Dior Homme 2005

There are two reasons why I really like this perfume. The first reason is simply for its composition: it is gorgeous, both technically and sensorially. The second reason is for its character, its personality, and its intention, which I shall explain last because expounding upon the first reason is necessary for context. I should start by saying that I am currently wearing the original 2005 release (Dior nerds will know that the original has the silver stem through the glass bottle, and so mine does), and my words cannot reflect experiences with subsequent reformulations or flankers since I haven't smelled them. Hear told that the more current formulations of Homme, or any reformulations or flankers for that matter, share very little in common with this original by Olivier Polge. Also to note the "original" Dior Homme, that which is on my person now, is now going by the name Homme Original (again, not having much in common with the original 2005 release), and today's Dior Homme is a completely new fragrance by in-house-mortician Francois Demachy. So now that you are sufficiently confused and also bummed-out, I'll try to turn your frown into a smile regaling you of a perfume from long, long ago in a place far, far away - or so it feels. 2005 Homme is all about iris. Don't adjust your spectacles or reread the line - yes, in 2005 of all times, Dior gave us a masculine perfume centered on the lovely white-purple floral note of iris. This is apparent from the first sniff after application, where the iris stands tall and greets you with a soft but firm arm-around-the-shoulder and a gentle smile. An interesting baked tree-fruit accord presents itself as well; apples, pears, peaches, maybe apricots and figs - I'm not sure. What I find most attractive about this opening is that, despite the floral and fruit, it is only very mildly sweet. Olivier Polge did a masterful job of making sure that the two accords together didn't descend into a feminine-perfume-cliche of syrupy sugar. The sweetness is just enough to probably push a typical perfume-ignorant man's "masculine requirements" onto the unisex line that separates overt masculine from overt feminine. The iris note lasts an age, playing the role of beautiful foil to a soft and smooth vetiver, patchouli, leather, and balsam base. What is likely the iris accord though seems to be more of a floral lavender, but Polge blurs that line to near imperceptibility - a truly unique and novel approach to the two notes. Remember this, this idea of blurring lines. The vetiver, patchouli, leather, and balsams are so smooth, quiet, and restrained that, when you consider the lavender there as well, you rightly ask yourself if you're smelling a standard men's cologne. The base notes carry their own mildly sweet flavor, just like the top notes, but never go full-on aromatic, spicy, earthy, animalic, or syrupy sweet; they are very understated, with their lines and typical facets well blurred. All of the right ingredients are there for standard men's fougere-cologne-type thing, but they don't speak to you in at all the same manner as your standard masculine cologne. This tees-me-up perfectly for the second reason I love this perfume: it is daring. Dior and Polge didn't give us a unisex cologne, they gave us an androgynous cologne. Women could easily wear this, and I would encourage any to try. Men can certainly wear this, and should. This perfume knows no genders, knows no archetypes or cliches, knows no templates, and knows no boundaries since any lines it could potentially cross are blurred to imperceptibility. It manages to be everything that standard masculine and feminine template perfumes are, and yet nothing at the same time, while presenting a clear, coherent, extremely pleasant and wearable personality. In this day and age of our culture this doesn't sound daring at all - you might even ask, as I do, "why don't more brands do this?", and that's a very good question. But, when you remind yourself that you are smelling a product from a big fashion house meant to turn a big profit, and the fashion house has effectively said "we are going against the marketing trends and the cultural grain," then it's clear why - in conjunction with its masterful execution - this is such a novel, unique, and precious perfume. It's a damn shame that Dior lost its nerve so quickly.

Fragrance: Dior Homme (2005) Perfumer: Olivier Polge Olfactory Classification: Woody Floral Musk Masculine Version: "Silver barrel", the legendary and original, with an internal silver metal tube, a symbol of olfactory status Opening: From the very first sprays, Dior Homme 2005 delivers a sophisticated and clean opening with lavender, bergamot and sage, creating a sensation of classic elegance, but not at all dated. Heart: This is where the magic happens: the iconic iris emerges creamy, powdery and refined, a note that was rare in men's perfumery at the time. It is enveloped by slightly bitter cocoa, resinous amber and spicy cardamom, bringing a veiled, almost androgynous sensuality. The combination is bold and at the same time extremely refined. Base: In the drydown, deeper and more robust notes emerge: soft leather, Tahitian vetiver and patchouli, giving the fragrance masculinity, structure and staying power. Projection is moderate in the first 2 hours. It is not an explosive perfume, but it has presence. Very good staying power of 8 hours on the skin, especially in mild weather or on fabrics. Sillage is elegant, leaving a subtle and refined trail, ideal for those who want to be noticed without exaggerating. Dior Homme 2005 is a versatile perfume, but it shines especially at: Formal events and important meetings – it conveys sophistication and intelligence. Dinners, dates and special nights – elegant and seductive, without being overbearing. Autumn and winter, its floral/woody composition stands out best in mild temperatures. Avoid using it on very hot days or during sports activities, it is too refined for that. A milestone in men's perfumery Dior Homme 2005 Silver Barrel is considered a watershed. It was one of the first mainstream perfumes to prominently feature iris in a men's fragrance, something that was previously mostly associated with women. This bold move transformed the market and opened doors to a new interpretation of what it means to be masculine in the world of perfumes. In addition, the bottle with its metallic silver inner barrel is now a collector's item. This edition is considered the most artistic and balanced in the Dior Homme line, far ahead of its time. Final Score: 9.7/10 If you find this vintage version with the silver barrel, consider yourself lucky. You are in the presence of an olfactory relic that represents the pinnacle of contemporary men's perfumery. It is not just a perfume, it is a legacy.

Picked up a 15ml decant of this version today. Wow...it's so much more floral than the 2011 version or the 2020 "DH-Original" version! It seems to be almost devoid of Cacao and the Cardamom/Vetiver/Iris combo makes it such a sweeter and more floral fragrance. It's not sweet to my nose though...when I smell it, it feels sweeter way up in my brain or something. It's a weird feeling...I sense the sweetness of this frag deep inside my head...feels...off...like something is definitely not right with this. The leather also seems to be dialed back compared to the 2011 version and I'm not picking up a hint of Cacao A-N-Y-W-H-E-R-E in this one. It's like it's all lavender, Iris and cardamom.... Maybe a different kind of iris? Definitely not what Mr. Demachy used in the following updated formulation...I dunno... I had a bit of trepidation looking at the formulation, partly why I bought a decant instead of going for broke on a bottle. It appears my fears regarding the composition were justified...now I know that the post-2011 reformulations by Mr Demachy are the only ones for me. I'll be putting my money towards bottles of the "Post-2011" version in the future. The 2005 version is nice...but man-oh-man is it a sweeter-floral-feminine-leaning fragrance... This one may take some getting used to after having experienced the later versions. EDIT: Will pick up a bottle to complete the collection...but won't wear it probably. EDIT: Bottle ordered...yikes...why do I do this? =[ That was way too expensive... EDIT: 17NOV21 Now I am happy I ordered a full bottle. Definitely smells awesome, just took a bit to get adjusted to. This is REALLY floral when first sprayed but smells REALLY great when it dries down...wow!! It's definitely got the floral side of DHI and none of DH-O (post 2011) No leather or cacao at all. Definitely a good choice for the warmer weather as it's not overbearingly sweet. DH-E will be my summer fragrance with DH-O-2007 my spring fragrance. Winter weekdays will be DH-I and during the winter weekends, I'll layer this frag with a few sprays of the chocolate frag I made to give it the missing (to me) cacao note. I can understand, now, how "Dior Homme Intense" came to be...it's like the best parts of V1 and V2 of DH-O mixed together into one decadently luscious fragrance.

The review posted by "Firstblood" down below is a bullsh*t except formula codes and his more-less accurate take on DH 2011. a) Silver Stem formulation: This formulation is slightly less fresh "aromatic"; it feels wetter, almost slightly greasy/oily (and I don't mean the physical consistency). The iris is distinct and earthy, slightly carrot-like. It's noticeably sweeter than the 2011 version or DHO, which gives it a more unisex vibe. At the same time, the cardamom and cocoa note are more pronounced, backed by a subtle leather aroma that a untrained nose might miss -which adds more contrast, character, and "edginess" to the overall blend. The whole thing, especially that carrot-like iris sweetness, has a slight sourness/tartness to it that is completely missing from the later, "smoothed-out" and "stripped-down" formulations. I had the chance to try this scent on my own skin for the first time a year ago (I own a total of 290ml), after years of being familiar with DH 2011 and DHO. I have to admit that at first, I approached it very cautiously and with a bit of hesitation, but it quickly won me over. I would give a lot to be able to douse myself in liters of the original DH 2005 as my signature scent. It definitely has way more character, and the PERFORMANCE blows every subsequent formulation out of the water -including the current DHI EDP! b) DH 2011: Here I agree with the aforementioned user that this version is more powdery and cosmetic-like, but it has been stripped down -for instance, the cardamom is missing. It’s a tiny bit fresher and slightly more diluted, which impacts the performance, though it's still decent compared to... c) DH Original: The current version, a "consolation prize" specimen. The scent is extremely smoothed out, stripped of the character and punch of the 2005 original. It's more office-friendly, drier, and slightly scratchy due to a higher presence of herbal-aromatic notes (more emphasized sage and rosemary), with the iris stepping half a pace back. It's still a very pleasant fragrance and isn't drastically far off from DH 2011, but it no longer has quite the same character. Above all, the PERFORMANCE is tragic for a designer EDT. You have to reapply after 3-4 hours (even though I'm a heavy sprayer).

I'm in love! What a gorgeous fragrance this one is! The bottle, the juice... just gorgeous! Dior has always tried to go in a different direction and really set a trend for men's fragrances, ever since Fahrenheit in 1988 when they decided to turn the male fragrance world on it's head, they did it again almost 20 years later with Dior Homme in 2005. Dior takes what it is to be a man and turns it upside down, turns the angle, shifts the perspective, so that you come to appreciate it even more. To put it simply, Dior Homme does NOT smell like a typical men's fragrance, yet it IS masculine. Iris is a flower not used in male perfumery, it is used extensively in female fragrances (notably the butch/androgynous Chanel No.19), but here it is used in a way which, coupled with leather, vetiver and patchouli, gives off a very dry earthy vibe which still smells smooth and elegant. Now this isn't for every man, and many may say it's feminine. But to me, this just smells GOOD, in fact it smells really special. This was the fragrance which started my interest in perfumery, without Dior Homme, I wouldn't even be here. The first time I smelt this, I fell in love. In fact, first time I tried this, I really didn't associate the smell itself with any particular gender or sexual orientation... instead I thought to myself: "Wow! This is the best damn smell I've ever come across! Pure class & sex all in one gorgeous bottle..." Listen, I don't expect everyone to like this, but for me, it just does it. Iris lightly dusted in cocoa powder, smooth creamy leather throughout, dry vetiver and earthy patchouli at the base, to me this smells like you are the richest man, the smoothest talker, both the familiar lover, and the dark stranger, the ultimate magician, the boss. All these personas rolled into one. I don't give a damn what you say... what you think... what you presume... or how you judge it. This. Stuff. Is. Beauty. Dior, Mr. Slimane, Bravo, sir... I salute you!