Monogram Ralph Lauren for men

Once upon a time-1985, I had a bottle of Monagram. This was back in the day when Ralph Lauren had clout and was more respected. After Polo and Chaps was everywhere at the time, this was a cleaner alternative. It never caught on, unfortunately. It was better than most things on the market at the time. That makes it lightyears ahead of anything today.

I loved the blue bottle(its fine ribs felt great in my hand) and its contents were exceptional. It was dry, sharp and very tidy with lots of notes playing off each other( I think the tree above is off). I remember it as more a "woody chypre" than anything. Indeed, there were florals and those fantastic chypre accords-vetiver, patcholi and oakmoss. The nose is not listed. A shame.

If it wasnt so pricey now, I would get another bottle. My original was around $15. Paradise lost, indeed!

This is musky, though not super musky. It's certainly got some sweetness but it's not overboard, and it's a little syrupy. It's rather blended, but I'd say there is an animalic/leather aspect, along with patchouli and oakmoss. Florals are also present, and they are heavy/damp, but again, difficult to detect as individual notes (I'd guess powdery iris/orris root, rose, and jasmine,). There seems to be some spice but it's not dry/herbal at all. Not too far from vintage Chaps, though this one is not as leathery and instead is more floral. There is no obvious lavender and this has no fougere element to it. There is a vague note supplying a little "structure" to it, but I can't identify it, though it's not vetiver or a "hard" wood. One thing noteworthy about this fragrance is that is possesses a kind of "cool" quality that prevents it from feeling too heavy and dense; I wish I knew what is was! This is as good as any niche, if this is what you're seeking.