When you start to engage with perfume(s), you quickly realize that the expectations a good perfume must meet can be simplified into two camps:
1.) A perfume should primarily smell pleasing/good/attractive to the preferred gender. Metrics here can include received compliments and the versatility of the scent's use.
2.) A perfume is a work of art, and the perfumer is an artist. A good perfume should take you on a "journey," tell a story, and be as creative and, above all, unique/individual/special as possible.
Both approaches make absolute sense to me and yield great scents. However, my collection increasingly features fragrances from category one. An extreme example of why scents from category two are rather rare would be "These Miscegenic Three: Othello | Ikiry艒": with a mix of stinky oud, rancid dahlias, and a slight hint of cat pee, the artist takes us on a journey into the tortured soul of the "Moor of Venice." Great idea, but for the love of all that is good: I do not want to "rub" this story in the faces of my fellow humans. I also don鈥檛 sit in the office listening to Master Of Puppets at full blast.
Dior Homme (2020) Eau de Toilette is, for me, a prime example of a top-tier fragrance from category one. When I wear it, my well-being improves in no time. The woody freshness gives one a masculine elegance without being too intrusive. Freshly washed without being "shower-gel" like. Many may see it differently, but: if you know a shower gel that smells like this - drop it in the comments! I鈥檒l order a whole palette right away. Admittedly, natural scent notes are hard to detect here. It definitely leans towards a synthetic direction, which one must appreciate. You can't expect a grand journey or exciting story from it. The scent progression is linear as fuck, and that's just fine. And yes, the dreaded compliments... Once used by the old Jeremy as the number one metric for any fragrance, it sometimes gives the impression that it is absolutely amateurish for a seasoned perfumer/a to take joy in them, let alone mention them in a review. Be that as it may: this fragrance receives endless compliments, and I cherish each one.
A few final thoughts on the "THIS IS NOT MY DIOR HOMME ANYMORE!!11!!" lamentations: Would it not be presumptuous for a house like Dior to olfactorily interpret the man in 2020 exactly the same way as in 2011? Is it generally conceivable that Dior Homme 2020 does not mean "Dior Homme 2011 in a new version" but rather "The men's fragrance from Dior for the year 2020"? How nice is it of Dior to continue the old versions in nearly the same formulation, so that everyone can still have "their Dior Homme"?
I think the 2020 version is great and I enjoy wearing it for almost any occasion and every season. My go-to and signature.
Othello has a lovely base. But I get you. I didn't blast my favorite music at the office during a work phase, but my colleagues, especially the women, knew my preferences. Suddenly, a label was slapped on me. I also don't wear Coralie to client meetings 馃槈
Unfortunately, I really can't get into Othello at all :D
During my office hours, I occasionally wore Encre Noire - and I received some harsh comments about that too.
I find it hard to think that perfumes are constantly being adjusted to fit the year and the supposed zeitgeist... Sometimes it's nice when things can just stay as they were meant to be.
And I love this scent 馃榿
But well, that's just Dior's business policy.
Enjoy your hit!
Thank you and happy holidays!
During my office hours, I occasionally wore Encre Noire - and I received some harsh comments about that too.
Happy holidays!