Paisley

I'm the first to get annoyed with how much the term 'barbershop' gets thrown around, but in this case, it's right on the mark, at least in terms of how this term might be perceived in North America. While to the uninitiated, it's enough to say: 'fresh, dry green fougère with a strong herbal accent leading to an earthy drydown, to those in the know, this is an unmistakeable throwback to the 'barbershop'-type fragrances of yore. Paisley opens with an brisk, acidic brightness (mint, geranium, citrus, and, I would imagine, clove.) But, the star anise, accompanying an unlisted but typical lavender note, shows up almost immediately, producing an almost medicinal aspect until the mint dies down. This medicinal/pharmacological vibe is thoroughly barbershop -- it feels great first thing after a shave, but is hardly a tool of seduction. After the first hour or so, however, a very appealing accord develops as the star anise cross-fades effortlessly into a dry, powdery patchouli. This progress is helped along by a silky blend of high-quality musks. Unlike the barbershop classics of the past 150 years or so, it has no oakmoss, but the patchouli and musk do a fine job of creating a credible (and durable) base. OK, back to the barbershop topic... In his diverting review of YSL's Rive Gauche on his blog, From Pyrgos, Bryan Ross writes: "While it smells fantastic [...] there are disturbing moments in its opening and drydown where other aromatic fougères of yesteryear appear and then recede back into the fog. It's like catching glimpses of familiar faces in a dense crowd in Times Square on New Year's Eve, and having every effort to walk over to them hindered by that scenario. In the opening I catch sight of Drakkar Noir and Azzaro Pour Homme, after which there are a few moments of Rive Gauche, and then there's Azzaro and Cool Water, then a slate-grey coumarin accord (more RG again), and hey, Paco Rabanne, is that you? And was that Brut beside you? This happens on an endless loop, and it's both interesting and distracting." In this case, the 'faces in the crowd' one glimpses are Fabergé Brut for the initial hit of sweet greens; Pinaud Clubman for the prickly-yet-satisfying mix of citric, floral and raspy/powdery aspects; Azzaro Pour Homme for the pronounced anise smoothed out by cardamom, amber and musk; and YSL Rive Gauche Pour Homme for just about all of those things, plus patchouli. Unlike Ross, however, I don't find these resemblances so much disturbing as an initial distraction one gradually moves past as familiarity sets in. Or maybe my underlying motive here is, I have any choice but to move past it? The Brut sold at drugstores has become (for me) unwearably synthetic over time, and Azzaro, and, especially, Pinaud Clubman, can feel incomplete without the oakmoss that once defined their bases but has now been stripped away by reformulations. And, of course, unlike the late, lamented Rive Gauche, Paisley has not been discontinued... The quality of ingredients used in Paisley is excellent, although, perhaps because of the multifaceted character of natural materials, you may notice very different aspects of these ingredients from one day to the next. Some of these I like more than others. There can be a sweet, almost root-beer-like note in the opening sometimes. This is not unpleasant, but takes some getting used to...It's not unlike the 'cola' accord one finds in the classic Florida Water cologne, and also reminds me of the 'cold candied soap' vibe produced by cardamom, iris and myrrh in the (also sadly discontinued) Prada Amber Pour Homme. One other thing to note is that reapplying this fragrance later in the day can be tricky. The drydown is deceptively long-lasting, but the fragrance is thoroughly nonlinear. By the time you might think of reapplying (6-8 hours or so), the skin-scent feels very warm -- coumarin, dry patchouli of the cocoa-y variety, and some sort of sweet resin. Throwing on more of the clamour of citrus and herbal notes that slapped your freshly shaven face awake at 7AM can feel a bit dissonant here, so my advice is to reapply with a light hand. To circle back to where I started, I'll simply say that Paisley sits squarely in the barbershop tradition and, unlike some other fragrances in this area (Invasion Barbare, 1725, Sartorial) is less self-consciously 'artistic' and therefore easier to wear on a day to day basis. All in all, and excellent buy -- maybe the best available at most price points -- if classic barbershop is your thing. As far as related grooming products go, aside fro Clubman and Brut, Paisley works decently with other lavender or mint-forward shaving products (Proraso Green aftershave, or Nivea moisturizer, for instance), and the brand produces what I hear is a decent stick deodorant. A note about performance... I'll never understand why a great brand like Geo F. Trumper uses such unremarkable bottles & sprayers, this is solid stuff, performance-wise. If the sprayer dispatched as much as most atomizers do, this would certainly be considered an EDT rather than EDC-strength fragrance. As it is, performance is very reliable -- good sillage for the first 60-90 minutes than a gradual, complex drydown to a nice skin scent that lingers throughout the day. I don't think you would want something much 'louder' for this kind of scent, and the base is really nicely crafted, so no points taken off for discretion and good manners on this one. My only issue with Paisley does come back to Ross' comment about distraction, albeit with some nuance reflecting my own perspective. The problem with being reminded by Paisley of other fragrances is the degree to which each did its own thing a little more characterfully. Perhaps there is a relationship between a frangrances individuality, its contribution of innovation to its genre, or just its commuting of its zeitgeist with timely momentum, but fragrances like Brut, Azzaro, and even the later Prada Amber Pour Homme just seem to possess a little more charisma, even in reformulation. I find Paisley to be very good, even admirable, but I'm not sure if it has this kind of a hold on my imagination. Of course, this perspective is subjective, and, frankly, impatient. It *is*, however, probably good news for my credit rating. I've just ordered (yet) another 3.4 oz. bottle of Paco Rabanne for less than what 1.7 oz. of Paisley set me back.

I can never get enough barbershop or aftershave style fragrances. I came across Paisley whilst searching for other Trumper fragrances, I was more than intrigued. There were some great reviews on here, as well as a few others on the internet; ah yes the dreaded blind buy was about to happen. So, after gulping hard and hitting the purchase button, the wait and apprehension was on. Finally, after 5 days of waiting and refreshing the dpd tracker an ungodly amount of time over that five day span; the fragrance finally arrived! Blind buy be damned! Paisley hit all the right notes for me! I really was thrilled when I first smelled it. It comes off like old Brut, in the best way possible. Yes, the opening is an explosion of star anise and citrus and a bit of pepper. This opening holds for a good while, with a fresh mint that swings in giving the fragrance a wonderful aura of freshness. The real joy of the fragrance comes through the mid and base notes; cardamom, vetiver and a slight dose of patchouli, which gives Paisley a sweet, earthy finish. Yes, we get away from the usual suspects of lavender and vanilla to provide sweetness. Paisley definitely sits between Brut, Invasion Barbare and Sartorial (like a younger more informal/fun version of these great fragrances). I recommend Paisley. This is a great scent to wear to work or when you are on the go. I really enjoyed this fragrance in the cool spring air we had here recently in Paris. Paisley dresses up or down and lends to mostly day wear. Contrary to what others have claimed about Paisley's performance, I find that it projects well (good scent bubble) and lasts a good 6 hours. Give Paisley a few sprays when you want to stay AM fresh and retro cool all day long.

This is a quintessential barbershop scent! Not just in the neighborhood of a barbershop scent like Azzarro, Paco Rabanne, One Man Show, and Sung Homme; Paisley literally places you in a barbershop. It starts out smelling a little like Brut with some Canoe, only much stronger, and then it comes into its own unique scent after the dry down. Performance is actually pretty good, but it is a little overpriced (luckily got mine at a deep discount). Paisley, At The Barber, and Dapper 1959 are the three that shout BARBERSHOP!

This is close to being a masterpiece. If Brut and Histoires de Parfums 1725 had a child together, this is it. Also think a cleaner, crisper, cooler Sartorial or a softer Bon Monsieur (with anise) It is a clean, crisp, anise aromatic fougere. An absolute gem. Whole bottle blind buy worthy and Geo F Trumpers best work. Easy 9.5/10

Trumper is possibly my favourite house. Superb, traditional scents for an incredibly reasonable price. Classic barbershop fougere that isn't old or dated. The peppermint is a lovely note and stays around for a while, making this a more interesting wear than Rive Gauche. The cardamom is delicious. Overall: 9/10.