Rockford Atkinsons 1985 Eau de Toilette

Now I have to defend ROCKFORD 1984 (not 1985!) A completely ignored and underrated fragrance from the 80s that can easily compete with Burberry's LONDON or BRIT. By the way, also a traditionally British fragrance house.

I came to Neuss/Düsseldorf from the provinces in the early 80s, was a fresh 20 and absorbed the new big city world with all my senses. What I found there were things I had never seen, heard, or smelled in the little village where I grew up.
Irish Spring was my first deodorant and soap. Even my first shave at around 14/15 was with Irish Spring. I really liked that fresh soapy scent.
In Neuss, there was the department store (later Woolworth) and on my first forays into the world of fragrances, I could afford BRUT 33 EdT, BLUE STRATOS EdT, and ROCKFORD EdT and was thrilled.
These were not really "real" perfumes, more like slightly more expensive drugstore scents, but they accompanied me for several years until my first SANTOS, KOUROS, or KL Homme.

Nevertheless, these fragrances have remained unique to this day and, without it being intentional or the producers being aware, have now been included in the ranks of highly sought-after vintage fragrances.
One must say that in the 70s, it all started with perfumes for men. Only as teenagers did we spray deodorants under our arms. Real perfume was worn by grandma, the older lady, and grandpa had TABAC or SIR aftershave.
This brought us all the most comforting grandpa or dad aftershave scent as a memory, as a typical masculine fragrance note (alongside sweat stains and body odor in the men's changing room).

In the 80s, ROCKFORD EdT had its own noble class, quite delicately powdery/soapy with a hint of wood and lavender. This is how English gentlemen smelled, unobtrusive but skillfully placed masculine fine fragrance mark. With this scent, I immediately envision a Scottish flannel pattern, like BURBERRY markets today.
Well-groomed English gentleman luxury with Scotch, a Davidoff, and a fireplace in the English reading room. Atkinsons Ltd. already stood for the beau of "perfume snobbery" back then.

This fine blend of cyclamen, vetiver, cedar, lavender, and musk lasts long, and what starts off as a zesty lemony scent transitions into a well-groomed soapy aroma and lingers until the next morning as a gentle hint of a lotus flower.
An unobtrusive fine masculine long-lasting fragrance blend.
That is what ROCKFORD EdT from 1984 is all about to this day.

I searched for a long time and only found it in Italy. What has long disappeared from German households or stands as collector's miniatures in display cases is traded like gold in Italy in the traditional perfumeries. But you really have to search and find your spots, like a mushroom collector.

The originally deeply British brand Atkinsons (1800 J&E Atkinsons Ltd. in 24 Old Bond Street), once a supplier to the British crown, has survived the takeovers and mergers since 1900 to the extent that the company is now British again, although production remains in Italy. All the well-known cosmetics companies were once involved, from Unilever to Wella, Fabergé, and Procter & Gamble.
More on this in the history of the Atkinsons fragrance house, which I will later dedicate myself to in detail.

The bear, the heraldic animal of Atkinsons Ltd., is unmistakable with ROCKFORD. I believe it attracted me back then when I didn't even know the scent. But with ROCKFORD, it's a polar bear, really great logo!
Maybe even James Garner, the detective Rockford, was a godfather in the creation of the brand.
The bottle is unfortunately typically square, practical 80s plastic. Nothing noble, just clunky, like the embarrassing shoulder pads and carrot pants and everything in bright colors. Here, a bright plastic red cap.
The packaging, on the other hand, has something to it; a better designer was involved.
I would like to know who created ROCKFORD 1984, but it seems no perfumer wants to sully themselves with former drugstore scents.
I would also like to note that only the Rockford ICE from 1990 from this series is bearable; all other blends from the flankers SOUL, SPORT, 2000, etc., are dreadful cheap concoctions of the millennium generation. I, for one, can't relate to these often uninspired synthetic productions anymore.

So, just a call away,... there can only be one, ROCKFORD 1984!
cheers
zino