Les Parfums Mythiques - Xeryus

YOU KNOW! Hubert James Marcel Taffin Givenchy, a giant of 1.98 m, became famous for having helped create the fashion myth of the "little black dress", which in his hands always remained simple and very tasteful. During his career, he dressed divas such as Jackie Kennedy, Princess Grace of Monaco, the Duchess of Windsor, Jane Fonda, and Audrey Hepburn for whom he nurtured a strong friendliness for many years. Audrey was a true muse for Givenchy and they became inseparable accomplices after the shooting of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" in 1961. The bond of deep friendship between the two, lasted more than 40 years. It was to her that he dedicated his first perfume, "L'Interdit", launched in 1957. Hubert has always been the paradigm of a true aristocrat. He was born in 1927 and his parents were the Marquises Lucien and Béatrice Taffin de Givenchy. He never got to meet his father who died when he was two years old. Perhaps this contributed to him growing up with a profound admiration for his mother, a sophisticated woman from whom he inherited elegance and a physique worthy of a movie star. His grandfather, on the mother's side, owned a textile factory and had a huge display of fabrics that fascinated him. Naturally, he began to develop a strong interest in fashion design from the age of ten. A few years before Paco Rabanne, he began working in the atelier of Cristóbal Balenciaga who was his mentor. Influenced by the sculptural creations of the Spanish designer, he decided on his future far from the law studies that his family used to push him towards. In 1945, at the age of 17, he settled in Paris and enrolled at the School of Fine Arts, already determined to dedicate himself to haute couture in the French capital. In 1952 he presented his first collection and two years later he launched his first ready-to-wear garments line. In the field of perfumery, after the initial success achieved in 1957 with "L'Interdit", he launched "Monsieur de Givenchy" in 1959, "Givenchy III" in 1970, the remarkable "Givenchy Gentleman" in 1974 and "Ysatis" in 1984. Still owner and master of all creative and managerial decisions of his brand, he launched "Xeryus" in 1986. The name derives from the Greek "Ξεριυς" and means "you know". In 1988, the "Maison" with his surname was purchased by the luxury brand conglomerate LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) for $45 million. On that day, Givenchy said farewell to 36 years of independence but opened the door to the brand's continued expansion. Hubert remained Givenchy's creative director until he retired in 1995. "Xeryus" is a seemingly simple, elegant, discreet, fresh, spicy and woody perfume, but with an enviable smoothness. I consider it a complex perfume, very well elaborated and where each note plays a primary role in the harmony of the whole. The fragrance can both be considered an aromatic and woody Fougère, as well as a moderately woody, and slightly spicy floral Fougère. Due to its complexity, it is a real challenge to identify the notes individually. The aperture is very citrusy, herbaceous, flowery, and lavender aromatized. In the heart, and while the notes of citrus fade, the fragrance becomes a little spicier, and woodier, besides showing hints of green with cypress and juniper notes. The base evolves in a woody and mossy way. It dries down with nuances of balsamic and leathery accords. The original perfume was denser than the newer version, and this characterised the fragrance in a very special way. The longevity has changed little and, with three sprays of the current version, one is guaranteed to perceive the perfume for over eight hours. However, the sillage, which previously extended for a generous six feet and ensured almost three hours of projection, has given up that glow and shrunk to a 3~4-foot radius and less than two hours of projection. The fragrance remains very up-to-date, even if the strong vintage character has been transformed into a clean and pleasant barbershop. The perfume that now seems clean and bright, was once darker and more mysterious. Time for rating this smooth woody Fougère: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ - Opening: 9.0 (Citrusy, clean, fresh and smooth aromatic Fougère). - Dry Down: 9.0 (Mossy, balmy, leathery and woody) - Longevity: 8.0 (3 sprays last 8 hours) - Sillage: 6.5 (up to 3~4 feet and two hours projection with 3 sprays) - Uniqueness: 9.0 (Unique, but the scent reminds you of some other like the younger "Égoïste" by Chanel from 1990, or the same age "New West for Him" by Aramis) - Wearability: 9.0 (For any hot weather; it's a day perfume) - Versatility: 9.0 (An "any place" perfume) - Praise: 8.0 (A consensual woody Fougère that will get you well above average compliments) - Quality: 8.5 (It fails in comparison with the vintage version) - Presentation: 9.0 (very elegant) - Price: 8.0 (Quite affordable for the current version; The 100ml flask currently sells for €35 in various web retailers) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Overall rating: 8.45 / 10.00 - between 7 and 8 = above average; - between 8 and 9 = recommendable; - above 9 = not to be missed; My opinion: If you are in the mood for a smooth aromatic Fougère with a woody and leathery dry down then take a look at this Givenchy offer. It has an excellent value for money and it is very consensual, besides being very versatile and easy to wear. If you spot it at a nice price, it is even eligible for a blind purchase. Music: Breakfast at Tiffany's Soundtrack Suite (by Henry Mancini)

Today I went to the flea market. There are plenty of vendors selling knockoff colognes. I almost got Creed Original Vetiver for $30 but decided against it - I can grab Aventus for $25 next time. I went to the one legit dude there. He had Vetiver Extreme by Guerlain for $55 a few months ago and I'm kicking myself for not buying it then. I ask for Guerlain. He immediately heads to the ladies side for Shalimar. I said no- men's. I asked for Vetiver. He pauses and gives me a look. Must not be many people asking for Guerlain (it's a flea market ...... that's the joke) and I knew he figured I had some idea if I asked for Vetiver. I was hoping he had it again but he didn't. He said not enough men come looking for Guerlain. I could tell he was pretty impressed I knew my shit especially since I was wearing a Taco bell shirt and my eyes were red. Anyway I looked and saw this bad boy, Xeryus, sitting there, looking elegant and proud. Gentleman was there as well, for $45. The Xeryus was $35. I had only heard of this through name and it kind of clicked that this was something to get. Bottle looked elegant, it's Givenchy (let's face it), and I knew the name. I got him down to $30. Online prices about the same. Sprayed it on and doused myself in it. Immediate love. Didn't know it was an 80s scent but I feel like this is a powerhouse that made it out of the 80s. This is strong, spicy, clean, green, masculine with a musky amber sweetness. This smells to me what I wanted Drakkar Noir to be. It smells like all those 80s scents but refined, smooth. And sooo awesome. This is loud and manly and old school but not dated at all... I'm 32 and I will be wearing this loud and proud. My gf will not be happy at all because I smell like everyone's dad. Amazing blind buy and my best one yet I think. The bottle looks cool and elegant with the frosted glass. Good atomizer. And the scent is so amazing. It's powerful, deep, and nuanced. It is classic and can be dressed up but this is just an overall manly powerhouse that doesn't seem to be "neutered" like a lot of 80s frags did. I like this a lot and I'm sure it could get you girls. Good for any weather any time. Rock it with confidence.

UPDATE FROM LAST COMMENTS, Just the other day I came across the REAL VINTAGE Xeryus when it was first launched sometime mid 80's to very early 90-91 max. Way back during post secondary, I worked at major retailer and I remember very much the dark bottle. As soon as I seen it in this small fragrance store, I ran home to go on-line to find images on Xeryus and I found another site where Ericirico posted his comments. I do concur with Ericirico the real vintage bottle is the dark 50ml bottle. In a dash I ran out and bought the dark bottle. I have both the 2004 version and now the vintage dark bottle. I sampled each on my wrists and YES there not the same. There is some similarities however the vintage is much more sophisticated with a rich/powdery sweet complex aroma. I can pick up the various notes; rose, lavender, tonka bean, amber, basil as well either sandalwood and or oakmoss. The 2004 version is also excellent, its more on the herbal/woodsy/spicy and not so powdery/sweet scent. With the exotic woodsy aroma it does have a similar overall scent. On the vintage..Longevity is excellent well past 10hrs. Sillage is also excellent..you can smell it more then 3ft away. Overall opinion, If I hadn't come across the original version I would still be more then happy using the current version. Now, there's no mistake that the VINTAGE is like finding a treasure trunk...when you open it IT'S FULL AND RICH....100% HANDS DOWN..no mistake about it. If you can find the vintage, I strongly recommend for those who remember this frag and can appreciate and its worth buying it. Its what made Xeryus BIG at the time... IF GIVENCHY READS THIS....PLEASE BRING BACK THE VINTAGE XERYUS AND KEEP THE FORMULA TRUE AND YOU WILL SEE A LOT OF HAPPY GIVENCHY CLIENTS WHO WILL BE THANKFULL.

Starts off with a blast of non-citrusy aromatic greenery (for sure basil and sage, but not only), with some florals (probably carnation, lavender and also maybe some geranium and spices). It then proceeds with a noticeable violet leaf and sandalwood combination, but probably also a hint of rosewood and some damp/sour wood... oud, maybe? If so, just a drop. At the stage, it has a vague vibe of Lalique Hommage a' L'Homme. The base will develop a very nice non-vanillic amber, that leans more towards an incens-y labdanum, with a noticeable moss note, very likely also cypress and the violets still lingering around, giving an overall leather-y feeling. Projection is more at the intimate level, but that makes it a perfect versatile scent. Man it's a great one. Not sure why I waited so long to get my hands on that one. This is my third 'historic' fragrance from that house (after Vetyver and Monsieur), and it doesn't disappoint. While the structure and the moss and labdnaum base will for sure remind several classics from the 80's and 90's, it stays smooth from top to base, and thus does not qualify as a powerhouse in my book. Or possibly it is, but a powerhouse dressed up with a tuxedo. Very Givenchy! Note: the pyramid here is wrong, as it missed the heart notes. The full one is: Top: Basil, Clary Sage Heart: Violet Leaves, Green Note Base: Exotic Woods, Amber (but there's a lot more going on here)

This reformulation of the classic Xeryus is truly wonderful. Whereas the original was very layered and complex and composed of a melange of several powerful notes Mythical is more along the lines of a classic twelve note fragrance construction ala Paris parfumeries in the mid to late 1800s... On initial trial I thought green-spicy-woody...but I tried it on paper first, when I finally wore it on my skin it was almost a different scent. The aromatic greens were the first to appear along with a slight citrus and hint of green cypress. This gave way to gentle dry floral aromas of geranium with hints of rose, jasmine and violets(?) with a kiss of cloves. The drydown is stunning with amber's warmth, sandalwood's clean woodiness and just the right amount of musk. I also detect a hint of bay or cypriol.The overall effect is elegant, masculine and warm... Sillage: quite good Longevity: great Overall: 4.5/5 The original was a bit too much for me, but this one is absolutely divine! It is indeed Mythical...a blend of gentle strength and refined construction, perfectly executed: An uncommon scent for an exceptional man...