Gianfranco Ferré for Man

Gianfranco Ferré Homme

Gianfranco Ferré 1986 Eau de Toilette

Gianfranco Ferre for Man opens with a beautiful bergamot and lavender tandem with a very subtle lemon undertone that hangs in the far background. The lavender and bergamot remain into the early heart notes, soon joined by a very noticeable jasmine, combining with a grassy-green orris and petit-grain tandem. In addition to the primary heart notes, oakmoss from the base rises into the later heart creating the classic chypre structure, while a leathery undertone joins the oakmoss through the dry-down, supported by subtle sandalwood, vetiver and patchouli accents. Projection and longevity are both average.

Gianfranco for Man is a real hidden gem and a fabulous surprise. In many ways it evokes some of the best qualities of classic chypres of the past like Patou pour Homme and vintage Derby... It goes without saying as those are two of the best masculines ever released, being mentioned alongside them is high praise indeed! The opening immediately begins to capture your heart, and then the mossy-green citric middle seals the deal. If there are any negatives they would have to be minor quibbles of longevity and projection not approaching monster levels, but those are minor indeed and absolutely should not deter one from buying this stellar release from Ferre *at all*. Gianfranco Ferre for Man was a relatively inexpensive blind buy at well under $30 that turned out to be a new favorite of mine at any price, earning a very strong 4 to 4.5 stars out of 5 and a "strong buy" recommendation.

I am in my old aristocratic house in the small medieval village somewhere in the north of Italy. I woke up not long ago and i am looking out of the window in a magnificent early morning autumn landscape as the mist starts to vanish defeated from the first warm rays of the morning star. The house is surrounded by vineyards which at at this time of the year become living sculptures of gold. Little dew diamond drops try without success to hold themselves on the leaves but slowly find their way to the already sodden earth.
Somewhere further, hardly distinguishable through the brume , some of the villagers in the company of their special trained dogs enter the woods of the surrounding hills in search of black truffles.
I am sitting on a leather armchair made hundreds of years ago by a master upholsterer in Florence. The leather is smooth like velvet from the daily use and the patina reflects the sunlight which penetrates the dark library from the high windows. The ancient library around me is partially covered in long shades and emanates the relaxing, comforting and well known scent of old books and oak. I wear my favourite tweed jacket and warm flannel grey pants, a fine monogrammed grid check shirt and a tie with a perfect double windsor knot. A pair of brown leather Edward Green shoes and the small golden pinky signet ring completes the picture. On the small mahogany tea table next to my armchair the Odyssey remained open in the 12th rapsody exactly as i left it the night before. Next to the book an empty glass of the finest Brunello di Montalcino produced with a lot of love and unmatched skill by my friend Annibale.
My dog enters the room slowly and in absolute silence, just like a cat would walk, and lies down to my feet.
I am holding a small cup of fresh made espresso on one hand and petting my best friend's head with the other. In exchange for the treat he licks my hand and starts wagging his tail.
I take a deep breath, close my eyes and think how wonderful life can be. For a a few seconds that seem like an eternity i am the happiest person ever born on the face of the earth.
10/10

Not to be confused with Gianfranco Ferre For Men, this bottle of For Man with the transparent top is by Diana De Silva.

It opens with a pleasant citrus and sage that quickly give way to carnation and geranium. It soon dries down to oakmoss, and patchouli with a subdued musky animalic vibe. It's quite subtle - unusual given the "loud" period during which it was launched.

Performance on my skin is very disappointing. Even if I overspray AF, it projects decently for an hour, then becomes a skin scent for another 3 hours before it's gone. Reapplying is a must if I'm gonna be out for more than a couple of hours. Overall I can enjoy GFFM... elegant, refined, and restrained as it is. A like, but not a love.

Worth mentioning that the inbuilt sprayer on my bottle gets stuck after every... single... spray. This never happened to me, not even with dirt cheap drugstore brands, nor with €1 atomizers from AliExpress. I wouldn't mind if this was a one-shot-one-kill fragrance, but this is a very light scent which requires multiple, multiple sprays if you want any sort of longevity. Spray. Pull it up. Spray. Pull it up. Spray. Pull it up... repeat endless loop. It feels like operating a flintlock musket at the battle of Waterloo. Rant over.

Masculinity Level: Keyser Soze from The Usual Suspects, restrained power, hiding in plain sight.

This is a MASTERPIECE with Italian Style, Nostalgic, Complex, Spicy and Soapy. Nowadays It is hard to find and very Expensive ! It opens up with fresh spicy, green and spices notes in the background then dry down is soapy green mossy and woody. I bought it blind-buy after reading the positive comments. If you like Soapy Spicy Green perfume Similar to Open Black and Sergio Tacchini, You will like this one. I'm so happy that I have it in my collection and I love it, Gianfranco Ferre is suitable for the Cold Weather, The art of bottle design is very interesting, Black Bottle with golden spray without Cap. Longevity is good.
Two Thumbs Up.
Bravo Gianfranco Ferre !
Rating : 8.5 / 10

The fragrance is classic, a quintessential aromatic woody scent.

From the top notes, the refreshing scents of bergamot and lemon are complemented by juniper, then the green notes of petitgrain and lavender, and finally the leather in the base notes, creating a powerful and smooth aromatic leather character.

This impression evokes a masculine feel. It's clean yet possesses the smoothness and strength of leather. Cardamom adds freshness and transparency, while jasmine provides depth. As time passes, the unique depth and calmness of fir balsam, along with the lingering scent of oakmoss, combine to create a more masculine woody note that exudes tranquility.

The smooth, leathery elegance is reminiscent of the "texture" of a suit tailored by Ferré. This smooth, intellectual stillness hidden within the strength is the essence of Italian elegance as advocated by Mr. Ferré!