Fragrant Savoir Faire

Not long ago I blogged on my top twelve men’s fragrances. Now fragrance/perfume is such a fickle thing, with something being in vogue one year and then out the next. Sadly some of the perfume masterpieces of the last 50 years or so, which continued to top the best selling lists, are just shadows of their former selves or no longer available. These were masterpieces and classics. It is a fine line branding something a classic as the boundaries are always changing. These days, is something judged a classic because it sells or do we look further than that into the product itself dissecting it and then judging whether it is a classic or not.

Savoir Faire promotes finding one’s individual style and going with it. Setting yourself apart from the crowd with your own individual signature, and so should fragrance be a signature. One of my girlfriends used to raid my colognes and after shaves and a bottle of Monsieur Lanvin would disappear in the blink of an eye. She was incredibly feminine and once she sprayed herself with the said Lanvin, she would have men falling at her feet.

So not only is the following list for the ladies, it is also for you gentleman. I wear or have worn all of the following at some stage or another, and love them. Don’t be put off by the fact these are ‘women’s’ perfumes as ‘men’s’ colognes are perfumes with just different notes than women’s.

Here are some of my top perfumes which I think translate and work quite well on a man, taking on entirely different characteristics than if they were worn by a lady. As usual with the classics of yesteryear not all readily available, but out there!

Vivre by Molyneux

Shocking by Schiaparelli

Chanel No 19 by Chanel


Miss Dior by Christian Dior

Ma Griffe by Carven

L'Air du Temps by Nina Ricci

Je Reviens by Worth

Givenchy III by Givenchy

Diorella by Christian Dior

Cabochard by Gres