Varon Dandi

Varon Dandy

Parera 1924 Eau de Cologne

Is it permissible in times like these, when in Spain, the homeland of this old fragrance, people are dying like flies, to take pleasure in pleasant scents? I think it is no different than the questions of whether one can joke with friends or listen to a wonderful music recording in these times: The joy of beauty should not be an escape. Not from action: If duty now requires us to care for our elderly parents or to fulfill our roles as doctors or police officers, there is no time for games. And no escape of the heart: Closing doors and eyes, silencing compassion (perhaps prayer) for others in order to enjoy undisturbed is not true joy. This being clarified: One may and even should. The joy in the pause of battle (and there is always a battle) is very good. It can preserve the heart from freezing.

Varon Dandy is a fragrance full of mysteries, and during my research for this comment, I couldn't really solve any of them. The name's mystery is perhaps the easiest to unravel: Varon is Spanish for "guy, man, boy," and apparently "Varón Dandy" means something like "the dandy type." A dictionary search reveals that "Dandi" in Spanish translates to "salon lion" in German. So we can assume that the English "Dandy" was hispanized at some point earlier and that the very first edition of this fragrance might have still been spelled with an "i," although the very old bottles depicted here all already feature the "y." I find the name beautiful; I give it eight points.

It becomes more difficult with the manufacturer Parera. Strangely, the company has no website, which suggests that it may no longer exist. Indeed, I was able to find a note in the Catalan (!) Wikipedia edition (Viquipèdia), which I could somewhat understand thanks to my knowledge of Latin (Latin helps even in the jungle!), stating that Parera was founded in 1911/1912 by Joan Parera i Casanovas (probably Spanish Juan Parera y Casanovas) in or near Barcelona as a family perfume business and was transformed into a corporation in 1940, which was swallowed by the international consumer goods giant Reckitt-Benckiser in 1990. After that, however, its trail goes cold for me. The Reckitt-Benckiser website lists no "Parera" under "OUR BRANDS," and I cannot find any further information. This raises the question of who actually produces this fragrance here. Some fortune seekers at the end, who have secured the bare trademark rights (or manage without them) and simply sell some juice that has nothing to do with the original Dandy from 1924 under this name? No idea. What I do know is that traces of a square 100-ml bottle "Varon Dandy Eau de Cologne" and a round cylindrical liter bottle "Varon Dandy Colonia" can be found on the internet, which are available or were available for about 8 euros each on various quite reputable portals. Why 1 liter of "Colonia" costs the same as 1/10 liter of "Cologne" and whether it is the same product remains unclear. The fragrance discussed here is the "Cologne," which the noble Consálico has honored me with.

Another mystery is the fragrance notes. Here at Parfumo, it simply states "spices, woods," and even where this is derived from remains puzzling. However, I consider the fragrance to be so dense, original, and old-school that I can hardly imagine it being a modern fantasy product that merely adorns itself with the old name; I truly suspect a line of tradition here, even if it is certainly not the original recipe from 1924. I am enthusiastic about the fragrance. It is truly great! And it has something! A thoroughly brown fragrance, fresh yes, absolutely, but not a transparent citrus freshness, rather a warm, full, somewhat heavy, spicy, and indeed sweetish barbershop freshness. Sometimes astringent to the edge of being (penetrating the nose). I can absolutely confirm the proximity of Barcelona to Madrid (Floid) and to Vienna (Knize-Ten), which Konsalik pointed out; especially in the base, where I suspect clove and musk and would also strongly tip on tonka, Cologne (Tabac Original) lies almost even closer for me. This reinforces my impression that there is something like a "Habsburg" warm-scented gentleman's sound. Such "brown" fragrances represent for me Spain, Germany, and Austria. They do not fit with Italy, England, and (despite exceptions: Bel Ami) France.

I sprayed "Varon Dandy" quite generously (mono-layering!) based on the consideration "it's just a Cologne" (not splashed) and was rewarded with a rich sillage and a longevity of about 8 hours. The stuff is truly worth its money. However, given the already quite intensely spiced aroma, I would have wished for a slow dimming of the projection after about three hours. Instead, this salon lion continued to celebrate undeterred until it almost got on my nerves. When I briefly turned around to get something to drink, it suddenly disappeared. Just like this comment now.