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!

Lady Stetson is great, and Stetson for men smells fantastic too! An uncommon occurrence, but the men's version is debatably better than the ladies. I have been wearing both for a few years now. I love them! Cloves, honeyed lavender candy, aromatics, warm, round carnation, heady jasmine, alongside powdery woods, delicious sexy carnal musk, coumarin, vanilla, and a warm, sweet ambery base. Chypre? No? I agree with UnearthlyApothecary on this one. To me it reads as a classic soapy French herbal fougere that morphs into a powdery amber with florals as it dries down. This blend is strangely androgynous, I can't place my finger on it, but it smells wonderful. I love the musk in this one. If you enjoy the wonderfully warm musks from Jovan, the musk in Stetson is the same type. It has been disheartening to read reviews where people describe their distaste for the marketing of both Stetson fragrances. Anti southern sentiment is couched in crude prejudice that is based on warped perceptions put forth by the media. Please do not unfairly dismiss the fragrances based on the advertising, judged on merit alone, the Stetsons are fantastic. A loving tribute to the American West that I have a deep appreciation for. :)

I got this based off a suggestion when I was looking for old man scents. I am a huge RL Green (Winter) and RL Safari (Spring/Summer) fan, and this happened to tread the line between the two and provide a nice later summer and fall scent. At first, I was pretty offended by the smell, it reminded me immediately of a urinal cake but on a second whiff it all came together and I understood why people love this scent. I shook most of my friends down and asked them to take a whiff and they all agreed that it smells great. It's not a deep scent, it doesn't have the same layers as something from Maison Margiela or Tom Ford. I come to think of it as a frontier barbershop smell - it's powdery, warm and slightly salutiferous. I've grown to love it, I'll give it a spritz in the morning and another in the evening. I got the smaller size, which is perfect for traveling. For the price, it's unbeatable.

Before I review Stetson, I want to put the whole "this is for women" business to bed. As far as I am concerned, ANY and ALL fragrances can be worn by men or women. I don't care if it's Kouros or Pink Sugar. END OF RANT. To me, Stetson smells better on a man, but that's just my personal opinion based on my experience. On me, it turned too powdery too fast. However, smelling it on various men over the years, I love the subtle powdery notes combined with a gentle muskiness which is not overpowering. The jasmine and other floral accords, as well as the green/herbal notes (and one of my faves, bergamot), add interest, while the honey/amber mix simply blows me away. It smells.....sort of edible. Be careful applying Stetson, as overspraying will bring out too much of the patchouli. This is a long-lasting scent with a good, but not "knock out your coworkers" sillage.

I can see how some people think this smells like a scent for an older person. And I can see how based on the “by the book” note breakdown it may seem feminine. But to me, it smells classic and manly. Definitely has a clean/out of the shower or even barbershop vibe. I get a very strong musky, sweet, spicy and woody scent. Like if someone poured honey and lavender soap on a fresh cut piece of lumber. Simply put, this is like a beefed up version of the original old spice. Close to a perfect “dad” smell. Lasts longer than a lot of the newer more expensive options out there, and even if it didn’t, the 1.5 oz bottle is small, compact and cheap.(11$ at Walmart) so you can feel free to reapply multiple times throughout the day. 1 quick spritz to the neck will give to 1-2 hours solid projection and 3-4 hours total. Solid, manly, classic.

Easily my favorite supermarket fragrance. Sometimes I can't believe how good this smells and how inexpensive it is. Vintage style chypres are my favorite genre of fragrance so I'm incredibly biased but man...this is so unique, charming, masculine, and elegant. Not to mention this has some insane performance. Stetson really blasts off my skin for hours. A quick melange of citruses, mostly lime to my nose, followed by musky powder and patchouli. Honeyed sweetness rounds it all out. This is truly underrated. If you put this in a fancy Guerlain bottle it would sell for hundreds of dollars and people would be raving about it. I'll always keep a bottle of this around. My favorite fragrance is Amouage Gold Man which is a very similar chypre profile. Sometimes you just can't beat that powdery fresh goodness.

I’ve not smelled this since the late 90s early 00s and it was a little mature for me then but I still loved it and everyone commented. My Nana and Grandad would always bring me a bottle back from Florida and I remember teachers, parents of friends and bus drivers, all these adults constantly asking me what it was. Made me feel really posh, classy and important (which I was definitely not). I’ve just smelled something that brought back a memory of this and now must absolutely buy a bottle. I do hope it’s not fell victim to re formulation and I have to edit this comment. I do remember it being quite weak after a while though and using it like crazy as you would with cK one, but it was the cologne I had not an edt or edp. I’m off to purchase this classic now.

A perfect original. There is nothing like this classic! A chypre like no other, they don't make 'em like this any more-- or thankfully they do! At $12-30 a bottle you can't go wrong with this. It's surprisingly floral, but absolutely masculine. Yes, I can believe that a cowboy would wear this. The notes above are very accurate, and the combination is perfect. For some young urban types, this may not be the way to go. It has almost nothing in common with modern day mens' fragrances. But, as a young urban type myself, I love this fragrance because it is different than what most men wear these days, and has a classic sensibility that is unmatched. Blue Levi's and Stetson original will always be American classics.

I’m in love with Stetson. And I’ve been waiting on a cowgirl wearing this to save me. God it’s so good. Truly has stood the test of time and I swear it ages like fine wine on my dresser. The open is a hit of blue agave tequila that completely melts into this smooth amber honey laced with vanillic musks. It’s a touch powdery in the way that so many beloved vintage fragrances are. There are dry wild florals that really lighten everything. You can layer this with SO MUCH and it just harmonizes beautifully. It’s sweet, it’s endearing, it’s perfect, what else is there to say? Go get a bottle. If it’s not at your nearest drug store it’s in your grandpas medicine cabinet. Stop wasting time! No excuses!

This is a lovely honeyed chypre-fougère that hearkens back to a different era for men's fragrances, when the notes were more complexly blended and more dignified. The sweetness and the florals don't really suggests the prairies or cowboys to me, so I can't really explain the fragrance's name. This is reminiscent to me of the much-missed and discontinued Luciano Pavarotti by Luciano Pavarotti--another spectacular honeyed floral men's chypre--but you can get this much more easily for a fraction of the price. This is so inexpensive and readily available I would recommend it as a no-brain easy buy for every man who is interested in fragrance over the age of 35.

I love original Stetson, and liking a fragrance myself is important - I feel energetic, fun, and confident when wearing it - otherwise, why bother? Stetson original has been a staple of my fragrance wardrobe for years, since around the time of its arrival in the marketplace, and I see no reason to change that. The floral and musk notes are outdoorsy, rugged, and Western and complements my Colorado mountain lifestyle. Fragrances don't need to be expensive or pretentious to be nice and effective, and Stetson is nice and effective at a very affordable price, and has a name you can easily pronounce (or not mispronounce).

I am a feminine woman who enjoys wearing men's fragrances. I scored a beautiful gift set of special edition bottles...two, to be exact: One is cologne, the other after shave. They both wear beautifully. I was expecting leather and spice, what I pick up on my skin smells so familiar...and then I realized, Stetson smells like Chantilly, a vintage fragrance I have loved since childhood. I don't find it masculine on me at all...just comforting and comfortable. It is a true honey scent on me, which I love, mingled with some lavender, lime, vanilla, orris and the faintest hint of clary sage waaaaay in the background.

The brand Stetson reminds me of cowboys or rugged men but this fragrance is the polar opposite of that mental image. This is soft sweet powdery and floral. There’s no rough edges or harsh notes anywhere. I wouldn’t say feminine but definitely unisex. Does not smell old man-ish, quite the opposite, it smells like your mom dressed you for private school and coated you with the finest imported French baby powder. Technically a barbershop fragrance, I’d recommend this over Tom Fords Beau du Jour. For $10 with shipping on eBay this is an easy blind buy.

I have worn Stetson my whole life, so I may be a little biased. It is a very heavy and bold fragrance, yet it is not sharp, alcoholic or (terribly) overpowering. If you wear it, everyone in the room knows. It is indeed an old man cologne (you will get this a lot), but I have to say if that's the case, then old men have some really good taste. It gives you an aura of class and confidence that is held back by the social taboo of wearing an "old man cologne". Highly recommend it if you wear cologne for yourself rather than to appeal to others.

Coty Stetson is fitting for my first review. I believe this was my very first cologne, gifted to me around 13 years of age. I have always loved this scent, however, it fell out of rotation while exploring my fragrance journey. Rediscovering this was a revelation! Honey, lavender, carnation and a bit of musk. Softens to a skin scent with good longevity. Refined, gentlemanly and classic. Men don't smell like this anymore and that's a shame. I will always have a bottle of this on my dresser. Love.

I have almost 200 fragrances in my collection and I can honestly tell you that Stetson is in my top ten best of all time. I have colognes, edt's and parfum's from the early 1800's through the 1900's all the way up to the early 2000's, I am a old-school frag-head and I detest the modern synthetic generic garbage they've been putting out for the past 20 years. If you are into old-school and appreciate the true art form of perfumery, give Stetson a try. It is legendary.