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!

RE: For men only! As a woman, with a deep appreciation and affection for beautiful Chypre’s, I truly love Perry Ellis original 1985 fragrance. It’s a sweeter and brighter Leather Chypre than my highly adored Cabochard de Gres EDP 2019 (originally made for women but considered beautifully unisex now), Deneuve by Catherine Deneuve (Chypre olfactive bliss), my husband’s Aramis (I wear it more than he does), and my ever faithful Halston just for starters. Yes, I have many more. The bright florals; rose, lavender, carnation, and Jasmine along with the warm, wispy vanilla tame the lovely leather note and pungent aromatics into a beautiful highly wearable scent. Perry Ellis Original Leather Chypre is sure to please anyone from hunky and Rugged Marlboro Man, to a beautifully coiffed female enjoying the cooler, crisp Fall outdoors, while dressed in a shearling lined tan suede bomber jacket, cream turtleneck sweater, jeans and leather riding boots. Wearing the original Perry Ellis is like the old Irish Spring soap commercial, “Strong enough for a man...but I like it too” resounded by a bonnie Irish lass! Respectfully, RosieClaire

My dad used to wear this on his date nights. I (somehow) remembered that it was Perry Ellis for Men that I had seen on his dresser as a kid. About 10 years ago, I purchased a few bottles of the Anniversary addition, not knowing about the concept of reformulations at the time. I smelled it, and was a bit disappointed. It wasn’t quite what I remembered. The anniversary edition isn’t bad, but it doesn’t have the powerful oak moss of the vintage. Fast forward to 2019/2020, i found a vintage splash bottle on eBay. Opened it and knew right away I hit the jackpot. I then ordered a vintage spray bottle.... same juice! Long story short, I now have about 700ml of a beautiful fragrance that virtually no one else is wearing. I just hope I can make these old fragrances last! Keeping it in a cool dark place. Love this stuff. I don’t mind smelling like an 80’s man. It’s strong stuff, with a powerful opening. But the dry down is rich and beautiful.

The vintage original is a smooth, round, oakmoss beauty. It is my all time favorite and illicits memories of college, used bookstores, record shops, and nights in Ann Arbor circa 1988. It is a masterpiece that seems to get little love or mention. I like the more recent Falic Fashion Group version also, though it bares little resemblance to the original and is not in the same league. It's sharper, spicy and boozy, but enjoyable in it's own way. It really is a separate fragrance. Performance for both is very good, though in true 80's fashion, the original is a beast. I have sourced two excellent original bottles that must have been well cared for. I will keep them safe and use them whenever I want a trip back in time.

I've not sampled the 'Anniversary' reform but was recently reintroduced to the gorgeous 1985 original. Perry Ellis for Men was a well-respected relevant scent that seemed to be everywhere back in the day and still resonates with top-drawer quality and the finer pleasures of life. PEfM's suave candied-booziness, subtle florals, and smooth ambery-leather was the choice of the best-dressed and most-influential gentlemen of the 80s. 'Smooth Operator' was the soundtrack and Gordon Gekko was the personification of the decade of excess. My 1-ounce spray bottle says 'Eau de Toilette' (not 'cologne') on the front and 'parlux fragrances' on the bottom sticker. Truly beautiful and nostalgic scent that's worth rediscovering.

Love Perry Ellis Cologne this was the epitome of the 80s in all its Glory! Absolutely gorgeous juice in a bottle...the galbanum with oakmoss green notes, carnation and Roses to die for. The reformulation is decent with the exception of more cinnamon and less oakmoss. The classic vintage Perry Ellis 1985 before IFRA laws that I remember was very chypre green and intensely beautiful leather and Maroc by Charles revson Ultima ll absolutely stunning memorable and nostalgic! Thank god I was able to get a bottle of this juice! P. S for some reason this reminds me of Denueve by Catherine Deneuve..

wow.....i just scored the only 100 ml original splash bottle on ebay, wasn't cheap either(ouch)but it's simply incredible. It's beyond my expectations, it couldn't be made today, a scent of a bygone era. I thought I smelled some oud in their but no, must be my nose playing tricks on me. I've only had it for a day but i am giving this a 11/10, highly highly recommended if you get the chance to purchase one. edit....Cytharian , you are so right, it does smell like fine Cognac.

Could be construed as a perfume for ladies.. I have had women that said were going to buy it,, I had one lady friend demand that I share it with her.. Last forever and can be over whelming so very easy on the trigger.. I find times to wear this.. Mostly when I want a cologne to last. Working out, yard work, grocery shopping.. I am in constructrion and don't wear this to work any more because it is sorta perfumish (flowery).. 8 out of 10 and a must check out..

Stephen Colbert described Hugh Laurie as smelling of "wintergreen and fresh cut grass" which immediately brought this to mind. A friendly leather, with vanilla incense, lily of the valley, rose and violet, plus hints of orange and almond--fresh, sweet, sensual, comforting--a great, great scent.

I just bought a 150ml vintage spray..... the 100ml splash and the 150ml spray are different. much the same as Chanel Bleu EDT is different from Chanel Bleu Parfum. The spray is Nice the splash is Divine .....edit,.....reminds me of a Homage to Chanel's Antaeus. Perry's version.

Stunning! If this were in an MDCI bottle it would be a niche darling. As it stands this is an amazing mossy floral green leather fragrance that maintains its olde world charm. Would never have guessed it was reformulated because it does the old vintage notes quite well

The vintage formula is hall of fame quality. I owned it from the mid 80s thru the 90s. A masterful blend of notes that hasn't been duplicated since. If you can get your hands on the vintage formula, buy it......and treasure it forever.

Just found this gem. Got it for my Dad back in 1985 and he never used it. AMAZING. Sprayed a teeny bit to test the spray function. It has a natural scent, not like the chemical stuff they do now. Perfectly balanced. Amazing.

The vintage formulation is a masterpiece. Very unique and genuine fragrance. The vintage is still available on ebay for a reasonable price usually. Women seem to be very drawn to this oriental fragrance.

This is for men, ....M - E - N , ....Men!.....no boys or women need apply. When you wear this you can feel your chest hairs growing. Ps. It also warns other men, lol.

The original (vintage) is one of the most gorgeous perfumes I've ever smelled. Beautiful. Gloriously sweet and precious.