Krmarich

This rich leather chypre had been part of my coming of age in high school. The "cowboy" thing was going around. I was not a cowboy, yet I knew what a brilliant chypre this was for about $5 a bottle! I still have my original splash cologne and not a note has gone off.

It opens casually and leads into some dirty flowers-lavender, jasmine and a touch of rose. Then a soft, warm leather sits amid sandalwood, oakmoss, patcholi and vetiver. Its very comfortable and self assuring.

It was from an age of innocence for Ralph Lauren. The company had just started out and this affordable launch was common in its time. Ironically, its affordability did affect the quality. I see bottles going for around $100 or more on e-bay now.

I have detected Oscar here and there in my lifetime on various ladies. I found a vintage splash bottle dated 1977 this fall and have no problem wearing it as a man. I snatched it up, needing to experience the original masterwork. The bottle is iconic!

This is really a floriental that has been around since L'Heuer Bleue. Indeed Oscar loved it so much he launched this loving update into a commercial success that would appeal to American as well as European fans. Gone is the emotional heaviness of LB. It gets replaced with glamour.

Rich resin surround a redolent tropical bouquet of tuberose, jasmine, rose, gardenia and exotic orchids. It sits on a luscious bed of creamy amber, sandalwood, coconut, myrrh that if I am not careful, I may take a sip. Its anything but gourmand. Elegant, graceful and just plain wonderful.

It is retro, yet stylish as ever! Oscar is a very formal affair and if it has been a part of your life, you are very priveledged.

In 1977 YSL launched Opium. This bottle is the exact same formula as the original with the EDP strength. I was lucky enough to find Legendes de Chine in 2009 after it was discontinued.

I think Opium is the most famous and notorious creations ever to hit the market. It paved the way for the powerhouse and made YSL the mightiest perfume house of all time. There was no in between for Opium. You either loved it or hated it. It was promoted as sexy. I use about 3 drops every year and they fill the room and beyond. Otherwise, just uncapping it is enough.

Looking at the composition, I would say it has over 70 notes. Nothing before or since then can boast that feat. Most of the notes are so well blended that they cannot be defined. Two noses were used. This is so brilliant that it smells differently on everyone-men included. It start off nearly brutal and over the course of the day, becomes soft and cozy like a big down comforter. It takes you everywhere between, on its long journey.

Its spicy, fuity, warming, floral, arousing, creamy, mindboggling, woody and a bit feral. Its never boring or predictable. One can detect lots of jasmine, some lily of the valley amid lot of creamy spice. Its a fantasy made real. Wearing some lets you indulge in that fantasy.

It is a seductress in black fishnets, leather suits, spiked heels, satin gloves, waxy red lipstick and a vieled turban. Is it a man or woman? Does it matter at this point? It can last for days. It developes into something different on day two. Only the brave need apply...

It was produced in small batches with very high pricetags. It was always hard to find since its lauch. This caused perfume counter rushes around the world. That is where it wasnt banned-Asian countries had banned it, fearing addiction. Once you smell it, you never forget it.

It was larger than life for nearly 28 years. Then without warning it was yanked from the market forever. L'Oreal Paris realunched a G rated version that isnt so desired. Now more than ever, vintage bottles go for already astronomical prices on e-bay. I carefully guard my bottle. This is one will go down in history. I am sure within 10 years the originals will go for thousands of dollars.

My mother noticed I was enjoying fragrance, so she took me too the mall and introduced me to YSL Pour Homme. It was a hot sunny summer day and this fit perfectly. I had the later version produced in the early 80s, about the time Kouros was launched. I was unaware it was deeper and richer in the 1970s.

I will include all 3 bottles I had in my life. My first one was in with a red cap and was splash. I used to love the refreshing lemon burst and really felt that it worked to cool me down in the heat. There was something about the YSL logo and its celebrity character. This was circa 1981.

In 2003 I found a big spray bottle that most of the notes in tact with the vetiver turned way up. It was still very recognizable yet I detected little oakmoss and sandalwood.

This fall, I chanced upon a vintage dark amber clear bottle with a red collar, and a black cap. This had to be the long forgotten original formula. I won it for under $20 with shipping. I uncapped it and discovered it was a totally different beast, beyond anything I had ever encountered before. This was very much a citrus chypre, however the darkest one I have ever smelled. Its juce is thick and resinous on my skin. The composition is so tightly blended that you cannot pick out a single note beyond the citrus. It lasts a good 18 hours. Its sexy, refined and complex. I would have never referred to the other YSLPH with that decription. This is truely on the top shelp of my collection.

I first encountered Grey Flannel in 1978. It became a trusted companion for the rest of my life. This is the scent I turn to when I feel down and out. It is like that old ragged teddy bear that you just cannot throw away.

I spent a few years tracking down a vintage bottle of the original cologne, as the current EA Fragrance version is too heavy handed. The bottle had a faded label. Its unassuming apothecary bottle is as iconic as a bottle of Old Spice. It was under $10 including shipping. It contains a priceless array of florals and herbs that are no longer in the new version.

The opening is galbanum and citric accords that give way to the chypre accords( oakmoss, vetiver and patcholi) that move in right away and stay for the duration. Then a bouquet of florals gently peek through, like patches of blue sky though a sping storm. They have a crushed wet quality like you have just stepped on them in the rain. Neroli(my favorite note), violet, iris, clary sage, geranium, rose and narcissus are all discreetly there. The drydown is held up by tonka, labdanum and cedar. This is another 24 hour composition. Its unimaginable that a mens floral had become a hit! Much less that it is produced by an American designer. Its refined, masculine and distinct. It smells the same on every man.

All of the notes are real in this vintage have a strength no longer seen in the EA version or anything I know of on the market. This came on the market before the powerhouse. It still can fill a room, yet its real strength is its time elapsed chypre character. Patience is required to fully enjoy it. It like having a crush when you are young, as it gives you courage to carry on. This is perfect on rainy spring days when you have little on your mind.

The current version lacks the chypre notes of course, yet has the violet turned way up. It has the loudness of an EDT. I think the narcissus is a bit loud too. Other than that, its still distinctly Grey Flannel. I cannot wear it on my skin, yet it does make a great wardrobe spray. I think the current version is more Purple Satin by comparison.