Monsieur de Givenchy

A classic - to some dated, to those who can appreciate, timeless. An incredible work of classic, masculine fragrance with wonderful blended essence of superb quality ingredients! I am referring to Vintage Eau de Toilette. It is a landmark scent and, while reserved, a quintessential creation in 1959. Chanel Pour Monsieur came just four years before in 1955. It was the "benchmark" - Hubert de Givenchy created his own wonderful bottle that expresses balance, class, and a true gentlemanly vibe. You must be a fan of French-styled fragrance to appreciate this fully. It is of sheer quality - the notes have superb depth for an Aromatic Citrus (Chypre), but it is never loud or intrusive. For Vintage EdT, I have a tremendous amount of respect and enjoy each wearing. Nice attire is mandatory. Original Vintage EdT is simply outstanding. No rating, just pure admiration... I was able to acquire a pristine, Vintage, 100ml bottle of the Monsieur de Givenchy in Super Concentrate ("Haute Concentree") formulation as well. This is really nice. Shamus1 gives a great review - sharing both feel and a better classification, a "citrusy chypre". In the Super Concentrate formula, there is a rich base of moss and a nice touch of civet with smooth, elegant sandalwood - but not overdone. This wears like a classic watch...it is dependable, shows sophistication and will definitely tell others around you that you have a style all to yourself. Not a fragrance for the mainstream - and I never have been part of that. Since a young age, I've enjoyed classic scents. This is extremely good and I appreciate every nuance. Different than the standard concentration EdT, but actually wonderful in a blended wearing (not directly applied on top of one another - just a couple of sprays on my forearms of this while wearing the Vintage, Original formulation and it is mesmerizing). Worn separately, different vibes - as well as together. It is not loud, but it is very distinct. One spray on the back of my hand from about 2 inches away. Where it sprayed heavy, there is more focused scent (and deeper moss, musk and more sharp citrus & herbs)...where it "misted", the note separation is wonderful. This is very good to discover. Excellent to note as I will apply this (in a full wearing) at least 6-8 inches away for a couple of shots and then a focus shot on my wrists. This is, traditionally, a spring/summer scent. However, the "Super Concentrate" formula is definitely a year-round fragrance. It is laden with moss and depth of herbs. The top notes are there and very rich, but the depth of the base notes (moss, musk and a very nice and traditional gentleman's sandalwood) are what allow this scent to last. I actually see this being wonderful on cooler spring/fall days - and even wet weather (but not too cold). The subtleties would be lost - like the beautiful herbal lemon verbena, slightly pungent carnation-clove, fragrant (but slightly bitter) sage, fresh masculine lavender and touch of cinnamon with a pinch of warm pepper (along with the light dash of civet) are all notable. The entire composition exudes confidence and what a European gentleman is all about - with an aire of sophistication. Proper attire and confidence required. It does wear close to the skin, but in warm weather - this breathes on your skin and has very nice presence. Intelligent, reserved, and refined masculine fragrance that shows wonderfully. There is a time and place where MdG would be perfect...I can think of many. Relaxing on a weekend (or dressing up in proper attire on a weekday), reading a novel turning actual paper pages (not using a tablet or electric device), watching a classic movie (black & white, foreign, arthouse), listening to live jazz in an upscale bistro... **Update** - Bought last formulation in squat 100ml spray bottle prior to Les Parfums Mythiques release. It is a tester, with the description written on the back: "WOODY CITRUS: Freshness of Lemon and Bergamot, elegance of Lavender and Sandal wood." A brief, but perfect description - a distinguished scent for a gentleman. With sandalwood becoming a more precious commodity, we see houses going to other ingredients...in Monsieur de Givenchy, Les Parfums Mythiques has gone to Hinoki Wood. I wanted to get the older, last bottling of the very close to Vintage formula - and I am very happy I did. A scent for those who understand that less is more, elegance and taste has been refined and that scent is part of your "wardrobe" or attire. Understated and one of the best Citrus Aromatic scents ever created in an excellent composition. While many have stated that this is similar to other classic masculine scents, or fills a void between Chanel Pour Monsieur (1955) and ___________...fill in the blank. To me, it is unique and incredible unto itself. This is not as bold as another great citrus aromatic/woody/chypre scent, in YSL Pour Homme (1971) nor is it as herbal as Eau Sauvage (1966). Not comparing - but noting so many differences within the genre. One could never confuse any of these for another. A composition of purity and refinement...in all of its formulations and concentrations.

The original Monsieur de Givenchy formula is now 60 years old. Quite a lot of years ago I bought a bottle of Monsieur de Givenchy first generation. That bottle is long gone now. I always kept a nice souvenir of this lemony potion. After being several years aparted from this fragrance I gave it another go last year. Now it was the turn of blind buying the actual version relaunched by Givenchy in their "Les Parfums Mythiques" collection. My memory may be tricking me but the current version seems to be practically identical to the original version in terms of scent. I confess that I expected a big variation in the oakmoss note due to the current IFRA regulations. Oakmoss is a fungus. Since IFRA - a body that regulates the guidelines of fragrant chemicals and essential oils usage in perfumes - has listed oakmoss as a restricted ingredient, almost all designers turned to the synthetic version of this fougére dark forest note. Besides it's herbal scent, moss helps a lot to increase the perfume performance as well its versatility. The fragrance opens with a pleasant sweet lemon that quickly grows to a more alluring citrus-fougére scent. The blending of lemon with lavender and a strong verbena builds up a remarquable opening-heart in this fragrance. The lemony-fougére accord endures till the bottom phase when moss makes an entrance in this party. This phase reveals the true DNA of this fragrance. It's a very alluring scent with an acceptable projection that you get for two hours or so. After this phase the lemon and verbena just loose their stamina and you get a woody/mossy drydown with some lavender hints. The global performance, even if under average for current standards, seems to be better than in the older version. The only references as that I may suggest as somewhat similar perfumes are Armani Eau Pour Homme, Capucci Pour Homme and Chanel Pour Monsieur (this one without the verbena touch), all old school fragrances as well. _________________________________________________________ I do recommend this fragrance if you feel like possessing an elegant mossy lemon fresh fragrance just with a little sweetness. _________________________________________________________

Quite a lot of years ago I bought a bottle of Monsieur de Givenchy past generation. The original fragrance formula is now 60 years old. I always kept a nice souvenir of this lemony potion. After being several years aparted from this fragrance I gave it another go last year. Now it was the turn of blind buying the actual version relaunched by Givenchy in their "Les Parfums Mythiques" collection. My memory may be tricking me but the current version seems toi be practically identical to the original version in terms of scent. I confess that I expected a big variation in the oakmoss note due to IFRA regulations. Oakmoss is a fungus. Since the IFRA, a body that regulates the guidelines of fragrant chemicals and essential oils usage in perfumes, has listed oakmoss as a restricted ingredient, almost all designers turned to the synthetic version of this dark forest fougére note. Besides it's dark green scent, moss helps a lot to increase the perfume performance as well its versatility. The fragrance opens with a pleasant sweet lemon that quickly grows to a more alluring citrus-fougére scent. The blending of lemon with lavender and a strong verbena builds up a remarquable opening-heart in this fragrance. The lemony-fougére accord endures till the bottom notes when moss makes an entrance in this party. This phase reveals the true DNA of this fragrance. It's a very alluring scent with an acceptable projection that you get for two hours or so. After this phase the lemon and verbena just loose their stamina and you get a woody/mossy drydown with some lavender hints. The global performance, even if under average for current standards, seems to be better than in the older version. The only references as that I may suggest as somewhat similar perfumes are Armani Eau Pour Homme and Capucci Pour Homme, both old school fragrances as well. I do recommend this fragrance if you feel like possessing a mossy lemon fragrance just with a little sweetness.

For eight years I had been deprived of my sense of smell due to sinuous infection. I would smell by opening my mouth and like a snake sensing the air with the blade of my tongue. Then entering my sixteenth year I recovered. But having been dispossessed of my olfactory sense for so long when my sense of smell returned to me, it came back with a staggering intensity. All odours manifold stronger than before, I was disturbed at the very hint of scent and smell became a problem. I shunned Eau de Colognes they were all too overpowering, until a day when I in passing came across Monsieur de Givenchy, it was the first aftershave I was able to use. Today all my Eau de Colognes are insubstantial in character as though, they are not really there. They serve a purpose for each has a state attached to it, they are bottled moods. Each having been used over time for particular situations, they attune one; and have become synonymous with a situation. Thereby automatically setting one into the right state of mind merely through their fragrance changing the private sphere that is ones world. None more so than Monsieur de Givenchy. This transparent sea blue liquid; produced in 1959 have a fingerprint smell that has always reminded me of the Mediterranean, ex-girlfriends, beaches, sunshine and blue ocean. When it became increasingly difficult to obtain in the perfumeries, it was as if some states of being; no longer was available to me. I had lost a part of what I identify with myself and had become unable to conjure forth the memories connected with its scent. It is for this reason; of uttermost importance, when first applying a new Eau de Cologne; that one is happy, energetic and preferably located in a place which one would like to remember, for the memory; will stay with you, for as long; as it’s available in the shops.

It's all been said. Elegant, refined, and quintessentially masculine. Not ruggedly masculine but dapperly. I cannot imagine anything less than an immaculately groomed man wearing a collared shirt at a minimum and leather shoes. Not for slobs, sissies, neurotic smart phone zombies, sjw snowflakes or metros. This is for the reserved and handsome manly man (Gregory Peck, William Holden, Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando, Errol Flynn, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Rod Taylor, Jim Brown, Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson, Clint Walker, etc). Not sweet, fun, aquatic, sensual, cozy, fruity or safe. It is gloriously "old school" in it's unashamed manliness. Reserved but self-assured and confident. Monsieur de Givenchy would be a Roman general or proconsul after cleaning up at the bath house, wearing a fresh clean toga, on his way to strategize with his commanders regarding the next campaign. I have three 100ml tall rectangular bottles of the vintage edt and two of the vintage haute concentration. For whatever reason this juice from Mt Olympus has always been insanely strong on my skin regarding sillage and projection, so much so that I must absolutely be sure to never, ever exceed three short sprays. I have endured many first hour, car windows cracked, nuclear oakmoss induced headaches, praying for quick dry downs enroute to various events. But, when that complex and gorgeous dry down finally occurs it induces instinctive head on your shoulder, double arm clutching while strolling to whatever destination a romantic evening may have in store. As much as I love the edt, the haute concentration is so rich, deep, and warm. It is something I pray each of you may have the good fortune of experiencing. It is THE bar for me, shared with Chanel Egoiste Concentree in regards to designer scents.

My old man wore this in the 80s and 90s when I was growing up. My vintage bottle is one of my favorite collector’s items. After being discontinued for years, it was reissued in 2007 as part of Givenchy’s Les Parfums Mythiques. Today, it is back in the house’s regular lineup and is almost as good as the vintage but inevitably lacks some of the depth and complexity. Crafted in 1959 by Francis Fabron (Baghari, Quadrille, L’Air du Temps), it is, in more ways than one, halfway between Chanel Pour Monsieur (Henri Robert, 1955) and Dior Eau Sauvage (Edmond Roudnitska, 1966). Certainly the least famous of the three, it is arguably the best one — and hands down my favorite. The carnation and the verbena are the stars of the opening. The effect is invigorating and aromatic and tart in equal measures. The overall profile is refreshing but dry, without the floral flourishes of the Dior and the spiciness of the Chanel. But the real clincher is in the drydown, with the best oakmoss and the smoothest sandalwood accords you will ever come across. Just heavenly. Monsieur is discreet yet impactful, straddling the line between the citrus chypre and the traditional cologne. I’ve always found it to be the epitome of elegance, intelligence, and effortless virility. One of my all-time favorites. Not a bad introduction to perfumery, pops.

Some might say it's a classic, some might say it's outdated and old school. Either way, this has been done in so many variations and by so many perfume houses that it's definitely worth to have a look. I find myself siding with the first group so to me this is the embodiment of a classic masculine fragrance. Sure, it is something that my dad used to wear, maybe even my grandfather. But the thing is that nowadays it literally is a breath of fresh air since so many of the new releases are sweet and vanilla based. It's like these days they make perfumes for boys, not for men... This one (the new bottle) is unfortunately quite weak and lasts only 2-3 hours on my skin so you might want to check some of the other alternatives like Dior, Chanel or Acqua di Parma. It probably performs best in summer but I would say it's a pretty good option for any day, all year round. It's a worthy addition to the collection if you don't have anything in this style yet.

I bought this blind, getting a slightly vintage spray bottle in 100ml size. I'm not sure when it was made, but it predates the latest bottle design. This starts out with a fresh and clean citrus accompanied by some floral notes (like carnation). Into the dry down, it gets a bit peppery. Lemon pepper. I don't really get sandalwood but I do get some oakmoss and maybe some musk, and definitely lavender as the drydown progresses. Sillage is fairly close once the dry down gets some aging. Longevity is OK, better than most modern day citrus focused fragrances. This is definitely quite suitable for the warmer months, but it could even go as an office fragrance year round. Someone said this is somewhere between Chanel Pour Monsieur and Dior Eau Sauvage. Well, I don't have the latter, but I'm getting an idea of what it would be like. I was on the hunt for a vintage Eau Sauvage, but I think I'll rest now. I quite like this. :-)

This is the missing link. No, not the one that fills the gap in the hominid evolutionary record. This one fills the olfactory gap between the Chanel Pour Monsieurs of the 1950s and the Yves Saint Laurent Pour Hommes of the 1970s. More aromatic and sharp than its predecessor, but a bit sweeter and not as in your face challenging as its successor, it acts as the perfect transitional buffer between the conservative 50s and the colorfully brash 70s. It opens with a bright, smooth mix of lemon and verbena and quickly dries down to a spicy mix of oakmoss, lavender, and carnation with the vestiges of the citrus lingering in the background. Sillage is soft and longevity is 1-2 hours per application. Yes, it is evanescent to the nose, but that only makes the experiencing of it all the more precious. This is the way class smells, people.

I am fascinated by the great lemon-scented fragrances of the "Mad Man" era, so I was delighted to get a small old sample of this from before its reformulations. This isn't as juicy a lemon as opens either Chanel Pour Homme or Eau Sauvage, however; dryness seems to be the watchword for this fragrance, and the lemon verbena under the citrus (mixed with the carnation, that most complex of floral scents) makes everything agreeably austere, until you get to the heavenly drydown with the oakmoss, which comes like a reward at the end. This is a great old-fashioned men's chypre. I don't know how the newer formulations of this from Givenchy will smell, but I keep reading that if I sample them, my heart will be broken after having sampled this. In any case: this is terrific and worth finding! Highly recommended if you can find it.

Monsieur de Givenchy to me is carnation, oakmoss and castoreum with a hint of lemon (the bitterness of the peel). The musk listed might be here, but I would bet it’s castoreum (or, at least, there is castoreum). This is a bolder version of Chanel Pour Monsieur. And I’m comparing two older and similar versions (both in the “eau” version, with the 90’ stamped on the label). Chanel has more lemon and oakmoss and Givenchy has a prominent carnation with oakmoss and castoreum with hints of a bitter citrus. In both cases, the lavender (yes, in both!) works like a base note, being present throughout the whole evolution of the fragrance. Only true master perfumers could reach such a result! Call it dated or what you will, but this as masterfully made as perfumery can be. F**k IFRA! Heaven! 11/10

At last I have chosen this one over similar offerings from other houses. Why? In my opinion it is the most wearable. Yes, it is a classical Pour Monsieur or (a bit less) Eau Sauvage DNA, but it comes more soapy and fresh. Not bright like in terms of Eau Sauvage. It is very smooth in its presentation. There is the oldschool backbone that just gives the scent profile a bit of maturity and class. I own the most recent formulation and I am very satisfied. Linen pants, shirt and loafers. Not t-shirt, shorts and vans. I often wear it as a bed time scent because of how clean and calming it is. EDIT: There is after all similar scent in my collection. Colonia Futura. That one has brighter citrus and prominent lavender note.

Oh Monsieur de Givenchy, where have you been hiding all my life? A beautifully classic, old school scent, similar to Chanel Pour Monsieur, but with more emphasis on the lavender. It's a bit sweeter, fresher and more refined as well. I prefer it to Chanel Pour Monsieur, and this blind buy easily bumps its way into my top 3 favorites, joining my signature scent Jean Marie Farina by Roger & Gallet and Hermes Concentre d'Orange Verte. Longevity is two to three hours on my skin, and that is its downfall. But the price isn't bad, so frequent resprays and re-orders shouldn't break the bank. Beautiful frosted glass bottle as well. Would love to see a parfum version of this one day.

it may be dated, but what a nice fragrance.the citrus with that sweet dry down, very very elegant...a pleasing clean masculine scent. just picked up a 30 mil splash bottle and was very impressed with just the presence of scent, people use the term timeless..and this truly represents that. promply put this into a nice atomizer..takes a few sprays..but like this one. i could see how this could be a signature scent of someone noteable. very classy scent, seems to be one that you can generously apply and not overwhelm people., the scent is very pleasing and very manly...take a whiff..

This timeless classic has a deservedly solid and superb reputation. Its essence almost overwhelms upon first whiff; there is a strident verbena accord with flowery and verdant notes supporting it. The delightful dry down brings out a floral, yet dry, sandalwood aspect that is at once subtle and bright; a deftly managed balancing act! I would definitely notice this debonaire and effusively elegant perfume if someone around me were wearing it. The sillage is seductive and longevity is enviable. Givenchy had style to spare in the 1950’s to 1970’s.

I can't get enough of these great, gentlemanly-classics. This feels so old-school to me - the citrus, powder, the soapiness. There are so many in this class - all mentioned above - but they are different by degrees so that they don't feel duplicative. I've had it on for 12 hours and I still get whiffs of it - not a powerhouse for sure, but it doesn't disappear. Easy to reach for when you want to feel clean, well-dressed, classic - or if you can't decide, you can't go wrong with this.

A beautiful lemon lightly framed by perfectly balanced spices. It's absolutely perfect; unfortunately, it's also very ephemeral, gone within half an hour even after a large application. The (vintage) EDT is so weak that I sometimes smell the ethanol before the fragrance; nevertheless, it is my favourite cologne. The bottle is a beautiful thing too.

I have an old bottle and it still smells amazing. This is M. Givenchy’s answer to Mme Chanel’s perfect Pour Monsieur. It’s not better, but it’s close. Citrusy top, soapy middle and comfortably woody in the base. Judging by the color and the scent it seems they used a high quality lavender in Monsieur. Sometimes this is just what I need. *****

Monsieur de Givenchy is basically a cross between Chanel Pour Monsieur and Eau Sauvage, but it does what it does right and smells timeless and classy. Lasts a good while, too. Luckily the Mythic version didn't really f*ck anything up - it just made the fragrance last a little longer, which is OK with me! :)

Let me be very direct without any fluff.........this is a timeless and awe-inspiring aromatic citrus masterpiece. Wearing this will engulf you in a cloud of class, elegance and sophistication. Vintage is best, but the current version still maintains the voice of the past.