Dolce&Gabbana pour Homme (1994)

D&G Pour Homme (EuroItalia 1994) version Let’s be perfectly honest here..... if the original EuroItalia version was released today by some flavour of the moment niche house, everybody would be going nuts over it; how different it is; revolutionary, unique...... which is exactly what it was in the first place really. Whereas the beautiful original Armani Eau Pour Homme was my 80’s staple (and still is for me), this took the baton on my fragrance journey in the 90’s when I was looking for something a little more adventurous and a bit louder. I was never comfortable with full-on fougere/barbershop fragrances with all that brash ‘old fashioned’ lavender but in this, I found something that straddled the past and the future of my journey. In keeping the familiar citruses and in fact many of the same notes & components, it amped everything up and added herbs/spices, tonka & tobacco, making the transition an easy one but it’s projection & longevity was significantly more impressive and took me by surprise, as it still does today. Even within the original EuroItalia version, there were as I understand, 2 versions or ‘adjustments’ to the fragrance due to IFRA restrictions and whilst I wasn’t so aware of that at the time, I still own & treasure some of the early versions and they do definitely differ from each other. Not that one is better than the other but certain notes are more prominent or muted in the top, heart & base for sure. Bottle age is a factor of course but they’ve all been kept properly and all of the 6 I own are different in subtle ways. As to the major reformulation/manufacturing changes..... I actually don’t think that the 2nd ‘Made in Germany’ version is that bad. No, of course it’s not the original beauty but it’s not a million miles away from it and I still use the 125ml I have when I don’t want to use my precious originals. The same can’t be said for the ‘Made in UK/France’ versions though....... oh dear, what a mess! There is a very vague similarity that approximates the ‘Made in Germany’ version, but it’s nowhere even close to that, let alone the original: watery, bland & confused and in my personal opinion, an utter waste of time & money. There’s a fantastic thread on ‘the other site’ Basenotes, which explains the reformulations and batch code variations, which is well worth the time to read and explains a lot but I don’t seem to be able to post a link here I’m afraid. The original ‘Made in Italy’ version is by far and away my most complimented fragrance ever over the years: I never wear a fragrance for other people, only myself & mood dependent but certainly, this seems to be the one that is the most appreciated, particularly by ladies, without question. Unmistakably, a true Italian beauty....... I could never be without it!

Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme came out in 1994 and in my opinion this is the fragrance that more than any other fragrance kickstarted the trend of these dense, powdery, lavender dominant neo-barbershop fragrances more than anything else. I realize that you can go back to Creed's Green Irish Tweed to pinpoint a shift from the animalic powerhouse style barbershop fragrances that dominated the 70s and early 80s, which eventually led to the arrival of fragrances like Calvin Klein's Eternity, Chanel's Platinum Egoiste, Paco Rabanne's XS, which in turn eventually influenced the arrival of the aquatics that would dominate the late 90s and 2000s. However, I'm speaking specifically about the richer barbershop fragrances made probably most popular by Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male from 1995. This fragrance, D&G Pour Homme, came out a full year before Le Male and two full years before Versace's The Dreamer yet you very seldom hear anybody giving Dolce & Gabbana credit for influencing the creation of Le Male which is one of the biggest and highest selling fragrance lines in history! "Pour Homme" is one of the greatest barbershop fragrances of it's time, it's fresh enough to wear any time of year, but it's also spicy enough to pull off in the coldest of winter days. It's sexy, so you can wear it on a date or just any situation where you're going out and trying to attract someone of the opposite sex. It's also really easy to wear and massively appealing so you could easily wear it casually or to the office. I can't really think of a situation where you would say that it's out of place, and really the only knock that I think someone could really give this is that it's from the 90s... yet, it smells so great and in my opinion timeless. Some people disagree with me, and I guess I can see that. Buy the vintage if you can get it for $90 or less, usually you'll only find the 75ml bottles at that price. For the current formulation I'd look for it for about $30-40 for 100mls. Highly recommended for men (this is one of the most definitively masculine fragrances I've ever smelled, but ladies can still wear it if they want!) 30+, and for anybody who likes fragrances similar to Versace Dreamer and Le Male.

Truly a Classic!!! It's a lady killer for sure!!! One of my all time favorite scents!!! Nothing I've ever smelled comes close to this and it's definitely a must have in any collection. What I enjoyed most about this fragrance was the fact that it bares similarities to that of Carolina Herrera for Men (also one of my all time favs) however, there are obvious differences. The top notes are very citrusy but in a very pleasant way. The mandarin and orange sweeten the lemon just right and though the lemon comes off a bit synthetic, it's nothing that's too unbearable. I feel that they all complement each other quite nicely. I find the middle notes to be a bit heavier than anything else. You definitely get the pepper and if you over apply this scent, you might end up hating it. The lavender is very subtle behind the pepper, which I guess is good because it does not blend the two extremes so you actually only smell one lingering behind the other as opposed to both being in your face. As the basenotes kick in, the tobacco is something that you will definitely smell! It's a gorgeous addition to the fragrance overall! This is the part that reminds me of Carolina Herrera For Men but not because they smell similar but rather because the spices, such as the tobacco and pepper, are used perfectly and are not overbearing. What you end up with is a sweetened lemon, with hints of tobacco and pepper over a woody base. How much more gorgeous can this get?!?! The scent life is amazing as well. I get at least 10+ hours every time. The only complaint I have is the fact that if you are going to be active while wearing this cologne, it somewhat smells like Chrome, at least on me it does. Definitely a versatile scent but not for an active day, at least not for me. Oh and a little advice for you guys out there that feel the need to spray a cologne at least 10 times, 3-4 sprays with this one and you're gold. The scent projects very well so do not be too generous with the trigger.

After experiencing a sample of D&G only to have it last 3 hours in total, I was thrilled to find out that I had been wearing the reformulated version of the fragrance (made in UK version), and that the vintage formulation was much richer with great longevity. After obtaining, at considerable cost, a bottle of the original italian formulation, I have to say it's really true. This stuff has unbelievable logenvity, with a richer more complex lavender, sage, tarragon and tobacco leaf. I don't have a very trained nose so I can't piece apart all of the notes, but I can say that this scent has a calming, sophisticated presence, and can be worn in virtually any weather, for any occasion, but is more appropriate for people 30 years and older. Definitely not a "party" or "club" scent. Longevity on my skin is about 8 hours, which is great considering that I have very dry skin and scents do not last generally last long on me, you may have even better results. It projects moderately/strongly for the first 2-3 hours, but will not suffocate those around you as it's not a heavy or cloying scent. It has about 1-foot projection through hours 3-6, and then skin scent for the final 2 hours. Overall, I can completely see why this one has attained legendary status, and it's truly a shame that the reformulation has taken away such a large part of what made this scent great in the first place. Having said all that, I just want to add as an aside that the imitation scent of this from Hayward Enterprises is almost 100% identical. Normally Hayward's scents are hit or miss (some are huge misses), but this one is easily the best imitation I've ever seen, of any fragrance. I sprayed the italian D&G on one arm and rolled the Hayward oil on the other, and they are literally 99% similar. I'd recommend obtaining this oil if you're looking for that original D&G magic, but can't find or afford a bottle of the vintage juice.

Dolce & Gabbana, a brand that doesn't have many great fragrances, in fact, i guess this is their best (talking about the masculine ones). A concoction of citruses, lavender, sage and woods. A simple eau de cologne mixed with a fougère style. Max Gavarry, the perfumer behind this fragrance, managed to create something with a cool water base and brighten it up with an Italian sexy vibe. It has a soapy quality, from the fougère structure and it's very alluring all the way. A typical 90's masculine but with this sexy citruses from a Italian eau de cologne. The citruses aren't the most natural ones but, for some reason, they work perfectly here with the herbs de provence and the light wood/tonka base. Nothing is sharp here. A pretty smooth fougère that has also a soft tobacco leaf note in the base to blend everything together. Is probably the least perceptive note but it's the one that helps this composition not being boring and has this sexy masculine aura. Unfortunately, D&G left EuroItalia in late 90's to joined P&G and later, Coty (everything from that era is very forgettable, to be honest) and the version of this classic is also completely different. Much sharper with less quality materials. Recently, the brand joined Shiseido group and they came out with slightly more interesting fragrances but i didn't tried the Pour Homme version yet. I hope the quality was increased as I consider Shiseido as a good brand/group. But for now, I suggest you to find a EuroItalia version if you want to experience this fragrance in full HD Stereo. The longevity is also better in this version (+8h) and the sillage is also stronger. Overall, a great fougeres with some unique qualities.