Tai Winds

I am a female who loves vintage Avon (I also sell Avon on the side). I bought a bottle of this today because I collect vintage Avon bottles (I have a few). I wasn't expecting much but I was actually pleasantly surprised by Thai Winds! I bought the bottle shaped like an old automobile in an antique shop. I just wanted the bottle but not necessarily the juice inside. Some older perfumes still smell good and some don't. But this fragrance still smells good! Maybe not good enough for anyone to wear, but at least it gives me a good idea of what it smelled like back in its day. I know the bottle must be from the 1970s. And I KNOW I have smelled this before on a male family member when I was very young. It's very pretty and rather soft but still masculine. I think it's more of a skin scent because not very strong. Someone else commented that this kind of fragrance is outdated but I wouldn't know. I guess it is. I wish Avon would bring this one back!

If it resembles anything it definitely resembles Brut, but it is simpler, more airy, and less potentially cloying. And believe it or not, the musk isn't as heavy as you might expect from the early 1970s. No sharp edges yet indisputably masculine. All that to say, it's more year-round wearable than Brut. I would absolutely wear this anywhere not requiring a tuxedo, with pleasure and without a second thought. (aftershave strength from the silver "No Cause For Alarm" bottle shaped like an alarm clock)

I’ve got a.... bust, of this fragrance, after shave concentration and it’s of Ben Franklin. What more is there to say? Murica!

This smells like Faberge Brut.

Very similar to Wild Country and their other 60s men’s musk-centered aftershaves — all musky powdery barbershop fougere. This one is differentiated by the addition of woody spices and sappy green notes. The longevity is also slightly better for me than WC. Worth checking out if you’re into these kinds of vintages :-)

Every time I sniff, I think of Baby Soft and Sweet Honesty. The combo of sweet musks, lavender, geranium, iris, vanilla, and tonka are crossing the wires in my brain. It's for men, so it's more raspy and herbal than the musky fougeres made for women, yet it's still so cuddly and soft. Endearing and pleasant.

Smell: Penhaligon's Sartorial, minus the honey-sweet dry down and longevity. Feel: I purchased this fragrance in a tobacco pipe-shaped bottle. Happening upon vintage Avon, for many, is a callback to their youth. It may recall time spent around older family members adorned in Avon, Clubman, Brut, etc. They may look upon this fragrance in the same affectionately dismissive way with which they look at wood paneling and bell-bottom pants: "I remember all of that. Why would anyone want that now? It's outdated." Yet outdated, 40-year-old Jeep Grand Wagoneers (wood paneling and all) are fetching $80,000 at today's auctions. The rock/pop stars getting the most air time are wearing bell bottoms and suit jackets with wide, flared lapels. So what gives? Nostalgia is one hell of a drug. Millenials and Gen Z are in an opportune position. We are free to romanticize and claim what older generations are willing to forget and lose. Most of us did not grow up around Avon. With no memories attached, we can open the bottle and make it our own. If we're already wearing the old man's clothes, why not smell like him too? Except to us, the man isn't old at all. He may have been old when his children and grandchildren knew him. But when we pick up the vintage decant he left behind, we are stepping into his younger shoes. Here, he is yet strong and ambitious. Proud. Unapologetic. All of the things we wish to be more of. Perhaps we splash on the Thai Winds, put on the Waltham watch in hopes that just a bit of that spirit will rub off on us. Or perhaps we are just romanticizing things.

Very old school because the juice actually is quite old. An olfactory blast from the past and I love it. I found a full bottle shaped like an antique car at a thrift store, used it, enjoyed it and found more on eBay. This stuff is a very powerful, manly in a true 70s sweet, musky, with some lavender disco dancin’ vibe fragrance. They made quality fragrances back then and even the less expensive fragrances were loaded with strong, long lasting components. I had a blast in those days and while today’s snowflake, unisex boys surely wouldn’t like this, to me the scent is an elixir of youth. I don’t use it that regularly but sometimes I splash it on, both the aftershave and cologne after shaving with my vintage Schick injector razor. Knowing I smell super groovy I pick out some favorite threads and boogie on out. Can you dig it? Avon fragrances are considered to be knockoffs of name brands and some mistakenly believe this to be a Hai Karate or Jade East copycat. Actually while it is in many regards typical of its genre I find it quite unique. Get down baby!

One might think Tai Winds is a Hai Karate clone given its oriental theme. Unfortunately, it isn't. Some have said Tai Winds smells like Brut. But I've compared the two side by side and it doesn't. What Tai Winds smells like is Pinaud Clubman Musk. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to tell them apart. While the vintage decanters are cool and plentiful on eBay (mine is in the shape of a pepperbox revolver), the scent doesn't have the best longevity. It's definitely an eau de cologne and tends to vanish quite quickly. Clubman Musk lasts quite a bit longer and projects better. Unless you just want the nostalgia of having original Tai Winds, I'd save yourself the expense and go with Clubman Musk. Fill your Avon George Washington decanter with that. And while your at it, fill Abe Lincoln's bust with Clubman Special Reserve! And if the 70's gods smile on you, you'll find yourself a lady that wants to come back to your place to see your vinyl collection!

I tried this quite a while and thought it was Avon's version of the Hai Karate type scents. I remember herbal lavender, musk, an animalic quality, and a driftwood/incense sort of thing. Very out of fashion, obviously, but well done.