Armani Eau Pour Homme

The uniquely plaintive train whistle echoes thought the huge train shed of Stazione Termini Roma. The doors with an airy whishing close and with the second whistle blast the sleek Ferrari red Italo bullet train begins to wheel like a silky sliver of light from cocoon of the station. Suddenly, like any city in the world, the backside view of Rome appears. Across the rows of polished steel tracks the walls and roofs of the city begin to slide away with increasing speed, crumbly, golden and eternal, farewell Roma. Onward the train glides toward the final destination of Venice. The train at top speed cuts with surging power and grace though the beautiful central valley of Italy that lies between the Apennines and the costal mountains. This deep lipstick red machine is now speeding along at a smooth imperceptible 250 miles an hour. Quietly it banks like a private jet gently and with much less noise it takes a turn. With each turn left then right it becomes a waltz across the landscape Train attendants move along in their chic uniforms with carts overflowing with snacks and beverages. Everyone on the train except the tourists are thoughtfully and beautifully dressed. Outside trees, and farms and hills and towns fly buy in a beautiful kaleidoscopic whiz of green light and terracotta shadow. The glamour of train travel is alive and well in Italy. In no time at all the Duomo of Florence appears on the right side of the train. In the station and out again and on over the pass in the Mountains between Florence and Bologna. There are high towers in the city of Bologna that lean too. Pisa has no exclusive rights on leaning towers in Italy. Bologna's can be seen high against the sky as the train rolls out of the station to cut across the Po Valley and into the Veneto. As the train leaves the mainland and ventures like Cupids arrow straight for the heart of La Serenissima the city shines on the lagoon. In moments the passengers are descending from the train and moving caught up in the bustling throng, though the station and out onto the Grand Canal. The whole world has changed with this startling view of Venice accept the legendary style of Italy and her people. They like Rome are eternal. In its classic men’s perfume from 1984 Armani Eau Pour Homme, the fashion house of Giorgio Armani captured all the style and refined polish one finds in a train trip across Italy. Sleek, elegant and powerful this fragrance has it all. It pops on the skin at first spray, the top notes of mandarin, green orange, basil, bergamot, lemon all conspire to create what I can only describe as jalapeno peppers. This surprising accord almost lost me the first time I tried it on but it was as it turned out just a little lurch of the train leaving the station. I was willing to overlook this in anticipation of the journey ahead. Up from the bottom notes comes the sandalwood to smooth and calm the top notes. This note like a good train conductor stays always present for the rest of the journey. As the opening notes die away and leave the sandalwood to greet the most powerful of the heart notes jasmine, and lily it moves to its restrained presentation which makes it stand out against the other overwhelming power fragrances of the 80’s. These two notes hold court over the more subtle rose, nutmeg cumin and clove. Here it is close to the skin and will remain so. As the journey though the heartland continues enter the notes of cedar, oak moss and musk. This lasts a good four to five hours. As the train begins to loose steam in the dry down there is just a whispered memory of jasmine and sandalwood left and they find support in a hint of patchouli musk and vetiver. At about 6 hours the ride is over. The first time I tried Armani Eau Pour Homme I found it to be a bit of a disappointment. That was two months ago. As time went by I would come back to it and try it again. Finally I was in tune with its subtle style. Like the extraordinary suits and elegant gowns of Armani it is all about understated elegance. FOUR GOLD STARS ****

A brilliant composition that exudes taste, class and epitomizes the word, "distinguished". This is the scent that you gracefully apply with a black Giorgio Armani tuxedo on a red carpet...refinement and masculine beauty captured in liquid essence. However, what makes it truly outstanding is that you could wear your favorite, comfortable pair of jeans, loafers and a white t-shirt to a patio lunch while wafting this aroma. Warm weather preferred - but one could wear this indoors year-round. It is, somehow, brillianty casual and also very proper. While some scents can 'wear you' or fall into either strictly formal or casual - this is a scent that the wearer, the man, defines. I see both sides of this as I realize that this wonderful creation from 1984 (nearly 30 years ago) is truly exemplified by the man who wears it, his attire, confidence and taste (as well as occasion). When Roger Pelligreno created this, Aromatic Citrus scents were full of wonderful richness - oakmoss, sandalwood, and woody vetiver. I am lucky to have older juice (Vintage) and can attest to its wonderful ambiance. It is shades of brilliant pastel citruses, with blooms of florals & a rich base of green moss and light, warm wood. The newer bottle I have is batch-coded to March, 2006. It lists Oakmoss and Tree Moss on the box and next to the Vintage, it is slightly more lemony and hollow, but still wonderful, articulate and a nice vibe. It is more distinctly, 'Citrus', with shades of bright yellow from the lemon and green zest from bergamot with the warmth of orange. Longevity of that bottle can be somewhat fleeting - but, herein lies the "problem", for some, with virtually all Aromatic Citrus scents. I, personally, don't mind that it lasts for a few hours. The glimpse of beauty can be enjoyed for an occasion and then reapplied/refreshed - it makes the wearing more vibrant as you can reinvigorate the wonderful citrus, florals, spices and green herbs. Still, a wonderful scent with great shades and hues in that bottle! I do get more longevity out of Vintage - but also enjoy a liberal wearing and refreshing it as well. To me, that is the beauty of Aromatic Citruses (Vintage or more recent). I will not buy the current bottling as ALL oakmoss and tree moss has been removed. IFRA should be ashamed. The oakmoss, wood and vetiver create a nice base that breathes on my skin. Not loud - but it doesn't need to be. This wears as a refined Aromatic Citrus should - fresh, vibrant and very natural tonality. Not too high-pitched. The warmth from the spices carry through to the base of wood, moss, herbaceous patchouli, radiant light musk and vetiver. The middle of this fragrance is smooth, with a full bouquet, including an ornate lily note and a light rose bloom. The appreciation I have for this is very high. I call it a 'reference citrus' as it seems to pull great qualities and notes out of a lot of compositions I adore, but present them uniquely and add even more to many of them. It is, unto itself, perfect. I will not compare this to any other scents, just formulations (Vintage to Recent bottlings). True excellence in a composition...the only requirement to wear this is to simply have good taste. Armani Eau Pour Homme...timeless. A modern classic from a house that exudes class. Cheers.

I am still kicking myself for NOT getting this, for $14.99 USD for a 50 ml bottle, at a grey market store 18 months ago. I had NO idea, then, what it was and after running home and looking it up and RUSHING back to the store...it was GONE! *wipes tear from cheek* Luckily, this is still available (OR WAS) at a major beauty retailer in the closest city to me; and I got a nice spray decant from that store manager and hope to get a full bottle, sooner than later. I believe this is the "newer" version, but still...it is simply stunning! Utterly citric and green on the first spray, THIS is what all citrus aromatics should aspire to emulate! Bright, jazzy, sparkling citruses cascading and cavorting all around you surrounded by the warm green freshness of basil...YUM! For something that came out in the 80's this is powerful; but not a powerhouse! It is classic in its manliness...yet clean and sharp and so very nice. When this begins to dry, a rather soapy lavender joins hands with a dry carnation as other less intense (but still lovely) feminine florals sing softly in the background. I do not get cinnamon, so much, as the dried nutmeg (warm smooth spicy/sweetness) that falls gently on the floral procession like a light spiced snow. The drydown, here sounds ho-hum, but is really well done with the dry pungency of oak moss mixing with the smoky and very sexy vetiver. There are some woods and musk also; mostly sandalwood and some cedar wood, and the musk is squeaky clean (as musk can get) and the patchouli (if any) whispers "sexy" and is gone! My nose is saying "hmmm, AdP's COLONIA gets an Armani make-over"! Sillage: great Longevity: impressive Overall: 4.75/5 For a citrus aromatic this is amazing, citruses are either "hit" or "miss" on my skin...and THIS is a hit, for sure, straight out of the park!! Once again, I sigh (deeply) and say: "They don't make them like THAT anymore" and THAT is such a shame. Dated? I think not...unless, of course, smelling CLEAN classy and sexy has gone out of style while I wasn't looking. Eau Pour Homme is something every man should have in his fragrance rotation. It is perfect for spring and summer and has enough OOMPH! to shine even on the coldest winter day. Work, play, a night on the town: it works for all of them. If you sniffed this before and said "No", I invite to visit it again (on skin) and let it develop and dry down completely...then sniff (deeply), exhale on it and sniff in again VERY s-l-o-w-l-y and softly and you will see (smell) exactly what I mean!

Armani Eau Pour Homme......... my first true love. I was in Biarritz, Southern France, just a short hop away from the Spanish border in the Basque region, somewhere around 1986; the height of summer with my then girlfriend. We wandered the streets of the town; an elegant old lady that maybe had seen better days but retained the charm of its illustrious past, when real movie stars used it as their playground and the likes of Bogart & Bacall held court at the marina in their Riva Aquarama. As we walked the streets, we felt the breeze coming from what turned out to be the air conditioning from a beautiful perfumery and headed inside to escape the blistering heat. The most wonderful, elegant older woman greeted us and we marvelled at the shelves and shelves of incredible fragrance, not really knowing what to look at or smell next. We continued to sample the incredible stock, when she reappeared in front of us & smiled ....... she held out her right hand to me and said “this is you” and to my girlfriend, her left hand, saying....”and this is you...... these belong to you.” I held in my hands Armani Eau Pour Homme, my girlfriend, Armani for Women. Fast forward some 33 years ..... It’s still my signature fragrance today and when I can find a bottle I can trust & preferably the Cosmair formulation, I get it. I made a decision on the day I found out that the original beauty had been been re-formulated, not to touch the current version and other than testing it in store when it was launched, I haven’t! In fact, of all the fragrances I have in my collection; some 150+, it’s the only one my wife (not the aforementioned girlfriend) ever comments on still, after 25 years. Familiarity I guess. Unmistakably an Italian citrus but the way those citrus top notes blend with the oakmoss is just the most amazing work of fragrance alchemy. The cast of supporting notes just hold everything together so beautifully that I place it right at the top of my list of all the light citrus ‘cologne’ style fragrances; it’s top of ALL my fragrances because of its masterful creation and the nostalgic memories it has been a part of. I realise that it may be considered old fashioned & out-dated by modern standards and fashions in fragrances but in my very humble opinion, it deserves its place amongst Dior Eau Sauvage, YSL Pour Homme, Monsieur de Givenchy and AdP Colonia as a classic citrus aromatic legend and tops my list, despite possibly being old-school. Then again..... so am I !!

Pure genius: masterful, architectural daylight. Bright Sicilian lemon, sharp petigrain, and green basil radiate from a heart of fragrant nutmeg and cloves and cinnamon and carnation, all on top of a perfectly composed bone-dry, mossy, woody drydown. A structural, symphonic masterpiece: the apex of timeless Italian elegance and sophisticated masculinity. Nothing else compares. My GOAT, if only it weren't discontinued and near impossible to find now. I love this random Reddit guy's comment about this juice: "I would not wear this on a date or to a club. Repeat after me: You do not wear this to a club. You wear this when you own the f*ing club." Seriously folks, let's mobilize forces and write to Armani/L'Oréal to revive this NOW. Send letters and emails to their offices in New York, in Milan, in Paris, to say how much Armani Eau pour Homme still commands a massive, dedicated following in the fragrance community, and how now we're all forced to seek out depleted vintage bottles at ridiculous prices, or other even less fortuitous channels, but would much prefer to buy direct from Armani if we knew we were getting the legit stuff. Flood them with testimonies of how beloved this stuff actually is. Talk about it on social media. Tag it and send it to all your frag head friends. Tell Armani how shortsighted and counterproductive it is to discontinue such an iconic, historic, masculine, classic fragrance that anchored the house for so long and so well, before the fragrance industry was hollowed out by corporate cost-cutting and synthetic shortcuts. The Armani line-up now is dominated by trend-chasing trash and its flankers: either aquatic screech juice or syrupy candy glop. We need to bring back the original. Even a limited-edition heritage run, an exclusive online-only drop, or part of an Armani/Privé high-end line, reviving this scent would be such an awesome tribute to the Armani's historic legacy, a major story for fragrance media and extreme fan loyalty, as well as a massive win for Armani brand purists. On second thought, forget the limited edition nonsense. I would happily wear this every day for the rest of my life. BRING THIS BACK, ARMANI!!!