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Great Classic Fragrances

I am starting to think the very best fragrances are often those that have been selected by time to have deserved to endure. And there would be some logic to that.

Acqua di Parma Colonia is, I have come to realise, the greatest scent in the world. If the world and everything in it smelled of AdP Colonia it would be a truly wonderful place and I am sure there could be no war in such a world. This thought inspired me (semi-seriously) to pick up a bottle of Old Spice aftershave from the local supermarket the other day and, by opening my mind and ignoring the connotations of incontinent decrepitude that I always assumed it to evoke, and the low price, I find it is also an excellent scent which I consider now to be superior to most new and expensive fragrances.

So now I seek help and opinions. What other long-enduring, classic fragrances should we all be reconsidering? What else represents under-appreciated greatness, and what is horridly outdated and unfitting to the modern world? Of course you can disagree with the whole premise too, and I won’t even be offended if you detest AdP Colonia.
As a man who came of age during the 1970s I still use the wonderful Eau Savage. Beautiful memories kept alive😎
 
Czech & Speake Cuba
Not so long ago, toward the beginning of the summer, I guess, I bought a whole bottle of Cuba. For the longest time I hardly every bought whole bottles of anything. After wearing it a lot over the summer and, really, into Fall, I have to agree that it deserves classic status. Complex, manly, evocative of its namesake, although I have never actually been there. One of my favorite scents ever. The only reason it would not be a classic is it is not as well known as some of the scents we have been discussing and some think it has a strong "baby pooh" note. As I have indicated elsewhere, at least some authentic Cuba cigars have that exact same note to my nose. Even if one found that note bothersome, I think it recedes into the complexity of the rest of the scent after a brief period of wearing. At least it seems to for me as the wearer.

John Stephen is said to be the perfumer. A usual perfumer for C&S. He seems to have also done the masterpieces of 88 and O&C, and the underappreciated, to me, Citrus Paradisi.

Luigi Borelli Coton
Actually "Cotton," right? I do not know this house or this scent, which is unusual for me. Looks like it did not come out until 2016 or 2018. Not sure it has been out long enough to qualify as a classic. I forget whether we listed Dior Sauvage. I suppose it did not come out until 2015, so maybe this one is okay, too.
 
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I am starting to think the very best fragrances are often those that have been selected by time to have deserved to endure. And there would be some logic to that.

Acqua di Parma Colonia is, I have come to realise, the greatest scent in the world. If the world and everything in it smelled of AdP Colonia it would be a truly wonderful place and I am sure there could be no war in such a world. This thought inspired me (semi-seriously) to pick up a bottle of Old Spice aftershave from the local supermarket the other day and, by opening my mind and ignoring the connotations of incontinent decrepitude that I always assumed it to evoke, and the low price, I find it is also an excellent scent which I consider now to be superior to most new and expensive fragrances.

So now I seek help and opinions. What other long-enduring, classic fragrances should we all be reconsidering? What else represents under-appreciated greatness, and what is horridly outdated and unfitting to the modern world? Of course you can disagree with the whole premise too, and I won’t even be offended if you detest AdP Colonia.
I can only think of one fragrance in with those properties, and that would be Bay Rum. not my favorite, but it's powerful, distinctive, and been worn by many generations
 
I can only think of one fragrance in with those properties, and that would be Bay Rum. not my favorite, but it's powerful, distinctive, and been worn by many generations
Any suggestions for someone new to fragrance yet likes bay rums?

Also, I came to say my wife recently smelled English Leather and a bottle recently jumped into her Amazon cart.
 
Homme by Carven

Monsieur Balmain

Salvador Dali Pour Homme

YSL Fahrenheit

Paco Rabanne Pour Homme
 
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Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
Floris No 89 is a fave around here, as are the already mentioned Guerlain Vetiver, Caron Pour un Homme, and the Dunhill for Men '1934.' It hasn't been around long enough to qualify as a 'classic,' but St John's Vetiver is a classic scent. I really, really like it.
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
I've used the Dunhill for Men (1934) several times this past week, and the more I use it the more I like it. It doesn't project, and it doesn't last for 10 hours, but it is such a classy scent. It doesn't smell like Penhaligon's Sartorial in that it doesn't share a lot of notes, but it is the same type of scent. Like Sartorial it evokes images of a crisp white shirt, a Repp striped tie, and a perfectly tailored woolen suit. At less than 1/3 the price of Sartorial. (If you like Dunhill for Men and you can afford Sartorial you really need to try it.)

It appears the rumors of DfM's demise are proving true this time. Better get it while you can!
 
I've used the Dunhill for Men (1934) several times this past week, and the more I use it the more I like it. It doesn't project, and it doesn't last for 10 hours, but it is such a classy scent. It doesn't smell like Penhaligon's Sartorial in that it doesn't share a lot of notes, but it is the same type of scent. Like Sartorial it evokes images of a crisp white shirt, a Repp striped tie, and a perfectly tailored woolen suit. At less than 1/3 the price of Sartorial. (If you like Dunhill for Men and you can afford Sartorial you really need to try it.)

It appears the rumors of DfM's demise are proving true this time. Better get it while you can!
I agree. A good, classic "boardroom" scent. Arguably to classic/dated. It has a very interesting carnation note, that I do not smell in many modern scents. I prefer it over Sartorial, although Sartorial is excellent. I find I am not always in the mood for the beeswax note in Sartorial. 1934 has a great evolution across top, middle, and base notes.

A good thread might be what scents we consider boardroom scents and why. What scents would we expect a CEO to wear on a formal or semi-formal occasion?
 
When I looked for some classics I was happy to find again Azzaro and Zino which are both fine for the cooler seasons. I have no clue if they are nowadays dated or not but I still like to wear them.

Knize 10 will always have a special place in my heart as I feel that it is a timeless scent and as I can pick it up in the original store by only a short walk.
Azzaro pour homme and Zino will never go out of fashion, they are classics
 
Another great classic scent - but unfortunately no longer available - Creed Vetiver (1948).
They have Creed Original Vetiver. Don’t know how it compares to the 1948 Vetiver but it is very nice. Kind of a ‘fizzy’ vetiver scent, to my nose. I got some of this recently and I think I favour it over Green Irish Tweed, if that’s not blasphemy.
 
This thread has been a very rich source of exceptional fragrances, and I thank everyone who made suggestions so far. It has given me years worth of possibilities to research and try out, and every time I go to the mall I bring a list of things to try and I will spray a couple on my wrists.

Dior Eau Sauvage is wonderful, and the thread was worth it just for introducing me to this, which several of you highlighted. Also Caron Pour Un Homme is fascinating to me, and Houbigant Fougère Royale also grabbed me. I have bought bottles of these three and am using them often. These are not especially expensive but are distinctive, high quality, and really very nice to wear. And they are not generic cologne types - they are truly interesting and engaging scents.

But I have many, many other recommendations here to try still. I have the thread bookmarked and I re-read it frequently as I learn more about the options mentioned. Thanks, all.
 
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Rudy Vey

Shaving baby skin and turkey necks
They have Creed Original Vetiver. Don’t know how it compares to the 1948 Vetiver but it is very nice. Kind of a ‘fizzy’ vetiver scent, to my nose. I got some of this recently and I think I favour it over Green Irish Tweed, if that’s not blasphemy.
They are not the same.
 
I see that Lauder For Men has been mentioned and IMO that one is an absolute must-try for any man who likes classic fragrances. It's atypical of the 80s and a very unique, complex, mossy scent with a prominent Tagetes (marigold) note. I loved it so much when I first tried it a few weeks ago that I ordered 3 backup bottles! Armani Eau Pour Homme is another 80s fragrance which is not typical of the decade and certainly not dated to my nose! The opening is fantastic with a vivid note of tangerine which is soon joined by a wonderful basil!

I think Chanel Pour Monsieur EDT, Platinum Egoiste and Antaeus are all brilliant and wear them regularly, especially the first which is probably my favourite fragrance of all time! Two other 50s gems are Monsieur de Givenchy and Alt-Innsbruck, tho the latter is more of a long-lasting skin scent projecting half a dozen inches on my skin, but hey, it's an EdC and the quality is amazing for the price.

I've sampled about a dozen Acqua di Parma fragrances so far which were all brilliant and adore the original Colonia, it was the first fragrance I ever bought myself as an adult, also have Colonia Essenza and BM Fico di Amalfi in my collection.

How has no-one mentioned Trumpers yet, or have I missed it? Eucris, both in it's EDT and EDP ultra-mossy form is incredible stuff and so is their Spanish Leather Cologne!

Azzaro Pour Homme is excellent, so are the 2015 intense version and Pour Homme L'Eau. Will also mention a couple of inexpensive 90s gems, Safari For Men by Ralph Lauren and Cerruti 1881 Pour Homme. Dunhill For Men, Edition and the modern and IMO future classic, Icon are all great, too!

Hope this helps!
 
For moderate cost, Guerlain Habit Rouge is classy AF
And has one of the nicest sharp openings of many of the classic fragrances in my collection.

I’d definitely recommend Chanel Pour Monsieur EDT and Monsieur de Givenchy, which can be harder to find. Equally YSL Pour Homme, which has a nice mint note that works very well with the others.

Two from the 80s, which I don’t think I saw mentioned above:

Armani Eau Pour Homme.
Cacharel Pour Homme. Cacharel is a bit of a nutmeg beast when it opens in case you don’t like nutmeg!
 
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