Gianni Versace

It's got to be the smokiest "old school" frag on the planet!! Out of production as far as I know, and WOW this is special! A very exotic fruit on the enourmous pallette of all existing perfumes! I bought it blind, since the price for the extrait was so low in the auction compared to "buy it now" options out there, and I must say I was speechless, how strange, alluring, complex and long-developing it is!! A word of warning: if you try it for the 1st time - don't scrub it off right away once the "oldest public toiled in the world" smell hits you: give it time and you will be rewarded. After a few seconds from application I was almost in tears: oh no, I thought, it is gotten too old, or was always like this but nobody had the courage to say: it is not a perfume, someone has simply peed into the bottle and is selling it for big bucks!! I was devastated. The closer I would bring my nose to the skin, the more unvbelievably horrible the stench was: I almost passed out, I swear. I sat there like a sad lump of a person sinking into depression, my head hanging in disbelief, gathering ideas how I could get rid of it quick and without losses on value, when... 15-20 minutes into the wait it has opened up like the most exquisite flower!! I stuck my nose to the skin waiting for the illusion to dissipate and be hit in the face again with the toilette bruch aroma, but no - I could not believe it, so I sniffed even harder! - and NO!! It's all gone!!!!! From a parisian cafe urinary I was suddenly transported onto Cloud 9, cloud being the operative word here: it was SO smoky I thought I could actually see it!! It is a young light wood tree that has grown roots into some undiscovered vanilla-river running underground and was set on slow fire and is now raising this heavenly smoke into the skies. This one is a Masterpiece. How this could be no longer popular - I see it, I get it, nobody sits around on a suede-polstered recamiere playing bridge through long winter afternoons anymore, but it would break my heart, if I was the creator of it, to put a stop to producing at least the idea of this decadent and long-gone-never-to-come-back lifestyle. This perfume stole my heart, and If ýou are looking for a time maschine - it's right here in the gem-shaped flacon of Gianni Versace. It is nostalgia for the beginning of 20th century in its pure form, in my nose's humble opinion. :)

I happened to stumble upon a bottle of this that had a little bit left, at a friends house.. I sprayed it on a card and took a whiff, behold a masterpiece! The first whiff you can smell the top notes the strongest, and it has the signature vintage Versace smell to it..The more the fragrance dries down the more heavenly it gets! I truly hope that one day I can add this fragrance to my collection.. Update - I have added this gem to my fragrance collection! I have enough to last me a life time! As I lift the cap to my nose I am put into a trance.. This fragrance is truly stunning! They do not make them like this anymore! I can truly say that this is one of the most amazing women's fragrance that I have ever came across! I know that the ingredients in this must have all been of the highest quality and of course all natural! It is so very deep and complex.. This smells like something a very sexy luxurious women with an untamable wild side would wear.. It is stunning! Update - I have already updated my review on this beauty but for some reason I feel like I can never say enough about it! Every time I smell Gianni Versace I fall in love with it all over again! I first heard of this perfume when my grandmother put me up to the task of finding her old favorite perfumes online but the prices were outrageous, so I held off on buying it for her.. I was on vacation in Italy with family and my grandmother when I happened to stumble across a bottle of this at my grandmothers friends house.. When I first saw the bottle I was in awe at how beautiful the bottle looked.. It looks much better in person than on the computer.. I picked it up and took the cap off and sniffed the bottle.. I was so shocked because I did not expect it to smell so amazing! I than realized that my grandma had good taste.. The next time I went over there I sprayed some on paper and studied the scent from the top notes to the dry down.. There really are not that many perfumes for women that I fall for or would like to wear, but this is one of them.. I do not know if I could pull this off but regardless I will definitely wear a squirt for my own pleasure when I want to..

Just to note that Creature by Gilles Cantuel, 1985, the original Salvador Dali, Dali, 1985, Magie Noire original vintage, Lancome 1978, are all somewhat similar, although a little drier than the Versace. Boucheron by Boucheron, 1988, original vintage, Fendi by Fendi 1985, and Coco Chanel,1984,original vintages again, may also fit. Paloma Picasso, 1984, is also along these lines. None are the same of course but if you love this original Versace, you may find these other choices also lovely. Dali and Boucheron may be the easiest and least expensive to obtain. I buy vintage only pretty much. Some top notes may be gone, but the old guys often have a richness, a bravado, a complexity, the moderns often lack. Vintage perfumes, in my mind, usually create a mood, set a stage, uplift spirits, calm nerves, inspire, reflect, provide fodder for romantic day dreams and so on. They are largely contextual- presenting blends of many aromas, yet not pinpointing to any one particular scent, unless they were soliflores of course. Young ones, do keep an open mind and try to experience some of the old time greats. You don't have to wear them, but if anything, it is an education within the media of scent. My 14 year old loves Estee Lauder Private Collection original vintage, 1973. Speaking of which, the bio of Estee Lauder is well worth a read. I think Ms. Lauder's top love was perfume.

10/10. Many years ago, when I first moved to California, I was spending one lazy weekend morning in bed when, suddenly, I got wind of the most incredible scent. It was heady, sensual, intoxicating. It seemed to fill the air, and yet I laid there inhaling, just trying to soak up as much of it as I could. Finally I got up to find out from whence it was coming. It turns out that the palm tree outside my window had a very large, very old jasmine vine growing halfway up its trunk. It was literally the most sensuous and wonderful smell experience I'd ever had. This is the perfume that has come closest to giving me that feeling. Not because of the jasmine in it. But because of its intensely seductive, natural sweetness and beauty. I blind bought it. And the day I opened it, I bought back up bottles. It's that enchanting. EDIT: This perfume will sneak up on you! The opening is intoxicating, but then it quiets down for about 2 hours. After that, like a bale of hay heating up from within, it ignites. The base is an unctuous explosion of oakmoss, sandalwood, and skanky patchouli. Don't overspray my friends... I've choked myself out a couple of times and had to shower, but I still keep coming back to this absolute BANGER of a fragrance.

Imagine the sparkle and elan of aldehydes and bergamot, followed by a bouquet of tuberose, gardenia and carnation. These flowers are imbued with a soft sweet smoke of a myrrh and benzoin incense. You can't decide if it smells like a perfume or some cabalistic ritual. If you eventually decide it's indeed a perfume, it's not clear if its Eastern amber or a chypre as a mossy and unctuous shiver overcomes you, but soon you give up on defining and you just inhabit its cocoon. This draws a sketch of the original Gianni Versace. A halo of spice orbits flower aromas which in turn overlap a rum raisin liqueur, tawny port, and citron marmalade, so thick and decadent. As elements recede, a patchouli is laid bare, and the juiciness evaporates to a dry, sexy dirtiness on the surface of the skin. I sense what seems to be some costus deep underneath the petticoat layers. It is a near room-filler, on the precipice of the powerhouse age at the time of its release, but still shows some restraint. The parfum differs from the EDT in that it is far more smoky incense and balsams. Both are sublime.

I was wondering why I immediately fell in love with this scent,,,, after reading about the notes I saw the carnation flower, it is the "common denominator" in my favorite perfumes. The juice in my bottles is fresh and was well kept, I'm always lucky. The first perfume came to mind was VanCleef. This is very serious and formal, I felt out of proportions wearing this with my casual outfit ! Other similar perfumes: Boucheron, Dolce&Gabbana, but all these came afterwords, Versace was a pioneer in its category big time, I really think people were shocked when this was released 1981, It is unique and still unique. I know "big" perfumes were the trend during 80's, and "spicy" scents fill the Disco era before that, but the "hugeness" in this perfume is so alien, and the spices here are out of this world. The carnation used here smells similar to the one used in Nina Ricci's L'air du Temp...and there is an earthy/dirty note (oak moss, or patchouli !) that take it out of the childish clean criteria of perfumes.

OK, I admit that I am easily influenced in the perfume realm. One glowing review is all it takes for me to want something. And telling me something is discontinued is like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey! If it isn't readily available, it MUST be better, right? In this case, yes. My initial sniff from the sample size was alright. I have a bunch of new to me scents and it didn't exactly sky rocket to the top of the list. Even when I first put it on, I was thought it was overrated. And then...it got better and better. It becomes something truly glorious on! Perfect blending that makes it hard to distinguish individual notes, it smells like: perfume. I mean that in the best possible way, as in expensive perfume for ladies. I want more.

I am totally loving this one, though it is a scent for mature woman i think, this will also do best during some night out for women in their 30 ́s. But you have to dress properly to wear that. Think of original Versace fashion in bold colours and you get the picture. It is a bit agressive scent, i find some similarities with old formulation of "Ysatis", but this is more softer. I am loving narcissus note, cause that ́s what i think gives this scent softness though in my opinion this is a stricktly winter evening wear perfume. Tried this one at a daytime and it was a bit annoying then. This what i call Perfumery, most others are just mainly fragrances. :)

Oh, how I loved this scent. Tuberose, Carnation, Incense ... three of my favorite notes. I went through two or three bottles of this in the 1980s. A warm, spicy fragrance that I miss very much. Update: I STILL miss this fragrance. Looking through the list of scents that this fragrance reminds people of, I'm struck by the fact that most of them have just about as many folks who agree as disagree on the comparison. Is this because each of us experienced this treasure differently? I wish SOMEONE would create something that is really similar to Versace.

Lovely floral, spicy perfume. Really beautiful quality and terrific sillage (this is the pure perfume I am referring to). I received this today from a trusted seller and couldn't wait to try it. I remember it from years ago and largely ignored it although I did have a bottle once but knowing me probably gave it away in haste. It has a "old school of perfumery" feel about it. It's worth seeking out because it smells like nothing else - in a good way. Perfect for cooler months as it does pack a wallop.

I've read most of Miss Lawson's perfume reviews and felt inspired to purchase a couple, so far. My vintage Versace arrived today and all I can say is that it is one more gorgeous perfume. I don't have the knowledge of identifying many notes-just never smelled many many flowers, woods, rrsins, etc. But I can pick out oakmoss in perfumes, and incense in this creation. What an experience, this perfume. Applause for Miss Lawson's reviews. I'm looking forward to reading more.

I feel totally bereft now that I can no longer buy this. I loved the complexity of the fragrance and I cannot find anything to replace it. I think one of the problems is that modern fragrances are too simple and simply "shout" at you. I do not understand why women want to smell of boiled sweets...oh well - maybe they will see sense and bring it back???? My other favourite - Escada Margaretha Ley has been discontinued too. Devastated.

Another stunning reason why I am, and always will be, a vintage girl (actually, woman, because I purchased these '80s powerhouses when they originally came out!) Versace for Women offers resinous oakmoss, leathery jasmine, gentle spice, and languid ambergris. A touch of sharpness from carnation and benzoin add the contrast necessary to increase its depth and character. For sophisticated women with a story...and a soft spot.

I am a big fan of Coco and of Cinnabar, and I love chypres - this is a bit like an oakmossed-up cross-breed of Coco and Cinnabar, I think. Oriental, heavy, sweet, but with that spicy mossy warm depth to it that smells both elegant and comforting at the same time.

My wedding day perfume. I have about 1/5 of the bottle remaining and it is a shame it's not available any more. I also have the soap, still in its wrapper and the dusting powder. It still smells fantastic many years later.

Powerhouse chypre. Dark woods and large bouquets of flowers, leather chairs, a table of sweets awaiting, amongst port. Strong and sweet and deep and classy. Tiny drop will do.

I am using it for the first time, wow. It's really strong! You can smell incense from the begining.

It's a gorgeous jewel, all those beautiful discontinued perfumes...what a shame..

This is the only Chypre Floral perfume that ever smelled good on me. It starts off pretty strong... very typical for its category but the dye down is incredibly elegant and sweet. I got it a few years ago right before Xmas and because i knew that my grandma would absolutely love it, i ended up putting it under the tree with her name on it =) She has it on display, to this day, almost unused because "her only granddaughter got it for her" but i honestly think its there just to taunt her friends =p Ha ha ha... who ever said grandmas were peaceful?! =p U can follow me on YouTube @ BeautyOnSale

I loved Versace and thought I had found a new signature fragrance after years of J'ai Ose. But soon it went down in history...so heavy, I am amazed that I had the courage to use it liberally. It should be used very sparingly because it's really harsh and lasts and lasts... You can leave the house without having to carry it in your purse, from morning to evening is not giving up. In the end it's still a powerful chypre.