Van Cleef & Arpels pour Homme (for men)

setlamai

After cruising along the webside i saw this perfume passing by i remebered having a bottle in the past somewhere . I looked and i still had it , allthough it is probably 15 years old a gave it a try again .
I do have to say ... not bad , not bad at all , only not for me . I think it is a winter time perfume for romantic people . A lot of flowers present in a very strong perfume .

andyray

I first encountered this classic and mysterious, dark fragrance in the late 70s and was instantly fascinated by it. Indeed, as a teenager, my world of olfactory possibilties was overturned in a moment by the complexity of this scent as it was utterly different to the other fragrances I had discovered (post-Brut!) inculding: Aramis, Eau Sauvage and YSL pour Homme.

I adored the long-lasting, deep-down leather/smokey/tar-like chords that
characterise this seminal fragrance and that subsequently set a new paradigm as the 1980s unfolded. Although I found it too powerful and a bit 'heady' for daytime wear, it nonetheless became a 'go to' fragrance for me over many years.

Revisiting Van Cleef and Arpels Pour Homme a couple of decades later is interesting, as still manages to captivate the senses. However, the recent EDT I purchased seemed more like an eau de cologne than EDT and lacked the quintessential heavyweight chypre/leather punch and longevity that I've associated with the fragrance.

Indeed, I found a 25 year old tester in my collection and, despite its age, seemed far more luxurious and opulent compared to the recent EDT. Is it possible that the recipe has been attenuated in strength over the years by Van Cleef and Arpels, I wonder?

Nevertheless, despite my reservation, this fragrance is a geniune Classic alongside, for example, the wonderful Grey Flannel by Geoffrey Beene and Ralph Lauren's Polo from the 70s.

It will be interesting to see if this fragrance group has a renaissance of sorts, as I have been struck by the recent forays into this genre by Tom Ford and his stunning Tuscan Leather and Moss Breches from his Private Collection. Andyray

alpasha66

i used it in the beginning of 1980`s, it was great, to a young man it was a dream come true; only holding it made eyes look it you. to me its more like a Spring time perfume.