Giorgio Beverly Hills for Men V.I.P. Special Reserve

OMG, where has VIP been? I just discovered it after blind buying the original Giorgio Beverly Hills for Men, loved it, and decided to buy the line: blind bought Red for Men since it's inexpensive (I like it) and purchased a carded vial sample of VIP (REALLY liked it). I'm an 80s guy and all of these should have been more top-of-mind for me, but they weren't. As for VIP, it's what I like: dark, woodsy, oak mossy, musky, and with a nice spice/incense twist to make it interesting (my wife finds it somewhat powdery), with very good longevity and sillage. It reminds me of one of my very favorites: Eucris by Trumper (which is a lot easier to find, since it's still in production, and is moderately priced). Since VIP has not been produced for decades and there's no threat of fakes on the market, one has to look to eBay and the like for vintage bottles. I scored a one ounce bottle of the EDC splash and an almost full four ounce spray bottle of the EDC (originally sold as an EDC and then EDT; both the same quality-wise, just an identifier change that seemed to occur in the late 80s/early 90s with some male fragrances). I am very happy to add VIP to my collection and hope you don't so there's more of it out there for me. ;-) P.S. Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui and Moods by Krizia are listed as a "...reminds me of" and they are in the neighborhood. While they're not as dark and rich, they can be had for $30 vs $100++.

Found a small bottle of this marvelous scent, I remember smelling it long ago and should have jumped on it then, glad I found a bottle, what I find is a fantastic man scent. so well done. it is classy and elegant and just a notch above the original Giorgio for me, although I find it different in many ways. to me this is what fragrance is about, you get so lost with all the new fragrances out there to test, and this one has been waiting for me the whole time. I liken it to many of the expensive new niche scents in just it's overall quality and daring to be powerful or maybe not worrying so much scaring you off. you do not need much of this. it is love for me. potent powerful but refined.. and a tad bit sexy. I think not one I would wear every day but would welcome the opportunity to wear this gem. thumbs up.

This juice has a hell of a fantastic aroma with incredible longevity and silage. Perfect for winter/autumn even spring seasons. I find it too overwhelming in summer heat and humidity. I also own the vintage '84 Giorgio Beverly Hills for men and I treat both differently. The aroma in reserve is richer and warmer just wonderful for cooler days. Due to its perfectional scent it is safe to apply and use for outings and office friendly. Blind buy you won't regret it especially if you're into 80's aromatics and can't stand the recent crap commercial driven nonsense releases.

I didn't care for the original Giorgio at all but I loved wearing VIP when I was a kid. The original was more woody and I hated the honey note. VIP had a much stronger aldehyde note and was somehow masculinely floral while still having a connection to the original. I always felt like VIP was what the original should have been. This scent is stronger, has great staying power and something about it always reminded me of a beautiful summer afternoon.

VIP smells like a richer, more complex version of the original Giorgio for Men. They're clearly related, but I like VIP better --- it's less brash, and transitions through its stages more smoothly. The leather, wood and spice notes are very nicely balanced. If original Giorgio were a Jaguar, this would be a Bentley. Both are very distinctive and don't smell like anything else out there. Five stars for originality and composition.

The late 80's, worn fir important dates and events - created timeless memories. A likeable cousin to the OG, but definitely a special VIP. Scent: 10 Projection: 9 Longevity: 7.5 Value: 9.5

Great scent, great glass, great cap. Gorgeous & Louder than a bomb, I LOVE GBH for Men VIP! 10/10

I like this a lot but I don’t see this as a smoother version of the original at all. Definitely more intense or concentrated, but if anything I find it sharper. To me this is an aromatic leather fragrance. Of course, I don’t know for sure how much my bottles have changed over the years. I have a 1oz of the OG and a 1oz of the VIP, both vintage short ingredient list, pre barcode, presumably stored properly. I like wearing this in super casual settings, to create a sort of contrast or unexpectedness. Also, there’s something in this that reminds me of vintage polo green aftershave and another famous masculine perfume...maybe the drydown of Gucci Envy for Men, but not in an obvious way. Anyway, I might experiment and use this and the OG for layering with other frags with similar notes and see what happens.

Definitely more mossy than the current cheap OG. My bottle has lost most of its top notes, but still has the mid and base that is awesome. Patchouli, cedar, slight cinnamon, moss, and the rest of the notes are blended very well. I do not get any sweetness from this, which I like over the OG. Unfortunately, this does not perform anything like the OG on my skin. The Juice is clearly dark golden brown when sprayed on skin, but is has obviously lost some power in both projection and longevity over the years. It could just be a bottle that was stored wrong. I think I will keep my eye out for a vintage of the OG before I consider another one of these VIP's that may be out there in the WILD.

I prefer this one to the original, which smells too sweet and animalic for me. I did not like smelling this VIP version during the cold winter season because all I detected were dark heavy green and unpleasant sourness. But now that Spring is around and the temperature is going up, I am getting somewhat creamy feel, not too sweet, which adds depth and richness to this fragrance. Definitely masculine, nowhere close to unisex type of scent. Surprisingly works well during the warmer seasons. P.S. This is a green fragrance with a headachy woody note

Usually, I do not like perfumes from the 80's decade, except of course at the end of the Kouros same decade Joop Homme.But this perfume has a powerful, dark and also very serious with a distinct vanilla and musk that 'dominant,' united with benzoin but not as rough as the Bvlgari Black, but much more pleasant, incense and feel that gives it such weight as it would appear in the background of aldehydes and patchouli, along with carnation and in a bit of traction and Antaeus, but much more modern and less forward. Once I put this perfume, a women friend told me that smell her priest at the church, probably incense, which gives it a darker note again that the 'powdery patchouli which effectively erases the vanilla and musk, and musk that is fairly strong and somewhat reminds the Kouros has this animal musk perfume like most, ancient 80-s.On the end of benzoin takes a little more momentum, but only briefly to re powdery iris, musk and vanilla backed with cedar, perfume back to the very beginning. So the perfume itself is not linear, which is definitely a plus, and the whole time was a pleasant end warm.Na would describe it like this, a majority of all the notes and perfumes of the 80's, but still has warmth and joy, though in some moments he Incense total weight and the smell of the dark, but it's not so bad, because all the time the perfume breaks cozy warmth, which is lovely and powdery, and therefore can not say that the fragrance still goes ahead of its time, sc..like to put all best of the 80's and went boldly into the 90's, a visionary with a clear idea as to 'warm and somewhat oriental perfumes, in this case, not gourmet, it should look like in the coming decades.For very end, something in the house Giorgio Beverly Hills.Me,favorite because, as I began to 'scribe or recommend to perfumes, this is among the first' stronger .'Fancy name, very pretty black bottle with a green fragrance concentrate, which partly draws on Ho Hang Club Cristobal Balenciaga, and has similarities with the Eau Sauvage Extreme Dior.Powerfull bottle, almost unique.From, to call the project Giorgio Beverly Hills (which was sold), the resulting home Fred Hayman Gale Hayman and (his ex wife). From small boutiques in LA with top fashion matters, and their first perfume, who threw out, specifically because of the desire of its customers to great perfume house, which still lives, which through its name, the names of the above-mentioned perfume houses.

The perfect exclamation mark & understated, classy stun grenade. This & the regular Giorgio BH stand alone in their own category between earthy, animalic, leather, smoky arrogance, & the zesty citrus & aquatics. But they're only barely related to either end. (FTR: JPG Le Male shares a niche like this, but a whole other different frag again) The ability to be deep, woody with a sweet candied center & still finish dry enough. A beer analogy: Are there any Americans on this site that are familiar with Shiner Bock? A unique beer in my opinion from Spoetzl Brewery, Texas. Naively you could say it's a mid point between a larger & a stout. However, it's more larger then heavy stout, but its darker, more orange. It comes on dry & larger-bity, has an intriguing middle honeyed taste, gets deep & heavy before it finishes dry & welcomingly bitter-light. Well this is kind-of what Giorgio BH & VIP do. I wouldn't say bitter, but the smoky, open beginning & the honeyed center are intriguing. The bitter, dry resins come through at the end, tapping bergamot on the ass. Hard to define, hence it's stand alone position. VIP now gets exhumed with a silver shovel from the eBay vaults. It is richer, deeper & a bit more smoky, but the regular doesn't take a too far backseat. So hunt around & there are well priced vintage regular Giorgio BH finds. The body products were beaut too. Large pale yellow soaps & a balm that claimed to contain collagen. Too unctuous for your face; the 'collagen' was glue-like, but slathered on your arms was a great moisturizer & really boosted & carried the frag when sprayed on top of this layer. I recommend young guys try this frag. It's different enough without being look-at-me showy. Wear this on a date & make sure you wear plain cut trousers & classy, not flashy, classic dress shoes. Old soul in a bottle.

TIMELESS FRAGRANCE Beverley Hills Special Reserve is nowhere to be found. Since the last time I put my nose on it, must have been a couple of years at least. It was a decant a friend offered me and I treasured it a lot. Writing now just using my memories, I can say I find it similar to the "normal" Giorgio For Men (a lesser gem, but very good anyway). Though, it is less fresh in the opening, less sweet (both of them are not really sweet), with an intenser body and base, and above all, more creamy and smoother as a whole. "For Men" is like good olive oil and "Special Reserve" is like a good special reserve extra virgin premium olive oil. In my opinion, the scent secret lies in the strong and natural patchouli, mixed with iris/lily root (For Men have only the patchouli note). The oakmoss note, which is outstanding in the "Reserve", also makes a big difference compared to what you may find in contemporary perfumery. I also think that it may not have a modern leather note in it. Probably It may have birch tar to mimic it instead. However, my best guess is that leather is emulated by some very good natural musk, the kind of musk that came from the back side of a deer. The use of pre-IFRA oakmoss and (perhaps) real musk may have been the cause of not having redesigns and new editions of this fantastic Special Reserve. If you find a sample, don't let it escape! This perfume deserves cheers with another Special Reserve. I propose a glass of Blended Malt Suntory to celebrate this perfume. Music: Ray Charles - "Georgia on My Mind"

Though I respect krmarich's reviews, I have to disagree with his and agree with the other two instead. Specifically, this is not an extreme version of the original, and I think a better name would have been Giorgio for Gentleman. As DENIULTRAS points out, this is closer to Ho Hang Club, but this is smoother, perhaps because the geranium in HHC creates a bit of discord. Yes, there is a kind of background hum to VIP that calls to mind the original, but this is drier and much smoother. The heavy amber/vanillic qualities are not present, but an animalic one is (though it seems to dissipate fairly quickly). This one has more of a woody/powdery quality than an ambery/powdery one. I think those who don't like "old school" scents (including the original Giorgio for Men) might like VIP, especially if they seek more natural smelling, complex ones. Prices for this one have gone through the proverbial roof, apparently, but in this case the prices might be justified, at least if you compare this one to niche. Why do so many people sample a huge number of niche scents when they can just buy a bottle of this, which would last them a very long time? I wish some of those people would tell us, but I can't remember that ever happening ! UPDATE: I woke up a few hours after I thought this scent was just going to slowly fade out and smelled a really smooth castoreum note, which seems to be what is sometimes referred to as "leather" in note pyramids.

This Beverley Hills Special Reserve is nowhere to be found. The last time I sniff it, happened a couple of years ago. It was a decant a friend offered me and I treasured it a lot. Writing now just using my memories, I can say I find it similar to the "normal" Giorgio For Men. Though, it is less fresh in the opening, less sweet (both of them are not really sweet), with an intenser body and base, and above all, more creamy and smoother as a whole. "For Men" is like good olive oil and "Special Reserve" is like a good special reserve extra virgin premium olive oil. In my opinion, the scent secret lies in the strong and natural patchouli, mixed with iris/lily root (For Men has only patchouli). The oakmoss note, which is outstanding, also makes a big difference compared to what you may find in contemporary perfumery. I also think that it may not have a modern leather note in it. Probably It may have birch tar to mimic it instead. However, my best guess is that leather is emulated by some very good natural musk, the kind of musk that came from the back of a deer. The use of pre-IFRA oakmoss and (perhaps) real musk may have been the cause of not having redesigns and new editions of this fantastic Special Reserve. This perfume deserves cheers with another Special Reserve. I propose a Blended Malt Suntory. Music: Ray Charles - "Georgia on My Mind"

This smells clean and green to me in a manly sort of way. I can’t smell any leather. I blind bought this from a really lovely seller on eBay who sped up the delivery for me free of charge. I bought it because of its reputed strength and “gentlemanliness” and I’m not disappointed. I think fragrances that everyone else says is a beast too weak, such as Bentley for Men Intense and Escada Pour Homme. But this one is strong enough for me. My late father didn’t wear this but it reminds me of him in the 80s, all suited and booted with his brand new cars. Chewing on cardamom seeds like nobody else would or could. It has that sort of feel. I would be honoured to smell like a man like my dad.

I bought this fragrance in the late '80s and I still have that bottle 2/3 full and it's still good! How's that for quality? To my nose, I definitely get cardamom, cinnamon, the spiciness of carnation with woodsy musky notes. Quite a blend! It is a stronger, bold type of fragrance -- I find the dry down reminds me a bit of CK's Obsession for men. Happy to revisit this one after so many years of just dusting off the bottle. More of an autumn/winter or cool day kind of classic masculine scent.

In the 80's there was always 1ml samples at the department stores. I could not afford the higher end fragrances--I was just a little kid. I did acquire a few samples of the VIP around '89 and It was luxurious and only used a few drops for special occasions. I recently acquired the rare, vintage VIP cooling body talc lotion. Smells pretty much like the OG fragrance, lasts a couple hours.

This is wonderful stuff. I have a splash bottle and it is lovely an oily on application. It has all the classic signs of the 80's, and a great earthy quality. I love every stage of this juice. The intro is boozy like a lot of 80's scents seem to me, almost like red wine or port. Then you get a slight soapy and floral feel , leading to a musky oakmoss and patchoul base...just fab

To me this is the original GBH with a dash of what smells like licorice. I can't decipher the note and tell you what it is but this stuff is fantastic. It goes in a totally different direction than the original and shouldn't be compared to it, they're two different scents. This is strong but smooth and the dry down is near perfect. Sillage and projection are great.

Just acquired a 1/3 full splash bottle. very different from the original. A lot less patchouli and honey , more oakmoss carnation , rose and spices . Smells so much like vintage Oscar Pour Lui

great reading SenorLancetti .... but you mention reformulations ? .... i have never heard of any here or at BN