Czech & Speake #88

I only have a sample vial of this cologne, so that's why I left a few blanks.

This is easily one of my favorite scents, in a close tie with Pen's Opus 1870. I could easily see why this is a love/hate scent. Definitely pick up a sample or decant!

I don't know where to begin,

This is beautiful in a way I find vampires beautiful and find the ending to Bram Stokers Dracula beautiful, strange and alluring at the same time.

I find it comforting, lively and sinister and it morphs with your mood. You want to be dark and mysterious, it will follow you, man in a suit, it'll do that too, jeans and an Iron Maiden t shirt, no probs, night out be it restaurant or a dark club, it will show you the way and then you can leave in the night moving forward but your feet not moving in a way only Dracula would glide over the ground. This is not a fragrance if you are easily flustered.

It starts off with a very slightly spritey dry rose, then that spriteness dries down and geranium, sandalwood and bergamot join the party with rose playing the drums driving the other band members from behind, giving then all a chance to play their riffs.

A lovely fragrance that I prefer to DC1913, DC1913 has a sweet muskiness that makes me like C&S88 more. Actually I think DC1913 would be the Italian vampire and C&S the Transylvanian one that travelled to England and stumbled into a Czech & Speake store while hunting down his prey catching a wiff of #88 along the way only to stop, take a few steps back and ask how much for the one in the black bottle, pay for it and then continue on with the chase. If Dracula found another vampire who wore C&S88 he would not be happy and needless to say that "other" vampire wouldn't be around too long.

This has many talents and I find it nice to spray a bit on before retreating to my coffin to dream the night away, I just hope there's no other vampire in my neck off the woods wearing it!

Price: Great fragrance yes, but not $180 for 100ml great...

Quality: Very Good.

Packaging: Packaging looks very nice, but I've never owned or sampled from the bottle.

Scent: Too sweet and too much rose for me, but if you like a dirty, powdery, rose fragrance this is for you.

Complexity: This smells like a very well made, very well put together fragrance. The rosey, dirty, and powdery elements of the fragrance are very smoothly layered.

Staying Power: One of the longest lasting fragrances I've ever tried. I got 8-10 hours from this fragrance, and that was from a sample vile, not the atomizer.

Quality of Atomizer: Again, looks nice, but never sampled from the bottle.

This is the fragrance I've been looking for all my life!

I sampled it for the first time in a perfume shop in Rome two weeks ago, and although I thought it too sweet at first, after half an hour I was back in the store purchasing a bottle.

#88 evokes a sort of decadent elegance, of times past. It reminds me of Jean Des Esseintes, the main character in the novel below, which is one of my all time favorites.

I can describe it as decayed melancholia, nature become artificial, a scent both moody and intellectual. Not romantic, not to be taken lightly, and mostly perplexing to others, like a sign only recognized by the initiated.

It's not for everyone, but those who appreciate it, cannot help but be held helplessly captive by it.

*whew*

It is not cheap (I paid 98 Euro for it), but a "10" price wise because it is pure quality and luxuriousness. One gets more than one paid for.

that's the box I want the cylindrical one in grey... if anyone has this to sell hit me up pls! thanks

I received a sampler pack from Czech & Speake, and #88 quickly made its way to the head of the pack. After several days on the sample vial, I took the plunge and ordered a bottle from Cambridge Chemists. Man, did I make the right decision.

Price: Yes, the price is steep up front ($115 from CC), but in my opinion this juice is worth every penny. You don't need much (3 sprays max).

Quality: Absolutely top notch, one of the best fragrances I've tried.

Packaging: What can I say? The bottle and box are nice. The cap fits securely on, and the black bottle really looks nice.

Scent: Obviously, this is why you purchase a fragrance. To my nose, this stuff is pure magic. However, I would never recommend a blind purchase of it, as I imagine it is an acquired taste. The rose note is extremely prominent, and I can see where some guys would shy from it.

Complexity: I find that it morphs quite a bit throughout the day...starts out as pure rose, very sharp, but begins to mellow out after an hour or so. In the end, the rose is still there, but it has been taken over by something else that I can't quite put my finger on.

Staying Power: Out of this world for me. I can smell it on my person as I type this, and I applied it at 7:30 this morning. That is over 12 hours! Part of that is the fact that it clings to fabric like no other.

Quality of Atomizer: I would put this atomizer in league with Creed's, which is by far one of the best I've tried.

So, bottom line, don't blind buy this product, and don't judge it by the sample alone. I enjoyed my first vial, but it really comes to life when sprayed.

I agree with Trewornan above. After owning a vial from the PerfumedCourt for over a week, I still cannot decide whether to buy a full bottle or not.

Unlike most colognes that smell generic or like househod cleaner, C&S No. 88 smells fantastic! This is its blessing and its curse. So I'll succinctly state the question that comes to mind when you first put this cologne on - one that a lot of reviewers above have danced around - Will wearing C&S No.88 all of sudden give you a sudden urge to go rent La Cage aux Folles? Oui!

Chuck Norris don't wear no C&S No. 88!

I'm beginning to really dig No. 88 though. And my wife seems to be warming up to it. Where are my show tunes at?

...it's mine. Not that I wear aftershave or cologne that frequently, but this is the one I reach for most often.

I read (on basenotes, I think) that it was reformulated a while back at a slightly lower concentration, and that would fit with my experience. I have a shaker bottle from a number of years back, which I decanted into a small spray bottle to actually use, and which is now empty. I also have a newly purchased shaker bottle (thanks beloved! ) about a month old. The older stuff I have remaining in the spray bottle smells slightly richer, to me, and certainly lasts longer on my skin than the new bottle.

As far as the scent goes I find the initial application a bit on the sharp side, but once it has mellowed a bit (say half an hour) it's a delicious smell - I didn't initially associate it with roses when I started wearing it years ago, although in retrospect the rose is the obvious dominant fragrance; perhaps it's because I've never smelled a rose which was quite that concentrated - but also there's so much else going on that separating the components of this complex scent isn't easy. I think it's fair to say I've never run into anyone else wearing it though, and that's in about 15 years.

The only downside to No.88 is the price - a 200ml bottle of the cologne is now GBP99... but you do get what you pay for with this stuff.

I think this is the most interesting scent I've smelt, musty, dusty, dank, sweet, spicy rose like a transvestite trucker . . . quite extraordinary. I've worn this three times and still can't make up my mind, it may just not be masculine enough for me. You'd have to be extremely confident to wear this and you'd still get some odd looks. I can't quite decide if I even like it, but on the other hand it's really nice. A complete contradiction that's got me very confused. I'm thinking about getting a larger sample to try over a longer period but I'm in two minds about that as well. Very odd stuff.

I can't comment on the atomizer or packaging since I got this in a decant.

I should've been cautious as I saw some comparisons to Hammam Bouquet which I detest, but I saw some comments showing this was more subdued, darker, and "sophisticated" so I thought I would try it.

While I can say it's not as eye-waterlingly offensive as Hammam Bouquet with its very strong rose and pungent incense accords, this is still offensive, but in a different way.

This is a powdery rose fragrance, along the same lines of Hammam, but in replacing some of Hammam's spicy incense quality, there's an unusual "dirty" twang to C&S No. 88. It's a combination of many adjectives for me, but I sense dustiness, mustiness, mildewy walls, chilly humidity, cellar, wet stones, and grotto-like odors. The smell reminds me of a grotto, one in which incense has been burning. I can appreciate the smell as being reminiscent of something very unique and interesting, but it is not a smell I expect to be putting on my body and smelling for an extended period of time. It caused me to squinch up my face and think "Eeeek, I'm back in Catholic school!"

I tried it a few more times, and the musty quality just really gets to me, where it's almost all I smell. I can definitely see why the darker, gothic imagery comes to mind. It does bring about visions of the Catholic church, grottos, the catacombs, a cemetery after it has rained, incense, funeral home wake (minus all the white florals and replaced with red roses). It does evoke that quiet sense of death, contemplation of mortality, darker emotions in the human psyche, all that is melancholy. That poetic description for me, though, really equates to musty, dirty damp roses.

Actually, it makes me think of the rosary that my grandmother got when my uncle was killed in Vietnam. The nuns rolled up rose petals into beads and created a rosary from those beads. He died in 1966. When you use that rosary and the heat, sweat, and oils from your hands interact with those beads, they start to release a very similar odor -- musty rose.

And I just can't say I like it at all.

When I read Scotto's vampire allegory, I was so intrigued that I immediately ordered a decant. I got it yesterday and wore it today for the first time. I was disappointed at first, because it was mustier than I expected (an earthier Antaeus?). But soon a complex array of dark and earthy spices started to emerge, than a lovely rose broke through that added a tremendously romantic beauty to this fragrance. I was hooked.

Like FatboySlim, I'm a huge fan of Acqua di Parma; his comparison of AdP to C&S 88 echo my feelings exactly. I really like the crimson quality of the rose in C&S 88, even moreso because of its dark/light contrast with the lustrous bright red of AdP's Bulgarian rose. The crimson rose peaked most about 3~4 hours in, and at that point it was exactly how I wanted it to be. I don't know if it was due to the weather or just the way the notes evolve, but I'm excited to experiment with it to find out.

How a high-end kitchen and bathroom fixture maker ventures into fragrances and comes up with this stunner is beyond me. As others say, it isn't for everybody. Happily, it is for me and offers an ideal counterpoint to my beloved AdP.

This was the first high-end scent I've splurged on and purchased without trying a decant first. I love rose scents, and complex scents, and figured it was a sure bet. Pretty wild and entertaining reviews.

When it arrived, I first sprayed it on paper, like I do with my decants. I was really disappointed. Too formal, "stiff", heavy, cloying, lots of vetiver (which I'm not a fan of). Like a bad rose air freshener. Unlike the great classic scents I've tried here that are unique, it reminded me of something familiar right off the bat, but I couldn't put my finger on what. Very old, or old-fashioned.

After a few days, I worked up the nerve to try to wear it. Different story on my skin, now I love it.

On my skin, the rose really dominates, and I get all these little complex layers of other scents over time during dry-down that seem to actually evoke feelings or memories. Corny, but true. Little things just hit me throughout the day. It's the most complex scent I've ever worn, and just reeks of quality and workmanship in the wearing, after the first 30 minutes. Lasts a long time, but very close to the skin, on me anyway. Not powdery, more sharp and alive.

I'm a big fan of Acqua di Parma, probably because of the strong Bulgarian Rose scent component. AdP is like the sunny, cocky, sipping-drinks-in-a-white-linen-suit-on-the-back-of-a-yacht-off-Monte-Carlo version of C&S 88. C&S 88 is the dark, brooding twin of AdP. More knight in a castle than loverboy on a yacht. More complex, just as confident, but a darker, stronger, masculine, meditative mood.

Some scents I wear because I want others to pick up on them, others are so personal I wear them just because I like them so much, they "give" me something. C&S 88 and Penhaligon's BB are both in that school, for me. Very different scents, but the same effect on me. Like carrying a secret magic coin or something. Not for everybody, but great. So different, I'm almost surprised so many people like it.

From the moment I got the faintest whiff of this stuff it was as if I was hit by a force of nature, this is no "little boy's" cologne.

The spiciness hits you, but with it a sweet taste of the rose, as if beauty and the beast entranced in glorious dance together. The faint spicy scent of incense burning with a crushed percussion of deep red velvety smoothness trapped on a bed of iron nails, with a coppery tang as if blood. The scent is alive, very very vividly alive.

The crushed blade of something akin to Cinnamon but without the smoothness engulfs the rose teasing it and creating texture enveloping(and evoking!) the senses and drawing your very essence in with it. The sweeter smell of what is like gentle violets trapped near sandalwood emblazoning the signature and leaving it with a gentle aftermath that leaves you wanting, wishing, and waiting for more.. it drives you and torments you but it's a delicious torment one that you can't escape even moments after catching the scent

If it were music it'd be something like Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries or Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture.

.. I may update this after a few more wearings..

A truly fantastic scent. This is one that the ladies really love, as well. However, this scent is VERY situational, it can be quite overbearing if the time isn't right. It needs to be a cold night, preferably, as others have eluded to.

Floral? Yes. Masculine? Almost unisex, IMO. That also does not, in my opinion, take away from it's masculinity at all. I actually do not get much bergamot on my person, it sort of goes straight to the patchouli, rose and sandalwood. Very, very nicely done and extremely complex. It matures as it dries down and is a transmorgrant fragrance. Lasting power is excellent, pretty much all day.

An HAAC (Horde at all costs) scent, for sure, if it's for you. I recommend a decant first.

I like it.

To me the rose of #88 is subtle, and I don't get the earthy, mouldy thing at all. It's not at all in your face, like Hammam Bouquet. (By the way I also like the Hammam Bouquet, it's just very different from #88) I might not even identify the rose in an errant sniff of #88 if I wasn't expecting it. This is a refined gentleman's scent.

My habit is to use one spray. Perhaps a heavier application is more conducive to the vampire vibe. Maybe some dark and stormy night ...

As an Englishman I'm biased towards English fragrance houses. But one has to admit this is a superb fragrance.

I'm not sure why this scent is regarded as expensive. It costs £61 for 100ml when I buy it at the Jermaine st shop, but it's also delivered free if you can't get to there (not sure if that applies to overseas though), Which I don't think is bad at all for such a high quality product.

If you get the chance try C&S Neroli and their Cuba. Both are excellent, and you won't find too many others wearing them (that includes no.88), which is rather nice in a snobbish sort of way!

Northpole

I've worn this enough times now to be able to say I really enjoy it. Each time I wear it, the complexity of the scent triggers more awareness of what is going on with it (if that makes sense). It is very hard for me to quantify exactly what notes I detect, but throughout the day different feelings surface as I catch the varying degrees of the #88 as it evolves. I definitely enjoy taking the moment to contemplate these thougths and reflect on them as I process the scent.

I also look forward to the interested looks I get from other people that get close to me in random situations (elevator, check out line, etc.) as they try to place the scent. Part of the appeal of the #88 to me, aside from the personal enjoyment of the scent, is that it is by no means a main stream product worn by the masses. The uniqueness is a nice bonus.

As always, strictly my $.02 and YMMV.

-Scott-

Took me a couple of wearings to really make peace with this scent. A little goes a long way. 2 spritzes works for me. 4 is way too much. It is a nice scent, in a brooding/melancholy but beautiful way. Dirty, earthy, roses in the morning mist is how I would describe the basenote. In some ways it reminds me of a funeral home or cemetary, and strangely its a good thing. Quiet, respectful, love and loss, wood panelling and subdued lighting, freshly turned earth and flowers at the graveside. Velvet curtains and rustling black silk. I'm not a goth or into death or anything, don't get me wrong. But I can respect a cologne that isn't all happy-happy, joy-joy fluff and sugar like some many of them seem to be now. Being a man is more than that, and this cologne evokes some of those feelings of comfort and quiet courage.
It lasts all day for me, which is what I want in a cologne. I can't support the comparison to Gonesh #8 incence. They do share some similar notes, but they are by no means the same scent. I don't like Gonesh #8, but I do like C&S #88.

Absolutely love it. A Rose fragrance with attitude!
Marks are not a true indication of what I really think, as I currently own a B&B decant, and am unable to comment on the quality of both the atomiser and packaging. This one is definately in my wishlist.

Brian

Needless to say I love this scent. I've been on the quest for a "new" cologne, a "go-to" if you would. This is DEFINITLY it. I also posted in a thread about this, this scent is almost EXACTLY like that found in the "No 8. Perfumes of a spring mist" incense by Gonesh. If you can find this stuff (it's available at my local Spencer's), pick some up and give it a whirl, it's almost identical to the C&S 88. Otherwise I really can't add much more then Scotto's review. This scent is EXTREMELY complex. Depending on your personality you may or may not be able to pull it off, but the incense is a good way to get a good idea of what this scent is all about cheaply.