Silver by Etienne Aigner

Basil, Bergamot, Green Notes, Juniper Berry, Lemon.
Carnation, Cedar, Cinnamon, Jasmine, Patchouli, Pine Needle.
Castoreum, Labdanum, Leather, Moss and Musk.

1984 brought us yet another terrific and underrated masculine. Etienne Aigner's Silver is ( of course ) under the radar and mostly disregarded by the fragrance community at large. I have no answers for this other than possibly bad timing and marketing mistakes. It could also be that Silver is sophisticated and long lasting without the bombastic qualities that were inherent in many releases of that particular time period. It may have slipped by unnoticed.

Silver opens as an extremely smooth ( and I mean smooth ) rendition of herbs and dominant basil set atop a light citric accord. It leans green like you would expect, but this is not a conventional aroma of green. This has a low center of gravity and within a minute or two, an elegant moss begins its journey from the base to incorporate itself into the opening.

Silver is so well blended and sans any edges that you almost forget you're wearing it. It's like a comfortable shirt you wear when you want to feel like you're wearing nothing at all. Please don't misconstrue that as declaring Silver to be a skin scent. Its projection is adequate and possesses a depth that is missing in today's releases.

If it were possible for a White Knight to have worn fragrance, Silver would be completely appropriate to smell emanating from his person. The slightly aromatic and earthy tones of forest and field. The subtle animalic whiffs of saddle viscosity mingling with mossy wood are an indication of what Silver is all about.

The essence of this sleeper is a mixture of suave and ruggedness. Silver's core is one of the better renditions of basil you will ever come across and it's surrounded by leathery moss. Sure, there are other contributors here, but by staying back like they do, they allow these three to take the reigns and the result is a classy masculine fragrance. Etienne's Silver gets no props and I want to change that.

Sillage is acceptable and longevity is 6 hours on my skin. Silver may not be white, but he still feels like a Knight to me. Big thumbs up from Aromi for yet another worthy Aigner release.