Savile Row

This is a very interesting masculine floral; compared to its kin (D'Orsay Le Dandy?) it should be very thick and heady, but somehow it manages to be light and transparent. It opens as a kind of thin musk, with that group's usual sweetness toned down a lot, and offset by what I take to be just a bit of spearmint. The florals are already there (carnation?) but everything's held in check by a good dose of sharp spices that are close to the blend in Santos, though less dusty in the base. The spices seem to back off after a while, leaving wood to accompany the florals from before. I'm amazed at how dark and serious the florals are, yet not cloying or heady; I don't think I've ever seen a fragrance pull this trick off so well, though now I know I'll have to revisit Santos (and the Concentree!) and Floris #89. It's also not powdery in the usual sense (iris?) but has a different sort of sweet chalkiness that you might still attribute to talcum powder. I think the only useability problem with this stuff would be encountered in the men's room at an upscale restaurant or hotel. Namely, I've debated sometimes whether it either smells like an expensive liquid soap, a pleasant commercial air freshener, or as the worst case, a urinal cake or pad (unused, mind you). I also remember having the same thoughts about Le Dandy, and I think that it suffers from these associations a bit more because it has more fruitiness, so RJ is off the hook for that. Generally, though, I'd more likely treat it as a very thick Bulgari-type linen/laundry scent. And if I think of everything I disliked in Van Cleef and Arpels, Hammam Bouquet, JHL, C+S #88, or Ungaro III, this stuff manages to skirt around all of their pitfalls.

This was a blind buy based on the positive reviews & interesting ingredients.I am really glad I did,such an elegant "Gentlemanly" fragrance.It wispers discreelty quality & suaveness. The presentation is excellent,beautiful outer packaging reminding me of an exotic beach sunset.The bottle too is sculpted & fits in the hand comfortably with a reassuring heaviness.Simlar to the classic Halston for men "pebble" shaped flasks. From the other reviews I can smell the similarity to Santos de Cartier,then as the fragrance warms the flowery,woodiness becomes apparent.Maybe the tuberose as found in Givency Insense? On my skin the longevity is excellent lasting 6-8 hours. Projection is subtle,never overpowering but enough to get compliments. I would recommend this to gentlemen of any age.

Tuberose gives that waxy-sweet sultry feminine aura that I actually enjoy in many women’s perfumes. How could a tuberose-dominated fragrance be unquestionably masculine and classically-so at that? This is the magic of Savile Row. This floral cocktail (more than tuberose, though it is prominent) gets blended into a wonderfully sophisticated, debonaire fougere with tobacco and spices. It just works brilliantly. It gives the impression of a 1940s gentleman in a flannel suit, smoking a luxury cigarette, sporting a pomaded pompadour haircut. You might think it would create a dated, grandfatherly effect, but I don’t find this to be the case at all. This is such a unique fragrance that defies categorization - it’s its own creation and smells amazing. Mature, yes. Old, no.

This reminds me of Jaipur pour homme by Boucheron, but without the 'oriental' spices and incense. It has a similar delicate powder-iness to Jaipur, a kind of floral fizziness. But it remains masculine. It also fits the same kind of wearing for me as Jaipur, but because it lacks the degree of spiciness, it's more suitable for work and more adaptable for formal occasions. For me this a very versatile fragrance. The smell itself is excellent - 9.5/10. It's softer than Jaipur but appears to be long lasting. Excellent. It also reminds me of Insense by Givenchy - bit less sultry and evening. It has a similar musky caramel heart to Insense but there's a crisp edge on top which makes it more passable as a work fragrance.

This is a pleasant and well-executed example of the rarely seen/smelt male floral fragrance. It starts with a strong tuberose which gives a predominantly feminine aspect to the top notes. Soon it becomes mixed with tobacco and then moves into a floral-leather phase. I guess a lot of the notes listed above are subsumed into the floral aspect of all the stages. The end is very tenacious and it is a gentle amber/musk combo. It has a retro vibe, going back to a 70s aesthetics. It can be a unisex fragrance, easily worn by a woman. Very long lasting, almost impossible to wash off. Reasonably strong projection, too. It is unusual in many ways and definitely not a generic contemporary male fragrance.