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Dior Homme? Dior Men!
When the original Dior Homme Eau de Toilette was released in 2005, the Dior house was undergoing one of the biggest changes in its recent history. The creative director at the time was a young, up-and-coming designer named Hedi Slimane, who was to change the fashion world forever at Saint Laurent and now Celine. Slimane had just brought the men's division of Dior, previously known as Dior Monsieur, back into the limelight. Whereas in previous years the company had mainly focused on comparatively outdated (licensed) fashion for middle-aged men, Hedi Slimane has been breathing new life into it since the beginning of the new millennium. He renamed the men's division Dior Homme and under this name he published prêt-à-porter collections that were characterised by revolutionary narrow cuts, monochromatic colour palettes and modern, almost androgynous masculinity. It was also during this period that Dior released its first three exclusive fragrances, which would later - in part - become part of the Maison Christian Dior collection: Cologne Blanche, Eau Noire and Bois d'Argent - at that time still under the name "Dior Homme Colognes".
At about the same time the Dior Homme Eau de Toilette was published. And he too clearly bears the signature of Hedi Slimane's vision: powdery iris, which he still uses in most of his fragrances, and metrosexual, almost androgynous modern masculinity. With these characteristics, the fragrance was then an exotic among men's fragrances, and even today it is still unmistakable and unique, even if the iris is now more popular in men's fragrances than it was then.
15 years later and here we are with the latest reformulation of the classic. This reformulation has thrown over much, not to say almost everything, that has made the fragrance so far: The fragrance's defining notes have been removed, the design of the packaging and bottle has been changed and is much less minimalist than before - all that's left is the name. And many fans of the fragrance ask themselves: Why? I think to understand why, it's worth taking a look at how the house of Dior has changed in recent years. Hedi Slimane turned his back on Dior shortly after the original eau de toilette was released. He took his idea of fashion with him: First to Saint Laurent, then years later to Celine. At Dior, his former assistant, Kris van Assche, took over the sceptre for a few years. And even though the designer has his own interpretation of fashion, he has adopted many of Slimane's basic ideas. And so the fragrance line has changed slightly in his time under the influence of the new in-house perfumer Francois Demachy, but there have been no radical revolutions. The changes at Dior were much greater after van Assche left his post in 2018 and was replaced by Kim Jones. Jones has been turning the entire men's division of Dior upside down ever since: He renamed the brand from Dior Homme to Dior Men, the previously simple fashion is now increasingly influenced by streetwear and the entire image of the brand has been greatly modernized.
So why is all this relevant to this reformulation of Dior Homme? I think the old fragrance, based on Slimane's vision of the brand, simply no longer represented the Dior man in 2020. It's a pity, but the Dior of 2005 is now way behind and the vision of fashion in this house has changed a lot. From this point of view, it makes sense that the defining men's fragrance of the brand (by name alone) should be adapted to represent the brand in the best possible way in the present - and not stand for the vision of a designer who is now working for competing manufacturers.
But what does the new fragrance smell like anyway? In general, it clearly plays in the league of modern woody, spicy and fresh men's fragrances, as we know them from fragrances like Bleu de Chanel, Aventus, Terre d'Hermes or Sauvage. Does the new Dior Homme smell like a copy of these fragrances? Not to me. It picks up on individual elements of the fragrances mentioned, but the composition itself is independent. Independent, but somehow also arbitrary. Personally, I find the fragrance to be mainly modern woodsy with the scent of Iso E Super and amber - in addition to a dry freshness that smells of lemon, but is less of a focal point than Sauvage or Bleu de Chanel. All in all, the fragrance smells like a nice everyday scent for modern men - high quality, without being offensive and good.
But somehow a certain dissatisfaction still remains with me and enthusiasm does not want to break out. Also in the community the smell seems to get away rather moderately. Why is that so? In my opinion one should have been more courageous in redesigning the fragrance. The fragrance should represent the new Dior vision for men? Then do it properly. The fragrance should have had its own design on the packaging and the bottle, a bold fragrance that represents the Dior fashion of 2020, and above all, a new name. The new men's division of Dior is called Dior Men - Dior Homme is history. Why not do the same with the fragrance? That way there's less confusion for the average customer, less frustration for the fans (who can simply leave the old original in its current form until it doesn't sell anymore) and you have a completely contemporary representation of your own brand. In my opinion, Dior has missed this opportunity. Instead, we now have a new fragrance that is good, but has no identity of its own, and at the same time dilutes an existing classic. A pity!
At about the same time the Dior Homme Eau de Toilette was published. And he too clearly bears the signature of Hedi Slimane's vision: powdery iris, which he still uses in most of his fragrances, and metrosexual, almost androgynous modern masculinity. With these characteristics, the fragrance was then an exotic among men's fragrances, and even today it is still unmistakable and unique, even if the iris is now more popular in men's fragrances than it was then.
15 years later and here we are with the latest reformulation of the classic. This reformulation has thrown over much, not to say almost everything, that has made the fragrance so far: The fragrance's defining notes have been removed, the design of the packaging and bottle has been changed and is much less minimalist than before - all that's left is the name. And many fans of the fragrance ask themselves: Why? I think to understand why, it's worth taking a look at how the house of Dior has changed in recent years. Hedi Slimane turned his back on Dior shortly after the original eau de toilette was released. He took his idea of fashion with him: First to Saint Laurent, then years later to Celine. At Dior, his former assistant, Kris van Assche, took over the sceptre for a few years. And even though the designer has his own interpretation of fashion, he has adopted many of Slimane's basic ideas. And so the fragrance line has changed slightly in his time under the influence of the new in-house perfumer Francois Demachy, but there have been no radical revolutions. The changes at Dior were much greater after van Assche left his post in 2018 and was replaced by Kim Jones. Jones has been turning the entire men's division of Dior upside down ever since: He renamed the brand from Dior Homme to Dior Men, the previously simple fashion is now increasingly influenced by streetwear and the entire image of the brand has been greatly modernized.
So why is all this relevant to this reformulation of Dior Homme? I think the old fragrance, based on Slimane's vision of the brand, simply no longer represented the Dior man in 2020. It's a pity, but the Dior of 2005 is now way behind and the vision of fashion in this house has changed a lot. From this point of view, it makes sense that the defining men's fragrance of the brand (by name alone) should be adapted to represent the brand in the best possible way in the present - and not stand for the vision of a designer who is now working for competing manufacturers.
But what does the new fragrance smell like anyway? In general, it clearly plays in the league of modern woody, spicy and fresh men's fragrances, as we know them from fragrances like Bleu de Chanel, Aventus, Terre d'Hermes or Sauvage. Does the new Dior Homme smell like a copy of these fragrances? Not to me. It picks up on individual elements of the fragrances mentioned, but the composition itself is independent. Independent, but somehow also arbitrary. Personally, I find the fragrance to be mainly modern woodsy with the scent of Iso E Super and amber - in addition to a dry freshness that smells of lemon, but is less of a focal point than Sauvage or Bleu de Chanel. All in all, the fragrance smells like a nice everyday scent for modern men - high quality, without being offensive and good.
But somehow a certain dissatisfaction still remains with me and enthusiasm does not want to break out. Also in the community the smell seems to get away rather moderately. Why is that so? In my opinion one should have been more courageous in redesigning the fragrance. The fragrance should represent the new Dior vision for men? Then do it properly. The fragrance should have had its own design on the packaging and the bottle, a bold fragrance that represents the Dior fashion of 2020, and above all, a new name. The new men's division of Dior is called Dior Men - Dior Homme is history. Why not do the same with the fragrance? That way there's less confusion for the average customer, less frustration for the fans (who can simply leave the old original in its current form until it doesn't sell anymore) and you have a completely contemporary representation of your own brand. In my opinion, Dior has missed this opportunity. Instead, we now have a new fragrance that is good, but has no identity of its own, and at the same time dilutes an existing classic. A pity!
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