Grey Blazer

I went into the D.S. & Durga store this weekend and smelled Grey Blazer. I love a good tea note in a fragrance, so I was curious to smell it, and I really enjoyed it at first sniff. Even though it is being marketed as an homage to older colognes, it is very approachable to a younger man like myself. It puts the "gentle" in gentleman for sure, since the lavender here is soft and not medicinal, and it doesn't have a harsh vetiver on the bottom or anything like that. It also doesn't have the synthetic sweet note present in some other D.S. & Durga fragrances; Grey Blazer felt fresh in a more natural way. I sprayed some on the back of my hand, and though they're listed as a top note, the spices of the fragrance seemed to last quite a long time (I was also at a beach campfire right after, so at a certain point, the campfire smell overtook my clothing and I couldn't smell anything else). I don't know if I can justify a full bottle purchase right now (the website says they're out of stock anyway), but I definitely could see this being a relatively inoffensive daily wear. It also works for all seasons, since it has light and floral qualities that make sense for spring and summer, but it also has some cold-weather spiciness.

Starts off with a spicy green accord, but more green, then transitions to a floral accord with a wooly background. The floral accord doesn’t read like a single floral, but more like a carnation-cyclamen combo with a lavender undertone (I can’t confirm the cyclamen since I haven’t smelled it on its own, but it does have a dewy aspect to it). The wool you get from this in the base notes definitely is a photorealistic wool jacket you’d wear in a professional, dressed setting, rather than a skein/wool ball. It’s been pressed and you’re wearing a classic men’s cologne—maybe it’s Fahrenheit. This is the sort of impression I’m getting. Definitely worth a closer look for wears into formal occasions if this is what you’re seeking, but me personally, I’m not in a rush to get a FB of this, maybe only till I run low on my cheapie colognes will I consider giving this a go, but a necessary staple for business wear if you’re into this profile.

This actually smells like a wool blazer. It's quite remarkable. Very nostalgic. Remember being a kid for a second. Picture your dad having put on a nice wool blazer as he was getting ready for work that morning. Before leaving the house, he sprayed on a masculine, old school cologne from the late 80's. He picks you up from school that afternoon, and as you climb into the passenger seat, he leans over and gives you a hug. Your nose buries into the lapel of his wool blazer. You smell the remnants of that morning's cologne, mixed with the warm, comforting smell of the blazer's fabric. The fabric has the familiar and cozy scent of your home...from hanging in the closet, but has also been marinated by the events of the day; by the air conditioning of both the office building and the car's cabin. That's how I experience Grey Blazer.

Amazing fragrance, in my mind it smells like a girl dad that works a 9to5. You have the smell of the wool in motion, the floral notes anchored by a tea scent, and underneath it all the is a spicy powdery wood scent that is almost indiscernible until a few hours have passed. I can sense some Imagination or Green Irish Tweed influences, but this stands on its own with the wool note. The scent lasted me a long hot day, all the while still getting compliments hours after spraying, so I'd say the longevity and sillage are great for such a gentle cologne.

At first, Grey Blazer is the fuzzy nap of a tennis ball tucked into the pocket of a wool blazer. Fifteen minutes later the perspective shifts. You’re no longer holding the ball; you’re standing on an empty green court behind an old college, the chalk lines fading into moss. The match is over. The air smells cool, the ivy is turning and someone has left a cashmere scarf on a nearby bench. The fragrance never tries to impress. Instead, it quietly stays with you until the first drops of rain begin to fall.