The Dangerfields of yesteryear

I spent part of my day going through my collection and it struck me how many I have on hand that are very good, yet never got the props that were really due them. To me, most of them are superior to what passes for modern masculines today.

For example.....I went through some samples and decided to wear MCM Twenty Four Morning last night. Yea....I know....wearing morning in the evening.......anyway.......I used about 3 small sprays on my arm and turned my attention to other things like figuring out a lineup for this weekend's tournament. Biggest tourney of the year, missing key players for a few of the games, I'm becoming aggravated, you get the idea........

Enter Mrs. Aromi. She has been a long suffering wife and fragrance guinea pig for quite some time now. I spray her with all manner of juice and wait for her opinion. I have her smell every exposed part of my body when I'm in a sampling frenzy.....and she has plodded along with this insanity with a smirk on her face and a truthful, quick review on her lips. She never lies and while she isn't familiar with accords and individual notes like the rest of us psychos, her decisive answer is almost always on the mark. It's either good or it's not. It doesn't matter to her why.

At any rate.......back to the MCM Morning. I stepped away from my softball predicament for a few minutes and sat down next to her. She gave me a look and then grabbed my arm and took a whiff. " That's kind of sweet honey, but very good. I like that alot". Ah yes.......Luca Turin......in 50 or 51 years, my wife will have your job.

I am inclined to agree with Mrs. Aromi and it got me thinking of all the underdog frags from 20 plus years ago that are not only good, but would make a mark in retail today. When I go to the few malls they have here and sample what's on the shelves, the commonality is apparent and the drydowns 20 minutes later are way too similar for my tastes. They are cookie cutter masculines and the Rodney Dangerfield's would no doubt stand out in comparison. They simply are better made with better ingredients. This is also why niche is proliferating.

My wife's statement of MCM inspired me to look at all my samples, bottles and partials of this and that. I am amazed at what I have to sample for either reference purposes or simply to wear. I am blessed with numerous "Rodneys" and part of what makes them special to me is that they are completely under the radar to not only "normal" people, but some hobbyists as well. They have never gotten the respect they should have....and they probably never will. I have been complimented numerous times on various Rodney frags and when asked what the name of the fragrance is, I get that thousand yard stare like I just switched dialects in mid conversation.

They get no respect. They really don't...except from me and a few others. It makes me wonder about the measuring stick today's generation is going to use 15 years down the road. Is it possible to use what's "theirs" today as a comparison in the future? Perish the thought........

Rodney would understand. He really would. I do too. The "Rodney" classics get no love. I think the buying public has it ass backwards......and maybe, just maybe.....its better that way.

Black Suede by Avon

Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...

Chanel copying Guerlain. Why?

Last month, I had the pleasure of trying Comète by Chanel, the latest addition to their prestigious Les Exclusifs line. This fragrance follows the release of Le Lion in 2020, another standout in the same collection. Like Le Lion , Comète is a beautiful perfume that captures the essence of Chanel’s refined elegance. However, both fragrances bear a striking resemblance to classic creations by Guerlain, leading me to ponder the direction Chanel is taking. Chanel has a great fragrance history. Not as hallowed and old as Guerlain but for past three decades it has far outshone Guerlain. In my view, no other perfume house has come close to Chanel’s excellence in this century. This makes their recent approach of echoing Guerlain classics somewhat perplexing. Have they run out of fresh ideas? Is Roger Dove at the helm of their fragrance division, or have they perhaps...

Teatro Alla Scala - Krizia

I tried Comete by Chanel today and wanted to write about how Chanel is going by the way of Roger Dove - copying old masterpieces. I did not know where to post that and then I realized I have been neglecting this blog. When I logged in I saw an unfinished post I wrote a year ago about Teatro Alla Scala by Krizia. Teatro is the best full bodied floral - better than any Chanel or Patou. Even better than Gucci L'Arte. A brief background: Teatro Alla Scala is an Opera theatre in Milan. The bottle's design is an homage to the theatre and the perfume an homage to its sophisticated patrons. I wanted to write a symphony for it. Maybe some day. For now here are few notes I wrote comparing EDT vs EDP. And if you don't have Teatro, your wardrobe is incomplete Rose, Jasmine, Tuberose. Jammy berries (more in EDP) . Honey note listed is probably the jammy part Vetiver & moss - more in EDT Rose and carnation is more than jasmine and that is what separates it from other florals like J...

SugandarajaJune 11, 2010 at 12:55 PM
I think there's a whole class of older designers, those that never made a big smash into mainstream popularity, that are just forgotten about by most people in this hobby.

I think the hardest part is sampling them, really. Even though the bottles themselves are usually a quarter the price of the average niche, places like TPC only cater only to the women's side of things, and even there, mostly niche. If it wasn't for a few delightful people such as yourself over on Basenotes, I'd never know most of these were even out there!

As for the mainstream popularity, well, the majority of the money that goes into launching a mainstream fragrance release goes into advertising. I'm sure there must be a reason for that, and I'm guessing it's that frags don't sell on smelling good alone...
AromiEroticiJune 11, 2010 at 1:05 PM
Well said bro. I'm fortunate to have a few sellers who are good to go...namely xmen...that have on-hand the ones being discussed.

I find quite a few of these as good as popular niche. They simply have a different accord structure.

You're also right on the "image" thing and frags not selling on their own merits. It's a business practice that's unlikely to change.
Redneck PerfumistoJune 11, 2010 at 4:54 PM
I can really see what you're saying about frags that don't get respect - in many cases BECAUSE they were decent frags - when being good, amazingly, wasn't enough.

But the historical record on some of these guys is really scant - so you're doing a very good thing by keeping it. Bravo! :beer:

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