Perry Ellis for Men Original (1985)

In the start, PEFM (vintage) has a strong rose colored cognac leather impression. When sniffing it from the bottle, that's certainly the impression I get of this amber colored liquid--it's cognac, not fragrance! I was half tempted to take a sip. ;-) However, after application I was completely amazed to find that this smells very similar to Giorgio Beverly Hills Red For Men (the pre-EA version). There is also a subtle nod to Gres Cabochard deeper into the dry down, ignoring the floral predominance of GC. I find projection really decent -- strong enough to be smelled within arm's length. Longevity seems to be very good. I've also discovered that there is a difference between the 100ml splash bottle and the 150ml tall spray bottle. The splash is darker and mossier. There may be a contributing factor of air and other environmental factors where the open splash bottle is concerned. While I do find them slightly different, it's actually rather pleasant. If I want slightly less moss I go with the spray. I love this. Now I have to find out how the new formulation smells. Here's some imagery I get from Perry Ellis For Men: Francois was wrapping up a long day's work at the office. He just finished the last few entries in his daily journal and then reclined back in his rich black leather bound chair. Turning his head to the side, he caught a deep leathery smell of the chair's headrest. The cute Russian cleaning woman who recently started had oiled the leather last night, apparently--beautiful! Inspired by the scent, he leaned forward and opened his desk drawer, taking out a bottle of Perry Ellis For Men. He used to keep it on top of his desk, the long oval glass flask with art deco inspired black and white cap exuding refined luxury. But last time it got knocked over by a clumsy co-worker and almost went past the edge of the desk inviting disaster on the hard linoleum floor. If it hadn't been for the terrific lock-down cap, it might've popped off and sent the contents all over. Francois opened it and caught a whiff of rich spicy cognac and leather. How he wished he had a bottle of Remy Martin right now to soothe his soul from a long work week. Splashing some into his left hand, he thoroughly wiped the fragrance over his neck and took in the aroma. On second thought, he didn't need the cognac. This did the trick. He closed his eyes and reclined in the chair, letting his mind relax for a few minutes. **Ring, Ring** It was his cell phone and a small photo of his wife appeared on it.. A quick look at the time and he realized about a half hour had gone by. He answered and had a nice chat with his wife, informing her he just wrapped things up and would be heading home. She reminded him to stop by the Monoprix to pick up a few things for the dinner they'd be preparing together this evening. "And mon tresor, don't forget to splash on a little of that Perry Ellis for me, OK?" "Don't worry my sweet, already done. Je t'adore." And with that, Francois made his exit from the office and on to a wonderful evening with his beloved. 9.5/10 for fragrance (vintage), 8.9/10 for value.

Perry Ellis Original 1985 by Perry Ellis: As stated this is a review of the original formulation from 1985. This fragrance is classified as Royalty of fragrances in my opinion. Beautifully crafted. The 1980's released some real gems and this is one of them. I feel so fortunate to have some of the original left and because I take very good care of my fragrances this one from 1985 has weathered the years well and has not deteriorated. I put this on yesterday and was amazed at the preservation of the scent. It took me back to that year when I bought this bottle. I had just started touring with my Metal band at the time, the memories came pouring in with every whiff. The Carnation, Oakmoss and Galbanum stand out exquisitely upon opening. The Rose and Leather notes ooze warm lust into the mixture while Vanille lingers in the background like a voyeur. Bergamot keeps his clothes on and sleeps throughout this seductive orgy never really coming out to play with the rest of them, which is a good thing because bergamot's clean sharp snap would have whipped and evangelized these passionate lovers out of their sinful aromatic pleasures. The sillage of this fragrance is Nuclear, sending an olfactory invitation to your den of Lustful delights. This fragrance was never given a name, But I will name it 'LUST' because that name fits it perfectly. You simply cannot stop smelling this fragrance once you have it on and a good thing this one has mega longevity because this bad boy is going on 20 hours without stopping and it gets sexier as the hours roll on. Perry Ellis, if you are reading this review do whatever it takes, spend your whole fortune trying to recreate this masterpiece you made back in 1985. The new reformulations of this don't do it justice. Please get this back to us. It is like heroin to all of us fragrance addicts, we need it. I have only a small portion left in my bottle from 1985, the withdraws are beginning, I am foaming at the mouth already. Full on zombie warfare is not far behind. I know they have banned Oakmoss now, you must find a qualified replacement, but your recent cinnamon replacement is not it, it ruined it and the raising of vanille also ruined it. Labdanum might do better than cinnamon, even a synthetic civet similar to the version used in the new Chanel No.5 would fill this gap wonderfully, since I feel that Chanel no.5 and Perry Ellis Original are quite the same at least in their intoxicating warm lustful allure. Readers if you have a bottle of this original version Cherish it. It is a masterpiece. The fragrance gets 10 royal diamonds for stars. Super Bravo!

The setting sun turns the high end apartment buildings along 5th Avenue Petra rose in the late Fall. Low slung in the western sky over New Jersey it casts long shadows from the Metropolitan Museum across the avenue as taxis stream past blinking in and out of the sunlight. In the brisk air of the fading afternoon young bright men are dashing for a cab to head out for supper and a club or leaving a note with the doorman at the apartment of the fresh young thing they just have to see again. The smell of rain is in the air. Off of 5th Avenue along any block in the upper 60’s walk gentlemen of infinite experience who take more time in their pleasures. Men with the kind of style and grace one only acquires as life scrapes along leaving beautiful scars that tell the tale. The year is 1985 and wealth and luxury have not been this desirable to the masses or so easy since the 1920’s. The signature scent of the day is Perry Ellis for Men. Perry Ellis opens sweetly romantic and young. The carnation mixes with the leather and rose to give it a youthful yet effortless sophistication. There is a bit of bergamot mixed in with galbanum and oak moss to add a well rounded dry down and the vanilla shimmers with a bit of sweet luxury in the blended notes. It is a good starter for a young man who wants to try something a little more daring than a citrus or the standard “clean laundry” aura that is all the rage today. This smell is masculine, authoritative without being chauvinistic or arrogant. And not everyone or every guy who lives on his block will be wearing it. That is the nice thing about the old school classics, what is old can be new again. As with most men’s fragrances from the 1980’s it is powerful and should be respected as such. The projection is substantial but not invasive. This gentleman has staying power galore. Eight to ten hours is the norm. Good for any evening occasion be it La Traviata at Met or a club in Soho. It may be a bit heavy for daywear unless you are in showbiz. If you are going for that 80’s elegance with out the “Dynasty” over kill then, think rich, preppy, Upper East Side Manhattan...it could even carry within its fragrant promises a few dangerous liaisons. Four Gold Stars ****

The biggest negative of the fragrance is probably the atomizer. The cap scent comes off as some sort of sour spice where I'm expecting to smell like a dill pickle when I first spray, but on the skin it's different. The open is Basil, pimento, pepper, and carnation for me with only a hint of bergamot. I want to say there's a little civet in this, but it's not Kouros level civet. This is far more herbal and vegetal than sharp citrus of the 80s era I've come to expect. Spacing out my sprays to try and detect notes I'm picking up on incense and some sort of sweeter spice in the middle (like cinnamon, which is unlisted); hunting for notes nose to skin I can detect an overlap of floral notes, but can't really pick them out like the opening carnation. As it progresses into dry down the overall scent profile is not as loud nor aggressive; it's a pleasant slightly sour mixture of various woods, oakmoss, and vetiver greens. Men's fragrances need these type if diverse scents; not everything needs to be a gourmand, Sauvage, or Aventus. I bet it'd layer well with Z-14 to bring out more citrus. 4/30/26 - second wearing. I really felt the need to re-test this as my initial wear on a new bottle of the current formulation smelled a bit sour a couple months ago, which confused me. The atomizer was no longer throwing off that sourness, now more herbal which makes sense for the profile, so I figured it's time for the next wear. Well, I'm pleased to report it wasn't sour -- it's extremely herbal, even in the open. There's a little bergamot that comes off as a bit peppery, but it's not the main player. The verbana, the basil, pimento, rosemary all jump in quickly, a lovely carnation/geranium note with background cinnamon in the middle, and now an almost sweet mossy sandalwood. It's fresh, green, and moved up from a low like to a love. There's still a little animalic nature to the current formulation in the base, but it's not like Kouros/Lapidus/Lord. The atomizer is completely awful, but I'm not going to let that ruin the beauty of the fragrance.

Ok. So I decided to take the plunge and buy PEFM in the original bottle. I believe it is from the 1980's and is a splash bottle. You have to twist off the cap. The cap is still in excellent shape! The seller lives in KY. Before I could twist off the cap and open the bottle, the aroma of roses is emitting from the closed bottle. I thought to my self wow, that's strong. I was impressed! Hearing that this is supposed to be a long lasting fragrance and that it smells of dried cognac, the rumors are true! I use a syringe to bring out about 4ml and place it into a 5ml sprayer. I spray once on each side of the neck and once on the chest. The first thing that hits me is the Carnation (rose), then Woody semi sweet spices, oakmoss, lavender, Amber, heavy benzoin, civet, leathers, oranges, musk, heavy vetiver, Jasmine and lemon. All of the notes described, melt into each other so very well, that it's almost impossible to tell what's what, except for the heavy Carnation, rose scent that lingers beautifully. I've smelled rose but this is done superbly!!! After 35 years in a bottle, this beautiful fragrance of yesterday, finds its way to me. I am soooo blessed. Now, it's a darker liquid, and I'm sure the longevity has been affected somewhat, but it's still alive and kicking! A real beauty. I get waifs of it. It's not a beast in terms of projection, but if you want understated quality, then here it is! What's old is new again and as quality is concerned, this fragrance beats 99 percent of what's out there now, hands down! I'd love to see someone with money, reintroduce a scent like this back on the market. Would it sell? Today's men want fruitiness, sweet, playful scents. Not me. I want this! Give me this over spicebomb or azzaro wanted any day of the week. This is for Men, special men who know who they are! No Mama's boy. This is for gentlemen. Gordon Gecko, as mentioned, would have worn this!