Dune pour Homme Dior 1997 Eau de Toilette

Dune pour Homme is for me among the most enigmatic and elusive mainstream fragrances ever made, for how it elaborates a generic “designer” theme in a fascinating way. It should be supposed to be a versatile, clean and “easy” exotic fig-green scent with a soapy-musky base, and it partially is so indeed; actually the smell itself is really simple, totally good and totally wearable. A gentle, graceful, mannered and slightly creamy fig-musk-green scent. But to me, and I admit this may be a totally personal perception, it has something else which makes it completely unique and, well, kind of creepy at the same time. That “creepy” feature is connected to its signature sort of warm, blurred and watery texture, which is due to the use of hedione and musk (ketones, I guess); it feels slightly humid, lactescent and “grey” too, and for some odd reasons it makes me think of some old, faded 8 mm homemade videotape shot in a cloudy, muggy August afternoon lost in the mid-1990s. The “analogic filter” role played by the film grain corresponds to hedione here, which is I think the key of Dune’s magic – a sort of fruity-watery-grey note which gives Dune this sort of damp, plastic, sultry feel.

This together with some more ordinary, decent-quality and undoubtedly “summery” nuances like green notes and fig leaves, produce a really fascinating “summer feel”, but where “summer” means “a summer of your childhood lost in your imagination”. Nothing crisp and realistic, on the contrary a blurry, cozy, faded souvenir. It’s like if the use of hedione and musk here gives the blend a sort of nostalgic and almost hallucinating feel which makes you plunge into your own memories. Grey, sort of humid and sweltering, at the same time “faded” and quiet. Out of all the dozens of similarly synthetic scents I’ve tried and owned, this is the only one which triggers that path of associations, showing how creatively one can make good use of synthetic aromachemicals (assuming there was an intention to be creative, otherwise I guess it’s just bare luck). Anyway, aside from all of that which is maybe just a subjective frenzy of mine, Dune pour Homme is surely a good, clean and cozy greenish-exotic all-rounder with a really respectable quality and a perfect balance of distinction and “safeness”. Nothing groundbreaking and a bit short-lived (as you can expect with these notes) but inexpensively solid.

7,5/10

This fragrance is unexpectedly good. Pretty simple, short lived and with a slightly generic base, but unique and great at the same time. It has Hedione which gives a jasmine vibe with a summer dry air feeling.
Objectly, the fragrance starts with a slighty sweet fig accord along with a currant leaf note and the Hedione. It drys down to a creamy-sweet lotion vibe provided by the sandalwood and Hedione. Hedione is the key here and links the fig opening with the creamy and sweet drydown.
It reminds me of beach but not in an aquatic way, neither in an suntan lotion way (which coconut and tuberose usually do), more in a breezy-wet-sand way. I know, sounds awkward, but that's what this one is. A bit strange but familiar. Like a memory, an old summer photograph that you have.
This is very interesting because of that. No Calone, no citruses, no tropical fruits, just a fig fruit accord (which is not super evident and completely different from other fig leaf base fragrances), Hedione, and soft creamy sandalwood. Doesn't last a long time but it's fun, masculine, summery and different although the Hedione gives a familiar and, for some, a "generic" vibe, which is not in a bad way and, if you pass some time with it, you'll find the beauty and the original twist that it has.
A solid and underrated fragrance by Dior.
4/5 (this review is based on a vintage bottle)
3/5 for the current formulation

This is like being at the beach on a hot day. It shines in summer weather, bringing to mind blue skies and hot sand. I would expect this do to especially well in the summer, but would not go for it in cooler months as it is just too light to be noticed at any other time of the year.

Definitely a must if you want something unique and appealing, it is also completely accessible and inoffensive to others. So perfect for wearing around people who don't like the smell of perfume. It's that kind of scent as well.

A brilliant fragrance for hot weather. Well done Dior!

You're suspended to buy or not? Let me say it straight. Buy it, whatever batch it is, it deserves a go at least for a whole 100ml bottle. You'd have a fresh leafy soapy citric summer.
The opening is charmingly fresh and vibrant. The heart is woody and floral. The base if a bit velvety and sweet fruity milky. Not one of a kind but comparing to other similarities, it has one bold aspect: character. Great projection, good longevity.
8/10

A few months ago I tried the current version of Dune in a nearby mall, and it seemed so ethereal and "delicate" that I did not find it interesting, but ... this morning, rummaging in my drawer of samples, which looks like the ark of Noe jejejeje, I found a small sample, that a companion gave me, of the vintage version, and as I wanted something fresh, I put it without regard, and ... What a beautiful perfume! Nothing to do with what I tried a few months ago, which was also nice, of course, but it was light years away from this, and I do not mean performance, because to be honest, in terms of duration and projection I have not noticed a difference so abysmal, where I notice the change is in the clarity of its aroma ...

Dune is green, it's sweet, it's fresh, it's ... magical, it has instantly transported me to my childhood, to the summers in my old house, an Andalusian tenement house, with an immense interior patio, sheltered by the shade of a large vine. I remember clearly the aroma of its leaves, of the clusters of green grapes hanging from curly threads, while, my brothers and I, we played at battles, and we used those green grapes, still unripe, like throwing weapons. And what if they were weapons! We had to take the same care when picking grapes, that, when we took enriched plutonium, because there were always wasps hovering over them. On one occasion, my little brother took a cluster without making sure there was one among the grapes, and when he closed his hand, he spiked it, put his hand like a glove, I remember the laughter, and the face of my brother, and As much as I have endured, I have not been able to hold back a few tears when remembering that he is no longer with me ... but, in spite of everything, it has been nice, because I have remembered him as the naughty rascal that he was, and I have seen him running, laughing and cry, and all that Dune has done.

Dune is a realistic fig, a Mediterranean afternoon in the shade of a fig tree eating figs, it smells of nap, sea, summer, all that smells Dune, although I wake up memories under the vine of my happy childhood.

The performance for me is moderately high, I do not feel so extraordinary as it is said that it was, it is true that it may be a bit bigger than the current version, but I do not think they are so different. The wake, like the current one, is moderately low, I think it is an intimate perfume and personal enjoyment. An aroma of warm and temperate climates, and daytime use.

A great perfume that lived better times, because, currently, only the spoils of what was was left.

Sorry for my bad english.