Armani by Giorgio Armani

Who knows how many times I may have smelled this 1982 Armani offering on the female persuasion. Sampling it as I am, it has an air of familiarity and it also effortlessly telegraphs quality to those in smelling distance.

This is a chypre with a dominant floral theme. It is complex, rich and has a sheen about it that you won't find in modern, feminine chypres. Armani opens aldehydic with a smidgeon of zest. There's green mixed in with the citric accord that works rather well. What I find really interesting is the contrast of Marigold and Pineapple as well in the top accord. A little bitter and a little sweet all blended to perfection.

The rose and tuberose in the heart are yet another rendition I find to my liking. These two are apparent, yet the volume is perfect and the ingredients have to be top shelf to smell like this. This is very good juice indeed. There's an assist from jasmin and orris but the entire floral heart is smooth with a capital "S".

The drydown on me is simply the floral accord becoming even smoother and lowering the volume a notch. A woody amber appears with moss and is softened even further by tonka. The rose is still present and accounted for through the life of the scent as is the quality. From top to bottom, this is flat out good and would work wonders for a conservative night out on the town.

Big thumbs up from Aromi for Armani.