what fragrance would this character use

[Cohiba]

Frumpy old male poli sci professor .....

How about;

Pi

Lapidus

TSAR

Jaipur

 

[pbfde]

Hi Im the op. Im trying out Tabac AS first, as Im curious and its inexpensive. Tabac is avail as AS and cologne. Im trying the AS first. My next purchase I think will be GFT Spanish Leather. Its much less expensive than K Ten . If figure even if Im not satisfied with ONLY Tabac and Spanish Leather Id still like them in rotation. I went to 2 Macys, a Nordstroms and a Sears and they dont have any of the scents discussed in this thread. Salesperson at Nordstroms told me they only have new stuff though they can order others. He said old stuff doesnt sell so they dont stock it.

 

[pbfde]

Lapidus has very bad reviews re reformulation, that it doesnt last.

Pi by Givenchy has numerous reviews that its a sensual, sexy scent, not what I want. (Maybe Pi is similar to another Givenchy scent I also find inappropriately sensual, Xeryus, not at all professorial.)

Jaipur.... too many reviews say its sensually intoxicating, black tie, romantic scent.

Bois 1920... extremely expensive, $320 discounted.

 

[jasonb8736]

Frumpy old male poli sci professor .....

How about;

Pi

Lapidus

TSAR

Jaipur

Tsar is an excellent suggestion. I've worn it on and off since around 1990. I still have half a bottle left and really dig the scent.

 

[Cohiba]

I am remiss and stand chastised and rebuked!!! Joking, Joking!!!

Alright.....let's do an 180* turn.

These are easily available...

 

[Cohiba]

Here are three that I wear in the office. To me, they're not that strong, I get compliments and they're business smart(to me).


DG Intenso

Dior Sauvage.....Dior's newest.

YSL L'Homme Libre

Good Luck on your quest!!!

 

[pbfde]

I didnt rule out Tsar. Also the bad reviews of the reformulation of Lapidus could be wrong, its hard to know because the reviews are mixed. But so far Knize Ten and GFT Spanish Leather are more obviously clear choices for me. I also want to try Quorum and I might buy Paco Rabanne, I tried it recently. Maybe too strong but i like it but i suspect it wasnt current reformulation. Tsar Im guessing is similar to Quarum.

 

[Vintage Modern]

I didnt rule out Tsar. Also the bad reviews of the reformulation of Lapidus could be wrong, its hard to know because the reviews are mixed. But so far Knize Ten and GFT Spanish Leather are more obviously clear choices for me. I also want to try Quorum and I might buy Paco Rabanne, I tried it recently. Maybe too strong but i like it but i suspect it wasnt current reformulation. Tsar Im guessing is similar to Quarum.

I recently blind-bought Tsar from a discount rack and sprayed it on... Felt like a philosophy professor. Which, I must say, worked for me.

 

[pbfde]

Reviews of Dior Sauvage are such i can rule it out. Mediocre, commercial, one third of reviewers dislike it.

Dior Eau Sauvage... poor longevity (its a citrus, reformulated)

Reviews of DG Intenso are even worse. One says its like a little kid banging on piano, the scents dont blend together. More dislikes than any review Ive read yet.

L'Homme Libre... its an aquatic version of a diff scent. Im not looking for aquatic.

Canoe.... very bad reviews of its cheap reformulation, like a rancid version of Clubman.

Tom Ford for Men... too many reviews of poor longevity

Helmet Lang Cuiron... too many bad reviews about reformulation

Dior Jules ...Unavailable for sale, unfortunate because its my perfumer who also created Paco Rabanne Por Homme (which is avail as reform.)

Ruling the following out... reformulated, some bad reviews... Tsar, Grey Flannel, Aramis Tuscany (Id rather pay more and get an originally designed fragrance not cheapened.)

 

[pbfde]

Heres my current pared down list of recommended scents to try:

Knize Ten
GFT Spanish Leather

#Creed Green Irish Tweed
Burberry London
Habit Rouge

Tom Ford Grey Vetivier

DR Harris Windsor


* =inexpensive
#=expensive

 

[docjude]

Chanel Egoiste
Knize Ten
Aramis Tuscany

Note: if he's a pipe smoker, you don't really need to worry about a Tobacco Frag scent, do you? His clothes, esp jackets, will carry the smoke.

 

[fiftyforfifty]

Money is not an issue when you have it

Gucci Made to Measure
Chanel coco Noir
Ralph lauren eau de toilette

 

[jasonb8736]

Reviews of Dior Sauvage are such i can rule it out. Mediocre, commercial, one third of reviewers dislike it.

Dior Eau Sauvage... poor longevity (its a citrus, reformulated)

Reviews of DG Intenso are even worse. One says its like a little kid banging on piano, the scents dont blend together. More dislikes than any review Ive read yet.

L'Homme Libre... its an aquatic version of a diff scent. Im not looking for aquatic.

Canoe.... very bad reviews of its cheap reformulation, like a rancid version of Clubman.

Tom Ford for Men... too many reviews of poor longevity

Helmet Lang Cuiron... too many bad reviews about reformulation

Dior Jules ...Unavailable for sale, unfortunate because its my perfumer who also created Paco Rabanne Por Homme (which is avail as reform.)

Ruling the following out... reformulated, some bad reviews... Tsar, Grey Flannel, Aramis Tuscany (Id rather pay more and get an originally designed fragrance not cheapened.)

I would caution against relying completely on online reviews and accusations of poor reformulations. I've picked up some fragrances that took a beating by various forum members from various forums. I've also picked up "re-formulated" fragrances that were similarly disparaged only to find out I liked them (Aramis Havana comes to mind).

Order some samples or pick up some samples at your local stores (Sephora, Nordstrom, etc) and shave shops. You may find that your opinion differs from an occasional online mob mentality.

 

[pbfde]

I went to my local Nordstroms. Salesman said they mostly only sell newly released products, that the old classics usually dont sell well so they dont stock them but can order them ( but I havent tried them.) Decant sellers seem to charge a premium which I read some people dont want to pay, and the result may be you get 5ml of a product that is no longer available in that version. I havent tried to req samples from manufacturers or distributers yet. Knize Ten I think comes from Germany.... Requesting samples by mail by individual manufacturers/distributors of inexpensive reformulations with some bad reviews doesnt seem so efficient. (Might better to look around occasionally in discount stores and see if they pop up there and can be tested.) So Im leaning towards long term products with a plethora of good reviews that are not reformulations. That way it is hard to go wrong. If theres 10 reviews on basenotes or fragranca lamenting the reformulation, complaining it now smells cheap, synthetic, lacks in longevity, I think theres some truth there. For example it seems the current Canoe product is very far removed from the vintage scent. From what Ive read its very unlikely anyone discerning who wants a special scent would be happy with it. I did try this very briefy in a Sears store and had no interest. Some reformulations of product may be unavoidable ie restrictions on oakmoss but from what Ive read so far with numerous old classic products, the reformulations are significantly inferior and have to do with cost cutting, like with Canoe. Im looking for the survivors or most classic successors that have good ingredients.

 

[pbfde]

Im the op. I dont smoke. I would but have been exposed to the medical side of it too much like many of us. So I like the smell of cigars and pipes but dont use them. I can think of tobacco stores and people Ive spent time with, and recall the scents. My affinity of the scents is a carryover.

 

[dpm802]

I went to my local Nordstroms. Salesman said they only sell newly released products, that the old classics usually dont sell well so they dont stock them but can order them ( but I havent tried them.)

That seems like an odd business model. The reason that the old classics get to be classics is that the DO SELL, year after year. Maybe the reason that they only sell new releases is that there is a higher Gross Profit Margin available on these brands, or there is some other kind of incentive(s) from the newer companies to put their products in the limelight.

I'm very disappointed in our local Nordstroms. The shaving gear they carry is very sparse. Jack Black, Billy Jealousy, Anthony Logistics and Kiehls ... all brands I have no interest in. And none of the products have a cost on them. When I inquire about how much an item costs, it has a ridiculous price on it.

One time, I inquired about T&H products there. Nordstroms used to have them at a store in another city, but that was about 20 years ago. The salesman asked me "Never heard of them, are they new?" I said "Yeah, they're pretty new. Only been around since 1805."

He tried to look them up in his computer but he had a great deal of trouble spelling the name. Even when I spelled it out for him, he couldn't quite get it. And when I told him that there's an Ampersand in the middle between the two names, he spelled out A-M-P-E-R-S-A-N-D ... he had no idea what that squiggly thing was above the 7-key on his computer.

At that point, I thanked him for his time and gave up trying. I've never let another Nordstroms rep talk to me ever since.

 

[jpipes3]

I will echo what jason said above - you're doing yourself a serious disservice if you form an opinion on a fragrance based on online reviews without actually smelling it.

I'm no expert, but I have been heavy into fragrances over the past few years; constantly sampling all kinds of stuff. I've found a bunch frags that I was absolutely sure I would love based on reviews, only to be extremely disappointed once I actually smelled it. The same goes for the opposite of that as well.

 

[dpm802]

I'm very disappointed in our local Nordstroms. The shaving gear they carry is very sparse. Jack Black, Billy Jealousy, Anthony Logistics and Kiehls ... all brands I have no interest in. And none of the products have a cost on them. When I inquire about how much an item costs, it has a ridiculous price on it.

Another thing that disappoints me at our local Nordstroms ... they have a shoe-shine stand in the shoe department. Yeah, the old-fashioned kind where you sit on a high chair and a guy takes to one knee and rubs polish and buffs it up with a cloth. Only $2 for a shine.

At least, that's the theory. I've been wanting to get a shoe-shine there every time I go to the mall for the last 5 years ... but there is never anybody manning the booth. NEVER. They sometimes have a sign up that states the hours the booth is open, but even though its within the time frame, there is never anyone there. I've tried sitting in the chair and hoping that someone will come over and get to work, but no, nothing. I've waited as long as 20 minutes for someone to appear, but nobody ever does. You'd think that maybe one of the salespeople would walk over and at least inquire ... but nothing ever happens.

I really want to get my shoes shined, and having them done while I'm shopping will be convenient. The last time I dropped off a pair to be shined by a cobbler, it came to around $8 and I had to wait about a week for them. So $2 on the run would be great, but not if there isn't anyone there to perform the task. Going on 5 years now, and I've never seen anybody working in that booth.

 

[pbfde]

I havent found a place to try the fragrances recommended above. I was in Ross yesterday, and TJ Max last week. All the colognes were on security plastic boxes. Macys (2), Sears, Nordstroms dont have them. So if Im looking at an Amazon blind purchase of for example, Aramis Tuscany or Tsar, Im going to read online reviews and be adversely affected by ones saying its a reformulation and not so good. With most of the discounted reformulations, these arent likely to be found in local stores and if found, its not likely the store will have testers. So id have to buy blind. If someone has advice on how or where to try fragrances that such as these, let me know. If youve accumulated recant samples, they may not be latest reformulated versions so recommending them for purchase my not be realistic. The people buying these inexpensive reforms for maybe $15 to $25 may be buying them blind. If so, reviews matter as its the only info available.

 

[jasonb8736]

I havent found a place to try the fragrances recommended above. I was in Ross yesterday, and TJ Max last week. All the colognes were on security plastic boxes. Macys (2), Sears, Nordstroms dont have them. So if Im looking at an Amazon blind purchase of for example, Aramis Tuscany or Tsar, Im going to read online reviews and be adversely affected by ones saying its a reformulation and not so good. With most of the discounted reformulations, these arent likely to be found in local stores and if found, its not likely the store will have testers. So id have to buy blind. If someone has advice on how or where to try fragrances that such as these, let me know. If youve accumulated recant samples, they may not be latest reformulated versions so recommending them for purchase my not be realistic. The people buying these inexpensive reforms for maybe $15 to $25 may be buying them blind. If so, reviews matter as its the only info available.

Do you have any "Outlet Malls" in your area? These style shopping centers usually have fragrance stores and generally they carry a large inventory of fragrances that fly below the Tom Ford/Creed/high end niche line.

Professor (sounds better than pbfde )...If you like, I'll send you a sample of Tsar and Aramis Tuscany. I just need to track down some sample spray bottles. I may have sent them all away already but I will be able to dig up some more in a bit.