics under his belt. Of what I have smelled, I prefer, in this order:

1. Ambre Topkapi
2. Live Jazz
3. Bergamotto Marino
4. Cool Water
5. Kouros

I also remember liking Cool Water for Women a lot back in the day

[cescpistol]

Seems that more people like Bergamotto Marino more than Bluemusk. Can anybody compare? I haven't sniffed Bergamotto Marino..

[freewheelingvagabond]

What a great resume!

Kouros
Cool Water
Individuel
Bois du Portugal (assuming it was him)
Green Irish Tweed (debatable)
Live Jazz

[Johnny_Ludlow]

Fantastic perfumer indeed. These are my favorite Pierre Bourdon masculines (well, I guess Iris Poudre is an exception).

French Lover
Iris Poudre
Kouros
Orange Spice
Live Jazz

[hednic]

Kouros & French Lover are two of my favorites of his.

[HankHarvey]

Bourdon is quoted as saying that Cool Water is the perfume he is proudest of. To me it boils down to Cool Water and Kouros with Bourdon, and no, it has never been confirmed that he is behind GIT, so I can't in full conscience include that one. Individuel is also a good fragrance by this man.

[Kal1973]

Kouros and Cool Water are unique ones, but none of his creations are high on my list .

[Buzzlepuff]

My take on Pierre Bourdon's authorship of GIT is that he is not the sole creator of it, but rather he worked as a junior member of a team at Roure Bertrand, in Paris and being freshly graduated from his 5 year training at Roure Perfume school in Grasse, he was working under Jean Carles and being mentored by Edmond Roudnitska who all participated in creating fragrances for clients. Roure Bertrand was the creator of fragrance for Creed bespoke perfumed leather gloves for many years (the rage in the 1800's!) were by far the primary function of perfume industry in Grasse, France from 1800's and on, although the work Grasse transitioned to perfume for skin application during the 20th century. The dominance of perfumed leather gloves is significant for Creed historians because when Creed claims ancient dates for some of their fragrances made for royalty etc. the fragrance was actually perfumed leather and fragrance for skin was only made on a custom basis for some clients. The client for Green Irish Tweed was Creed and Olivier Creed had the function of creative director for Creed's fragrance creations while Pierre Bourdon was a contract designer working for Roure with a team under exclusive contract for Creed with Olivier Creed as creative director. While at Roure, Bourdon created Kouros among other fragrances for clients. Three years later when Bourdon created Cool Water, he was the new co founder of Tasasago Europe and he was given full credit for Cool Water as he had risen to become a name perfumer who was able to claim authorship for fragrances of his own creation. I am sure that the techniques he learned while at Roure in perfume school and as a perfumer were the basis for many of his fragrant creations that followed.

His top five? Cool Water, Kouros, Joop Homme, Jil Sander Sun, Mark Birley, French Lover/Bois d' Orage.

[DanHD]

Wow', nice post Buzzlepuff. I didn't know about the scented leather gloves thing - very interesting.

My top Bourdons:
GIT (ok, maybe not just him)
Kouros
Mark Birley

Tried, like but not love:
French Lover
Live Jazz
Bois du Portugal
Zino (might need some more time on this one)
Cool Water

[Preston H]

Ambre Topkapi
Cool water
Live Jazz
Mark Birley
Kouros (by default. The op requested 5)