Jermyn Street Floris 2014

Admittedly, I'm a fan of British menswear and anyone who deals with this topic will sooner or later end up on Jermyn Street, where many top men's outfitters are located. When I think of Jermyn Street, I think of elegance, tradition and style! If you like to dress British, why not smell British (I thought to myself)?

So I went looking for perfumes and manufacturers and I quickly came across Floris London. Founded in 1730, still in the family business in the (I don't know exactly) 13th generation? I mean how cool is that, where else can you find something like that these days? What's also remarkable is that Floris London is still based in the same store at 89 Jermyn Street, just wow! I love facts like that! Jermyn Street is not just a street in London, it's a symbol of British tailoring that has influenced the world for centuries.

What is a British fragrance supposed to smell like? What exactly do you imagine it to be? Everyone certainly has their own ideas, but for me, a British fragrance should smell like a freshly shaved gentleman, to put it simply. Good but restrained! Attractive but not flashy!

So I ordered a few samples to test them all. Since I had already noticed Jermyn Street while researching, I tested it first. A few sprays on the pulse, let it work for a while, closed my eyes and smelled it.

The fragrance opens with a very sparkling but cheerful and dancing note of mandarin and bergamot. When my eyes were closed, I had the following image in my head: I'm playing tennis on a hot summer's day, I'm a bit exhausted and almost dying of thirst, there's a large, cold, homemade orangeade in front of me and I take a big sip! Soooo refreshing and feels damn good! That's what the beginning of the fragrance felt like.

As it progresses, violet and vetiver become noticeable, very delicate and refined, giving the fragrance a green and earthy depth. Vetiver is the heart and soul of this fragrance and runs like a red thread through the entire composition. I admit I'm not a big fan of vetiver, but in this case it's polished to a shine, like a pair of Oxford shoes. Definitely has a charismatic appeal....

The heart note reveals a spicy and aromatic side to the fragrance that makes it exciting and multi-layered. I smell coriander and juniper berry, which give the fragrance an interesting and multi-faceted complexity. They remind me of a walk through an English garden where various herbs and flowers grow. They also give the fragrance a subtle freshness that never makes it heavy or overpowering.

Towards the end, there is a warm and woody embrace that rounds off the fragrance harmoniously and gives it a pleasant longevity (a good 8 hours on my skin) and sillage. I smell cedar (dreamy) and musk, which give the fragrance a sensual and seductive note at the end. They create a contrast with the fresh and green notes, creating a fragrance that is both cool and warm.

I end up feeling like a freshly shaven gentleman, because Jermyn Street also smells like a "clean man". My daughter always says when she smells this fragrance on me: "Daddy, you smell like summer vacation" - that always makes my heart beat faster :) That's also because I usually only take this fragrance with me on vacation! I think it's the perfect scent for the office, vacation, spring, summer, weekends, visiting, etc. I enjoy the scent most after a fresh shave (did I mention that?) after a shower, a dream! Of all the fragrances I own, this is actually the one my wife likes the most on me!

I'm a big fan of this perfume because it also gives me "aftershave" vibes, that's what my dad used to smell like, at least that's the kind of memory that comes up and generally this scent takes me back to the good old days.

In the end I have to say, this fragrance is simple, clean, green, woody, British, gentlemen, it smells like it's from another time and yet so modern. I love it!

LG