Lacoste Original Lacoste 2015

The new Lacoste Original is one of the better remakes in recent men's fragrance history and still perfectly embodies the spirit of the brand. Some remakes are hardly recognizable and simply terrible. In films, for example, that would be the remake of Carpenter's "The Fog" or the recently feminized "Ghostbusters." In men's fragrances, recent memories include Givenchy's Gentleman, Trussardi Uomo, or various dilutions and reformulations like Le Male. However, Lacoste Original from 2015 does not belong to these groups. If one were to compare it to cinematic remakes, it would be more akin to successful exceptions like "The Hills Have Eyes" or "Maniac." Not a home run, not a direct classic. But it could have been much worse...

But enough about films, back to the still relatively new and simultaneously old-school Lacoste Original. It is an icy-summery macho, a reliable buddy for sports and fun, set and victory, sun and south. A cool, masculine oakmoss hero, or the imitations thereof. A bit mentholated and minty. Although not as deep and voluminous as it once was. But it is not much worse. Here, it has been thoughtfully and skillfully reborn under current conditions and possibilities. The perfect coach for tennis, cricket, and golf. A bit sharp and strict at the beginning, but then it rounds off beautifully. Its vetiver base is a poem. Active. Invigorating. A strong companion. The Lacoste king is dead. Long live the Lacoste king. Clearly still the number 1 of the brand.

Bottle: almost like the old one - typical Lacoste. Cool. Rich. Tennis. Good integrated spray head.
Sillage: not a three-sentence success, but it knows how to assert itself. Especially against the lean summer scents.
Longevity: not too far from its predecessor - about 4 hours.

Conclusion: a very subtly and sensitively modernized classic from the clean part of the 80s. One of the better remakes. Subtle and 100% Lacoste. Then as now.

During my visit to the orange M today, after my initially targeted objects turned out to be dispensable dust collectors, this one fell into my hands.

Given that it is also declared as "officially discontinued" here in the community, I had almost given up hope of ever getting my hands on a brand new bottle.

Would my today's foray end successfully after all?

My expectations were high, very high. And were they disappointed? No, with a slight tendency towards maybe.

I spent definitely half an hour or longer enjoying it. I kept reapplying, testing something different now and then, and in between, I sniffed at the coffee can.

From the start, you can tell that we are in the green spectrum here. A classic of the old school, yet sprinkled with citrus-fresh elements. Furthermore, associations arose that, upon closer examination of the ingredients, turned out to be accurate. I clearly smell parallels to YSL Kouros and Paco Rabanne Pour Homme. The Paco perhaps in the first 5-10 minutes, though a bit less harsh, but with a hint of slightly sharpened citrus fruits that tingle on the mucous membranes at the beginning. Later on, there’s also a bit of Kouros, but only after 20 minutes and only if you go directly to it with your nose.

Despite my skepticism towards the other two candidates, this one quickly captivated me.

Now to the target audience: It is definitely not recommended for notorious wearers of 1Million, Eros, Le Male, Joop Homme, and the like; it is literally too quiet and will not be noticed in the disco with deadly certainty. However, a return to good taste is always to be welcomed. So who is it made for? Clearly for the mature gentleman who does not want to stand out excessively and is content if only he and his female companion notice the noble scent. As a lower age limit, we have the younger thirty-something with the first gray hairs.

In conclusion of my plea, I must admit that I could not decide to make a purchase today. Although it was on the shelf with a 20% discount, its somewhat weak presence did not convince me this time. As a primary drawback, I would name its subtle sillage, but that does not mean that I have made a final decision for myself today. The longevity, on the other hand, is more than acceptable, as it was still perceptible on my skin after another shower this evening.

All in all, this is an excellently crafted 80s scent that will likely be seeking its kind for an indefinite time. It must definitely be preserved and/or reissued; in return, all the other "color scents with crocodile" could be discontinued.

I have a long history with Lacoste Original. In the 1980s, it was my second fragrance ever and particularly popular among my friends and acquaintances. However, at some point, the charming bottle adorned with the crocodile disappeared from the German market. What I encountered from Lacoste afterwards was, to put it politely, useless.

Since the early 2000s, Schnappi, the little crocodile, has been causing a stir (https://vimeo.com/25617940). My oldest son, back then at the kindergarten summer festival, performed the Schnappi dance dressed as a crocodile. Now he is slowly reaching the age at which I first encountered the original. And déjà vu - the fashion trends today are reminiscent of those back then. Only that the indispensable Walkman has been replaced by a mobile phone and the Adidas Allround by Converse sneakers. While we had to bleach our jeans with Domestos in the bathtub back then, they can now be bought pre-treated and ready to wear in stores.
The parallels could be extended much further and applied to other areas of life. But that’s not the point. I just want to say that a reformulated Lacoste Original has been launched in this context, which - when I sniff it - evokes many memories. The 2015 version initially resembles the one from 1984 quite strongly. However, just a glance at the pyramids reveals differences.

It starts, like a classic chypre, with a thoroughly hesperidic top note. An ethereal mix of lemon and orange, which comes across like a lemony, soft, sweet-sour bergamot. Barely two or three breaths later, the lavender gets to work and gives the citrus fruits a pleasantly rough character.

These accords unfold slowly and allow some time to enjoy the fresh opening in all its facets. But please don’t take too much time, as soon the citrus accords fade away and leave a softly sweet lavender. No fabric softener, no soap. More like a fine sparkling lavender lemonade. Here, the glass stays full for a good morning without tasting stale. Unfortunately, the lemon doesn’t completely say goodbye and keeps popping up again, which wouldn’t be a problem if it didn’t behave like an overly sour lollipop.

In typical chypre fashion, the contrasts between the top and base notes are connected with a floral bouquet. However, this was achieved more smoothly in 1984. The scent remains slightly spicy-fresh and quite suitable for men. The floral plants, which are mentally more associated with summer, such as geranium or clove, only make a brief and inconspicuous appearance. In my opinion, they could have taken up a bit more space. However, this is not too tragic, as after about four to five hours, Lacoste has already run out of steam, so it can only be identified directly on the skin.

But it gets worse. No skillfully dosed, cool musk anymore, no pleasantly fresh and unobtrusive moss that could prevent the noble woods from coming across as too dry. What provided pleasantly cool freshness and the necessary distance in 1984 has now been replaced by a bland standard finish in the best mainstream tradition. Vetiver, patchouli, and cedar. I cannot hide my disappointment.

Conclusion: Lacoste Original from 2015 is a nice scent for the summer half of the year, which plays in the same league as colleagues like Jil Sander's Sun Men or the CK Summer Editions. In 1984, it was still unusual to declare fragrances as unisex; that only came about, as we all know, about 10 years later with CK One. Here, I find the factory-assigned gender categorization unnecessary. Moreover, the 2015 version is no longer a chypre and is unlikely to evoke great delight. At best, the nostalgia factor stands out.

Nevertheless, it is evident that its creators have made an effort to recall the 30-year-old original. However, the spirit of the 80s simply cannot be bottled. That was probably not the intention either. It has been adapted to the spirit of the times or - depending on the perspective - sacrificed.

I must be too young to know the classic Lacoste fragrances of the 80s, so I unfortunately started to take an interest in perfumes at a time when Lacoste was releasing those colorful, rather average scents like L.12.12 Blanc, Noir, Rouge, etc., which don’t seem to interest anyone much, although Blanc is somewhat usable. But then I discovered the original, or rather the reissue from 1984, which was released this year (2015), and even in the bottle design of the 80s. And what I discovered was simply wonderful.

Right after the first spray, you know that this fragrance belongs to the truly great scents, or still does today, and at the same time, you feel a bit sad when you think about where Lacoste has gone. However, with Lacoste Original, one could hope again that Lacoste might develop better fragrances, it would certainly be nice, especially with the cute Croco logo.

What do you smell:
It starts quite classically with a citrusy fresh lemon, the orange is hardly noticeable. I'm not quite sure if I really perceive the menthol; if I do, it is very weak. The lavender comes after a few minutes and blends with the lemon into a great scent, although it could have been a bit stronger.
In the heart note, it becomes slightly sweeter, I assume due to the geranium, and it becomes spicier with the clove. The slightly floral (due to lavender) lemon now harmonizes very well with the clove and gives the whole fragrance a very classic note. According to the fragrance pyramid, vetiver and patchouli come in the base. You do perceive it as a bit earthier, but I'm not entirely sure if this is indeed the vetiver. The patchouli, on the other hand, is not noticeable at all. It also becomes woody, which gives the fragrance a softer and warmer character in the base. So the scent slowly ends with a mix of spicy lemon (with a now subdued lavender) and earthy-woody notes.

The longevity is excellent at over eight hours. You don’t even have to spray excessively. The sillage is also quite noticeable even after several hours due to the sweet and especially spicy notes.

The bottle is rectangular with rounded corners and is made of dark green glass. However, there is a lot of plastic that appears as a white cover and shows a large Lacoste logo… cute Croco :) The spray head is white, made of plastic, and a bit too tall. I think the bottle exudes a great 80s charm and I find it really nice. For smaller hands, it might seem a bit too large.

Oh yes, this Lacoste scent is a really great perfume and a very good proof that this manufacturer can still create wonderful fragrances if they want to, which they unfortunately seem to do rarely. The scent smells very classic, almost like a fougère fragrance. In my opinion, it’s not for younger people, no no, not at all. Furthermore, I think it’s actually an all-rounder, well-suited for any season, as it has a fresh quality due to the citrus notes, but then the slightly heavier, spicier notes make the fragrance wearable for colder days as well. Only in the height of summer would I wear something fresher.

All I can say about this scent is that every man must definitely try it. Testing is absolutely a must!