Tribute

A warm, musky, and resinous lavender fougere, with heady notes of orange citrus, rich coumarinic lavender, cinnamon, oakmoss, and clove, with all notes buttressed by a ribald, Kouros-inspiring musk. The star of this frag's show is its huge lavender note, but Tribute cologne smells deep, woody, and resinous. It's simpler than the Rococo powerhouses of the late seventies and eighties that followed, but still Sparticus Maximus potent (expect ten foot sillage) and it lasts a respectable eight hours. Released in 1963, this was a brawny barbershop scent for men that presaged things like Azzaro PH and yes, Kouros. Something this well made should come in a leather-wrapped golden amulet, not a silly glass Roman soldier's head.

Can vary slightly from bottle to bottle due to age and care, but my present one provides an intriguing blend of citrus and civet on clothing, while the lavender tones leap out on skin. Very, very nice but absolutely not unisex or feminine.

Dare I say this reminds me of jicky??? More masculine, linear, and shorter lived, but has that same lavender leather DNA. Like most of the Avons of its vintage, worth checking out if the listed notes appeal to you.

I now own four Avon for Men colognes and this is my favorite, slightly ahead of Black Suede. For Tribute (my bottle is the Knight chess piece), I get a light, spicy fougère with a nice touch of lavender. It's definitely a masculine barbershop scent. While performance is barely average, it's super inexpensive, so just bring a decant along to refresh. The other two Avon's I own: Wild Country (nice, I just don't prefer powdery-barbershop) and Deep Woods (doesn't smell pleasant).

A softer, lighter, and simpler take on Sandalwood for Men by Arden. I think I prefer the Avon, as some of the strong notes in the Arden can irritate me after a while. Considering the price difference, this is a great deal at the moment.