Stetson

Got time for a funny story? Stetson showed me, a long time ago, just how wrong I could be. Ok, I was home visiting my parents for a few weeks right after I got out of college. I had a date lined up for the evening and realized I was totally out of cologne. My dad's options were 4711, some other stuff from the Continent that was kinda sketchy, and Old Spice. I was running a bit late and it was too late to run to Macy's for a bottle of my usual thing, Eau Sauvage. I decided to run down to the drugstore near our house. I walked in the store and went to the fragrance counter. I saw a box with cowboys, horses, cowboy hats, real manly-man stuff, called "Stetson." Perfect. I asked someone that worked there if it was any good? She smiled a big smile and sort of smirked (this should've been my first clue that something was gonna go awry) and said, "Oh yes, Stetson is sooooooo good. You'll love it!" I was really running late; I didn't even try it. I threw down the cash, just a few bucks, and dashed home. Got all cleaned up for my date, opened the box and took out my new container of courage in a bottle. I was really late, gotta hurry! Spritz, spritz, spritz. ... long pause.... Uh oh. Ohhhhhhhhh... Myyyyyyy... Gawwwwwwwd. What have I done?!! I ran past my mom and she told me to stop. She walked over to me, sniffed and started laughing. Just out and out laughing at me. She said I smelled wonderful and told me to have fun. She was still snickering as I ran out of the house. This was definitely not anything even REMOTELY what I was expecting. I smelled like... a GIRL!!! This stuff was flowers, powders, and other stuff... like I'd smelled on my best buddy's mom down the street. This was straight up, like... girly girl stuff. Oh well, I was so late I tore out of the house and as I was driving to pick up my date I laughing to myself thinking, "I hope she has a sense of humor, lol" I pulled into her driveway. Walked up to the door feeling ANYTHING but confident at all and rang the bell. She answered, smiled and gave me a hug. She stepped back looking surprised, I can still see her expression all these years later. She then smiled a bigger smile and gave me a better hug, buried her nose in my neck and started kissing me. I was puzzled, but in a most pleasant way. Then she told me I smelled better than... anybody... ever! Then she came in and gave me a long, delicious and wonderful kiss. I again thought to myself, "Geez, I thought I'd have to work a bit for this. Definitely going back to Rexall tomorrow and I'm buying a gallon of this damn stuff." It would be un-gentlemanly of me to further elucidate the high points of our date that night. Suffice to say, a wonderful time was had by all. Yeah, flowers, dusting powder, a bit of warm spicy stuff... think... a classic feminine floral... that works a treat on a guy. That's Stetson. If you like unapologetic powder and floral scents, just go buy a bottle. I recently re-upped my supply at Walgreens; $14 bucks. You can't go wrong. 5/5 stars and a great value. Love it! @samanthalemay... lol. Did you actually try it? Not a lot of pedal to the metal powdery florals out there in the "Old man" category ;)

Even in its current formulation, this is wonderful. Clean, soapy, powdery, floral-chypre. No oakmoss, but structure and shape is similar to a chypre. Still has bergamot in top, patchouli in mid, and a resin in the base. So yes, while it is a spin on chypres, it is still one. It also was composed by the company who originally created the very first Chypre of all time which began and influenced the entire genre, so, if they call it a Chypre, who am I to say otherwise? Perhaps this could be called a post-chypre in much the same way that we have post-rock or post punk. Its still a subset of rock and roll, just with other influences as well. A few characteristics swapped out for others, but the same basic idea is there, the same attitude. Chypre is such a complex genre of perfume that they can be so dramatically varied and different that they can smell entirely apart from one another and still be related. This is a great introductory cheap test for younger or newer enthusiasts to see if your nose is starting to appreciate “older” scents. Must have been very pungent in its original formulation. I have several older bottles of varying dates, and they do outperform the current, but they are still not the earliest. Its hilarious to me how many people will quickly associate anything with the slightest hint of powder to the entire perfume smelling similar to baby powder. Baby powder does not smell like Stetson cologne hehe. They both have powder, yes, but they are so different. Johnson and Johnson’s is mostly rose, jasmine, iris (with some citrus and herbal notes). This is mostly a musky carnation, with lavender. Totally different. This is beautiful though, even straight off the walmart shelf today. You do get that clean, but rugged, powdery, but masculine, musky, but the soapy type, thing here. I wouldn’t say this is suited for barbershop however. This is less “I’m getting dressed up” in my opinion, and more, “I’m about to get my hands dirty.” But this can be worn at any age. My friends and I were all rocking this and Brut as our very first colognes back before we ever had to shave. Grown men much wiser than me today are still wearing it as their signature. If you’ve never smelled this, you actually probably already have. You’ve smelled it before somewhere, or on someone, you just don’t realize it was this that you were smelling.

Why isn't 'Animalic' not in the list of accords for this? It should be. The musk, which comes across as civet usually does, is pretty Intense in the opening and lingers into the mid. Also, as listed this is not a chypre, as it doesn't have oakmoss listed to form that bergamot-oakmoss accord. But anyway, I now like this. Its certainly an "old school" scent profile which I like. The animalic accord isn't really overdone, and anyway as it develops the lavender, amber and honey creaminess and sweetness tames the receding animalic "pee" musk. But lavender and amber never fail to attract me. I'm a Fougere and Oriental Fougere kind of guy. I don't agree that this skews feminine. Its certainly maculine. It has florals in the mid, but remember that geranium can have a minty facet and carnation can have a clove-like facet, in other words manifest spicy. I think the "floral" accord listed 2nd from the top is too high. And the jasmine is subdued, not dominant like in some feminine frags. Classic Old Spice is quite floral by the notes as well, and powdery too. But its interesting that this scent profile evokes associations with the Southwest United States, cowboys and old men. Lol. Maybe it's due in part or whole to knowing this is a Stetson fragrance. But it does bring to my mind an old cowboy in an old rinky dink Soutwest desert town, wearing a Stetson. Some say it can't smell of old cowboys because of itsfloral and sweet accords, but somehow it does and does magnificently. It smells slightly dirty and cheap in the the most pleasant way imaginable. I've heard that Johnny Cash used to do Stetson frag commercials long ago. Perfect! I live in Nevada. Perfect!

This is a very western smelling fragrance is one that I have experience in both the splash bottle and the sprayer. I got a 2.5oz/75ml sized splash bottle at Christmas time last year admittedly for the price. It was my first and only splash bottle. I got two and stowed the second away. After about two day, I had dumped the first bottle in a reusable atomizer (there was no real reservoir cap for the splash) and is very strong. Eventually, I did get a spray bottle as well. I find that unlike most fragrances that I have come across because I typically like lighter scents like aquatics and fougeres that I can easily spritz twice to three times in the same spot, this one needs only one and still smells strong and lasts almost full day. I eventually learned how to use the splash and it comes out a bit lighter but is still rather strong. I find splashing tames it better. The main notes I get even from the open are the honey, amber and musk. This smells not just 1980's but 1880's but in a good way and I am younger cologne user. For deserts in the American southwest which includes places like Arizona, Texas and California, it is not just a night and winter scent but almost an anytime scent. I would say it is an 8/10. It is a classic that most people don't like and make jokes on but it is a unique different scent. Just be prepared for people to make old man jokes about you since that is the common joke about this scent.

I love this stuff! Picked up a bottle for ten bucks, figured, "hell, why not?" Good for a $10 fragrance? How about great? This is like getting a new Mercedes for the price of a used Toyota. Pick up a ten gallon bottle, for the price of a couple of Starbucks Lattes. Better than some fragrances I own that cost several times more. Some warm spices, tonka, vanilla, and a bit of nice florals. Reminds me of Jovan Musk at the start, only briefly. A couple of hours in I get a sort of rum vibe, but it reminds me more of a rum cake, or spiced rum. Perhaps this is why Stetson is considered a manly frag? For what is more masculine than to walk around reeking of spiced rum? The dry-down is very warm and sweet, damn sexy too. Some say this is a woman's frag in a men's bottle. I don't think "floral" necessarily means "feminine". Many popular and well-liked men's fragrances feature prominent floral notes, this is no surprise. Nobody will accuse you of smelling like a chick if you wear this. Projection, silage and longevity are all a cut above. This thing comes crashing out of the gates to begin with, projecting all over the place. I figured after the first couple hours of projecting half a mile radius this would have no more "legs" left to continue through the rest of the day. Easily lasts 10 hours on me. All with only a couple sprays! Disclaimer: Spray diligently!