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Notes10/17/2021
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34
In the Colognist Cafe: Friedrich Engels
It is often complained that there are hardly any real gentlemen left today. At Givenchy, that is definitely not the case. There they are becoming more and more. It started in 1974 with 'Givenchy Gentleman', then came the flanker 'Gentlemen Only' in 2013. Since then, the old-school gents have been multiplying like rabbits.
The singular Gentleman of 1974 has since been joined by a 'Gentleman Givenchy', that is, with the word components reversed, as EdT (2017), EdP (2018) and here, voilà, as EdC (2019). Since the common concentrations were through after that, a somewhat woody gentleman (Gentleman Boisée, 2020) and an intense gentleman (Gentleman EdT intense, 2021) followed, which seems a bit dubious to me, since I always thought gentlemen excelled at distinguished restraint.
The plural Gentlemen weren't lazy either. Here, too, there was an Intense (2014), then a Casual Chic (2015) and then, in the same year 2016, a Fraiche and an Absolute. For the past 5 years, there has been an almost frightening silence in the multi-branch. It is to be hoped that these gentlemen are not afflicted with a lasting malaise.
I don't know all of these fragrances, nor do I want to know them all. I own the Ur-Gentlemen-Only from 2014 and have tested two or three others. On this narrow empirical basis, I dare say that the gentlemen are all really related, or, as one might say scientistically: share the same DNA. So if you know one or two other representatives of this clan, you shouldn't expect anything completely different from this cologne.
And indeed, these gentlemen are all not the type of eccentric noblemen who urinate from the roof of the Scottish country estate in a wide arc around the bet, praise Pol Pot at the whiskey in the gentlemen's club or wear women's underwear under the tailcoat. They tend to be younger, upper-middle-class gentlemen with middle-class occupations, smooth and affable, unassuming, sometimes to the point of being soft-spoken.
This fragrance is also more Givenchy gentleman than cologne, but still: the citrusy top note is there and the (here rather bitter than fresh green) rosemary, which is present in almost every washed cologne from 4711 to Alvarez Gomez, is not missing. However, you almost have to know about this cologne beforehand to recognize it. Because the modern tendency, at least since Mugler's cologne, to soften a classic cologne with musk (which I detest in itself), is so over the top here that it becomes - dialectical reversal of quantity into quality! - it becomes good again. Next to a generous shot of musk still steps a directly docking herb-creamy iris, served with coarse ladle, and, as if it were not enough, a pleasantly fibrous vetiver.
With that, this fragrance actually moves almost beyond the boundaries of what I treat as a cologne in my series. But what is again colognetypisch, is the low durability of about two to three hours. I don't find this to be a drawback, on the contrary, it contributes to my appreciation of this fragrance and allowing it into my collection instead of the Ur-Plural. This tart creamy elegant freshness is very nice for a short time and can be congenially appropriate, for example, when you get freshly showered in a light gray suit, as a companion for the whole day it would be a little too little captivating for me.
It should be added that I got the overall good idea to try it with this gentleman, through the esteemed Runa, who has enriched this forum for a good while by her youthful-fresh writing. It is a pity that she has fallen silent here (for the time being, I hope not). But the number of gentlemen and gentlewomen I miss on this forum is growing as fast as the givenchistic flankers anyway.
Fifth visit to the colognist cafe. Blog has been updated.
The singular Gentleman of 1974 has since been joined by a 'Gentleman Givenchy', that is, with the word components reversed, as EdT (2017), EdP (2018) and here, voilà, as EdC (2019). Since the common concentrations were through after that, a somewhat woody gentleman (Gentleman Boisée, 2020) and an intense gentleman (Gentleman EdT intense, 2021) followed, which seems a bit dubious to me, since I always thought gentlemen excelled at distinguished restraint.
The plural Gentlemen weren't lazy either. Here, too, there was an Intense (2014), then a Casual Chic (2015) and then, in the same year 2016, a Fraiche and an Absolute. For the past 5 years, there has been an almost frightening silence in the multi-branch. It is to be hoped that these gentlemen are not afflicted with a lasting malaise.
I don't know all of these fragrances, nor do I want to know them all. I own the Ur-Gentlemen-Only from 2014 and have tested two or three others. On this narrow empirical basis, I dare say that the gentlemen are all really related, or, as one might say scientistically: share the same DNA. So if you know one or two other representatives of this clan, you shouldn't expect anything completely different from this cologne.
And indeed, these gentlemen are all not the type of eccentric noblemen who urinate from the roof of the Scottish country estate in a wide arc around the bet, praise Pol Pot at the whiskey in the gentlemen's club or wear women's underwear under the tailcoat. They tend to be younger, upper-middle-class gentlemen with middle-class occupations, smooth and affable, unassuming, sometimes to the point of being soft-spoken.
This fragrance is also more Givenchy gentleman than cologne, but still: the citrusy top note is there and the (here rather bitter than fresh green) rosemary, which is present in almost every washed cologne from 4711 to Alvarez Gomez, is not missing. However, you almost have to know about this cologne beforehand to recognize it. Because the modern tendency, at least since Mugler's cologne, to soften a classic cologne with musk (which I detest in itself), is so over the top here that it becomes - dialectical reversal of quantity into quality! - it becomes good again. Next to a generous shot of musk still steps a directly docking herb-creamy iris, served with coarse ladle, and, as if it were not enough, a pleasantly fibrous vetiver.
With that, this fragrance actually moves almost beyond the boundaries of what I treat as a cologne in my series. But what is again colognetypisch, is the low durability of about two to three hours. I don't find this to be a drawback, on the contrary, it contributes to my appreciation of this fragrance and allowing it into my collection instead of the Ur-Plural. This tart creamy elegant freshness is very nice for a short time and can be congenially appropriate, for example, when you get freshly showered in a light gray suit, as a companion for the whole day it would be a little too little captivating for me.
It should be added that I got the overall good idea to try it with this gentleman, through the esteemed Runa, who has enriched this forum for a good while by her youthful-fresh writing. It is a pity that she has fallen silent here (for the time being, I hope not). But the number of gentlemen and gentlewomen I miss on this forum is growing as fast as the givenchistic flankers anyway.
Fifth visit to the colognist cafe. Blog has been updated.
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