Lagerfeld Classic

I love the smell. If you want a truly manly scent, this is it. It doesn't mess around even for a second. This is a masculine scent that just whacks people in the face when they first smell it. Its maybe a bit dated, maybe a bit overbearing, but its still great!

The smell of my youth for better or worse!

How could you go wrong with this stuff?

Doesn't come with an atomiser so I decanted some into another bottle with an atomiser. I agree that you need to be careful with this. Apply too much and you'll not like it. Resolve to apply far too little the first time you wear it, and then ramp up the dosage as desired on subsequent applications.

A bit unidimensional, but good none the less.

Lagerfeld Classic. It seems people have a love/hate relationship with this cologne. Among todays fragrances, it stands out as truly unique. A whole different take on what a cologne should smell like. A throwback if you like - but is that bad? I tend to like throwbacks. To me, the colognes of yesteryear, or yestercentury had it going on! Kind of fits with my personality which values traditional ways of doing things, like shaving. Maybe some of you share that appreciation.

Perhaps I got an unbelievably good deal, but I picked up a mammoth 8 oz. bottle of Lagerfeld Classic for right around $20 at Marshall's. I have seen it at more upscale retailers, but haven't priced it there, so I can't say how this price compares. It is a splash type bottle, which is a shame, since an atomizer is more convenient, but at that price, I can't complain. The bottle is relatively uninspired, but not embarrasing to leave on the counter.

On to the scent! I'm almost at a loss as to how to describe it. It is potent enought to practically knock your socks off when you first put it on, and it has tremendous staying power. A word to the wise - a little bit goes a long way. Actually, I think this may explain the love/hate thing. Overapplied, it is cloyingly sweet and heavy, has sillage like you wouldn't believe and just won't wear off during the day. Easy to hate in those circumstances. Without due restraint, you could easily become known as "cologne wearing guy" at work. Or 70's guy, complete with shirt unbuttoned to the navel, chest hair, gold chains, afro, sideburns and clouds of noxious cologne odor elsewhere. Luckily, with judicious application you can avoid all those negative associations. The scent itself has notes of Bergamot, verbena, basil, sandalwood, oakmoss, patchouli, sage, opoponax, grey amber, and musk. It comes across as quite powdery, but with some almost tobacco like sweetness and leather notes.

It is not too complex. After the initial drydown, the scent is pretty stable. It does have enough notes to be interesting, but not to the extent that you are constantly discovering new nuances.

As previously mentioned, the staying power is phenomenal. One application will see you through the whole day. So when you take into account that a small amount is all you need, and it lasts you the whole day, you can see that the $20 I spent on the 8 oz. jug is super economical.

Overall, I wouldn't say this is a top shelf cologne, but it is a good cologne. In today's market it is unique. Its been around long enough that many people have fond associations with it. It does seem to have some appeal to the feminine set. It seems better suited to "mature" men in my opinion.