Pour Lui Oscar de la Renta 1980 Eau de Toilette

Prior to my blind buy, all I knew about Oscar de la Renta pour Lui (ODLRPL) I learned from reviews. First, this was an 80's powerhouse scent. Then, it must be somewhat gothic, for another reviewer claimed it was something that a vampiric lord would wear. I was certain, however, that it wasn't pronounced like it read -- "Poor Louie." I thought of an unfortunate Hungarian worker, fingers mangled by a meat grinder.

I applied two sprays to my skin. The first word that came to my lips was "seductive" -- and I almost never use that word in connection with fragrances. The initial scent is a sweet wine mingled with spices. Then the carnation shows up to complete the picture. The prominent note for me was carnation, but a carnation dirtied in time by spices, by soap, by wine, by sweat. It is only the second floral note I've experienced that doesn't come across as pretty and feminine; this is the scent of ancient power, and the class of violence.

As a powerhouse scent, two sprays is too much, and as you might expect from the notes, it's a real scent-shifter. At any time, I can pick out at least five different notes ranging from the animalic, to the sweaty, the soapy, the fresh, and always, the carnation. I can see how this is beguiling and hypnotizing to women if worn by a man.

ODLRPL became an animalic floral by hour six, and there it remained as a skin scent for over twenty-four hours. Initially it filled my car, but no-one at work complained, so silage doesn't cross into the red zone.

This fragrance strikes me as a formal scent, probably best with business clothes up to tuxedos with tails. You can go business casual with it -- I did -- but formal clothes would prove a more fitting visual accompaniment to this serious, powerful, classy, manly fragrance.

Highly recommended.

After reading so many wonderful reviews about this perfume, even though some of them are in a negative tone, I see an enormous wealth of details and sensations that this fragrance awakens in people and, consequently, the detailed descriptions of the reviews are extended.

Sometimes even a negative description can instigate a desire to taste and have a certain scent. And that's what occurred to me!

I decided to incorporate a character with a "dark", melancholic, gothic and mysterious facet to dive into this perfume and draw my conclusions.

After reading several reviews that related this perfume to something dark, I decided that this olfactory experience could only lead me to paths I had never walked before.

When spraying this perfume, the aldehydes together with basil and galbanum give it a green, bitter, pungent air, which I notice a slightly "chemical" tone, which perhaps makes many people abhor this long perfume when they feel this exit. But I also feel a light sweet and spicy touch that breaks a little of the harshness of the starting notes. The lavender here is wild, aromatic, but with a vibe of industrialized lavender in the form of some disinfectant product, not that the perfume itself feels like a cleaning product, but this opening is like opening a heavy, dark door, that squeaks as you pull it. This is Oscar pour Lui's welcome.

After a couple of minutes this unfriendly opening reveals another denser phase, and this is where the magic of this perfume happens. Walk around a forest in mid-autumn, leaves fallen to the ground, a cold night, thick fog and a mysterious aroma of woods and leaves being swept by a mysterious breeze.

After a few minutes, the middle notes take over the aroma, pulling a little of the base notes with them, at this stage I feel a musky, dense and somewhat "dusty" floral touch, as if they picked up some flowers still without blooming and slowly their petals lost the liveliness and smell of the fullness of your existence. This gloomy floral carries with it a woody feel that resembles rustic furniture made with some hardwood. Cinnamon is notable, giving it a spicy, dry and slightly sweet air, very slightly. And along with this profusion of notes, the leather and moss notes stand out, giving all the strength and personality of this perfume. The leather in this perfume escapes the feeling of polished and polished leather so common in contemporary fragrances, this is a leather that reminds me of an old shoe shop, where the leather still had an animalic and acrid smell, as well as the moss that mixes with the leather leaving it with a dense, greenish and woody aroma, something almost "botanical".

Wonderful descriptions have already been drawn about the dark character of this fragrance, but to contribute from another perspective to this imagery, I cite some other fictional or real characters who would delight in using such essence, such as the villain Hannibal Lecter, Colonel Hans Landa of movie Inglourious Bastards, the psychoanalyst physician Sigmund Freud or Michael Corleone of the Godfather.

I also see a scene where men are in a club, playing and drinking, dressed in pinstripe suits, smoking cigars, sitting on leather armchairs listening to Blues or Jazz.

Having and using the Oscar Pour Lui is an act of resistance, a breath that embodies the antithesis of everything that is launched and desired today.

*This is a review of the vintage Oscar pour Lui.

Oscar pour Lui (vintage) opens with a combination of bergamot citrus and subdued aldehydes, mixing with patchouli and cinnamon from its heart. At this point the fragrance leans on the sweet side of the spectrum with an almost honey-like underlying accord permeating its early development. As the fragrance enters its early heart the aldehydes and citrus die while the cinnamon and patchouli join carnation and cyclamen florals supported by oakmoss and soft leather from the base as the fragrance gradually turns less sweet. During the late dry-down the oakmoss remains though is just detectable, while slightly sweet sandalwood and clean musk send off the scent. Projection is very good and longevity is below average to average at about 5-6 hours on skin.

Oscar pour Lui (vintage) is a great example of all the best things fragrance-wise of the 80s. It projects quite well though never coming off as harsh or repellant, sharing more than glancing similarities at times (especially early) with the exceptional vintage Van Cleef & Arpels pour Homme. I can see Oscar pour Lui (vintage) working all-year round in just about any situation imaginable with its smooth and at times sweet cinnamon spiced leather and patchouli driven overall heart accord over a mossy woody backbone. It smells great and offers superb value even at its current after-market prices for vintage bottles, earning an "excellent" and highly recommended rating of 4 stars out of 5.

Review based upon my current production bottle. Beautiful old school men's fragrance that holds its own. If you're a fan of Azzaro Pour Homme, Antaeus, Quorum, etc., you can't go wrong with Oscar's Pour Lui. It's unique and not redundant if you own the others. Pour Lui comes across as milder or more subdued (more refined?) than Azzaro or Quorum. This aspect makes it very versatile and good for all seasons. It's also slightly more floral, with more emphasis on carnation, without being feminine. Performance is good all around for an EDT. Full bottle worthy at an excellent price point.

Like so many masculine leather fragrances of the 70s and 80s you can count on applying a scent and then go about your day with a pleasant whiff here and there. Also you can bet it'll give u at least 8hrs of longevity. Pour Lui from Oscar De La Renta is no different. Launched in 1980, an aromatic leather fragrance that is very masculine and it delivers in a lot of areas. From the longevity to the scent itself to the sillage and also for the price, this product can't be beat. There's nothing earth shattering about this but just know it's a safe and dependable option for any man's grooming arsenal. I have a vintage version (of course) from 1984 and this morning i applied it around 4am. At close to noon i can still smell it and it's beautiful but not overpowering. 5 sprays should do the trick. You should get many compliments from different people throughout the day too which is always nice. I'm not sure if this is discontinued but look for a vintage bottle anyway. There is just something about fragrances made in the 70s and 80s that just pull me in every single time as 80% of my collection is from that era. Pick up this fragrance, you won't break the bank.