Fefé (Dandy Napoletano) Panama 1924 2015

.. .. how Boellis came up with such a story for this scent is beyond me. I expected a floral, powdery-sweet Italian classic and what I got was a wonderful creamy-spicy wood scent.

The opening with muted hesperidic notes is immediately interrupted by a tarragon note that, together with saffron, condenses into a brilliant herbal spice blend. To lighten things up, white flowers are added before the long-lasting wood overload begins with creamy sandalwood, cedar, and several other woods (oud?). As a finishing touch, ambered patchouli and musk are added, calming the initially restless scent.

This has little to do with a classically elegant dandy. The fragrance note pyramid already points in the right direction: wood scent. And certainly not just for dandies but for everyone and all occasions!

The ingredients set alongside the woods push this initially strong scent, unexpectedly for me, in a more delicate direction. The Italians simply have a knack for this, as evidenced by the fragrances from Mazzolari, Farmacia Anunziata S.S., and especially Bois 1920.

While testing, I immediately thought of
"Aoud Musk" (sweeter + fuller with 'oud') and also "Duro (Extrait de Parfum)" (this one a bit darker, resinous, louder, and more linear).
I later checked this against "Anthracite Noir" and "Library Collection - Opus VII" (all further from Fefé than expected) and found that with Fefé we have a distinctly brighter and clearer variant than usual in this genre.
And that is exactly what makes this scent interesting and also - when dosed discreetly - wearable in the office or during leisure time in warmer temperatures.

Genre: Elegant wood scent without oriental heaviness with Finezza

For whom: Not just for dandies

Longevity - Sillage: Easily 8 hours (Eau de Toilette!) - strong in the first hour, then more subtle

Conclusion: Nothing really new, but an interesting and smooth variant of the wood scent theme composed with Italian finesse