...I think, "Monsieur de Givenchy" is a very recommendable alternative to Chanel's Pour ! I think it can be regarded as the direct competitor to Chanel's Pour Monsieur. It is a little less citric in the top notes and I feel more at home with it than with Chanel's gents' chypre.Lancôme has its longseller Ô de Lancome as a ladies' fragrance but I think this light green chypre can also be worn by men. However, there is a chypre for gent's from this house: Sagamore. I would call it an oriental chypre, and it is closer to Chanel's flanker Pour Monsieur Concentrée. It is currently discontinued but still easily available.Thank you, WildGardener for bringing Annick Goutal's Eau de Monsieur to my attention. I wasn't aware that they have a chypre.

...Thank you, Cryptic :)

...Sleuth:When I started my fragrance journey some 4 years ago I was familiar with "Antaeus", the good old animalic stinker from Chanel and I also knew "Platinum Égoïste". The Chanel gent's colognes were all big in the nineties but they left me clueless. Neither the Allure nor the Égoïste fragrances appealed to me. I generally found them unbalanced, soapy or with an unpleasant sharpness. Chanels great chypre Pour Monsieur wasn't that popular and did not came into my view.I have to admit Chanel's Égoïste advertisement was brilliant:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JSRXtH3wRk

...Weren't the aromatic fougeres already headed south in the nineties?Let's have a look at the wonderful "Globe" by Rochas. When it came out in 1991 I guess you could call it an aromatic fougere although it is a bit on the leathery side. I did not like it at first. It actually had an unpleasant resinous touch. (I guess I would like it today!) It had too much of a powerhouse fragrance for me.Then, some years later I changed my mind and I bought it. I think it had been reformulated during its lifespan - something that already happened in the nineties here and there. But - in this case the change was an improvement. The fragrance appeared to be more elegant, more modern and easier to wear. Actually, the supposedly reformulated Globe is one of my favorites of that time, and I pity its discontinuation. It is a real gem and leftover stock is still available on the net. My presumably 15 year old Globe is still okay. I also purchased another flacon on stock two or three years ago, and it is also still okay. Only the slightest traces of aging.

..."Mirror, mirror on the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all?"And the mirror answers:"Oh, please, can you just step aside? I can't even see who is all in here!"

...Vetiver would have been my choice :)

...Soft and tender, discrete and fleeting. Annick Goutal's "Mandragore" is hard to define:

...I have never heard about Arm & Hammer. I guess it is available mainly in the US.Personally, I don't care a lot about grooming products. Sometimes in the morning I need some pre-shave before shaving. I find the Speick pre-shave very good. It has a nice smell but it does not stick, and so you can use a cologne afterwards.A few spritzes of Speick Pre-Shave are also perfect to rub away unwanted perfume smell!Then, I use the Speick deodorant for the same reason - it does not cover your perfume.I do not like after shaves than burn on your skin. I don't like after shave balms or any cosmetic face cream. They all feel gluey.

...Great list!I would add the following1984: Armani's "Eau Pour Homme" - very popular for many years1988: "New West" - the alternative to Cool Water as a fresh aquatic 1992: I think "Minotaure" by Paloma Picasso was a top seller as well as a very distinct perfume. The fragrance was (and still is) outstanding with its oriental-powdery twist. It has become a classic cologne by now.1993: "Background" by Jil Sander1994: "Catalyst for Men" was the comeback of Halston's spicy approach to gent's cologne but with a 90ies twist. The flacon design was an innovation. It was inspired by technical glasses as being used in chemistry labs. I remember huge sales of Christmas edition sets in my local perfume store. The EdT had the colour of amber but the after shave was dark green! People loved it. 1997: I would add Boucheron's "Jaïpur Homme (Eau de Toilette)". I think it gained some attention and was a welcome alternative to Boucheron pur Homme.

...Sure.Last year, I found "Noble Vetiver" by Chopard in a shop for a bargain price. But the lady before me bought all 3 flacons that were left!

...LubyLudovica, for my country (Germany) I can say that your brand will get lots of attention if you make it into the lineup of www.ausliebezumduft.de a.k.a. First in Fragrance. They are the most complete online shop for niche perfume in Germany, and they are also well-known to an international audience.Other very recommendable niche perfumeries are- Beauty Affair in Düsseldorf- The Different Scent in Berlin- Essenza Nobile- Heike Ackermann in MainzI do not know the Italian niche market very well, but I have the impression that it may be worth to look for the attention of http://www.olfattomatto.it/ and http://www.extrait.it/There is also a perfume fair next month in Düsseldorf which might be a good place for networking: http://www.global-art-of-perfumery.com/

...The notes of "Lú Uomo" look like it is a classic Italian cologne with lots of citruses. Maybe something for spring and summer?

...Listen how this guy can play the blues!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtYwhPrgTMA

...Traditionally, you are supposed to have just one signature scent but a wardrobe full of shoes. For me, it is the opposite. I buy the same shoe model since many years but I own hundreds of perfumes!Should I call it my signature shoe? :)

...Tar: The house that can not get enough attention in my eyes is Fueguia 1833.I would love to test these. Hope I will have the chance eventually.

...Overhyped are:- Bond No.9Nice fragrances, nice flacons but the price tags aren't nice.- CreedExtremely boring gents' colognes with few exceptions. They discontinued their more interesting perfumes: "Orange Spice", "Vétiver"Maybe you can regard Guerlain as a hype king who deserves to be one. Especially the perfumes created by Jean-Paul Guerlain are top of the top. General rule: never pay more for a perfume than what Guerlain asks for their exclusive lines. You won't get any better!

...I have no idea about different boxes for vintage Kenzo pour Homme, but I agree that it's a pity that the old elaborate glass flacon was replaced by plastic. I still own the glass flacon but not the box. Sorry.

...I think most of all Le Mâle and its follow-ups contain an aromachemical compound that has no direct resemblance with any of the notes that you find in the pyramids. For me, the typical Le Mâle scent reminds me a lot of fuel.It would not be healthy to use gasoline as perfume, but I have read that this was popular in the 1920's. Men put a little bit of petrol on their hankerchiefs so the scent would identfy them as car owners.

...I once read that Obama actually wears the super-smoky "Intricate" by Boadicea but this may as well be a perfume legend.Before he became a politician, the German president Joachim Gauck was a protestant clergyman. If we count in the clichée that Protestantism in general is not very fond of sensual pleasures I guess he'd probably stick to whatever mainstream fragrance he got as a Christmas present. Maybe Terre d'Hermès?

...I guess you can say that I am a collector of bycicles.I have:- a KTM "Trento" trecking bike with a solid steel frame which I bought in 1993. - a so called "fitness bike" by Stevens from 2004- a Pocket Llama by Bike Friday - foldable, 20'' wheels and fully customized, bought in 2007- a Dahon Smoothhound from 2007 (20'' wheels)- a Moulton APB (20'' wheels, non-seperable space frame), bought recently 2nd hand, presumably 20 years old.I would like to have:- a racing bike with a titanium frame by www.nevi.it or www.kocmo.de- a classic Indian bike,- a Pashley Guv'nor - a Pedersen bike- a Moulton New Series Double Pylon, probably the most expensive bike in the world (15800 €). Why buy a car if you can have a bike for the same money?