Karl Lagerfeld for Him

So Iam back to this fragrance and there will be people who disagree but I have my angle and my opinion on this release: Is it generic? Maybe. Is it lacking creativity? Depends what you want from scent. Can it be compared with any former release of Lagerfeld? No and theres no need to do it. Lagerfeld adjusted HIM to today, thats all. The 70s, 80s and 90s are gone. Long gone. This is a true scent of today with all its facets. Its quick, easily likeable, well presented, showing the qualities that matter in todays society. Karl said: "its an offence not to smell nice today". Thats what this fragrance represents. Will it become a classic? Not sure but in 10 years time it will be a respresentative object of todays market. I like to wear it. I like mandarin, lavender. I dont expect this to become the Goethe or Shakespeare of today fragrance market, I just enjoy its aroma here, today. Full stop. Finally, lots of critics of Karl not caring about this release; do you honestly think that a head designer (Chanel, Fendi and Lagerfeld) spends more than 20 minutes of his personal time with a release like this? Check out BBCs documentary which shows the 2010 release of Hilfigers "Loud", thats a good expample of how the designer fragrance market works today. Old traditional french or italian fragrance families or also niche houses work differently for sure. But dont expect something from Karl which isnt realistic.

Based on the unflattering reviews, I expected very little from this, but I have and enjoy many of KLs fragrances so I had to try it. Very pleasantly surprised. Every note listed is apparent (though the sandalwood is muted), and once the initial alcohol blast has subsided (5 minutes), this sparkles and radiates with aromatics. The apple and violet contribute a slightly blue, smooth, crowd-pleasing accord, the mandarin (and limonene, citral and citronellol) provide a muted citrus zestiness, and the lavender is clean. The amber smoothes and slightly sweetens the whole. You have smelled things like this before, but I would wear this over your daily-wear Chomes, Fierces, Legends and Voyages. Versatile for all ages, genders and occasions, with the violet leaf/amber emphasis increasing the maturity and classiness. Skins and noses differ, but I get a solid 5-6 hours from this, and it projects for the first 90 minutes at arm's length, with 8 sprays to the chest/shirt. The violet and amber are the enduring drydown notes, bringing to mind Burberry Touch. If you aren't getting this performance, make sure to spray this on clothing. You will be well rewarded.

Those who are criticizing Karl for not making another fragrance like „Classic”, „Photo” or „Jako” do miss a very important factor in Karls personality. He never looked backwards. He would never have done „same” or similar”. He wasnt interested in what he has done before, he always did think in present and future. Looking at this fragrance from that perspective, „For Him” is a 100% modern day fragrance. I disagree also with the ones complaining in regards to the quality of this release. I think the packaging and bottle are superb and the scent does last on me for about 5-6 hours, which is an absolute normal Edt performance. Its a lingering, „second skin” type of fragrance which easily falls victim to olfactive fatique. Maybe this is why some folks do not smell it after a relatively short time. The smell itself is extremely urban and therefore totally artificial. Both aspects I do like a lot. Very energetic, sexy and versatile. Can be worn in any setting, anywhere. Upbeat, young and fizzy. Positive, yet dark and addicting. Sharp, invigorating and 100% KARL.

...so I made a second attempt at Karl's new release. The smell is nice. Karls says that not smelling nice these days is rude, so with "For Him" he covers that issue. But thats all Iam afraid. Just a scent to smell nice. This isnt about the craft of perfumery or the art to create something memorable which endures for ages (like many of his previous releases). It smells nice just like almost any other scent on the market these days. Probably a bit better. But they almost all smell nice. Of course there are different tastes but nowadays they make sure, that a new fragrance is safe enough to please as many people as possible. Same here. I was simply hoping for a more creative scent from König Karl. Unfortunately sillage and longevity could have saved this scent but both are just to weak...

It's not as bad as the reviews here make it seem. It's rather pleasant for what it is... a synthetic urban fragrance for men of any age. Although it leans more youthful, I can see many hip gents pulling this off. You'll need to love powdery scents to enjoy this one. I'm not a huge fan of powdery fragrance, but the woods and spice in KLFH make the powder actually enjoyable. Not the best longevity. Yet, it does linger on the skin and I get whiffs for several hours. Perfect for a casual day in the Spring when you're not sure what fragrance to wear. All in all, don't let the negativity sway you to avoid this one. You just may be surprised. Like I was.