Grey Flannel

Although it's been thru it's reformulation pilgrimage, disappearance act included, it still lasts for days on clothes, and it retains the very same clearly identifiable scent I used to smell on my uncle back in the early 80s. I confess I never dared use it until now that I'm the age he was back then. I would like to quote a blogspot entry of "frompyrgos" I found while searching the association this frag had with the Teflon Don (all rights go to the original writer) : Quote : "In the past ten years or so, niche perfumery really launched itself onto the world stage. This worried me, as most niche fragrances are only affordable if you refinance your home and send your kids to a trade school instead of college. In my experience, niche scents smell better, mainly because they're more complex than mainstream frags and made with high quality ingredients. Ideally, I would never shop at Marshalls again, and stock my wardrobe with Creed and Czech & Speake until the day I die. That could still happen, but I have to win the lotto first. Fortunately, there's a mainstream masculine out there that smells like a niche scent, and only costs $15 for a 4 ounce bottle. Grey Flannel is a modern marvel because when André Fromentin formulated it in the early '70s, he had successfully tackled one of the most difficult concepts in perfumery - the dreaded violet reconstruction. Back when it was released in 1976, Grey Flannel boasted a great big violet/violet leaf wallop that was both ethereal and against the grain. It stepped from a pantheon of leathers and bombastic orientals, and stood apart. The original formula survived for the better part of the '80s, before it was discontinued in the early '90s. One could argue that Grey Flannel's last production date was a sad one indeed. Except it wasn't. In 1996, Beene's flagship scent was reformulated and re-released. Usually reformulations strip something vital out of an old-school perfume (oak moss has been under the knife for a while now, particularly in newer versions of feminine '70s chypres), but with Grey Flannel, things were different. There were new technologies and a broader range of aroma chemicals with which to compose violet notes, and so the central accord in Grey Flannel wasn't butchered, but in fact improved. Instead of smelling harsh and "perfumey" the violet note was smoothed out, flanked by complimentary accords of citrus and moss, and allowed to breathe. Grey Flannel's current manufacturer, Elizabeth Arden Fragrances, boasts a note pyramid with multiple spices, flowers, and woods. Yet I really don't smell anything other than the basic structure of this chypre. The top is a dessicated lemon accord, bone dry to the point of almost smelling woody. Once that impeccable citrus lifts, moss-studded violet leaves arrive, ushering along with them the lovely powdery violet note. Although the sweetness of the flower peeks through the dank shade of the leaves, it never develops into the sugary floral caricature found in many feminine releases these days. It stays bitter, and very green. Everything is set against a coriander and oak moss background, until the notes fade in the drydown, leaving oak moss close to the skin. I'm fairly sure that Grey Flannel is as close as I'll ever get to the coveted Holy Grail perfume. It has simplicity, freshness, greenness - and all for pennies. I have yet to find anything that touches the beauty of Grey Flannel, although there's little doubt in my mind that Pierre Bourdon paid homage to it when he developed Green Irish Tweed some ten years after the Beene's initial release. I suppose one could complain of a perceptible "soapiness" to the Flannel, but once you get past the '70s zeitgeist aspect of virtually any late 20th Century chypre, you're left with the freedom to smell like flowers without fearing social repercussions. With this particular floral chypre, you can dress in a suit, spritz some violets on, and conquer the day as 100% pure and unadulterated Man."

The heady, nostalgic and urbane poetry of this fragrance is subtly muted and dimly lit by the waning gibbous moon in late November. This lovely creation needs patience and time to develop to its exquisite zenith. I fully realize and appreciate how polarizing this tends to be; however, I love and cherish its hidden beauty. Many years ago I bought a bottle purely by accident, thinking it was the lighter counterpart, Eau de Grey Flannel. It was most certainly not, and I could not appreciate the original for what it truly was. Recently, I was reading reviews of the fragrance here, and I noted how some people truly adored it, and my curiosity was piqued again. Then I came across a beautifully written review in this thread by LANIER that changed my understanding of this unusual and charming offering. The review gave comparisons to vintage New York couture and hinted at the melancholy nostalgia that the fragrance proffers. Indeed this fragrance is nostalgic, and fits perfectly into this time of year (late November to early December) when I am wont to gather in and recall beautiful girls that I once knew and loved and take in the magic of the moon late at night when it hangs low in the western sky and the Christmas lights are beginning to emerge in twinkling emanations. It is not for everyone, and as stated, must be given patience and decorum to reveal itself. The rewards are refined and delicate. I would personally not wear this during the Spring and Summer months, as it would be enormous and would not gain the benefit of the crisp late Autumn air. I went and found a bottle for a modest price of all of about $12.00 and decided to sit with the fragrance after reading LANIER’s review. I began to understand the subtle nuance and reverie of this unique offering, and started to fall madly in love with it. For me, it had that vintage cologne smell (as would be expected from a fragrance that was created in 1975), but it opens up into a cool, refined piece of artistry once it starts the drydown journey. The opening is bitter and longing, like the dry and tawny leaves on the trees in the cold evenings, making a definite statement with Galbanum and Petitgrain, framed with Neroli, Bergamot and Lemon, lending a certain genteel crispness to the Head notes. The magic of this fragrance is the absolutely beguiling variegated floral heart, showcasing Violet, Iris and Narcissus alongside demure Rose and earthy Geranium. This Heart gives a softness and roundness to the clearly pronounced Head. It also defines the fragrance as very much unisex for me, as I would enjoy smelling this distinguished creation on a female companion. The Drydown consists of Vetiver, Tonka Bean and Almond, lending the fragrance its aforementioned nostalgic beauty. I wore this out to procure some orange spice tea from a local shop today, and loved how it artfully blended with the chilly November day. It is an unusual stand-alone in the current world of easily accessible and sometimes uninteresting fragrances, one to take rightful place in a haute couture perfume counter. I would suggest a glance through LANIER’s review of this magnificent offering, go find a bottle (the price alone is a peppercorn asking that makes the risk of adventure nearly non-existent), slow down and allow it a platform to speak, and perhaps the magic of the November night will reveal itself and its occulted mystery as it did for me. I would most definitely wear this if I were taking a girlfriend to an expensive dinner and an evening at the symphony or an art show opening, followed by a romantic walk in the chilly late night along the softly lit uptown shops. This has a hidden place in the twilight corridors of my heart.

Very unique yet classic, timeless, masculine DNA! I just purchased a 3.4 oz bottle for freakin' $10 at Ross!? wWOWw! And look, YES, This fragrance's dna has most certainly been negatively affected by reformulations, ABSOLUTELY, but it still retains the essence of what makes Grey Flannel, well,...GREY FLANNEL! The performance is still pretty decent (especially on clothes). I just got my bottle yesterday, held off on leaving a review here on Fragrantica so I could spritz some on my shirt last night to test the performance, and its still quite present on my shirt (as a skin scent). So Kudos to whomever now owns the Geoffrey Beene brand for NOT destroying this classic GEM'S dna, thus obliterating the performance (like what happened to our BELOVED (Drakkar Noire or Polo) for example😡. I love how the Violet Leaf offers that bitter/sharp, dry/ozonic vibe, and idk if it's just my nose, but I can REALLY pick up on the Rose 🌹 note with this lastest reform, which just plays perfectly with the rest of this "Kitchen Sink dna". I also love the "slight funk" of the powdery accord used here which totally adds to Grey Flannel's classic vibe. Ive been pondering getting Grey Flannel bc Ive recently been so very dissapointed by TOO MANY classic fragrances with newly aquired PISS-POOR longevity/performance that I wasn't even willing to spend the $10 just to be dissapointed AGAIN, and honestly, I thought that the $10 pricetag was a reflection of the poor performance, but thankfully, I was quite WRONG😉. It's pretty awesome when companies respect and actually TRY to retain the integrity of of the DNS many peoples Beloved classic fragrances!! its become more and more rare these days sadly, and sorta feels, well (disrespectful) imo. Im so, so glad that I went for it and added Grey Flannel to my collection, and I definately recommend it to whomever used to love this dna, and also to whomever wants to add some classic frags to their collection so they can achieve some diversity. I highly recommend this and for $10!!! A "NO BRAINER"!! Hands down! Im just so excited that this smells (almost the same) and still performs well🤩 7 outta 10 frag, and thats outta my 60+ frag collection which contains everything from Tom Fords Black Orchid, Niche, Clones and "Cheapies". Thanks to whomever took the time to read my thoughts on Grey Flannel.. Such a Pleasant Surprise considering today's reformulations!! 😉👌

Thank you, amjad77! I just ordered a bottle for myself because of your review! I know I will love it. Partly because I love galbanum & the other notes in this fragrance Partly because of your sweet tears. Will update this with my own review when it arrives. UPDATE: Just got my bottle! WOW! Mon Dieu, quelle beauté! The 240 ml bottle did not have an atomiser, which I was prepared for, after reading some of the comments. Just put a few drops on my lower arm and got hit with the most beautiful combination of powdery violet, geranium & mimosa! As someone earlier have mentioned it does smell like an old, Louisiana dandy who undoubtedly comes from WEALTH! After about an hour the powdery flowers give way to sparkling, green narcissus, vetiver & cedar. After 4 hours it turns into almonds & woody skinscent. There is indeed a LOUD & extremely potent galbanum note throughout the whole process. If you're not fond of galbanum, you will not like this creation. I can't believe I got the LAST bottle of this in the shop. Now they're out of stock! I lucked out!! Projection is moderate! At an arms lenght! I don't understand how anyone can hate it. I don't detect any polarizing notes in it at all. At least not on my skin. It's very green, aromatic & powdery. I understand that powdery notes is an unusual choice for a masculine fragrance. The only explanation would be if a person has a really awful olfactory memory connected to any of the notes. If you're an inexperienced teenager, a generalist or someone who's not into perfumes and just wants to smell "nice" - Grey Flannel is probably not for you. Grey Flannel is for men with refined taste & for hedonistic libertines like myself. Also in the modern verison the oakmoss seems to have gone out after a pack of smokes, never to be found again... I'd like to try the vintage version in the future!

+ International long standing appreciated men's frag with subdued reputation. Have it, enjoy wearing it. Sometimes I nix my reach for the sake of others I may encounter during the day who could be mystified or put off. + With some other frags that have capacity to offend I don't care what it does to people because they need it and are fair game for such exposures. With Grey Flannel by Beene it is a different matter altogether. It has a scope of open field herbal, woody and floral qualities that for some sniffers takes a long while to absorb, digest and acclimate. It is not like Kouros or Aramis by which it is good for people's character development to be steamrolled. + Grey Flannel has a murky element. It has moments of herbal bog perfusion that one learns to especially enjoy. It can smell like a home made medicine pack geared toward deepening lung power or maybe for soothing modern world blues. To my nose it is pleasantly medicinal rather than unwashed grunge hippy. + Works well year round on my skin and is a fun spray to pull on occasions where I notice freedom is present to let those I encounter deal with it in happiness or in some unknown internal challenge they generally keep to themselves. Some teens and twenty-somethings struggle to identify its category. They sniff and sniff and keep coming up with question marks. I think this is a healthy life discovery process for them. + What I most like about GF is how it is similar to a favorite wool sweater that has surpassed objective fashion evaluation due to kindness in service rendered.

A polarizing scent. I love it. Its green, bitter and citrus on the opening blast. A very unique smell. Petitgrain, bergamot, lemon. The initial drydown is VERY powdery iris, green wet violet., geranium, all three on full effect. It smells like a florist shop that just got soaked by a sprinkler. Its intensely wet bitter green and citrusy at same time. The later dry down has the powdery iris and dry vetiver become prominent. I dont smell tonka or almond, though listed. it also carries a very soapy vibe (very different than Guerlain Vetiver) which took alot to get used to. Excluding those two, i feel grey flannel hits so many of its ingredients so prominently, yet none get drowned out. Theyre all in your face and i think thats what puts people off. Its like a very rough, bitter version of GIT. it predates it. And Im curious if grey flannel was an inspiration for it to a degree, there is some scent relation, akin to a 3rd cousin. Its a love or hate fragrance. I love it and I honestly dont know why. Everything inside me tells me too bitter too soapy too powdery. Im a herbaceous, spice, vetiver, leather and tobacco guy typically. But my love for GIT may be the bridger. This is so out of my typical love and I just find it so hard to describe. Its an odd one and s floral that is manly, and it shouldnt be. At least to my nose. Its a classic and one of the most divisive perfumes. Ill always have a bottle of it. Just when i feel like being different. Its very versatile, surprisingly enough.

I took the plunge and bought a large bottle of this divisive fragrance. After reading all the comments about it, I know many people passionately dislike it. I’m not sure if our experiences depend on individual body chemistry, but I loved it right from the start. I've been wearing it for two days now, and while it’s definitely not a compliment magnet, no one has said anything negative about it either. I actually enjoy the super sharp opening that everyone mentions. My only issue so far is that it fades quite quickly—at least that’s how it feels to me. I can’t really smell it beyond four to five hours of wearing it, though others say they still can, so maybe I just get used to it. This is just a quick comment; I’ll be wearing it for a while longer and will come back with a full review in a few weeks. Update : my original review was on the splash bottle version , which I still love but it’s a bit rudimentary so I ordered a bottle with atomiser and due to the more precise distribution and dosage it’s a far better experience.... It does smell even better . Updated: about 8 months later .... Love this juice and can’t visit for the warmer days to rock it . Over the time I managed to hunt down 8 x 15ml vintage bottles .... And I hate to say this .... And I’m still behind what I said , the modern stuff is still epic to me ... but the vintage is on a whole another level . So if u got a chance to grab one for a reasonable price , I’d say go for it . I know I will ....

It's missing the oakmoss. If you are purchasing a bottle manufactured during the last 10-15 years, that's what it's missing. I have an older bottle and it's chef's kiss. The way that oakmoss plays with the violets and petitgrain creates an amazing, smooth experience. I wear this frag in spring, especially rainy days. It comes alive with a background of petrichor. I've also worn this on milder winter days, and it works in cold weather as well. In spring, the fragrance is a verdant meadow expanse on a cool, rain-soaked day. The smell of wet soil, the earthy notes of crushed root and stem, and the sweet nectar scent of flowers. In winter, the fragrance takes all of that and adds a layer of ice, with the soil note more pronounced. Here is where the oakmoss comes in, making the fragrance a year-round scent by adding a certain vegetal warmth in winter and coolness that transitions the fragrance into Spring. Oakmoss also smooths away the scratchy edges that many with newer bottles are referring to, turning that scratchiness into the textured "bite" of a single malt whiskey before the growl becomes a harmonious hum. Something to note: I am a woman, and I consider this fragrance to be unisex. However, note that the unisex label comes with stipulations. Grey Flannel is the fragrance I choose when the days are still overcast, and I'm dressed in a leather jacket, vs. a balmy day when I'm in a silk ruffled blouse.

Quite simply the most underrated masterpiece ever made. Like many/most fragrances if you haven't worn it before give your nose a rest for the first five minutes and then take it in. Lovely floral tart citrus powder fall and winter holidays in Rhode Island/Connecticut sort of affair (the citrus is the chypre type not sweet except along with the overall combination of notes). It is a very spiffed up 1920s-1940s gangster kind of business also. Jumps off the skin well and freshens itself up with movement and even the slightest perspiration. This one gets a lot of undeserved hate for some reason to which I reply if you dislike this kind of fragrance just leave it alone. If it cost $80 or more the same people would still feel the same way but they would probably just not purchase it and keep their thoughts to themselves. If you like masculine florals and are okay with some powder (reflection man, the dreamer, etc.) feel free to weigh in on this classic. Obviously it isn't Amouage but it is damn good and has better legs than many other florals not to mention of course you could never worry about the cost. Lastly it is quite calming as well in a nocturnal way there could be chamomile in it certainly that vibe but the flower petals are all blended together well although there are clearly many varieties see the notes above they are quite accurate.

I'm always shocked when I see the hate for this. It's easily my favorite men's fragrance--by a longshot. There's so many good things about it. Firstly, smells like oakmoss. The real stuff. Even new bottles. I recently bought a bottle of Evernia Prunastri essential oil, and upon opening and smelling from a few inches away, Grey Flannel was the first hazy image in my mind's eye. Lots of gorgeous galbanum mixing with the oakmoss and florals, very French, very moody, so green, SO GOOD! Secondly, it's versatile. I think it's formal enough for anything, but could make a great couch-lounging or bedtime scent. I agree the violet makes me think Fahrenheit, but Fahrenheit smells more dated, Grey Flannel remains timeless. I consider GF ageless. At least, it doesn't smell like MY grandfathers!! (Maybe because mine wore Old Spice). I think you have to have a strong desire to approach olfactory pursuits without bias to shake the "old person" descriptions. Many vintage perfumes smell fantastic, your grandparents smelled sexy af and got laid, too. Grandpa loved Grandma's Youth Dew; now you get to be alive, have a little respect 🤣

Good Lord people calm down! We can see that you have high dollar designer/niche tastes and dislike it already. Only question is what on earth led you to buy a $5 bottle of cologne much less expect it to be Chanel? Also, YOU ARE ALL WRONG! It is GRREAT! for what it is. All the stuff that used to be here still is under the powder puff explosion. Bit of sandalwood bit of green bit of iris. Unisex in that it makes you a 1930s bootlegger spiffed up for a speak easy/turns your lady into a naughty vamp from the 1920s with stockings garter belt (and a bare shoulder dress!)/sharp fast witty banter between the two of you (obviously great for Goths). The notes from these 70s/80s edt fragrances all blend together and reveal themselves at random moments over time. That's why so many from this period have almost the same notes but smell different from each other and a bit unique. If you need Tom Ford type specificity and $ signal or YSL sweetness to send out then just stick with the blooming 2020s. Personally I like to dabble in all times and places with fragrances.

One of the most classic male fragrances and yet so beautiful for a woman too. Its opening is a sharp green breeze tamed by a shy violet that rounds the edge and gives a new direction to what would have otherwise been just another lovely men's perfume. It becomes deeper and deeper as time goes by and as the greenery melts with other flowers (I am sure a little jasmine is among them even if not listed). It's been a huge success for years and very deservingly so, true, reformulation has changed it, but all in all damages have been limited. As I said I like it as a feminine scent because of its bitter character which reminds me - not in the fragrance but in the concept - another great feminine scent from the past, Cabochard. Grey Flannel is aromatic, woodsy, meditative and yet light and informal. You wonder why it's so cheap but you wonder not for long as it's a bonus to enjoy without questioning too much. I like it today, on a early spring Saturday, when winter is going to say goodbye and spring ready to replace it. BEAUTIFUL

I don't understand all the restrictions people here put on Grey Flannel, e.g., "I'll only wear this on rainy days", "I love Grey Flannel, but I hate the opening and middle phases...", "I will only wear this if I'm alone in my own house", "I'd only wear this if I'm in rural England during the first week of April and it's cloudy outside", etc.. What is all this nonsense? Sure, the opening is sharp and bitter, and the middle is a little less so, but every phase is great. Grey Flannel is dry and green, with no sweetness. The violet leaf stands out the most, and has a spicy, peppery facet that lasts for hours. When it dries down, it smells damp and earthy, like cold, green, mossy water, blended with black pepper and bitter green herbs. There's also a kind of grim dustiness to the drydown, which I assume is from the iris note. GF also has an oily aftershave-type twang that you smell in a lot of men's colognes from the 60s and 70s. I can't think of any situation where I WOULDN'T wear this.

What a beautiful composition!!! This is gorgeous!!! Seeing all these comments below about the sharpness and the fact that it is a challenging composition, I was a bit affraid at first. It was a blind buy for me and what a beautiful surprise!! For me the sage and the vetiver are the most prominent notes of the scent. I feel also the violet, the iris and the galbanum, although I wish the galbanum was more pungent. The scent opens up with a grassy earthy feel (grass and hay), but it settle down quickly into a very soapy airy clean odor. It is a very classic one and from my point of view it is 100% unisex. For a man is giving a trusted and comfortable feeling and for a woman I find it veeery sexy and refined!! For info, I am a woman who loves vintage perfumes and earthy, indolic, animalic, chypre scent categories. So I might be far from the mass apealing tastes nowaday, but if you fit in the same category as I am, then please give this beauty a try!!

This is some great stuff. For the money you won't find a more complex, long-lasting scent that projects. It's everything you want in more expensive fragrances, but at 1/50 the cost. It immediately hits you with a strong grassy, citrus-rindy scent but eventually a floral character comes out in the dry down, but remains fully masculine and earthy. What I love about it is the in-your-face earthiness... for me, this is the "smell of the forest" but turned up to 11 on the dial. It is strong. And perhaps I'm biased by my nostalgia for this fragrance, as I used to wear this often when I was much much younger and always thought it "stood out" as so different from most of the men's fragrances at the Macy's counter. So it's not for everyone. I also made the same mistake as the review below, and then immediately went to amazon to get this in addition. Both are at least good, and this one IMHO is great, and I agree this is the real deal.

This is a masterpiece! I was afraid a little because this is a hate and love story in the community. The opening is sharp! A shock for the nose! Many floral notes at the same time, but when your nerves start to analyze it you get a clean picture. A powdery floral fresh nice manly smell. Beautiful, for the price it is a robbery! I started collecting all the classic powerhouses, and masculine beasts in the fragworld and what i have experienced it was worth it! Grey flannel in the drydown an excellent charming flowery scent, soft without sweetness, interesting enough to stand out in comparison the modern sweetish coconut scents what boys use nowadays. For those who tell you it's a granny or grandpa smell: It is not! A journey back in time when the mankind had taste, and have the gut to experimenting and refine things! A lot of retro and vintage stuff came back in the fashion, maybe the scents will too! Absolutely recommend it!

I have the 1980s version and the current version. Not surprisingly, the pre-IFRA OG is better, thanks in part to a massive oakmoss hit, more animalics and more woods. The current version is still quite good, especially given its incredible price-to-quality ratio. It has the most prominent narcissus note (both old and new) that I have ever smelled. All of the reviews before that attribute the main thrust to violet are missing this. We have all tried violet-forward fragrances like Burberry Touch - this is an entirely different animal. This is a masculine, rough floral that has yet to be repeated (and likely never will be). The folks who say this is a love it or hate it fragrance are not wrong. If BDC, Sauvage or Spicebomb are your idea of a great fragrance, you aren't ready for this. If fragrances with powerful, challenging notes like oud, vetiver and leather make you smile, blind buy a bottle of this!

Romantic, decadent and broody- I have hated so much this fragrance. Last month an olfactory memory kicked in and triggered a positive association (so weird mind is!) and yes, related to exactly the same smell. I bought online a new bottle, surely a more recent iteration. It is amazing. The gentlemen’s unwritten rule for floral fragrances is getting older - maybe it has to do with body chemistry and hormones balance, but hey this is just casting a sortilege. Reformulation is even better than the past version. The axis Galbanum - violet is strong but the underwood of mossy flowers is potent. Not the fragrance to attract the gentle sex, more a poetic introspective journey. Absolutely unforgiving, so you must be in the right mood otherwise this will wear you too hard. Soundtrack: Bryan Ferry, I put a spell on you

Incredible nature-like perfume. The galbanum and violet combo really evokes this sort of grassy green plant insides smell, like the cracked stem of a dandelion, or pushing your face right up to a flower. It's sort of lightly wrapped up in this foggy, rainy wet musk. A very very well rounded perfume, very comfortable to smell. This perfume smells to me like an old professor who has slipped and fallen face first into his garden on a foggy day. Very green, slightly powdery, floral and just a little soapy. Not super "masculine" at all to my nose, even though perfume cannot be masculine or feminine, that is a stupid idea in my opinion. This is probably the best for value perfume you can buy right now, like in the entire world. Reminds me a lot of another masterpiece: Romanza from Masque Milano.

I remember when this fragrance was first introduced and it had quite a lot of advertisement in the department store I tried it at. I still remember how strange this one was compared to the other fragrances at the time. There was no other fragrance with that scent profile and I think even after reformulations the same could be said today about GF. I do much prefer the original as with any fragrance from that time period because it had a healthy dose of Oakmoss in it. I still have a vintage bottle as well as two bottles of the later formula. I purchased a bottle of pure natural Oak Moss absolute and add just a little because it is 100% pure. That drop of Oakmoss takes the modern back to its glory days when I was a high school kid.