I have always loved the vintage Givenchy Gentleman. Now I want to go to the store and smell the new version. My father wore Monsieur de Givenchy his whole life.
I met Hubert de Givenchy a few times in my life. He was always so kind and affable. A true gentleman. Oddly enough, it’s my oldest bestie who looked after him when he passed away in 2018 at the American hospital in Neuilly.
One knows that one (me) has aged when what I think is a regular shelf of bottles suddenly turns out to be 3/4 vintage stuff :))))) Remember wearing G on skiing holidays in 2003.
You got me on this. So, it was my recent blind buy. My last old bottle came from Asian vintage market ten or more years ago and it is from seventies or early eighties. 30 ml, half spent, half for the archive. Of course, new and old are not identical, but it seems that this is among the reformulations of my life and one of the most preserved spirits of some fragrance in its reformulation. Reading your recent articles on Givenchy, you are concerned about current L'Interdit. I am more selfish, so I hope that Givenchy will give a try to Insense for the third time. When it was launched, I was 24yo, and it seemed to me like a paradigm of future masculine florals. Obviously, I was wrong.
Good news re GG. I recall in the now classic 2008 Guide you gave it a 2 star rating, so sounds like they have improved it in recent times.
As an aside, I don't recall ever reading / hearing you mention Giorgio Men, in the yellow and white candy stripe box (perhaps you have and I missed it). I'm just curious to know your thoughts on this, whether vintage or modern version.
GG is much better now. Not a tiny, poor woody leather as all that remained from the glorious masculine fragrance from middle of the seventies. It is true, it was like that when the first guide was published.
I am sort of ashamed to admit I have never owned this nor properly sampled vintage versus new. I am kind of a patchouli nerd: I only like what I like. I've found it hard to find another favorite patchouli, after Borneo 1834 by Serge Lutens blew me away. I still use that one as a frame of reference - although after reading your description of Gentlemen, I realize just how different it is from the Lutens.
Nonetheless, it always lifts my spirits when someone affirms a fragrance that is 'old' that is on shelves now, still smells great. Its so rare.
As a related aside the current iteration of Givenchy lll has moved closer to how my aged nose remembers the original from my late 70s teenage years. Still my Desert Island choice.
Somehow this one has always flown under my radar. I have a vintage bottle of Monsieur de Givenchy and have always considered that my favorite of the “Monsieur de” so to speak.
Oh, I love Monsieur de Givenchy. My pops wore it through the 80s and 90s until it was discontinued. I got him a vintage this past year and he was thrilled. Brought back memories for all of us. Then, while traveling, he found the reissue under “Les Parfums Mythiques” and purchased a bottle. He was happy to report that it is faithful to the original, and has been wearing it since (and saving what remains of his vintage). I also own a 50 ml vintage, which I rarely wear but enjoy picking up once in a while to sniff the sprayer and cap. To my nose, it’s even better than Pour Monsieur and Eau Sauvage.
I got my 25-year-old nephew a bottle for Christmas, so I'm glad it's good. It was a bit of a stab in the dark as there were no testers in Chemist Warehouse.
One of my favorites. I own a vintage bottle and never tried the new one on the premises it might be way different as is with most fragrances. Great to hear that the new is remarkably similar to the previous iteration.
I’ve got an 80s mini in good condition and it is glorious. My favourite masculine of all times.
I have always loved the vintage Givenchy Gentleman. Now I want to go to the store and smell the new version. My father wore Monsieur de Givenchy his whole life.
I met Hubert de Givenchy a few times in my life. He was always so kind and affable. A true gentleman. Oddly enough, it’s my oldest bestie who looked after him when he passed away in 2018 at the American hospital in Neuilly.
One knows that one (me) has aged when what I think is a regular shelf of bottles suddenly turns out to be 3/4 vintage stuff :))))) Remember wearing G on skiing holidays in 2003.
You got me on this. So, it was my recent blind buy. My last old bottle came from Asian vintage market ten or more years ago and it is from seventies or early eighties. 30 ml, half spent, half for the archive. Of course, new and old are not identical, but it seems that this is among the reformulations of my life and one of the most preserved spirits of some fragrance in its reformulation. Reading your recent articles on Givenchy, you are concerned about current L'Interdit. I am more selfish, so I hope that Givenchy will give a try to Insense for the third time. When it was launched, I was 24yo, and it seemed to me like a paradigm of future masculine florals. Obviously, I was wrong.
Ciao Luca. Hope all is well.
Good news re GG. I recall in the now classic 2008 Guide you gave it a 2 star rating, so sounds like they have improved it in recent times.
As an aside, I don't recall ever reading / hearing you mention Giorgio Men, in the yellow and white candy stripe box (perhaps you have and I missed it). I'm just curious to know your thoughts on this, whether vintage or modern version.
Thank you.
GG is much better now. Not a tiny, poor woody leather as all that remained from the glorious masculine fragrance from middle of the seventies. It is true, it was like that when the first guide was published.
I am sort of ashamed to admit I have never owned this nor properly sampled vintage versus new. I am kind of a patchouli nerd: I only like what I like. I've found it hard to find another favorite patchouli, after Borneo 1834 by Serge Lutens blew me away. I still use that one as a frame of reference - although after reading your description of Gentlemen, I realize just how different it is from the Lutens.
Nonetheless, it always lifts my spirits when someone affirms a fragrance that is 'old' that is on shelves now, still smells great. Its so rare.
Большое спасибо! :)
Ne za chto!
As a related aside the current iteration of Givenchy lll has moved closer to how my aged nose remembers the original from my late 70s teenage years. Still my Desert Island choice.
The ancestor of so many green chypres!
Somehow this one has always flown under my radar. I have a vintage bottle of Monsieur de Givenchy and have always considered that my favorite of the “Monsieur de” so to speak.
Oh, I love Monsieur de Givenchy. My pops wore it through the 80s and 90s until it was discontinued. I got him a vintage this past year and he was thrilled. Brought back memories for all of us. Then, while traveling, he found the reissue under “Les Parfums Mythiques” and purchased a bottle. He was happy to report that it is faithful to the original, and has been wearing it since (and saving what remains of his vintage). I also own a 50 ml vintage, which I rarely wear but enjoy picking up once in a while to sniff the sprayer and cap. To my nose, it’s even better than Pour Monsieur and Eau Sauvage.
I got my 25-year-old nephew a bottle for Christmas, so I'm glad it's good. It was a bit of a stab in the dark as there were no testers in Chemist Warehouse.
Talk about a Chrismas present....! Thank you!!
My L'Interdit Audrey Hepburn moment failed, but I was in New Orleans so can't not be sparkly anyway.
One of my favorites. I own a vintage bottle and never tried the new one on the premises it might be way different as is with most fragrances. Great to hear that the new is remarkably similar to the previous iteration.