Oleg Cassini

Imagine it is the perfume 'End of Days,' and Oleg Cassini, Givenchy Gentleman, Jovan Sex Appeal, Pierre Cardin Pour Monsieur and Lagerfeld Classic are in an epochal battle to sire the Survivor People. Pierre Cardin ducked out of the battle because he didn't want to damage his fingernails, and was slaughtered there and then for being unworthy. Oleg Cassini will win. Piver Cuir de Russie will be its bitch. Wow. This is a big, warm, enveloping fragrance which grasps you, and sort of infects you from the inside out. You don't really 'put it on,' as much as join the Cassini Borg. It owns you. You are 7 of 9, but without the great boobs and fitted jump suit. It opens with big honey - very much like Cuir de Russie by Piver, and the Piver flavour is there all the way through. Then comes a really warming range of musks - do NOT think Kouros here; this is a welcoming, inviting, 'caressing' musk. It is not at all intrusive. Finally, the earthy patchouli makes an appearance and unites it all together. And it lasts.... Surrender to it. I paid £40 for an ounce vintage - worth every damn penny. As an aside, on the day it arrived, I had showered in La Nuit de L'Homme EDP - I like it, it's ok to splash about. I put a drop of Oleg Cassini on the back of my hand, and it was like bright sunshine on La Nuit. It disappeared... just wow.

Oleg Cassini (1976) is my perennial favorite and an especially personal scent as it was the first fragrance I ever owned after a quarter-bottle was gifted to me by a high school friend. My God, I was 16 at the time! Forty years later and I love it just as much. Retro? Nostalgic? Undeniably so ... but more than that, here is an example of the quality and expression that could be found reasonably priced at the corner drug store but which has virtually disappeared from today's market environment where cost-cutting profit-motive on the one hand and regulatory requirement on the other has all but stifled the creative genius we enjoyed during the 70s and 80s. Cassini's eponymous classic is both rugged and intelligent- a captivating scent with true Italian pedigree and whose familiar 'hay' accord reaches it's zenith in a breathtaking and heavenly drydown taking one back to seriously simpler times. I'm always on the lookout and have secured several used bottles which are the prized jewels of my collection.

Oleg Cassini for Men was one of the first fragrances to emphasize Patchouli with a capital P, and as such, has been a longtime favorite of mine. Comparisons to Givenchy Gentleman are apt, though GG has a more elaborate composition, with the floral, spice, honey and leather more prominent than OCfM. For any fans of Oleg who miss the original, I'd highly recommend Caswell-Massey's Aura of Patchouli as a very satis(ol)factory alternative. It has many similar top and basenotes along with the dominant Patchouli theme, and a similar overall effect to OCfM, with a similar duration and strength. Prices on eBay for surviving bottles of OCfM are in the territory of the absurd, and the Caswell-Massey is still available quite reasonably.

Definitely in the same vein as other 70s ambers, but very, very smooth. I get a lotion vibe from it. Subtle, pleasantly enveloping. Woodsy notes with a softened edge. Modern and classic at the same time. This would be a great choice for any guy who wants to get into older fragrances and still smell clean.

Managed to put my hands on the Jovan version of this beauty and it was well kept. I don't detect any off notes. It reminds me a lot of frags from that era. It's loudly screams its presence. I don't know in what occasion I can wear it like Polo Green old batch and some other ones from then but I enjoy wearing it when I am at home sniffing my wrists for hours. Lots of notes and weirdly I can tell what I get even after so many years passed since this fragrance was produced. Maybe natural ingredients is the reason. Interestingly, this might be one of the rare men's fragrances from its era that doesn't have carnation nor leather. Jasmine, rose, patchouli, and vetiver are stars of the show to my nose. Labdanum and castoreum compensate for semi animalic leather profile. Geranium and musc can make up for carnation profile. Although green and citrus notes are there but I cannot detect much fruity notes nor honey. They are either gone due to the age of this fragrance or very subtle.