Gold Man

I remember the first time I tried Gold Man, many years ago, which was during my first foray into Amouage's lineup at the time. I got a sample and remembered thinking that, one, I certainly wasn't expecting this perfume, and two, for a minute, I almost wondered if I got a sample of Gold Woman instead of Gold Man. Unfortunately, at the time I first smelled Gold Man it had already undergone a big reformulation that effectively sent the aldehydes to stratospheric levels, shrank the oakmoss into dried wisps, and made the florals less naturalistic, all of which I was able to confirm when a friend who I identified as having a vintage bottle kindly let me try his for a little while. Gold Man is powerfully floral and powdery. Anyone who thinks this is a straightforward 80s masculine couldn't be more wrong in the sense that it is certainly not a straightforward French or American masculine. Instead, expect the Arabian idea of an 80s masculine of an opulent and grand style. Well, I guess I shouldn't strictly say that. It is old school and definitely more Arabian than Western, without a doubt, but while it retains that old school vibe it has certainly been reformulated to better suit more of today's global market. Lily of the valley, rose, frankincense, myrrh, orris, jasmine, ambergris, civet, musk, cedar, sandalwood, patchouli, and oakmoss - or at least this was the pyramid when it was first formulated in 1983. In this current formulation, particularly in the first couple of hours of application, it is a powdery floral bomb. Aldehydes abound, and they are massive and room filling. That said though, for being quite loud and packed with notes that could easily be cloying it is not cloying, and despite the volume it still rings crystal clear. The florals of muguet, jasmine, and rose - especially in conjunction with the other notes - call to mind the classics of yesteryear, particularly Arpege. The more resinous and animalic notes are notably absent for quite some time, until the dry down in which those funky and animalic notes approach you at conversational volume rather than symphonic blasts like the florals and aldehydes. The performance of this perfume is amazing as it's always been, and it still has the golden light-filled airiness, breathability, and clarity that never seem to succumb to the gravitas of the perfume itself. The reformulation has knocked it a bit out of balance, but, now as it was even then when it was first released, for a Western wearer it is going to take a very confident man - a man very secure in his masculinity - to pull it off. Most won't. But that says something more confrontational about us Western men than it does about the perfume. I love it. It's a legend for a reason.

Before I start, full disclosure: I live and breathe for vintage animalics, chypres and orientals. The dirtier the better. I know my civet and musks. I own a fair share of vintage powerhouses and I ain’t afraid to stink a whole block. Shoot me. Gold, while beautiful, ain’t the beast it’s made to be. At least not today. But with that said, it’s a beautifully potent throwback to perfumes of yore. I can only imagine its beauty back in the 80’s if it smells this good today. In a nutshell, take Joy and Diorissimo, add a layer of smoky resins, and you have Gold Man. The opening is a powdery/baby oil softness that feels clean but at the same time dirty. This isn’t clean white musks; think along the lines of MKK, even Kiehl’s, but lighter. What follows is a beautiful, pre IFRA lily of the valley. Like when Lyral and Lillial were used. Its fresh, dewy, dangerous. Realistic. This is joined by a rich jasmine. Authentic jasmine. Jean Patou Joy jasmine (one of the very best ever). The heart is floral, yes. Heavy and heady, but at the same time it feels very authentic. I wouldn’t say natural, as synthetics were always used, but it has the same quality of early 19th century extraits. Gorgeous! The base that follows is slightly woody, slightly mossy, with a hint of frankincense and resins and myrrh. It doesn’t overpower. It casts a veil of smokiness like the finest orientals. Everything feels and smells top notch, naturally beautiful. The kind of artistry that was available even in drugstore perfumes back in the 50’s, the 60’s, the 70’s... One thing Gold isn’t, is skanky. I’m sure it was, once upon a time. But today, and after owning and adoring the skankiest animalics of the past in vintage formulations with natural animalics in many cases, I find this aspect very subdued. Yes, there is a shade of animal, but it purrs. It’s gentle. The jasmine is far more indolic than the musk and civettone. The lily of the valley feels more sharp. While I’d guess it’s a good reformulation, I’d classify it as a floral with shades of skank. And in that regard, it’s gorgeous! Elegant. Even regal at times. A gentle giant! And there are times it feels just right! 8/10 Based on a 2018 batch.

The opening of Gold Man is a feverish delirium of aldehydes and rose. But not a delicate garden rose... It's a hyperbolic, gigantic rose, bathed in Omani incense and a lily-of-the-valley that shines with a dazzling, almost blinding light. Many recoil in horror, clamoring in their worldly anxieties that the beginning smells of "old luxury soap," "an old countess's rice powder," or "a feminine profusion from the last century." They don't understand the shock of absolute beauty. It's a clean opening, yes, but with a cleanliness so intense and sharp that it becomes aggressive, like the purity of a saint exposing the misery of our sins. In Gold Man there is the scent of an abandoned palace, where the cold marble still holds the echo of parties and the memory of a defunct aristocracy. But the true psychological abyss, the knot that keeps me awake at night, lies in the heart and base of this fragrance. As the aldehyde glow dissipates, the creature reveals its true and disturbing nature: its animal side. Musk, civet, and ambergris emerge from the depths. And here lies the soul-wrenching paradox: how can something be so clean and, at the same time, so dirty? So celestial and so carnal? While some smell the aroma of royalty, liquid gold, and absolutist power, others, overcome by disgust and fear, smell urine, sweaty skin under expensive furs, a caged animal in a velvet room. And finally, an almost mystical terror arrives: the projection is a force of nature, an "eternal" longevity that refuses to abandon the flesh even after a bath. It is the elixir of a potency bordering on insanity, even though the most modern formulas have been contained by the sobriety of our cowardly century. One does not use Gold Man to flaunt material wealth. This perfume is used when one wishes to experience the tragedy of excess. It is the perfume of a man who, knowing himself to be a sinner and mortal, decides to dress in the clothes of a god to defy his own destiny. It is opulent, it is baroque, it is frighteningly golden. A masterpiece that asks no permission; it simply is what it is without apologizing...

Gold Man from Amouage. This is my second favorite perfume from the house, only behind Interlude Woman. And while the latter is a conundrum of a scent that hints at the aesthetic of houses like Serge Lutens and Slumberhouse, Gold Man draws inspiration from vintage French perfumery (think Arpege), therefore not as unique, but adds in bold Middle Eastern elements such as Frankincense, heavy musks (mostly civet), ambergris, and woods. It feels and wears like a Roja perfume. It has that degree of sophistication and refinement that I have only encountered in fragrances such as Diaghilev and "M." Gold displays a prominent lily of the valley accord that is the center of the floral bouquet, supported by jasmine, rose, and ylan-ylang. The aldehydes are not very noticeable with the older bottles, apart from the opening, and I find these to smell richer, more natural, and heavier on the floral materials. The more recent bottles smell rather synthetic and very aldehydic/soapy and powdery, making it difficult to identify any particular floral accords. I assume the Lilial ban further destroyed this creation after the oakmoss ban did its part, and of course, the market demands over the more recent years. Even so, I do like the current version of Gold; it is different but beautiful in its own right. Although inspired by the French perfumery aesthetic, it feels and wears like an Oriental. The frankincense accord is prevalent and, for whatever reason, feels cold to me, imbuing a slight auster sensation. There are woods and oakmoss to ground the florals, and yes, there is a rather strong note of civet, yet nothing too crazy. It might scare off the average parfumista, but it's nothing like what you'd find in several vintage perfumes like Bandit, Femme, or modern spins like MAAI, or even Diaghilev. It's cleverly placed to add warmth and allure, next to the ambergris. A bold floral perfume that can be easily worn by men and women alike, although one has to love and appreciate florals and big, baroque vintage perfumes to warm up to this. IG:@memory.of.scnets

Almost one year after the release of Crystal and Gold - which will be known as Gold Woman - Guy Robert composed Crystal and Gold for Man, aka Gold Man. It was 1983 and thr Sulatanate of Oman decided to show how beautiful certain autoctonous oils were: frankincese, rose, and myrrh. They hired Guy Robert to impart a classical French style to the perfumes. Now, the interesting aspect is that the two scents possess essentially the same olfactory notes, playing with their ratio creating two different olfactory experience. This is classical french perfumery that resemble the '60 and the '70 with a decidely prominent floral bouquet and tons of aldehydes in the opening. They both verge to the slightly soapy perfumes, but not excessively like in Dia woman for instance. In my opinion, three are the key ingredients of Gold Man and because of the severe restrictions and bans imposed on them by IFRA after 2012, successive uterations of this scent would not be like the "original". 1) muguet (lily-of-the-valley): so dominant in the entire composition with its fresh cut stem facets, a slight baby-breath odour, and its green-powdery animalic nuances. 2) civet: it surrounds the florals here, it keeps them tight, slightly urinous and beautiful 3) evernia prunastri (oakmoss): because Gold is in essence a cyphre and oakmoss serves as the base for an interesting woody backbone. You may also add the rose which is very synthetic in current version and in general the whole flower bouquet has changed. Less vivid, less true to life. How would I surmize the experience of wearing Gold Man? Humongously animalic and richluy floral with exactly the right amount of powderiness to make the wearer distinguishable. Classical frankincense signature and rose galore. And the bitterness of the myrrh.... Expansive, huge, extremely rich and definitely ostentating. Unapologetically powerful. A signature scent!