The trend of cheap soap-ish smellies continues. Most of the new mainstream fragrances don’t even make you feel like sniffing them : Prada Infusion d’Homme, Prada pour Homme, Guerlain Homme, Calvin Klein Man, Hilfiger by Tommy Hilfiger, Emporio Armani Diamonds for Men, Lalique White, Givenchy Play…these watered-down frags all smell alike.I ought to say I very much like Gucci pour Homme (the first version only) that reveals a niche feel of recherché and intense accords and I just love Rush for Men, also by Gucci.
A signature scent for a modern man, Gucci by Gucci pour Homme (one more namesake-like to confuse people) echoes certain elements from the house’s heritage, like the silvery signature of Guccio Gucci, the house’s founder; the Gucci stripe and the horse bit. The ad campaign features American actor James Franco, the embodiment of today’s Gucci man, ‘elegant, cool, modern and contemporary, with a certain nonchalance’ in the words of the house’s designer, Frida Giannini.
Presented as a modernized woody-chypre eau de toilette, Gucci by Gucci pour Homme, created by Frida Giannini in cooperation with Givaudan, is softened with fresh notes like those of calone (an aquatic note), as well as floral ones, like jasmine or violet. Waves of leather, amber and spices warm up the trail. Gucci by Gucci pour Homme starts with that tired-and-true combo of bergamot and cypress, then there’s a sharp shot of violet and some citrus-y elemi (an incense which is not derived from wood that contributes to intensity and longevity of a scent when combined with tobacco leaves). It ends with crystalline musk and amber and if you strain your nostrils, you’ll detect some tobacco. This so-called “modern” chypre is pretty dull (and lame) to me -let’s call it a neutered chypre. The jus is too diluted with alcohol (surely under 5%). It is sweet and “nice” but the fragrance is just as gray as the bottle, the ad campaign, the model’s attitude (who has hypnotized James Franco ?…look at his dead eyes in the ads) and even the name. Buy wind instead, you’ll get real fresh air.
