Sergio Soldano for Men (Black) (Eau de Toilette) Sergio Soldano 1985

Well, this is a magnificent one (and thanks Chris Scentland for the recommendation on your YT!). This is a bracing symphony of pine, grapefruit, aldehydes and oakmoss that just sings on my skin. God, I love a good aromatic, and this does not disappoint one bit. Being over 40 is so liberating as I have shed all self-conscience to wear anything that I love regardless of whether it may be perceived as 'dated.'

And it's pretty clear that I have a penchant for garish looking bottles. I love it.

Uncommented Fragrances No. 7

This will be a farewell, a requiem, a memorial service. The fragrance is nearly unavailable, recently I saw a single available, auctionable offer in a relevant internet forum. That’s it (perhaps). In my collection, I still have a well-filled bottle, until a few weeks ago the fragrance was still usable. But today, upon a new test, the black widow had given up its spirit and followed the other fragrances of its brand into the abyss of the fragrance universe. The Soldano website is no longer responsive, Google is stumped. Apparently, these were the last gasps of a brand that was successful in the 80s. Does anyone know anything about it? I myself have been able to find little substantial information.

Fortunately, I still own a miniature of the fragrance, so I seize this perhaps last opportunity to see if someone can say something about this scent; after all, besides me, only Hordak possesses a bottle. He may then perhaps add or correct me.

The bottle itself was already striking at the time. The glass flacon was nestled in a plastic shell, not unlike the principle of Trussardi fragrances. Here too, it was a shell in black, although the men’s fragrance was also available in a slightly warmer, softer version with a white wrapping. However, the shape was of exquisite hideousness. To be honest, I became aware of the fragrance in the 80s because I couldn’t believe how one could so disfigure a fragrance externally, which can only be guessed at in this picture. I swear: in reality, it is much worse. But as it sometimes goes, one gets stuck on such monuments of ugliness; they get lodged in the back of your mind with their quirky design until you feel compelled to try the fragrance at least once.

At the time of my greatest curiosity, at the end of the 80s or the beginning of the 90s, the fragrance was already hardly available. The internet was still a military hobby, and in the perfumeries I knew in my hometown, the fragrance wasn’t even known.

Barely connected to the net (which was the case for me in 1999), I was able to snag a used bottle of Sergio Soldano for Men (Black) on one of my first treasure hunts. By that time, my interest had already waned; essentially, I was more concerned with completing my collection of unusual fragrances. When the bottle finally arrived, I was neither disappointed nor thrilled, an impression that persisted until the bitter end of the fragrance a few days ago when I held my nose to the bottle or smelled the fragrance on my skin. On one hand, the complexity of the composition (see the fragrance pyramid) was quite recognizable. On the other hand, the fragrance also had a refreshing clarity, almost simplicity, which was rarely found in fragrances from the 80s.

The fresh opening, which also contains the grapefruit I have always appreciated, remained curiously dominant until the end. One never gets the impression that the fragrance "settles," comes to an end, and becomes much softer and heavier. Despite supposedly included ingredients like patchouli, tonka bean, amber, moss, and musk, the fragrance remains rather light, in an irritating contrast to its name: for Men Black. Much softer was the variant for Men White, which, however, shall not be the subject of this commentary.

Clearly and distinctly recognizable are the green-fresh floral notes like geranium and lavender; one also thinks one can perceive clove and jasmine. A men’s fragrance, therefore, that already relied on floral notes in the 80s. A bold, an unusual decision.

A reminiscence of the 70s may be the combination of pine and lemon, which was likely responsible for the fragrance remaining so fresh and bright until the end.

In conclusion, a note: How easy it is to discuss a fragrance that not only has not been commented on until now but that hardly anyone besides Hordak and me can discuss. You must therefore obviously believe everything I wrote about this fragrance here. Rest assured: That was how it was, or something similar, the black widow. Or was it completely different?

Addendum: Thanks to Hordak: The fragrance is particularly being produced again for Italy and can be obtained in Germany via rakuten.de. It seems unchanged.

At night, all cats are gray and all capes are black. In the light, the garment is green, rather dark green, to be precise: forest green. Nero is a forest scent, indeed from beginning to end. It is a loose mixed forest with many conifers, especially pines and cypresses.

At the beginning, there is a shimmering in orange, yellow, and green: citrus fruits, but very restrained, not at all zesty, sour, or fruity. A few citrus leaves flutter around. A hint of flowers passes by in the distance: lavender and violet provide the atmosphere as often found in men’s fragrances.

Although the scent is very dense and homogeneous at all times, I can distinctly smell lily of the valley here for the first time in a men’s perfume. In older formulations with lavish ingredients, it is regularly used, so it always sings in the chorus. I don’t appreciate this note in a solo performance at all. Here, the lily of the valley shines brightly in and out of the dark forest, making this phase the special aspect of the fragrance.

It goes deeper into the forest. On some trees, resin drips down, glittering and fragrant in the sparse sunlight, while on others, moss and lichen shimmer. An earthy mist rises from the ground, peaty, mushroomy, herby. Just as distinctly as the white little flower, I smell thyme here for a while.

From the third hour onward, Nero is a gentle spicy-earthy forest scent that envelops me throughout the evening - snug and elegant like a velvet cloak. Not a dull black, but noble with fine embroidery and appliqués. Not an outdated shelf warmer, just overlooked - no wonder with this absurd bottle featuring a leather-embossed plastic armor.

Had it disappeared from the market? Now it is here. Have I encountered a reformulation? Perhaps, it is a bit synthetic, but I like it!

Once again a reminder of the 80s, my youth with big hair and the upper Italian lakes under the motto: there was something or someone...
Sergio Soldano Black, formerly just Sergio Soldano. Black bottle for Uomini and white for Donne. The brand has even disappeared from the market in Italy, except for the fragrance segment. Former competitors like Enrico Coveri, Renato Balestra, or Roberto Capucci still lead a modest life in the form of keychains, wallets, socks, or underwear, but Sergio Soldano disappeared without a trace.
The bottle, a fake of Trussardi Uomo 83, is potthässlich, but fits the time (open shirt and gold chain, convertible, Ray Ban....)
Arrogance Uomo 87 also copies the Trussardi bottle, but nearly perfectly. Of course, anyone who knows Roccobarocco Fashion Man, a bottle in the shape of a Zippo, black rubberized, where the rubber develops a disgusting rancid surface reminiscent of sticky tape for catching flies after a few months, will at least appreciate this bottle tactilely.
The spray button is flawless.
The scent is a brother in spirit to Arrogance pour Homme 82. The Italians can do that. Copying themselves and thus obscuring the traces. It starts fresh woody with nicely dominating musk, then becomes floral green, and finally, patchouli comes through deliciously. Strangely, there is a complete absence of synthetics, although based on the look and feel, I would have strongly suspected it. An all-rounder that is wearable all year round, beyond 30 I would charmingly say.

What this quirky vintage Italian has made clear to me: how everything is interconnected in perfume! That the perception of a fragrance is not solely about the scent itself, but equally about the bottle, design, appearance, and its tactile feel, as well as the historical context and the fashions it has to tell. This is convenient for me - as I currently can't make much sense of brand-new (niche) perfumes. Certainly, they all smell very modern and sophisticated - yet they often have surprisingly little to say. In stark contrast is Soldano's Men Black: it has real associative zones that pack a punch.

An unknown Italian then. The entire brand is virtually unknown in Germany, except for a few scattered perfume nerds and Italian expatriates. However, you can still buy it online here. Thank goodness!

Just its quirky exterior alone: it is pure historical context! I have never seen such a peculiar yet polarizing bottle: large and bulky. Made of black plastic that doesn't seem high-quality, it gives a nod to the GDR with a triple "Plaste und Elaste." You tap it and receive a hollow-sounding feedback. Delightfully disturbing. That this plastic is merely a shell that can be removed with some fiddling, I only realized later. An English-speaking YouTuber aptly compared the exterior of Soldano to the dashboard of a Fiat Ritmo from the 80s - and his eyes sparkled because it transported him just a little bit back to the vibe of that strange decade. I can relate. If I were in charge of all the marketing departments of perfume manufacturers, my first act would be to reverse all the facelifts of the vintage scents in my portfolio and dig out the original appearance from the drawer. After all, a fragrance is a scent from that time - but so is its bottle!
Fortunately, Soldano has understood this and left everything unchanged, no matter how quirky it may seem today.

The scent itself has nothing modern about it, but also nothing outdated: I would say, here classic Italy meets timelessness. I do not agree with "Black" as an attribute, because it smells anything but "Black," neither dark nor very spicy. Rather bright, positively inclined, reminiscent of spring and new beginnings, of blooming and what is yet to come in the expected summer months. You know that feeling, right? I find it wonderfully simple and to the point at first. Forget-me-not, lavender, and lily of the valley linger surprisingly long in the drydown. It becomes more elegant and serious after an hour: it presents itself spicier and stricter, with a hint of patchouli, and the connecting element of these states is the unique sage note, which I also consider a trademark of this fragrance. I like it because it is so honest. Down-to-earth in the style of the 80s.

Is Soldano's Black a masterpiece? Not by conservative standards. But as a truly trashy experience with a huge dose of vintage feeling, definitely. Because all standards bite their teeth on this perfume as a whole. And that's a good thing! Very much so.

The music for the scent - Righeira "Vamos a la playa" [1983]
The car for the scent - Fiat Ritmo [1978 - 1988]