05/24/2020
Drseid
819 Reviews
Drseid
An "Almost Great" From The Great 80s...
*This is a review of original formula vintage Sagamore.
Sagamore opens with significant aromatic lavender, infused with just a touch of light sanitized jasmine before moving to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart, the lavender vacates as a green geranium tinged rose and carnation floral tandem takes the fore with trace hints of the sanitized jasmine remaining in faint support, joined by mossy-green oakmoss rising from the base. During the late dry-down the composition turns decidedly green as the florals vacate, leaving the oakmoss to take claim as the focus through the finish with remnants of the sharp, green geranium to add a balancing additional lighter green touch. Projection is average but longevity excellent at well over 12 hours on skin.
Sagamore (vintage) has built a legion of fans over the years, and when coupled with its mid-80s release a blind buy seemed a relatively low risk endeavor. Now wearing the composition many times over on skin, the assumed low-risk has proved true - Sagamore is a winner. There are a lot of winners from the great 80s (my favorite decade for perfumery), so the *real* question is whether Sagamore stands out from the already strong field of its 80s peers, and that is much less of a "sure thing." The composition does not particularly smell complex or innovative to this writer... It is a well-crafted classically structured green aromatic all the way with a significant floral heart. Indeed the rose and carnation florals found in the composition's heart are probably the best thing about it, with the oakmoss and geranium keeping the "green" motif throughout. Once the florals vacate, the late dry-down smells good, but far from superior to so many others of its time. The bottom line is the $120+ per 50 ml bottle on the aftermarket original formula Sagamore impresses, but the "very good" 3.5 stars out of 5 rated composition doesn't really distinguish itself from its generally excellent peer group except in its higher cost, yielding a somewhat hesitant but positive recommendation to vintage 80s perfume lovers.
Sagamore opens with significant aromatic lavender, infused with just a touch of light sanitized jasmine before moving to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart, the lavender vacates as a green geranium tinged rose and carnation floral tandem takes the fore with trace hints of the sanitized jasmine remaining in faint support, joined by mossy-green oakmoss rising from the base. During the late dry-down the composition turns decidedly green as the florals vacate, leaving the oakmoss to take claim as the focus through the finish with remnants of the sharp, green geranium to add a balancing additional lighter green touch. Projection is average but longevity excellent at well over 12 hours on skin.
Sagamore (vintage) has built a legion of fans over the years, and when coupled with its mid-80s release a blind buy seemed a relatively low risk endeavor. Now wearing the composition many times over on skin, the assumed low-risk has proved true - Sagamore is a winner. There are a lot of winners from the great 80s (my favorite decade for perfumery), so the *real* question is whether Sagamore stands out from the already strong field of its 80s peers, and that is much less of a "sure thing." The composition does not particularly smell complex or innovative to this writer... It is a well-crafted classically structured green aromatic all the way with a significant floral heart. Indeed the rose and carnation florals found in the composition's heart are probably the best thing about it, with the oakmoss and geranium keeping the "green" motif throughout. Once the florals vacate, the late dry-down smells good, but far from superior to so many others of its time. The bottom line is the $120+ per 50 ml bottle on the aftermarket original formula Sagamore impresses, but the "very good" 3.5 stars out of 5 rated composition doesn't really distinguish itself from its generally excellent peer group except in its higher cost, yielding a somewhat hesitant but positive recommendation to vintage 80s perfume lovers.