One for the office, one for the evening, one for the summer, one for the winter. Four bottles that last a decade, how to choose them and how to wear them without being noticed from the lift.
Fragrance is the only part of a man’s appearance that works after he has left the room. It is also the part most often overdone, underthought or bought at the airport because the bottle looked right. A small, deliberate wardrobe of four scents, worn lightly and matched to the day, is one of the cheapest upgrades in grooming and one of the most memorable.
The families, in a paragraph
Citrus and aromatic scents, built on bergamot, lemon, lavender and herbs, are fresh, short-lived and suit mornings and summers. Woody scents, on vetiver, cedar and sandalwood, are dry, quiet and suit offices and autumn. Fougère is the classic barbershop accord of lavender, oakmoss and coumarin, the smell of a good shave. Oriental or amber scents, with vanilla, resins, spices and leather, are warm, heavy and suit evenings and winter. Chypre, on bergamot, oakmoss and labdanum, is the sophisticated middle ground. Most men live happily between woody and aromatic and visit amber after dark.
The four
- The office scent. Quiet, woody or vetiver-based, noticed only at close range. Guerlain Vétiver, Chanel Pour Monsieur, Hermès Terre d’Hermès, Tom Ford Grey Vetiver.
- The evening scent. Warmer and more present: an amber, a leather or a spiced wood. Dior Eau Sauvage Parfum, Tom Ford Oud Wood, Chanel Égoïste, Frédéric Malle Musc Ravageur.
- The summer scent. Citrus, neroli, something that survives heat without becoming cloying. Acqua di Parma Colonia, Chanel Allure Homme Sport Eau Extrême, Hermès Eau d’Orange Verte.
- The winter scent. Something with smoke, resin or leather that suits a coat. Chanel Antaeus, Comme des Garçons 2 Man, Serge Lutens Chergui.
A fragrance should be discovered at a handshake, not announced from across the room. Three sprays. Never more.
How to test
On skin, never on card, one at a time, and then leave the shop. A fragrance has a top that lasts fifteen minutes, a heart that lasts two hours and a base that lasts the day; you are buying the base. Wear it for a full day before deciding. Ask a woman whose opinion you trust, not the man behind the counter. Buy a small bottle first; a 50 ml bottle at three sprays a day lasts eight months.
How to wear it
On clean, moisturised skin, after the shower: one spray on the chest, one on the back of the neck, one on a wrist if you like. Not rubbed, not on clothes, not in the hair. Reapply never; if you cannot smell it by lunch, that is your nose adapting, not the scent failing, and everyone else can smell it fine. Keep bottles out of the bathroom and away from light. A fragrance kept in a cool drawer lasts ten years.
Questions we get asked
Eau de toilette or eau de parfum?
Toilette for the day, lighter and fresher; parfum for the evening, richer and longer lasting. The same scent in both concentrations often smells like two different things.
Is niche fragrance worth the money?
Sometimes. Niche houses take risks and use richer materials; they also charge €250 for things that smell like €80 classics. Try before you believe the marketing.
How many is too many?
When you own more bottles than you have occasions. Four covers a life; six is a hobby; twelve is a collection, which is a different pleasure.
