Photo by Muffy Aldrich
The Modern Guide to The Thing Before Preppy

Friday, January 21, 2022

Are any fragrances/colognes acceptable?


Question for Muffy and readers; 

What’s your go to fragrance/cologne that complements the preppy/trad/refined attire?

 

71 comments:

  1. Lagerfeld for men. Bobby Jones a close 2nd.

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    1. Dear double God! Brings back my college days in Boston when that’s all I could afford. Used cologne as aftershave and smelled like a rotting cod after three hours! Rockport-ish commercials were nice however…

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  3. Royall Rugby! Thank you so much!

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  4. Blenheim Bouquet from Penhaligon is my go-to in every season.

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    1. Well, that brings back certain memories. Good memories, too.

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  6. Bay Rum for men or Vetiver (unisex).

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  7. What a slippery slope. Keep it simple stupid. Aftershave only. Osage Rub, Caswell Massey Lime, Royall Bay Rum , & Eau Sauvage. The goal is not to overwhelm & smell like a fruitcake. Enuff said.

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  8. Lavender or balsam sachets in clothing drawers give a perfect amount of benign scent for everyday. For special, it really depends on the event, your mood, and your chemistry (Hermes and Philosophy are go-tos for me), but for the sake of everyone else in the room, car, train, whatever, *please* use a light touch!

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  9. I got my first bottle of Chanel No. 5 from my father when I turned sixteen. I worn it for years, but somehow my PH has changed and I can’t stand the smell on me now. Now my go to is the ORIGINAL Miss Dior that is yellow color. It’s clean and crisp smelling. Another good one is the German 4711.

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    1. I used to love Diorissimo and Dioressence (A Princess Diana favorite). Miss Dior seems a little too oppressive on me, but people's chemistry can be different.

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  10. I'm not big on scent for myself. I use a lavender preshave oil and lavender shaving cream, but you can't really smell them on me through the day. I use unscented deodorant, too. I suppose I smell pretty neutral.

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  11. Hear hear for Chanel No. 5 (summer) and No. 19 (winter) and lavender and baslam sachets! I make/refresh orange clove pomanders in early winter and set them out in the living room. I love quiet use of scents and love Old Spice!

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  12. Subtle light fragrances like Sung by Alfred Sung or Ma Griffe. Then there's always that citrusy classic Eau de Cologne 4711.

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  13. I know how this is going to sound, but I get mine quasi-custom. A good friend is a perfumist who makes scents for most of the major labels (everything from bath and body works to tom ford) and over the years he's given me a handful of bottles that he thinks would suit me well.

    I'm not great at identifying scents so I really can't tell you what they're meant to smell like, I only know that I like them. Most of them are woodsy. Some of them are a few years old at this point, which I've heard is not good for colognes, but they still smell great to me and they remind me of a dear friend, so I'll continue to wear them happily.

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    1. They are still good and will probably be for a couple of years because they are fully synthetic. Cheap, synthetic ingredients some alcohol, beautiful bottle and voila! Protect them from light and warmth.

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  14. L’air du Temps for daytime, Chanel No. 5 for evening.

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    1. L'a air du Temps has been my signature scent for many many years. Some time ago Crabtree & Evelyn had a Lilac perfume that was heavenly; unfortunately discontinued after a short time.

      If L'air du Temps should stop being made (gasp!), White Linen may be a runner up. These light floral fragrances remind me of breezy summer days, perfect for casual wear or long flowy floral dresses.

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  15. i have tried (they were all gifts from women) Ralph Lauren Polo and Safari, Cartier Roadster, and very long ago, Drakkar Noir. None of them suited me.

    I hike a lot, and bugs are a way of life in the woods. i mix light amounts of picaridin (deet-like chemical that doesn't damage synthetic fabrics or plastics, doesn't have deet's penetratingly weird odor or risk of neurological damage) with the pine-tar odor of Ole Woodsman Fly Dope. Most of my good friends would say the fly dope is effectively my cologne. Not recommended unless you want to keep bugs and people away.

    Spouse of over 25 years never tried to buy me cologne.

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  16. Gosh, I had forgotten about scent! I stopped wearing it years ago when my mother developed asthma and now it seems many people my age have respiratory issues and can't tolerate fragrances. But I remember liking Chanel No. 19, so I may revisit it. Thanks!

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  17. I like Jo Malone Freesia and Pear. Very light.

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  18. 4711 cologne is great as an aftershave for men. It smells good and dissipates before you set out.

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  19. only Penhaligon's Bluebells eau de toilette. Sublime.

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  20. My favourite is Penhaligon‘s Tradegy of Lord George or the smallest amount of Floris 89

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  21. For men, Royall Lyme, Royall Yacht, Royall Bay Rum, Royall Vetiver Noir, and Royall Rugby among others. Acqua di Parma is also nice.

    Kind Regards,

    Heinz-Ulrich

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  22. Aftershave only- the classic Barbershop scents- Clubman, Osage Rub in the summer, Bay Rum, Lime Sec, Anything by Pinaud.

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  23. Aftershave only- the classic Barbershop scents- Clubman, Osage Rub in the summer, Bay Rum, Lime Sec, Anything by Pinaud.

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  24. After shave only- anything by Pinaud. The classic Barbershop style- Clubman, Bay Rum, Osage Rub in summer heat, Lime Sec,

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  25. I use Aqua Velva (Williams, the original manufacturer, was Connecticut-based) after shaving. My wife uses 4711 as a light splash, and I've used it as aftershave in the past, it works well.

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  26. To each their own. Nevertheless it is kind to limit fragrance in certain settings so you don’t inadvertently trigger someone’s allergies.
    I use Pre de Provence No. 63 shave soap and after shave which is pleasant but by no means overbearing .During the cooler months I may wear Royall Vetiver Noir or St Johns Bay Rum on weekends and special occasions. Then I switch to Royall Lime once the weather warms up.
    JM, VA

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  27. Many interesting comments. Unfortunately, with the new EU regulations that banned certain ingredients in fragrances and aftershaves and, not to be outdone, the even larger list of ingredients the International Fragrance Association has also recently banned, the fragrances we think we are wearing likely are not the ones we began wearing even a few years ago.

    Much of the blame for current fragrances' blandness results from the ban of oak moss. Penhaligon didn't even try to reformulate English Fern to comply with the ban. They just discontinued it, and they tell me it will not be brought back. Too bad. After Dunhill killed off its original Dunhill For Men years ago (it's current DFM, which I just opened today, is NOT the same) I switched to English Fern. I have about a half inch of it left in my last bottle, which I am saving. I'm giving up. Aqua Velva, here I come, three bucks a bottle.

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    1. 4711 can be bought in an 800 ml bottle for under or around $40. Using it daily as an aftershave plus my wife using it from time to time, a bottle lasts a year.

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    2. The problem with current fragrances, particularly men's fragrances, isn't their blandness, it's their obnoxious strength and harshness, all in the service of appearing "masculine." I'm personally attached to Blenheim Bouquet, which is not necessarily an "accessible" fragrance, or a "friendly" one, but which is distinctive and clean, and people seem to like it. And while Eau Sauvage has been reformulated many, many times since my long-ago teenage years when I started wearing it, even the most recent formulation is still clean and classic. No one should ever be forced to wear Aqua Velva, the appeal of which seems largely sentimental, owing no doubt to the fact that so many of our dads and grandfathers wore it. It takes five minutes for it to turn rancid on the skin in 2022.

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    3. (Original Aqua Velva poster here) I believe Aqua Velva performs well as an aftershave, and it represents a good value. I am a subway ride away from Pasteur Pharmacy in NY; for those who do not know, this place is a mecca for shaving goodies from around the world (less focus on perfume, mostly aftershave and some traditional colognes). I've experimented with various products but the blue juice from CVS beats many of them. The Williams Expert version of AV from Spain is subtler and smells more of lavender, and I highly recommend that as well.

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  28. So glad to see the unpretentious recommendations of Old Spice and Aqua Velva.

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    1. Indeed. Unpretentiousness, humility, call it what you will. It is a traditional New England value. In keeping with that value, I use bay rum exclusively.

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    2. Old Spice, English Leather, Bay Rum, Pinaud Clubman. Only aftershaves, no colognes. Chanel No. 5 for the wife.

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  29. This is so subjective that I can't answer a question about what is "acceptable". I can only say that I have always loved scent and considered training to become a "nose" in Grasse for a fragrance house. I like soliflores, mostly white flowers like muguet de bois, as well as rose - or a combi of both - as well as the bluebell scent (Penhaligon's does this very well). I have around 30 bottles of perfume (I know, excessive). What I cannot abide are what's called "oriental" scents as well as vanilla and sugary that smell like loukoum. I can't breathe in a room when those scents are present. I also think they've overdone the oud in everything these days.

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  30. I avoid the big international brands (Chanel, Dior, YSL, PRL etc) which are a rip-off. My favourite fragrances are the St James's classics - Geo. Trumper's Curzon, Dr Harris's Arlington and Truefitt & Hill's Grafton. There are a wide range of shaving and grooming products in the Arlington and Grafton ranges. The Royal warrants confirm their quality.

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  31. I still use Hermes fragrance when going out but started to experiment with my own fragrances, based on pure organic essential oils, floral waters and some other only natural ingredients and I think after finishing the H, I will use only this. My husband used Clarins after shave and when he started to use the home-made, he loved it and never got back to Clarins. And I am sure his skin is very grateful.

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  32. Blenheim Bouquet from Penhaligon and Opoponax from Santa Maria Novella.

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  33. I'm not inclined to use scents frequently, but Alvarez Gomez Eau de Toilette and Agua de Colonia are pleasant and don't seem to bother my allergies.

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  34. Anything from L'Occitaine.

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  35. It depends on the time of year: In the spring/summer, Caswell-Massey Newport; in the fall/winter, Royal Bay Rhum.

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  36. Does anyone care for Blue Grass? My life long choice.

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  37. A very small spritz of Eternity (for women)

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  38. The tiniest spritz of Ralph Lauren Romance in the summer.

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  39. Innisfree by Fragrances of Ireland is my favorite.

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  40. Tom Ford has great and interesting scents.

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  41. As an avid gardener I rarely wear fragrance. When I do it’s a very light spritz of Chanel No 5.

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  42. I steer clear of the 'fashion designer' fragrances. I like traditional colognes and spicy/powdery barber's shop scents. Alvarez Gomez Barberia. Acqua di Parma Colonia. LT Piver Epices. Boucheron Jaipur.

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  43. My ph levels turn many scents to an aggressive assault on the nose...very different from the sample scent on paper, in the bottle or even on friends. Oddly, even Chanel 5 becomes the opposite of classic elegance on me.

    Dreaming now; as an avid gardener my two favorite scents are the freshness of ferns and, in high summer, the light heavenly clean scent of tall phlox. I'd pay for either of those bottled. Another favorite scent is petrichor. I'm afraid the only way to bottle that would be pure chemicals without attar or essence. This paragraph was day dreaming about scents I'd love in a bottle. If anyone knows of anything like my dreams I'd like to know about it.

    That said, I've just rediscovered Vetiver...the dry grassy scent brings a sense of well being. I have a small vial of attar? of Vetiver that I wear around home as the scent changes too much for me to wear it on a full day out.

    What do I wear out and about? I change scents to moods...I love Aqua de Gio by Armani. I love Bright Crystal by Versace. Mark Jacobs Bee Happy makes me happy and I'm totally old school with Be Delicious by DKNY...it does put me in mind of apples..a scent that pleases me; apples..I'm smiling thinking about them. Unfortunately many classics such as Chanel 5 is terrible on me. I am intrigued by scents others have mentioned that I've never heard of and look forward to seeking them out. Thank you!

    I realize I should have one signature scent but my moods are many and my ADHD is a hard task master. Scents are a delight...a mini vacation from stress. There are so many evocative and pleasing ones.

    Good question. Thank you!

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    1. I've never tried any of the following, but they may be of interest to you.
      Bronnley English Fern Cologne
      Geo F Trumper Wild Fern Cologne
      Demeter Petrichor Cologne

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  44. My advice to my grandsons: Go to a store with a good quality of men's fragrances, locate a beautiful young woman and ask her what cologne she would chose for her husband. Buy that. Ladies, if your chemistry allows, Chanel 5 will make you smell like the Taj Mahal looks in the moonlight.

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  45. I think one should just smell clean, no fragrance.

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  46. Grey flannel, real, not cheap knock off....

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  47. I can only add my personal preferences.

    First, no cologne, aftershave only.

    Second, it must sting nicely at the time of application, smell nice for a moment, but retreat quickly. Faint scent only by the time you are stepping out for the day, completely gone by a 10am meeting.

    I have no true go-to, but in summer I am fond of bay rums of the non-sweet variety, 4711, Florida Water, and Royall Lyme. Clubman works year-round. Winter is better suited for a balm, as is (to me) when the air dries in fall and my skin gets a bit irritated.

    I save the controversy for last: I like Lilac Vegetal.

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