Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
12/06/2020
Drseid
819 Reviews
Drseid
1
The End Of The Hunt For The Elusive Unicorn...
Calvin opens with a sharp bergamot laced herbal green mix of sage-like artemisia and oakmoss rising from the base, with underlying anise-like tarragon support before transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart the bergamot vacates, leaving remnants of the artemisia to couple with the now focal tarragon and rugged mossy green oakmoss with sharp, woody vetiver and earthy patchouli adding significant support. During the late dry-down the development stays highly linear staying herbal green throughout, as the tarragon, oakmoss and woody vetiver remain the focus with relatively dry sandalwood adding support through the finish. Projection is outstanding, and longevity excellent at over 12 hours on skin.
Calvin has proven quite elusive to find on the aftermarket nowadays except at what some may consider "crazy" prices, making sampling the perfume difficult over the years. Luckily, I was able to get my hands on a mini from the 80s to see what all the fuss is about as I don't recall smelling much of it back then. The first thing I noticed when applying the perfume on skin was its powerhouse strength. The oakmoss and herbs project seemingly for miles and miles... Anyone growing up in the 80s would recognize this strength as "the real deal." If I were to gauge influences for Calvin, it would have to be perfumes of its age like the original Polo, and it in turn influenced perfumes that immediately followed like Quorum by Puig. In truth, I think it is closer to the latter. There really isn't much in the way of development throughout, and while Calvin smells excellent, it never challenges the *true* greatness and originality found in its much more accessible Polo predecessor, making the argument for seeking it out somewhat tenuous. The bottom line is the $433 per 100ml bottle on the aftermarket Calvin is another "very good" to "excellent" 3.5 to 4 stars out of 5 rated example of the sublime powerhouse 80s, but it doesn't quite distinguish itself from its contemporaries to merit the hunt and relatively stratospheric cost of seeking it out today, earning it a recommendation solely to 80s vintage perfume completionists.
Calvin has proven quite elusive to find on the aftermarket nowadays except at what some may consider "crazy" prices, making sampling the perfume difficult over the years. Luckily, I was able to get my hands on a mini from the 80s to see what all the fuss is about as I don't recall smelling much of it back then. The first thing I noticed when applying the perfume on skin was its powerhouse strength. The oakmoss and herbs project seemingly for miles and miles... Anyone growing up in the 80s would recognize this strength as "the real deal." If I were to gauge influences for Calvin, it would have to be perfumes of its age like the original Polo, and it in turn influenced perfumes that immediately followed like Quorum by Puig. In truth, I think it is closer to the latter. There really isn't much in the way of development throughout, and while Calvin smells excellent, it never challenges the *true* greatness and originality found in its much more accessible Polo predecessor, making the argument for seeking it out somewhat tenuous. The bottom line is the $433 per 100ml bottle on the aftermarket Calvin is another "very good" to "excellent" 3.5 to 4 stars out of 5 rated example of the sublime powerhouse 80s, but it doesn't quite distinguish itself from its contemporaries to merit the hunt and relatively stratospheric cost of seeking it out today, earning it a recommendation solely to 80s vintage perfume completionists.
Charilaos77
