78 Vintage Green

This is the all star of Banana Republic's "Icon" collection. Fragrance reviewers who have tried the collection often list this as one of the best in the line, and for good reason. It is just such a fresh, uplifting, clean fragrance with juicy and fruity nuances. I absolutely love the scent, I love the opening when I first spray it on, I love catching whiffs of it as it dries down. And despite being identified with the oldest year of all the Icon fragrances, to me it doesn't smell old at all (if anything, the one with the newest year, 17 Oud Mosaic, smells the oldest). It smells modern and fresh but does so without resorting to being an aquatic "blue" fragrance. It also smells really natural to me, not artificial or chemical in any way. Out of the Banana Republic fragrances I have, it's at least in the top 3, the other two being 17 Oud Mosaic and Tobacco & Tonka Bean. For me this is going to be a spring an summertime essential, very worthy of being a signature scent. The one caveat is that its performance isn't the greatest. I wouldn't say it has poor performance, but moderate at best. If you spray at the start of your day it will probably have faded by mid day. Edit: This is the kind of scent that comes alive if you're being active, raising your body temperature, working up a sweat. I have a very physical job that involves moving heavy objects, and this is uplifting and energizing and, I think, appealing to people around me. I can apply this at the start of my day and it's going strong well into the day as long as I'm being active. Like all the Banana Republic frags, it's a good value at its regular price, but an absolute steal if you can find it at half price at rack stores. Now I will say this was a bit harder for me to find at rack stores, a bit rarer. I would find Neroli Woods, Linen Vetiver, or 17 Oud Mosaic all the time, but it took several months before I found one of these on the shelf. Still, I did find it there, so I would encourage keeping an eye out for it. One thing to note, do NOT buy this or any other Banana Republic frag from the website So Avant-garde. They often promote these frags with YT reviewers, but they jack the price up on their website to twice the regular retail price! At that price it ceases to be a good value and your money is better spent on nicer frags. If you can't find it at rack stores, order it from online discounters, or just go to an actual Banana Republic outlet store and pick it up there ( my local BR did have Vintage Green in stock, albeit in a different, cheaper bottle than you would find at rack stores). It's worth buying it that way, for sure, just don't waste your money paying double for it.

Warm light streams through the broad leaves and dappled canopy of the forest as you take a quick shelter from a passing shower. The gold and green light that flows from above moves and shifts like the continuous pattern of breath. This was not the sort of shower that soaks the land and leaves the ground a sodden mess; the kind that carves little woodland rivers and makes every step treacherous and slippery. No, this is the sort of shower that clears the dust from the leaves and delivers a quiet hope to a glade that hasn't seen hope for more than a moon. The kind that lets the whole greenwood close its eyes and exhale. A playful and confident smile starting to play just at the corners of its mouth. The quietus of hope. Of relief. Of promise. The scent it brings is bright and green, like cut grass with the mineral tinge of water that was collected from parts unknown and delivered here. Now. To you. A gift from heaven. Is that the scent from high clear mountain water or the effervescent spray from salty sea? Impossible to tell for sure and impossible not to to dream. The rain fresh scent mingles ever so subtly with the soft piquant leaves of the forest fig and the honey-vibrant sweetness from a nearby magnolia; the majestic tree out of sight but betrayed by the breeze. You sit there at the base of the tree surrounded by the hum and life of the wood itself. The cacophonous chorus of the insects and the high trill warbles and tweets of flitting birds in search of lunch and mate. Perhaps not in that order! The scurrying of squirrels and the rustling branches remind you that life should be playful and fearless. Fleeting. Sound and scent weave together like warp and weft into a tapestry that is soft and cloudy, crisp and clear. The light smell of jasmine and native grasses. The sweet scent of sweat and earth. Vintage Green is the memory you didn't know you had forgotten. Mineral. Vegetal. Vital. Zen.

Review - Banana Republic 78 Vintage Green What does it smell like? A blooming bright day of early summers. Why should you buy it? It's a modern day freshie. If you're tired of your Versace Pour Homme's and Dior Homme Cologne's as your summer freshies then this is a modern and unique juice to consider. TOP - Its one of the juiciest top note in a perfume that I've ever smellest. Bergamot and Orange. It's so refreshing and juicy that makes me thirsty. Another thing here is the quality and authenticity of the notes which are as natural as they get. Mid - The top fades quickly. Lasts maximum of 3 minutes at best and then the most prized note of this perfume,Fig comes to play alongside Cedar backed by slight bit of Vetiver, just a touch of it which provides depth. Mid is green,thanks to the beautiful fig note and Tea and it's refreshingly woody. Drydown - Most of the perfumes tell their tale in the heart of the perfumes. Whatever speciality they're packing. This one however creates it's magic at the end. It gets muskier. The jasmine kicks in ever so slightly giving it a little bit of powderyness. Fig by now is sweet and tea maintains the freshness of the composition. It's at this stage that this perfume gets different from your everyday freshie. It gets more sophisticated and more classy making it appropriate for night time wear as well as daytime wear,if you choose to do that. PERFORMANCE - 5-6 Hours on skin (Comes and goes. You think it's gone but after a few moments you move and a wave of sophisticates freshness hits your nose. Good projection for first hour or so. Projects quite well when the body heats up a little. I've received wafts of this after 7-8 hours of applying at times. USAGE - Totally Unisex. The classiness of the drydown makes it possible to wear this it during summer as well as spring,both days and nights, unlike other freshies which you can pull off only during daytime.

----Edit---- So, I've realized that 78 Vintage Green is EXTREMELY easy to go "Nose Blind" to. I'd spray a good amount on my neck and shoulders, then I just couldnt smell it at all after about an hour or even less sometimes. Although I freakin' love, love, LOVE this fragrance, I'd always feel let down by the poor performance so I'd slowed down on wearing it unless I had an arrand to run or something. Well, since I refused to give up on this gorgeous scent, I'd tested it a few times by spraying it only on my hands with about 2 spritzes each and would NOT put my hand up to my nose to smell it (Very hard for me) lol! Anyhow, I'd noticed that the scent just kept projecting and hitting my nose for a pretty good amount of time (4 to 5 hours with soft/medium projection, also it lasts FOR DAYS on clothes. Now, YES! I find it annoying when I can't smell my fragrance as I wear them, so Im now spraying it further away from my face so as to not go as anosmic to it. This is a BEAUTIFUL, unisex fragrance, sorta unique and just so very appealing! Its sorta crazy that this fragrance can be found for only $19.99 at rack stores bc it smells of quality ingredkemts and "expensive" Also, this is NOT a "Vintage or "Classic" dna, it's very modern and that "Fig and Tea" combo is really wonderful and the Magnolia and soft musk make tnis a more "unisex" scent, so If ya come accross 78 Vintage Green and like fresh, clean, green fragrances, do yourself a favor and pick it up! Ya wont be dissapointed 😌. Even if you can't find it for $19.99, it's absolutely worth the $30 to $35 it can ususally be found for at discounters. 8 outta 10 fragrance which would been a 10 with even stronger performance. Its a LOVE FOR ME! Thanks to whomever took the time to read my thoughts on this fantastic frag!😉

Green freshness in a bottle! 78 Vintage Green, which sounds like the name Tolkien would have given to a particularly good pipe-weed in the Lord of the Rings, opens with a very uplifting, fresh and green spicy bergamot - I smell vetiver straight away, slightly bitter and slightly peppery. I get some lemon iced tea vibes as the scent progresses; the tea note is light and airy, and maintains the freshness of the opening - actually I find quite amazing how long the bergamot remains detectable throughout the mid and almost into the base notes. I honestly don't get any fruity/creamy fig note but I'm not familiar with the smell of crushed fig leaves, so that might be what it gives the distinct greenness. The floral side, which is clearly there, just add a touch of sweetness that counterbalances the tartness of the bergamot and the bitterness of the vetiver+tea combo. I only get some clean linen type of musk in the very long run, when the uplifting qualities of the fragrance are no longer there, but at that point the scent has already faded from my skin; other than that, this scent is very linear, which is a plus given how good it smells. It projects quite well for 3/4 hours, and last a few more hours before disappearing. If sprayed on clothes, the green side of the scent will stay on for hours more. A total mood enhancer. 78 Vintage Green is an excellent freshie for tropical and sub-tropical weather, where the humidity will keep the skin moist and help projects that delicate, refreshing and soothing tea/bergamot note; I'm not sure it would have the same effect in very dry, hot desert climate. Office safe, incredibly well suited for a walk in hot humid weather, and a steal at discounters' rate. Instant love. My bottle batch is 19171RB, from 2019.