It feels like it was yesterday, and decades ago, at the same time.
So… what’s changed in the last six months? Hmm, let me count the ways…
I’ve got a lot more grey hair.
I’ve a completely new found respect for my own parents. How did they do this without the apps, devices, support and friends that we have?
We no longer have a need for an alarm clock.
Previously we just left the house. Now it’s a military operation.
We go the the toilet for just a few minutes of alone time.
We’ve spent the last six months scared, afraid that we would screw something up. Worried that you weren’t eating enough. Worried you were eating too much. Obsessing over every rash or patch of dry skin. We’ve sat in bed Googling everything from coughs, to cradle cap, to what colour your poo should be.
I’m afraid that will never stop.
We’ve tracked every nappy, every bottle, every nap.
We will never be the same people. Everything in our life has realigned around you.
Falling asleep in my arms.
Watching you grow.
Your laugh, your smile, your first tooth.
Seeing your personality.
The last six months have been amazing.
But more than that … I’ve spent six months in awe of your Mum.
How she knows stuff (she just knows!)…
How she cares for you…
The bond you have…
The way you look at her… The way she looks at you…
How she makes you feel comfortable…
How she makes you feel safe…
How much she loves you…
How much you love her.
I’ve loved your Mum since the moment I met her. I’ve loved her more, every single day, since you’ve been here.
My heart aches when I see you together.
I never knew my heart was capable of loving her.. and you… so much. I can only conclude that it’s grown, it’s physically bigger, because of you. This perfect little human being.
Our perfect little human being.
My girl.
My Daughter.
Have you change my life?
It’s more than than that… You’ve changed my heart.
The late afternoon sun, still strong, permeates through the wooden slats creating a pleasing dappled effect. Bond smiled at the pattern. He grown accustomed to the view having stayed in this room every year for the last decade. Now, in 1955, this hotel was still one of the best in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
Rising from the starched white sheets he rubs a hand across his chin and lip. As his fingers rest on the faint scar, a souvenir from his first mission, he mutters to himself; “Time to shave”.
In the bathroom he turns on the shower and lets the steam fill the room. Wiping the fog from the mirror he takes his Merkur safety razor – so much easier for travelling – and pulls the skin on his left cheek taut.
Clean shaven, fresh and with his hair brushed Bond stands in front of his wardrobe. The invite said ‘Casual’.
Since when was cocktails at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild a casual affair?
He selects lightweight navy trousers and teams them with a suede belt in the same colour. He pulls on a crisp white, sea island cotton, shirt and checks himself in the mirror.
There is a polite knock on the door and Bond opens it to find the hotel concierge.
“Mr. Bond. Your car is here… If you’re ready?”
Bond picks up his wallet but, this time, decides against taking his gun. He checks himself once more in the mirror and makes a decision. He unbuttons the cuffs of his shirt and rolls the sleeves up a third.
“I’m ready”.
Bond makes to leave, the concierge leading the way.
“No. Wait”.
Bond returns to his dressing table. Taking the lid from a bottle of Chanel Pour Monsieur he sprays three times; left right and chest. He smiles as the lemon fragrance hits his nose.
“Now I’m ready”.
Henri Robert created Pour Monsieur for Chanel in 1955. Although Chanel had been making fragrances since 1921 this was their first for men. And what a classic it is.
Pour Monsieur is an aromatic citrus chypre. It opens with neroli & petitgrain but it’s the lemon that zings. I, personally, find the lemon and little harsh at first but it’s so short lived it matters not. Soon the cardamom comes through giving it a little spice before drying to a warm ceder, oakmoss and vetiver base.
Underneath it all though there something else. A sort of masculine warmth. It’s never skanky or sleazy but there is an unmistakable masculine virility to the scent. The lemon never quite leaves either, hanging around in the background. Nothing else develops on the skin like Chanel and this is a masterpiece of development. In 1966 there was nothing else like it. In fact Pour Monsieur was so successful Chanel didn’t release another male fragrance until ‘Antaeus’ in 1981.
In some ways Pour Monsieur shares a market with Dior’s Eau Sauvage (1966). Although I find the Dior remains more citrus based throughout its drydown.
I love this fragrance as you can probably tell from the level of the juice.
Given the year of its creation it was never intended to be loud or long-lasting so it’s no surprise that this is the case. Projection and sillage are non existent after about thirty minutes on my skin.
I get about four to five hours for it, most of which are as a skin scent. Whilst I’d love people to notice it more that is missing the point. This is a fragrance you want close to your skin.
As my fictional James Bond opening suggests this is an elegant scent that can be dressed up or down. Fresh out the shower or in warmer weather it is nothing short of magical. It works with a white shirt and pants and it will work with a Tuxedo too. It is however more of a spring and summer scent as it may get lost in very cold weather.
My only gripe is the bottle cap. This level of sophistication and elegance really shouldn’t have a flimsy plastic cap.
Given that it’s nearing 65 years old you’d be forgiven to thinking it’s old fashioned. Perhaps to the Aventus crowd it is – after all there is little sweetness here. However Pour Monsieur is the male Chanel No. 5 and you could say the same about that.
Chanel Pour Monsieur is very understated. It’s an elegant, quiet, sophisticated and refined scent.
Ever since its release in 1996 the original Acqua di Giò has been a sales monster. Fresh, aquatic, clean and elegant it changed everything. The big bold chest beating fragrances, so popular at the point, seemed dated almost overnight.
It was a huge, huge success and it was everywhere!
Is there anyone who doesn’t know what Acqua di Giò smells like? In fact is there anyone of my age who hasn’t worn it?
I wore the hell out of the original fragrance for a long time. I adored the salty ozone vibe. I guess that’s why it doesn’t feature in my rotation now; I wore it too much. In addition it suffers a similar fate that has befallen JPG’s Le Male; so many people know the smell and it is so rooted with a certain period it seems a lazy or dated choice now.
I cannot fault the original but nearing fifty years old, it seems a little ‘young’ for me. I still enjoy fresh, aquatic fragrances but this is so well known and young feeling that I tend look elsewhere. I love Acqua di Giò but I find I want something with a bit more to it…
Enter Profumo.
Acqua di Giò Profumo takes the original and makes it deeper, richer, and fuller. One the face of it the addition of incense and patchouli shouldn’t work… but it is a masterstroke. The new notes mean that whilst is still fresh and has that sea air vibe it is also darker, warmer and less sweet. If you like the original you’re going to love this. The opening almost feels the same… but the drydown is magnificent.
Acqua di Giò brought to mind a surfer, spending his day at the beach a bottle of coke in hand. Profumo is the same man, older yet still tanned & fit, sitting on the rocks with his son watching the waves crash.
Honestly I have nothing bad to say about this. It’s a real ‘dumb reach’ in the sense that it will always work, and will always smell good. The bottle looks fantastic, the silver and black livery giving a more mature vibe.
Longevity is decent, project and sillage are better than average, albeit not amazing. It’s good for all seasons; the original suffered in the colder months but the added darkness in Profumo means it will work all year round.
It makes a great office scent as you be hard pressed to find anyone who didn’t enjoy this. It’s modern and fresh and crowd pleasing without feeling like you are being hosed down with Ambroxam – I’m looking at you Sauvage!).
It goes without saying that this is a thumbs up from me.
Timex has been bringing consistent innovation to the watch market for the last 165 years. As a result, it has a huge archive to draw from for inspiration… and in recent times that is exactly what they’ve been doing.
They reissued the Marlin and Marlin Automatic to huge success. They also raided their archives for collaborations with Todd Snyder – my favourite of which is the Mid Century.
Meanwhile the new American Documents series is looking fantastic (and perhaps marks them moving away from the low priced watch market?)
The latest release is the Timex Q, a diver-inspired reissue of the popular 1970s original.
Timex say they’ve recreated every detail of the original. From the true-to-the-era woven stainless-steel bracelet, rotating top ring and luminescent paint.
“As we celebrate 165 years of quality craftsmanship and innovative timepieces, it’s exciting to be able to reintroduce a watch that transports consumers back to a specific point in time,” said Silvio Leonardi, Senior Vice President at Timex Group. “The Quartz movement revolution was a transformative time in the watch industry, particularly for Timex because we provided a new quartz movement technology at an affordable price. Our dedication to affordability and quality craftmanship still holds true today.”
As a reader of this blog you’ll know I have an affinity with Timex and especially their recent vintage releases; and as a child of the Seventies this was always going to appeal to me.
The styling is spot on. The pepsi bezel really pops and looks stunning against the blue dial. The lume has some sort of faux ageing which I also enjoy.
Sat atop the watch is a domed crystal which enhances the vintage charm as do the hooded lugs.
The sizing is 38mm, the Goldilocks size for me. Just right.
It does have some negatives however. As much as I love the strap it is bound to be polarising for some as it can look a little cheap.
I hate the clasp. You see these types of self adjusting clasps on many Timex watches. They work well and are easy to adjust but I don’t like them. With that being said it is strong and it does what it needs to. I personally just don’t like the look.
Instead of the typical 60 or 120 click bezels you would normally find on a dive watch the bezel on the Q reissue is friction lock. Again this works but it does feel a bit weird.
I suppose the obvious question would be ‘how would I improve it’? If this was an automatic, with a clicking bezel, a better clasp and full on dive specs this would be a phenomenon.
Maybe that sort of misses the point though?
This wants to be a quartz. The Timex Q is never going to replace your Omega, your Rolex or even your high end Seiko… I don’t think it even wants to try… but it is SO MUCH FUN.
If you haven’t guessed already I love this watch.
Timex has been knocking it out of the park with their vintage reissues lately and The Timex Q is no exception. It’s easy and fun to wear and has a nice casual style. It’s quirky enough to garner approving looks whilst still looking classy. The Timex Q is a perfect summer watch – teamed with Chinos and a crisp white oxford shirt… Fantastic. I fully expect this watch to be a huge hit for Timex.
Update: At the time of writing the watch was, in fact, sold out. It appeared to sell out overnight! Timex say they have more stock coming before the end of the year.
Note: I’m indebted to a reader for supplying this watch for review. I liked the watch so much I sold my mid century to purchase it.
I read a note online yesterday that Yves Saint Laurent has discontinued production of ‘Rive Gauche Homme’.
It was first discontinued many years ago, when it was sold in the cylindrical metal can. It was re-launched a couple of years ago as part of the a Collection line alongside Jazz and M7.
I’ve no idea if this is true and assumed it to be a rumour. Out of curiosity I checked my regular retailers. Debenhams, John Lewis, Fragrance Direct, Fragrance Shop and more all came up ‘out of stock’.
Over on Ebay the price hiking had already started with one seller selling a bottle for £98!
I managed to get hold of a bottle in the end (at the normal price) so I do have a spare. Which makes Rive Gauche the only fragrance I have ever repurchased but also the only one I’ve actually purchased in a long time and the only one I’ve ever looked to stock pile.
Have you ever had a favorite fragrance disappear? Let me know.
Once again I’m revisiting a fragrance from my youth.
I purchased Allure the day it arrived in the shops – I simply HAD to have it. In 1999 I was working in a bar and, overnight, this became my signature scent. I wore it constantly and I’ve never, ever had more fragrance compliments than I did that year. People would lean over the counter and bury their head into my neck just to get a sniff. Women would tell their boyfriends ‘I want you to smell like that”. There was something about my body chemistry and this that just worked. Allure got me dates… so many dates.
But of course that was all 30 years ago and I’m now a different man with a different life – and both my body chemistry and the formulation have probably changed. 30 years on Allure still sells but it is its flankers “Allure Homme Sport” and “Edition Blanche” that take all the credit. In fact Allure Homme seems almost forgotten about as some retailers don’t even stock it; stocking the shelves in favour of the younger, fresher siblings.
So does the original still stack up thirty years down the line?
Wearing it today it’s a much more sensual fragrance than I remember. In my memory it was a much lighter citrus fragrance – maybe it just felt that way then after the powerhouse scents of the eighties.
It has a citrus orange and lemon opening but it’s the base of vetiver, patchouli, sandalwood, cedarwood, labdanum and tonka bean that really sing. The dry down is creamy, woody and sensual. It is, I imagine, how a woman would want you to smell as you lie together in bed – Therefore its probably a great nighttime or date fragrance.
It could be worn anytime but certainly skews towards to colder months due to the oriental nature of it.
In fact I’d describe this as a fresher take on the classic oriental fragrances. Maybe that was the intention at the time?
I have to say I LOVE this bottle. It’s simply and elegant and the champagne colour of the cap and juice looks really expensive. It smells expensive too.
Classy, masculine and just downright beautiful. I cannot fault this fragrance. It certainly feels more mature (I think orientals of all types do) so I’d say if you over 35 then you should check this out.
I’m continuing with my revisiting of fragrances from my twenties. This offering, Calvin Klein’s Eternity, came out in 1989 right at the end of them.
I loved this at the time, in fact the whole world loved it at the time. Eternity was everywhere and I saw it as the fragrance you moved on to when CK One felt to ‘young’. The perfect fragrance for the man enters his thirties.
Over the years Eternity has spawned countless flankers and is one of fragrances biggest sellers, even nearly 30 years after its launch. You can see why – everyone seems to like the smell.
Officially the opening notes are mandarin, lavender and green botanicals but overall I just get a nice orangey freshness. From then on there is a greenness from the basil and sage combined with some lovely lavender. A base of sandalwood, vetiver, rosewood and amber finishes it off. In some ways I would describe this as fresh fougere – ramping up the citrus in favour of the oakmoss. It reminds me of (very) old school powdery lavender fragrances in the dry down
One word of warning: you can be misled by the light opening so it’s easy to overspray this – so keep it discreet.
So how does it work in 2019? It’s a nice spring scent but to my nose it smells a little synthetic and in fact it comes across a little ‘sticky’. The dry down can feel a little dated.
That said on the very first wearing this got a compliment from my wife – which is mostly unheard of – and from a retail clerk. So maybe I’m over thinking it.
Ultimately in today’s market I think it’s not bright and light enough to beat the big ‘freshies’ and not green enough to beat the verdant masters. That said it garnered compliments. It’s easy to wear. It’s a nice, fresh, clean scent. It’s suitable for any occasion but it’s just a bit bland, generic and synthetic in this day and age.
Monsieur De Givenchy is a lovely citrussy, lavendery aromatic fragrance that is firmly in the classic style – a lemon barbershop if you will. It sits in the same group as ‘Eau Sauvage’ and Chanel’s ‘Pour Monsieur’ albeit it doesn’t have the same level of fame.
In fact the best way I would describe it is as a more casual version of Chanel. If ‘Pour Monsieur’ is a crisp white dress shirt then ‘Monsieur de Givenchy’ becomes a crisp white T-shirt.
Released at the end of the 1950’s it actually smells French (which is a good thing) and, although it was reformulated and repackaged a few years ago, it still smells like nothing released today.
Being a fan of this style of fragrance I immediately liked it. It smells natural, sophisticated and balanced. It’s discreet. It’s debonaire. It’s got old school, Hollywood, class.
The problem I have is that I could say the same for ‘Eau Sauvage’, ‘Pour Monsieur’, ‘Acqua Di Parma Colonia’ and many more.
And without something, a little extra je ne sais quoi, it becomes a bit redundant in my collection – especially as it lasts no more than an hour on my skin.
If you like this style then get yourself a tester of this. I know your nose will like it but test it on your skin and see how long you get from it. These type of fragrances are ephemeral in nature but this is just too fleeting and interchangeable to warrant a purchase for me.
(I will try this again in the heat of Summer. Currently it’s Winter and this is NOT a winter fragrance at all.)
For instant brand recognition only Chanel No. 5 would rival it – Is there really anyone who doesn’t know what this smells like?
Introduced by Shulton in the thirties Old Spice is one of the classic men’s fragrances. For my father’s generation Old Spice was THE men’s fragrance and for their sons it’s a time machine. One whiff and they’ll be watching Dad shave. They see the heavy lather, shaving brush and safety razor. Dad would shave then splash a bit of this from its iconic bottle and… boom.. the whole room would smell magnificent; exotic, warm and clean.
‘Old Spice’ is what my Dad smelt like. This is what men smelt like.
When I got old enough and I too started to shave I’d grab Dads bottle. I’d remove the stopper, tip up the glass buoy and place a dab on each cheek… and scream as the sting of alcohol hit.
It was a bona fide rite of passage for every 70’s kid and it marked my first foray into men’s cologne.
I credit ‘Old Spice’ for my love of barbershop fragrances. I also credit it for leading me to after shaves and colognes of all sorts for over next thirty years.
I’ve never not had a bottle of this in my collection. Even when I moved away to the younger, sexier scents of ‘Brut’ and ‘Hai Karate’ (I know, I know) and still had a bottle. Through the Paco Rabanne’s, CK Ones, Obsessions, Le Male’s and more… as my tastes changed… I still owned a bottle.
As the years went by, it got pushed further and further to the back of the cupboard. Forgotten.
Owning a bottle was pure nostalgia. It was not something I would seriously think about wearing. I’d fallen foul, of course, of the connotations I had developed for it. “It’s old fashioned”, “It’s a Dad fragrance” and “It’s cheap rubbish”.
So, as part of this series, I decided to pull it out again and actually smell it. I decided to actually smell and wear it for the first time in fifteen years.
The first thing you notice is that bottle. It’s so iconic and has so many memories attached to it. There is still nothing like this in the market and nothing more masculine.
The smell is classic oriental barbershop. It’s fantastic and it still works today. I was blown away. It’s amazingly well-blended and oozes sophistication and style. It projects well and lasts longer than a nuclear winter. It would be a little cloying during the summer but for every other season it works.
It’s truly lovely (still) and for fans of Azzaro or Rive Gauche it is a must own. Honestly if this was in a different bottle, released by someone like YSL we would lap it up… even at three times the price. (I’ve read a lot about current formulations being a bit more synthetic but that wasn’t my experience with this)
This fragrance did take me back and it’s true it feels mature but (I have to be honest) it is still a hugely clean, exciting, masculine fragrance.
It’s not going to appeal to the 20’s market that much is true but don’t let the supposed “Dad” reputation put you off…. being perceived as daddy isn’t a bad thing after all.
Old Spice is easily among the all-time best bargains in fragrance and is still great today. Get yourself a bottle.
Seasoned 