Chaps

(Readers may note my reviews are generally favorable. That is because I wear only fragrances that appeal to me.) Chaps came into my life in the early 1990s via a gift set that I may have personally bought on after-Christmas clearance at the Navy Exchange. The outdoors and spending as much time outside as possible are important to me, so the rugged (but not TOO rugged) Chaps outdoors image resonated. My dream was to live in the West, and Chaps used Western imagery in their marketing, and that too had resonance. This was also the beginning of my Ralph Lauren period, and Chaps - fragrances and the clothing line - was an affordable entrée into the World of Ralph Lauren. So it all went together to consciously shape an image of who I was, and who I continue to be - ruggedly outdoors in a gentlemanly, Hemingway-esque, River Runs Through It kind of way. I continued to buy Chaps deodorant, cologne, and aftershave over the years, and because Chaps is strong and long-lasting with excellent sillage, the deodorant and a few dabs of aftershave often sufficed and were economical. It was as close to a signature fragrance as anything I ever had. Chaps was produced by L'Oreal USA who discontinued the line several years ago. There's about half of a treasured 1 oz. bottle of cologne remaining in my wardrobe. I use it sparingly and intentionally, usually on weekends, because as previously stated, it is strong and long-lasting with excellent sillage. Try it if you run across it at an affordable price.

It's really a masterpiece! Also it's my signature scent at least for now, it's so special, I remember I felt in love with it the first time I smell it on my grandpa, And since that day I started to wear it with him, he passed away 1 year ago, and this perfume reminds me of him with beautiful memories, when I grew up I forgot what was its name, I asked my grandpa and since he was a perfumes addict as well, he couldn't know about which perfume I'm talking about, yet what I still remember very well about it is the bottle with the bull face on it, so I started to search in Google but couldn't find it, I tried a lot then I found it eventually in the same year my grandpa was going to pass away, I told hime about it and it was hard for him to find it in the USA, so he sent me 200$ dollars and told me to buy it if I ever find it in the middle east, after 2 months of him passing away, I got lucky founding it in a very old store, and I found the original version of it the one of Warner Lauren, I bought it immediately, and I'm so happy with this one to be my signature scent, beside its wonderful smelling combining freshness with powderyness along side with cleanliness, depth and maturity, it is full of lovely vibes and memories back to the 90s when I used to smell it on my grandpa. I hope Ralph Lauren never stopped manufacturing this masterpiece :( for me it's an all seasons fragrance I can wear it anytime anywhere.

"MASTERPIECE" I know you've heard it a million times about any particular fragrance, but CHAPS is literally the epitome of a classical masterpiece in the history of perfumery. It is quite simply THE perfect male fragrance composition and a genius creation. This is the 1980's in a bottle. It captures the soul of that amazing decade. A time where anything was possible, living was FUN, everything was enjoyed with overflowing abundance, Western Civilization was at it's peak, the music, culture and the world of perfumery was in it's final renaissance. Living large, having fun, cruising around for hours aimlessly with RATT blasting through the speakers, growing your hair, wearing a leather jacket, enjoying your FREEDOM to the max, and doing it all with that amazing scent aura of CHAPS surrounding you giving you the confidence that anything is possible and the future looked so bright. This was the 1980's and CHAPS was it's scent. This is an UNFORGETTABLE cologne that they would be very wise to bring back. Old bottles are in very high demand and easily sell for over $300 on ebay. When you find an unopened spray bottle for sale it's like discovering a hidden treasure or striking gold. A newly relaunched CHAPS, original bottle, same formulation as the 1980's version, would sell like hot-cakes!!! Beyond a shadow of a doubt. It would spark a new revival in the currently dying world of perfumery.

This is a Men's Cologne that means a lot to me and is near and dear to my heart... this was the first cologne ever given to me by my grandfather. I always felt like an adult when I applied this on, despite being very young. smelling it just conjurers up images of my grandparents, hard working Italian migrants coming to America. I will try and put sentiments aside and give an honest opinion. Being this is near impossible to find I will try and give my thoughts on it, giving modern men a glimpse into the past... a time, when men acted and smelled like men; and felt no guilt or shame about it. First off this is a very old and dated fragrance by today's standards. Men in 2020 would probably be put off by the scent, thinking it is too "old man-ish". Only suitable for cold seasons. It would be overbearing in summers high heat. This is a scent to be worn outside, definitely not an indoors office scent. So versatility wise you are very limited. Being I had and still have the EDC vintage version, this projected 2-3 hours easy. After that it slowly died down to a skin scent that could be smelled on you all day. I know non of you will probably never smell this but believe me when I tell you, this was a testament to it's time.

I don't own any bottle or decant of this legendary classic anymore but I am reviewing based on my memory. it was one of my signature office scent in the early 80's. Back then, Polo Green was very popular and quite pricey and this one, also from RL was a good affordable alternative as far as I remember, just like Coty's Aspen to CK Eternity, but it wasn't a clone just to be clear. I already forgot about this fragrance until I saw in eBay by accident, that the price of this juice was already way up. I believe it is no longer manufactured or it's now discontinued. I don't think I'm gonna spend a couple of hundreds just to get a vintage bottle of this beauty since I wore it for a long time when I was younger. But don't get me wrong, this is a really good frag with 80's vibe but if you are a hobbyist or collector, it wouldn't hurt to sample this one. “Let's spread the scents of peace and kindness. The two most beautiful fragrance in the world that will cost you nothing and will get you a totally different kind of compliments” 🙏