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Lanvin L'Homme

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By shamu1


Lord knows the world has enough fresh woody citrus fragrances.  It's a hackneyed genre of masculine perfume, having been done to death by countless designer firms cranking these things out since the 1990s, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.  Lanvin L'Homme, released in 1997, is one of the early woody citrus releases, but it (along with Essenza di Zegna) stands out because it's one of the best.  That may sound like it's not saying much, but Lanvin L'Homme really is excellent.

I won't get into a long treatise about all of the notes contained in this and how they evolve.  Lanvin L'Homme is sparkling, spicy, woody, transparent and dry.  What I love about this scent is how brilliantly it uses vetiver - the vetiver gives Lanvin L'Homme a woody, dry and somewhat bitter smell, but it also manages to create an effect of sustaining the citrus top notes for several hours.  This results in a fragrance that smells fresh and cheerful from beginning to end, yet never smells dull, synthetic or derivative.  There are also sharp pepper notes flitting in and out of the scent which give it a lot of sparkle and depth. 

Admittedly, this is a light fragrance, but it is not trendy or wimpy.  It's not a sillage machine, but it lasts all day.  Lanvin L'Homme is my idea of the ideal designer fragrance because it's spicy and complex enough to make me want to wear this, yet it's quiet and discreet enough to wear on any occasion and will not offend anyone.  If it sounds like I'm describing a boring "office scent", please don't take it that way.  Lanvin simply managed to create something here that will appeal to both the perfume enthusiast and the masses.  That is no small feat.

MY RATING:  8/10
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