Halloween afternoon, the ten-year-old neighbor boy came by looking to borrow a wig. He had decided to dress as a girl for a Halloween party. His parents, who give out organic apples to trick-or-treaters and keep their own chickens, don’t have much use for high heels or lipstick. My house is a relative haven of girliness. While I didn’t have a wig to give the boy, I filled a bag with clip-on earrings, rhinestones, a sequined cardigan, a pair of gold slides, and a tube of Revlon Temptress.
My hand paused at a bottle of Yardley Red Roses Eau de Cologne. “Perfume?” I asked and unscrewed the top for him to smell. “Uh, I guess it’s o.k.,” he said. I knew his response translated as “no way I’m wearing that”, so I didn’t push it. But it led me to wonder, what makes a good feminine fragrance for a man?
As is true for many women, I’ve been wearing masculines almost as long as I’ve worn perfume. But I don’t have many men in my life who wear scent at all, let alone fragrances marketed to women. I wish I did. Smelling the same old citrus or fougère or “fresh” aftershave on men is as predictable and exciting as khakis and a button-down shirt.
Some feminines seem tailor-made for men. Leathery scents, such as Piguet Bandit and Chanel Cuir de Russie, may be marketed to women, but in my opinion they’re as unisex as fragrance gets. Assertively spicy fragrances, including Yves Saint Laurent Opium, L’Artisan Parfumeur Tea for Two, and at least half of the Serge Lutens line are risk-free choices for men. Green chypres, such as Balmain de Balmain, Givenchy III, and Parfumerie Générale Corps et Ames would also be easy for men to wear.
I can imagine that feminines with a forceful structure would work well on men, too. For example, Piguet Fracas on a confident man would turn heads. Gentle florals or soft ambers would be marvelous on men in suits. I’d love to smell a touch of Jean Patou Joy parfum, Estée Lauder Private Collection Amber Ylang Ylang, or a tender jasmine on a man in pinstripes.
It seems like powdery or strongly fruity feminines might not play as well on men — heck, they’re tricky on women. For instance, Molinard Habanita might be risky for its powder, as could be Guerlain Insolence for its fruit.
Early on Halloween evening, the neighbor boy stopped in to model his get up. He’d found a long, blond wig that his sister styled into a hairdo worthy of Jessica Simpson. He topped a full petticoat with the pale sequined cardigan, wore my mid-1950s aqua necklace and earring set, and blushed a quarter-sized round of Temptress on each cheek. He stood awkwardly in the living room and smiled. He was right. Red Roses wasn’t it at all. He was Aquolina Pink Sugar all over.
Men, what fragrances marketed toward women do you like best? Women, what traditionally feminine fragrances do you like on men?
Note: image is from the “Barbie & Ken” exhibit by Karl Lagerfeld, via Colette.
See also: 5 Perfumes for: Men Who Want to Borrow, Masculines and feminines
268 Comments
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Right now, I’m totally in LOVE with the Laura Mercier LE Minuit Enchante Parfum (as soon as I smelled it, I just HAD to have it… Might even have to get a backup bottle for when they phase it out…). Other marketed feminines in the collection include Alien, Hypnotic Poison, an old bottle of Ysatis that belonged to my mother, and Bal a Versailles…
I love Minuit Enchante, too! It’s so spicy I can see where it would suit men really well. Bal a Versailles is a genius choice, too.
I am in love w/ Minuit Enchante as well. I am going to pick up a bottle for myself. Will have the hubby try it while I still have some left in my decant you made me. Not sure he’d go for it in the girlie-looking bottle. I on the other-hand am totally in love with the bottle!
Isn’t it a good one? You could just make a decant for him.
That Minuit Enchante really is very nice. Thanks again for the sample!
You’re welcome! I’m sorry I haven’t had the chance yet to thank you for sending some Artek. It’s strange and terrific.
Ah, Artek…have been curious about that one.
I have a sample order on the way from TPC including Minuit Enchante – FINALLY I’ll get to try it! I have a feeling I may not share that one with the Mr. I gave him my Tea For Two sample though – I prefer that one on him. As well as Coromandel. [Though I do dip into that one sometimes.]
Let me know what you think of it! It’s spicy, like Tea for Two, but a whole different type of spicy, plus lots of vanilla and oud.
I’m sampling ME at this very moment and I’m totally in love with it – this is my type of scent all the way. It’s funny, I think I remember you saying in your review that you got some clove, but no mace and I’m just the opposite! So funny how that works. Along with the mace, I get some ginger and then all the velvety warm stuff – myrrh, sndalwood, amber and something resiny. Gorgeous.
I’m glad you like it! I get coriander, too, and nutmeg.
funny…i don’t like to wear what my hubby wears..so i have to be real careful what i let him try…lucky for him..he is stuck with jubilation xxv
An excellent scent to be stuck with!
My dad would buy Bal a Versailles for my mom and from what I understand, use it himself, as he did not believe perfume had a gender.
My brother adopted this attitude as, back when I did not wear any perfume (only scented lotion) my brother would buy for me a bottle of something every Christmas and every birthday, always something for woman as it was “my gift” and I would never wear it but the bottle would be empty by the next holiday.
Your family was forward thinking!
I LOVE that scent! Wore the last of my sample last week-it’s so comforting and warm.
It’s a good one for cold weather.
Well this just boggles the mind! My CEO is one those racecars/huntingrifle/anysportwherebonesgetbroken/whichballcapgoeswiththisteeshirt/gottagoliftsomeweights kind of guys (and yes, he wears the pinstripe suits to work) and I’m always dabbing something new on him….some of those Amouages for ladies smell mighty enticing…but nothing smells as good on him as tried-and-true Stetson….been around a long time, soo incredibly inexpensive, and there’s no way in heck I’m going to tell him that despite the cowboy hats and lassos on the box–it’s really a floriental……so don’t any of you all tell him either….
Stetson is a good one, but borderline girly in my book! Maybe when his Stetson runs out you could load the bottle with something new….
For some reason this totally reminds me of Kevin trying out Mitsouko and renaming it “Mishima” for the benefit of his macho friend so as not to scare him off the scent.
Mishima sounds twice as girly to me–funny!
It does, doesn’t it!
Only until you start reading about Yukio MIshima himself. Which makes me wonder, what would Mishima wear?
http://dennismichaeliannuzz.tripod.com/index.HTML
http://www.links.net/vita/trip/japan/media/bukz/mishima/
Yikes! Definitely not girly. Thanks for cluing me in to the literary reference.
Oh, yes! “Mitsouko” on male skin would be devastatingly hot. Carnal jasmines intended for women are often criminally gorgeous on men. Or Lanvin’s “Arpege”, Chanel’s “Bois des Isles” and any Patou fragrance, but especially “1000″ and “Chaldee”. God, can you imagine “Chaldee” on some beautiful male screen star of the 20s-40s in classic tennis/rowing gear or workout clothes, like Ramon Novarro? Pure heaven. Who cares if he’d only been able to offer me fascinating conversation and warm friendship; I can still appreciate his beauty artistically!
Oh and let’s not forget Guerlain “Vol de Nuit” and Dior’s “Dune” (the femme version). Spicy, desolate and captivating.
Yes! Both great choices.
You’re right–Chaldee would be 1930s movie star magic on a man. Makes me want to try a little right now.
I was just mentioning to someone earlier today (in a conversation about Colony) that I need to pull out my yet-untested sample of Chaldee. Now I definitely must do that when I get home!
Yes! Imagine yourself as Rudolf Valentino.
Always an interesting topic, isn’t it? I was just reading a thread about Chanel No. 5 and whether or not men wear it.
I agree on the powdery aspects of some fragrances…I really hate it when I get the “old lady” comment, and I got that once when I was wearing Bandit. I was thinking, come on! It’d BANDIT!
I do own Fracas and Bal a Versailles, and of course the classic Guerlains like Shalimar, Mitsouko, and L’Heure Bleue, but I am reminded of an interview I heard with Luca Turin a while back, and he said something along the lines of men being able to wear about anything as long as it was with a light touch. Women seem to be able to get away with throwing off a lot of sillage whereas with men, you need to get close to to discover their fragrance, and I think that applies here. I’m kind of lusting after some Joy in parfum myself, and I think, with just a few dabs here and there, it would be doable!
It probably just takes an element of style, and worn with some reserve and class, many feminines could be pulled off. Whenever I get some No. 5 in parfum, I’ll let you know!
That is such a good point–with a light touch people are apt to think you smell wonderful without thinking too much about gender norms.
Bandit as old ladyish! Blasphemy!
Oh, and also, every time I wear Mitsouko, I get compliments. It’s my most complimented fragrance! Strangers have turned to me and asked me about what I’m wearing! Rightfully so.
Mitsouko is firmly unisex and decidedly gorgeous, as far as I’m concerned.
I think the key is not to have any preconceived ideas & just try things that sound interesting & see what works for your chemistry, whether you’re male or female. My dearest guy friend wears Angel, the original womens version – its smells completely unique & fabulous on him, & no one ever guesses what it is. We were in Takashimaya in Singapore, wandering the perfume hall & he took a chance & tried this on when I did – its a scrubber on me, but not him & I have no idea why.
Of course, you’re right. All the gender-specific marketing doesn’t help much, though, to counter stereotypes.
You took most of mine! I guess I’d add most of the classic Chanels in parfum: Bois des Iles, No. 19, even Coco on the right guy (and with a very light touch). Hmm…would also love to smell those deep green scents on a man–Niki de St. Phalle in parfum, Ormonde Woman–and of course most of the Montales were originally designed with Middle Eastern Men in mind. They love a good rose, apparently…
Oh yes, the Montales, of course! I’d love to smell Bois des Iles and Ormonde Woman on a man, too. Especially Bois des Iles–nice choice.
I really like Coco, too…. I may have to try that….
Coco would be great on a man! I almost put it in the post, in fact.
Niki De St Phalle,
Ivoire,
Diva (with a name like most guys stay away)
Magie Noire
Amazone (got to be in the right mood for that one!)
Opium
Nu
Calyx (just LOVE it)
Kingdom
Féminité du Bois
Just a few of the ones I go back to on a regular basis (as regularly as I can) Now I think I need Mitsuko …
I wore Diva today, now that you’re mentioning it. I’ve been ignoring it too long. It’s lovely on this chilly, clear day.
I can imagine “Coco” being gorgeous on a man, it has that spicy, slightly feral, ebony wood undertone.
Definitely Coco.
You are absolutely right. I wore rose and aoud and felt normal even macho about it until I moved to the US. I haven’t touched that stuff since until my sister gifted me a bottle of Aoud Rose Petals. I also wore Lyric Man the other day and enjoyed it.
Have you tried Montale Black Aoud? It is a devasting rose-oud-leather combo that would be great on a man.
I have a decant of black oud and I do love it even though I only dare to wear it on weekends. Cuir D’Arabie is next on my list to test.
Cuir d’Arabie is downright manly. I don’t think anyone could question you wearing it.
Interesting you’ve brought it up, because lately I’ve been thinking about the same thing everytime I open my fragrance drawer. The Guerlain parfums–Shalimar, Jicky, Mitsouko especially–work pretty well for me, although I use the latter two pretty sparingly due to Guerlain’s inexplicable choice to limit their availability. (Also use L’Heure Bleue parfum, but for a different reason: it is the most effective over-the-counter sedative I know and a few drops will hypnotize me into a semi-unconscious state within minutes! So it doesn’t really count.)
As with Chanel I find No. 5 Eau Première to be unisex. No. 19 (parfum & EDT) works pretty well, too–espeically if it is layered with Cristalle, which used to be my signature a few years ago. Unfortuatnely I’ve had less success with Cuir de Russie, but not the lack of trying. And on the other hand as much as I admire 31 rue Cambon it hasn’t found a way to rest on my skin. Give it time, I suppose.
You are right about SL: I can use Daim Blond if you can believe it. Chergui and Iris Silver Mist works incredibly well as well. (Note to self: stock up on ISM next time when the chance manifests itself again…)
Some of the more audacious florals I use at home very sparingly, when I would like to marvel the compositions and their development process (Fracas falls in this category).
So as you can see I don’t agree with the notion that a bottle of fragrance needs to be assigned to a specific gender. After all, the French word “parfum” is a masculine word. (I’ve read somewhere that it has something to do with the fact that perfumery used to be a male-dominated profession.) Hey, if Guerlain Jicky was first developed for men then I have no trouble using it, and since bottles don’t come with genatalias I don’t see a point of gender assignment. Yes, I know it’s a socialogical and, by extension, marketing-rooted notion, but just because it’s there doesn’t mean it has to be followed to a T.
Iris Silver Mist! I bet that smells wonderful on you. Cristalle, too!
The next time I wake up in the middle of the night I’m going for a dab of L’Heure Bleue parfum.
My favourite “male fragrance”, at least the one I wear more often, is Versace The dreamer. On men I love smelling Mitsouko and Une fleur de cassie and both my husband and a perfumista friend of mine often wear The unicorn spell. I met Les Nez’s founder during Milan perfume trade fair last spring and he was really surprised, he told me the fragrance was thought for women, though if I’m not wrong it’s marketed as a unisex cent. Go figure…
I never thought of Une Fleur de Cassie, but it’s so unusual that it transcends gender, really. I don’t know if anyone would smell it blind and think it must be a feminine.
You know, I don’t know if I’ve ever smelled Versace The Dreamer. I’ll have to remedy that.
I once took the quiz on the FM website to see what perfume would best suit you…they decided UF de Cassie for me.
It’s such an odd but lovely fragrance. Have you tried it?
I own a 10ml travel spray. I thought it was unisex, which is why I didnt list it on my initial post.
FM doesn’t really market their fragrances to a particular gender, do they? Smart of them.
I sometimes sneak a spritz of my son’s The Dreamer…it’s flat out weird, but interesting.
“The Unicorn Spell” would also be perfect; it has nuances of smoky suede and sometimes reminds me of nuzzling into a man’s woven jacket after it’s been worn outside near woodsmoke. Am I the only one finding the prospect of men in “women’s” scents totally alluring? Seems like the perfect recipe for very interesting men.
What a fabulous description! Yes, there’s definitely something alluring about a man confident and interesting enough to wear a touch of feminine perfume. I know it would turn my head.
Here is my list:
Tom Ford Black Orchid
YSL Nu
FM Carnal Flower
Amouage Lyric Women
Bvlgari Jasmine Noir
Chanel Coromandel
Donna Karan Black Cashmere
Estee Lauder Youth Dew Amber Nude
Gres Cabaret
Lancome Magnifique
Lolita Lempicka
Lolita Lempick L
Prada Amber Women
SL Feminite du Bois
TF White Patchouly
I could happily live with that list myself!
Heh. Feminité du Bois is a good one… and I love it. Whenever I put some on, I think to myself, “Yeah, spraying on my FEM-IN-EE-TAY now.”
HA! Love it!
Funny! I always end up adding an extra “in” to the name. It tricks me.
All excellent–especially “Jasmine Noir”, “Feminite du Bois” and “Black Orchid”!
There was a FM rep at the Chicago Barney’s who wore Une Fleur de Cassie and he smelled *fabulous.*
I have a good friend in perfume who swears that there is nothing sexier than a strapping guy in Fracas. She has posted as much in the past.
In my own world, I was doing (another) test drive with L’Oiseau de Nuit, and had an inspiration. “Smell this,” I said to spouse–not unusual around here–and he raised his eyebrow with interest but no commitment. “Now,” I said, “think about this: on you.” He paused, but gamely replied, “Okay, but on the weekend?” LOL! Trick or treat got in the way this weekend, but next weekend, there’s a test drive in someone else’s future. I don’t know why, but I think it would work.
I didn’t realize Fm UF de Cassie was considered feminine. I have and like that too.
You know, I don’t know if FM really does much gender-specific marketing, although I guess the sales reps might divide them out somehow.
No, it’s not my experience that FM themselves actively sort out by gender, nor do their sales reps. Though the name Geranium Pour Monsieur does seem to target, one must admit…
Well, you have a good point with that one.
Actually, my experience is that the FM salespeople in Paris have a very gender based approach to the line – and I was told that FM himself also does –, whereas here in NYC they don’t seem to care at all.
That’s very interesting.
I had read that once about FM himself somewhere also… that he had a more rigid sense of gender than most of his actual perfume fans. But I’m assuming he doesn’t care who is spending the CASH on his perfumes, non?
I think his investors would agree with you!
Carlos, I think any assumptions people make about UFdC have more to do with “flower” being in the name than any experience with it.
Now I have to go dig out my sample and see how it works on *me* in this weather…
What a guy! Oiseau de Nuit is daring for a guy, but gently applied could be absolutely killer.
Mmmm. “strapping guy in Fracas.” (faints)
No men in your life who can help you with this question? Come sit by me, baby!!
However, I’m probably not “typical” in that I’ll wear a dab of almost anything, no matter how feminine (I draw the line at Pink Sugar, though I’ve never smelled it). Jasmine? Bring on the Drama Nuui and Joy. Roses? I like the old Arab tradition of rose being a masculine fragrance and spritzing Montale Red Aoud or Malle Une Rose. I’ve been really intrigued by lily and mimosa the past few months and enjoy DK Gold, Malle Lys Mediterranee, and Caron Farnesiana (lemming decants of the last two in the worst way).
Fruity? It depends. I really like the cheap thrill of Chopard Mira Bai that I recently picked up, and Dalissime is also nice, not to mention Byredo Pulp and that standby, Calyx. I’ll add that I love the EL Amber Ylang that you mentioned, and also want some of the aforementioned Une Fleur de Cassie, also Parfum de Therese.
I have to be honest, I find the complexity and diversity of “feminine” scents to be far, FAR more interesting that what’s on offer for men these days, or even the pantheon of men’s “classics.” In short, many men’s scents just plain bore the hell out of me, but I’ll take a well-made fragrance from either side of the aisle, any day. Great piece!
You’re a far sight braver (and better smelling, I know it) than the scaredy cat men I know. But I’m doing my best…
Maybe I’ll have to rethink the comment about fruity fragrances on men, although I’m still suspect.
Joe, I agree with your comment on rose scents. I actually think roses are a lot better on a guy. It makes sense to me, somehow.
I agree; something like “Eau Suave” by Parfum d’Empire feels so incredibly masculine to me. I think male skin better reveals its hard-lather, leathery nuances. It reminds me of the scent of a riding saddle that’s been treated with oils.
I never thought of Eau Suave that way, but I can see what you mean! Yet another scent with rose in it that would be nice on a man.
I agree about the rose scents, especially the deep & earthy ones (Une Rose, Rose Poivree, Voleur de Roses, Black Aoud) and the ones with incense (Gres Cabaret, Incense Rose, etc.). But Joe, lily fragrances sound tougher to me. I just tried DK Gold and thought it VERY feminine. Neat that you can wear it though. Hmmm….
My husband likes to dip into my “tropical whites” from time to time in the summer, particularly Diptyque Do Son and Body Shop Indian Gardenia. I also think I’d like him in carnations (Poivre, Terracotta Voile d’Ete, Tabac Blond).
Wow–Rose Poivree. Now I didn’t even think about that one, I guess because it smells so of women’s underwear to me!
I can definitely see carnation working because of that deep clove smell.
Eeeewww! Maybe I’ll wear it tomorrow just to be ornery.
Watch out world!
Gold requires a LIGHT application, I’ll admit. Just a dab in the chest hair. LOL. Lys Mediterranee is a little less girly. And I love Vanille Galante too, but that’s pretty airy.
Funny, I really love Rose Poivree’s uniqueness; it’s like nothing else I own. It’s in another category entirely, even from the other funky, “cuminy” roses.
Joe, I can see the Lys M and the VG working better than the Gold. Of course I like them both better than Gold.
Am I the only person who doesn’t find Rose P nasty?
H, just to clarify, I don’t find Rose Poivree “nasty” or skanky so much as just weird. I like civet.
Forgot about Pulp too! I thought that was marketed as unisex?
I’m pretty sure Byredo markets as unisex in general, but I was thinking along the lines of Angela’s “fruity” theme. Voila: Byredo Fruit Salad Pour Homme.
I think they’re all marketed as unisex.
I own and proudly wear:
Kingdom by Alexander Mc Queen
The original Donna Karan perfume
Lorenzo Villoresi Alamut
Bronze Goddess and Harajuku Girls G during summer
When i was a kid (around 11) an aunt gave me Brut for Christmas but I thought it was very boring so I would add some of my mom’s Fidji to spice it up!
Adding Fidji to spice it up! Love it! Proving that perhaps perfumistas are born, not made.
Alamut! Someone else who wears it! Peter, I think it’s you and me and that’s about it out there.
nonono i know a third…i hooked a friend on to that!!! she has been through two bottles…teinte de neige is still my first choice from his line..
Teint de Neige is a good one, so glamourous.
I (male) love wearing “G” by Harajuku Lovers in the summertime. It puts me in the mood for pina coladas and street festivals.
With nasty weather bearing down, I love the street festival/pina colada talk.
The new Prada L’Ambree for women would be perfect on a man.
On Saturday, while working in the fragrance dept., I whistfully stared at the men’s fragrance bar and hoped that someday there would be no demarcation. It’ll probably be years from now that bottles will just have a brand name and the fragrance name so that gender will be irrelevant in one’s choice. I hope that Angela will do another column about women who wear men’s fragrances.
I know some people dream of world peace, but around here we dream of taking down the barriers between men and women’s fragrance counters…..
I still haven’t tried L’Eau Ambree, except for a magazine scent strip.
i found it so “perfectly balanced, elegant, light, another version of the iris, and boring” whilst i am sure it will sell really well in HOng KOng,i would rather go for the prada no 3 cuir ambre…now theres an ambre
I look forward to trying that one–sounds great!
Amen!
Well, I have and/or love:
Chanel No. 19,
Guerlain L’Heure Bleue,
Jicky,
Mitsouko,
Shalimar,
Vol de Nuit,
Samsara,
Nahema,
Parure,
No.68,
Frederic Malle’s Une Rose,
Caron Tabac Blond,
Vero Profumo Onda,
Balmain Miss Balmain.
…and lots of others
I don’t really care to be honest!
Glad you mentioned Nahema. I own and love a mini of that in parfum and I enjoy pulling it out some evenings when I want my own VA-VOOM experience.
Nahema plus warmed man’s skin equals divine, is my guess.
Surely better than the combo with cold man’s skin, in any case. (Hey, give me a break on the bad joke, we just finished Halloween.)
Hey, the “warm man” is an important part of the equation! (This also holds true on Halloween.)
I’m late to this party (darn!) as I was out last night, but I just had to chime in that a few weeks ago I had a dream in which Liev Schreiber used some Nahema and then handed the bottle to me. I remember in the dream how very sexy that was on a man.
Nice dream! I hope the Sandman will be equally kind to me tonight.
Nahema is great stuff! The way JP Guerlain has succeeded to create something that gets warmer and stronger over time instead of softer/weaker is amazing. To be honest, as a pure rose fragrance I like Frederic Malle’s Une Rose better.
But the best is to own both! They have such different personalities.
I love that list! Honestly, I’d swap my perfume cabinet with yours any day!
yay…so many guerlains
Not being a man, nor having one handy to scent, I’m not well qualified to answer this question! But I’ve read the thread with interest. I’m wearing Cuir de Russie at the moment and I can see it working very well on a man.
Angela, that boy is so lucky to have you as a neighbour. You were obviously a great asset in his drag experiments. He sounds adorable.
P.S. Luca Turin’s ‘Le Guide’, which is available free as a pdf somewhere on the internet, is full of interesting advice for cross-gender, countertextual perfuming.
I have that! I’ll have to look through it.
He is such a great kid. He’s a real monkey, so I had him scale my fig and plum trees at harvest time and drop down the fruit. Also, once I locked myself out, and I sent him in through the kitchen window. The least I could do is pass a few rhinestones his way.
I strongly prefer Prada’s Infusion d’Iris to their Infusion d’Homme (which is marketed as the masculine equivalent) and almost any man could wear it. I think this has been mentioned in a number of less-than-stellar reviews of Infusion d’Homme.
I can completely see men wearing and loving Infusion d’Iris.
I do love it – so much that I swiped the bottle from my sister! (But we agreed it worked better on my skin than hers, so it’s not like I burgled her collection
Hey, that’s what siblings are for!
Ralph Lauren’s Notorious for Women. I can feel the rolled eyes… too bad.
I can actually see that as being great on a guy.
Full disclosure: I own a bottle.
The truth comes out!
No rolled eyes here. It’s got a muted patchouli musk thing going on, which would work really well on a man (I own a bottle).
More truth!
I haven’t tried that one! But from the title alone, I’d never have guessed.
Hi all,
On my hubby, I love SL’s Daim Blonde, Guerlain’s Mitsouko, and LA’s Voleur de Roses. We both wear Jo Malone’s Pom Noir-don’t know if that’s specifically marketed to women or not. And I wear his CD’s Fahrenheit.
I am lucky, he is so patient with my spritzing and testing. Never a peep out of him.
Sounds like a good guy! I’m surprised, but I guess not surprised, that pom noir works well.
My DH wears NR for Her EDT, MH L’air de rien, and Vetiver Dance (which is marketed as unisex) pretty regularly. I thought about not letting him test out my fragrances because he smells so much better in them than I do (kidding, but still, harumph!)
He likes musk! I bet L’air de rien is great, sort of along the Bal a Versailles lines.
As a dude, I wear a few fragrances marketed toward women.
I wear FlowerbyKenzo Oriential and FlowerbyKenzo le Parfum. I wear Fracas by Piguet, Angel La Rose by Thierry Mugler, and Angel Pivione by Thierry Mugler.
When I’m feeling particularly trannyish I wear Circus Fantasy by Britney Spears.
Hurray for you! I wish I could smell you now. I imagine plenty of women to men trans go for the Circus Fantasy, too.
This train of comments made me wonder: does ELdO market Delicious Closet Queen toward men or women?
Good question! Men, I hope.
Haha, the ELDO guy in Sydney gave it to me to try rather than my girlfriend. It was a pretty funny moment, because I think he’s had a few guys-with-their-girlfriends refuse on account of the hilarious name, and when I didn’t even hesitate I think I got on his good side.
It is pretty impressive that you were so game, with a name like that.
Never been a slave to “feminine” or “masculine” when it comes to fragrance.
I’m a man and I wear every type of scent out there. Right now I am IN LOVE w/ Memoire Liquide Soixante Six. It makes me feel groovy – and no one has ever thought it was the least bit “feminine” on me.
I haven’t tried that one yet, but I’m always up for a groovy fragrance. On the list it goes.
All this talk has me looking forward to going home after work and putting on a dab of Fracas! HA!
Yes! That does sound good.
Angela-you brought back memories of when I dressed my cousin up as a woman, clip on earrings, lipstick and all. I guess I’d have to say some good femme fragrances for men would be Prada’s Infusion d’ Iris and maybe even Donna Karan’s Cashmere Mist Luxe Edition. It’s soft for the sensitive man, but very sensual.
Another vote for Infusion d’Iris. I haven’t tried the luxe version yet–I guess I wasn’t sure it was different. Now I’ll have to try it.
That’s so funny… I’ve found most men don’t love rose based perfumes… When I ask why they say it reminds them of one of three things. A wedding, a funeral, or their Grandma. When I smell something unique and not classic “clean”, I take notice. A man wearing Opium is right on…
I’d think FM Une Rose or Lyric don’t smell like anyone’s idea of a grandma, but maybe that’s me. Perhaps with the right grandma…
That’s one elegant grandma. And one mere drop of Opium (for scientific purposes) almost gave me a headache a couple months back, but maybe I need to try it in the dead of winter in a cold climate. I also need to try a drop of Poison sometime too.
Might want to make that half a drop.
I have one Youth Dew grandma and had one Revlon Moondrops grandma. I bet I could have interested the Moondrops grandma in some Une Rose, though.
ugh..my hubbi had a fracas grandma..poor me..he doesn’t like me wearing that one!!
but lucky him…he had one heck of a grandma!!!
Yes, “Opium” would be perfect on a man but it IS potent, potent stuff. I dab one drop on, move it around and end-up feeling like some precious resin, dried plums, ground caraway and other spices stored away in a sandal and cedar box. Spicy, spicy, dry, dry.
Applying it by the drop is a smart move. Another great scent description, too.
I (male) wore “Music” by Harajuku Lovers to a Halloween party this weekend. A female friend was on her way out and gave me a hug goodbye, pulled back, then came back in a sniffed my neck. After asking me what I was wearing, she then informed me that she wanted to “lick it off me,” which is definitely the first time a fragrance — masculine or feminine — has elicited that strong a response.
Also from the other side of the aisle, Classique EdP by Jean Paul Gaultier always gets a great reaction when I wear it, from women and men.
Holy smokes! Get me some Music!
I will wear anything I like. Chanel 22 is probably the “girliest” thing I wear. The classic Guerlains, Carons, and Chanels are good for all. Some of my other favorites are Ormonde Woman, Rive Gauche (pour elle), Debut, and AG Songes.
That’s what I like to hear! No fear! A man who wears No. 22 is a man to bow down to.
“Chanel No. 22″ was going to be added to my list because its oily creaminess seems like it would be the perfect counterpart to musky, male skin. The impression reminds me of the ad for “Fleur De Male” of the man soaking in blossoms and cream. It’s so unexpected.
It’s so aldehydic, too. But the Barney’s Le Labo SA said that their Aldehydes was really popular among men.
This is an intriguing concept for me – I have never worn a man’s fragrance and can’t imagine any of the men I know wearing a women’s! I have tried Guerlain’s Vetiver a number of times, wanting to love it as I’ve read of women who wear it as their signature scent, including Elle Macpherson.
I received a sample of Fracas yesterday in the mail! Whoo hoo! I have read so much about it here and on other perfumista sites … and while I know that perfume preferences are personal, I really hope I love it!
A whole world of fragrance awaits you! So many men’s scents are terrific on women. Vetiver isn’t fabulous on me, either, but I’m a fiend for lots of the woody and leather scents. Enjoy the Fracas!
In the mid eighties i started getting seriously into scent, and it quickly became obvious that the men’s side of the aisle, though it had some good things, was severely limited, and that the women’s side was where the real action was. Within a year I was wearing Salvador Dali, Obsession, Opium, Poison, Anne Klein II, Paloma Picasso Mon Parfum, Fendi, Calandre, Perry Ellis (the original women’s version), Parfum d’Hermes (extrait!), and Coco. I never looked back: today my collection consists of whatever I happen to like, and I just don’t care if it’s supposed to be for women or for men. If it smells good, I’ll wear it with no apologies. Life is too short for that.
Fabulous attitude! That’s the way to live. I didn’t think about Mon Parfum, but I bet it smells great on you.
I haven’t smelled Mon Parfum recently and I know it’s been reformulated, but in the eighties it was one of those huge spectacular chypres that were everywhere (sort of like Ungaro’s Diva but less floral, more base-note-y), and something about my skin just loves a hardcore chypre.
I would also like to note that I was not wearing all those things at the same time. I think that would have made the papers, what with all the suffocated corpses and everything.
If you wore all those at the same time, I fear you wouldn’t be here to tell us about it.
I can’t use Bandit, which comes off far too soapy and sweet on me, but I do use Fracas quite a bit. Seems to me that quite a few “women’s” scents would work, especially older ones. Of course, many Lutens work fine, as do many other perfumes from niche lines. A lot of masculines are very boring, so I tend to favor niche scents that have some bite to them: Timbuktu, Black Aoud, L’Air du Desert, Kiki, etc.
Nice choices! It’s interesting how many scents with some rose in them are mentioned today (Black Aoud made me think of that).
Coincidentally, today I’m wearing a sample of Rose 31, which I seem to recall is very popular amongst the menfolk who buy Le Labo?
I’ve noticed that the male SAs at both Barneys in NY and Liberty in London are big Rose 31 fans. Re roses for men, OJ Ta’if (SOTD) would be really good on a man, I think.
I’ll have to get out my sample. I remember loving it, but I never invested in a bottle (not yet, anyway).
Love both Rose 31 and Ta’if, and can imagine them on a man.
I talked to one of the Le Labo founders a few years ago, and Rose 31 was his personal favorite.
I wear Rose 31 often, it’s my favourite of the Le Labos by a long way. It’s interesting because on my skin the Cumin notes come to the fore, whereas on female skin the rose seems to dominate.
Another rose/cumin fragrance I wear which I like is Kingdom by Alexander McQueen.
Someone else mentioned that one, too. It has so much character, I can see it working.
I wear FM Musc Ravageur and Eau d’Hiver. Chanel Les Exclusifs Coromandel, Cuir de Russie and Sycomore. Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist. Patricia Nicolai Vanille Tonka.
I’m not sure if L’Artisan counts, because I think of them as specifically unisex, but I wear Timbuktu and Dzongkha frequently.
I would wear Paestum Rose from Eau d’Italie and I wear Sienne L’Hiver all the time.
Some of the “masculines” I wear are quite “feminine” in reality. JPG Le Male, Guerlain Habit Rouge, Varvatos Artisan, Lanvin Arpege Pour Homme are all florals for men.
I avoid fruity florals, not because they are feminine, per se, but because I can’t stand them. LOL.
It would be hard to label any of those fragrances as feminine or masculine, it seems to me. (And now I’m craving some L’eau d’hiver).
I am even considering Boid de Iles and Shalimar. I wish I knew which iteration of Shalimar was the best for a man. LOL.
I bet the Edt would be good. I think Shalimar has good bone structure–perfect for a man.
i don’t know man or woman…but i am so loving a vintage eau de toilette concentration of guerlain….it is sublime …you can smellevery note so clearly/intensely…yet it feels light and breezy awesome stuff/concentration
It sounds like it suits you perfectly. Some of the vintage Guerlains, the EdTs and the EdCs, are so, so nice.
My 17 year old son gave up the notion of strict gender-specific fragrances at 15, so I’m having fun reading the men’s preferences and comparing them to what he wears. He favors scents with incense, spice, amber, soft leather and a few florals. Really anything that isn’t overly powderly, flowery or aldehydic. But I can’t always predict. Some of his recent favorites? TF White Patchouli, Josef Statkus, MDCI Invasion Barbare, TF Tuscan Leather, Bond Silver Factory. But I’ve also spritzed him with Bois des Iles and Mitsouko. He smelled fabulous and he didn’t shy away from either. He thinks that we are all a bit nuts and he hasn’t quite learned all of the jargon, but I’ve noticed that he rarely, if ever, leaves the house unscented!
This sounds like a boy to be proud of! Invasion Barbare, even. What great taste. Better get him into a good college so he can earn the money he’ll need to keep up his perfume habit.
I would bet that many of the strong “shoulder-pads” scents of the ’80s designated as women’s scents are fantastic on men; Coco and Opium have already been mentioned here. However, I especially hope some man reading this will jump back a few more decades and take the Youth Dew challenge. Not Amber Nude, but the original– it has to be delicious a guy. Please report back, those who try it!
“. . . delicious ON a guy”, is what I meant to type.
I can definitely see Youth Dew on a man.
Clinique Wrappings smells quite nice on men, I think.
I haven’t smelled that one. I’ll have to rectify that.
It’s seasonal now, Angela. Available for a limited time at the winter holidays, only. I don’t even think the Clinique counter carries a tester of it anymore even, but I could be mistaken.
Thanks–I’ll have to wander by the Clinique counter in a few weeks.
I am male but only wear female scents. It’s interesting to see how feminine fragrances smell on male chemistry, although i often wear what might be deemed as super feminine fragrances, they never come off smelling feminine (most of the time). My signature is Angel by Thierry Mugler, which on my male chemistry smells like a lot of spices and patchouli and almost none of the powder i pick up on others, on me its cinnamon-sugar and butter (delicous!). Dior Midnight Poison smells startalingly masculine on me, I wear it when I need strength and Lancome Mille et Une Roses is the most wondeful rose I’ve ever smelled, so true and unfussy, straight up rose thats a bit like wine. Recently I’ve been obsessed with Tom Ford Black Orchid Voile De Fleur, it’s a vamp, a Hollywood screen siren ala Marlene Deitrich or Rita Hayworth. Sadly the eau de parfum smells like berry cough syrup on me (yuk!), made the mistake of wearing it on a 14 hour flight to Beijing. Next on my list is Dana Tabu, swoon worthy and sooooo cheap!
Hurray! I love the way you describe these scents and how they wear on you. Go out and get yourself some Tabu ASAP.
I wear feminine Chanels… Bel Respiro, 28 La Pausa, Sycomore. A touch of No. 19 when I feel like it. Green aldehydes in the heat = amazing!
I bet Sycomore is fabulous, and I definitely see No. 19 in the heat, especially the vintage version which seems less powdery to me. Nice!
I forgot about Mitsouko! I will always wear Mitsouko!
Hey, let’s get a bumper sticker that says that!
Angela, Thanks for this article. I’m so pleased to have read it as I have been obsessed with YSL’s Opium since it was first released and this year, I finally got the courage to buy a couple of bottles of it. I recently sampled the limited editions of the Aramis Gentlemen’s Collection of retro fragrances from their archives and ‘JHL’ smelled identical to Opium!
I have also been fascinated and have actually owned Piguet’s Bandit and Fracas, although I’m currently wearing Fracas for Men. I also love YSL’s Rive Gauche pour femme and many other ‘feminines’ that are really very masculine.
I have several bottles of Etat Libre d’Orange in my wardrobe (Secretions Magnifique, Rien, Tom of Finland, Delicious Closet Queen, Charogne, Infant Divine, Je Suis Un Homme, etc) and my ambition is to collect more unisex fragrances instead of the predictable, ‘fresh’ men’s editions that populate department stores. If a SA came up to me to spray a ‘fresh’, newly released fragrance, I usually decline as i absolutely abhor that particular genre of scent.
I look forward to trying a few of your other suggestions!
Congratulations on the Opium! I bet a lot of people will be complimenting you on it when you wear it. I hope you’ll wear a few traditionally feminine fragrances, too (I guess Fracas is a good example), because I think gently applied they will be surprisingly seductive.
Oh my… Desmond, I MUST ask this: How does Secretions Magnifique work on you? Obviously you wear it well if you own a bottle, but I’m just curious what notes are prominent on you, because I found that possibly the most difficult fragrance I have ever sampled on my skin. I am curious though about how it might wear once I got over the initial shock when first applied.
I’m curious too. That stuff scares the stuffing out of me.
I was just trying out Miller Harris Geranium Bourbon and totally thought it would make a nice scent that is feminine and would work for a man.
Incidentally, Fracas would have also definitely made my list. Also, too bad no photo of the neighbor boy! I’d have liked to have seen that.
Oh, he was adorable. He told me later that he was running around and had to take off some of his gear. Such a good kid.
That’s such a great one! Another rose blend.
I would think any good chypre or rich oriental could work beautifully on a man. (Or floral or citrus or aquatic…:))
YSL Y and Nu
Bond No 9 Chinatown
Bulgari Omnia and Crystalline
SL Bois de Violette
AF Tiempe Passate
Hermes Eau de Merveilles
AG Chevrefeuille
Chevrefeuille is an interesting choice! In the right circumstance, though, it could be very interesting.
Wow…I almost forgot one of my fav’s…Hermes Eau des Merveilles.
Perfect for anyone!
I like to spray midninght poison on my partner who has a real phobia of smelling like a girl but then wears JPG Fleur du male which is more feminine then most of the perfume that I wear
It’s so funny how much courage advertising can give someone, even if the actual scent is far more feminine than its marketing.
Disclaimer: I just finished a hectic work day and escaped with a strong drink and scrolled past everyone else’s responses.
First: as a Mother of a 10 yr old I’m so glad there’s another 10 yr old boy who doesn’t freak out at dressing as a woman for a costume. My boy – who is a skateboarding, rock climbing fanatic – took up embroidery and make up last summer and knows how to use primers, brushes, and understands the allure of Bobbi Brown’s gel eyeliner. He’s also a freak for Blue Sugar and loves Pink Sugar Shower Bubble Jelly Bath.
Second, working in this industry gives me some serious bottle gratis (don’t be jealous, a lot of it is truly crap that I (luckily) trade for things like MAC and Chanel cosmetics and Perricone skincare) . I have so much that one night, my ultra-masculine husband came out of the shower wearing something completely disorienting – Tommy Bahama for women – the first, the one with gardenia. I kid you not, he actually smelled good. I couldn’t even laugh because it was so spontaneously cool and interesting. He thought it was a men’s fragrance.
We both wear SL Chypre Rouge.
I love Fleur du Male – so erotic and animalic and dirty-sexy.
I wear a lot of HIS – Prada Infusion D’Homme, Gucci Rush, Gucci II, Guerlain Pour Homme, Grey Flannel, Burberry London (so freaking sexy and cozy).
Your son sounds great! It must make you so happy.
A big, masculine guy with a little bit of gardenia about him could be very nice…
funny i bought my 17 yr old son prada infusion pour home…he was so not interested..my hubbie took it over…my 16 yr old daughter has a collection thnx to her mom…but….doesn’t really care or appreciate…sprays on the strooong teenage sweet stuff ..uugh..so when she spray vicoolo fiori Etro…i languish in her smell) and finally i have my 12yr old and 5 yr old boys that will spray anything…..(the twelve year old on many occasions has sprayed fragrance on his head to cover up for no hair washing!!!!boys, don’t u just love them) the 5 yr old likes to smell but is not really aware of girl/boy fragrances…he just loves to spray and sniff!!! now..the dh has undergonea tolerance to a slight like to an interested in this world of mine….what a guy
I wonder if the 5-year old will end up being your perfume partner in crime? Someone surely has to take after mom….
i think he has no choice…he accompanied me a lot in his “earlIer” years..once he even dropped a bottle of eau de orange vert in the store and the SLadies were so enchanted with him…it was noooo problem…he has a good sense of smell actually a great sense of smell….and even smells his food before eating…yay a partner in crime!!!
He sounds adorable!
Your son sounds like fun! I posted up above about my 17 year old. He doesn’t wear makeup, but he is meticulous about skincare, clothing and his hair. He has great taste in fragrance and and he’s a bit of a product junkie. I looove to go shopping with him. Does your 10 year old have a good eye for fashion too?
Now if only I could get my husband to join the party! Well, he does smell great in L’Instant pour Homme. Maybe I’ll try spritzing him with Carnal Flower next.
My son likes to pick out my shoes when we shop!
L’Instant pour Homme is a great masculine women, too. You could swap with him!
We have some awesome parents on this list.
(Who clearly have raised some awesome kids.) Makes me proud.
I was thinking the same thing as I scrolled through the comments! Congrats to you parents on here.
I’d like to try Chanel’s Cuir de Russie on a man, and the Sisely Eau de Campaigne, the original. Givency III (long gone, now), Vent Vert, Le Labo’s Gaic 10, Lutgens Daim Blond.
Those all sound great. Vent Vert is a good choice, too. Have you tried the new Les Mythiques Givenchy III? I haven’t smelled the vintage, but the Les Mythiques smells good to me.
When I search my memory for “men I have known who smelled freaking fantastic,” the few who stand out all wore feminine scents. Maybe it’s the girlyness itself that made them memorable? The best-smelling guy I ever met was the lingerie designer Fernando Sanchez, who told me he wore orange flower water layered with “something I get in France — you wouldn’t know it” (OK, that was an a-hole thing to say, but he was a great-smelling a-hole!).
These days my social circle is very different, and I don’t know any men who wear women’s fragrances, but I wish I did. To that end, I am luring my son down the path to perfumista-hood, and he happily sports CdG2 Woman, Philosykos, etc. The other day, however, he asked for Bandit and I put my foot down — not that it wouldn’t smell great on him, but it seemed a bit much for preschool!
PRESCHOOL! That is one discerning young man. Good for you.
Very rarely do I really mean that I am laughing out loud when I write “LOL,” but in this case it’s true!
Love it!
Fernando Sanchez! That’s a great story. You were lucky to have so many men around you who were willing to experiment with feminines, too.
Bandit at preschool! (Not that the other choices aren’t particularly sophisticated.) I guess you’ll never have to worry about Axe.
LOL! You can introduce him to my kindergartner, who has requested a decant of Etro Anice and is begging me to let her keep my sample of CdG + Artek: Standard. She tried on something else, and in an attempt to discourage her from my expensive stuff, I told her it was for boys…and she said “I LIKE to smell like a boy!” Hopeless.
I think there’s a lot to be hopeful about! She’s an adventurous gal, got to love that.
i love this post so interesting !!!!! my fiancee tells me he likes soft scents , close to the skin , he also added that scents with a lot of power is like look at me so is not sexy !, but i disagree since he never really recalls the name of the perfume i wear , i love the comments i get when i use narciso rodriguez for her , white patchouli tom ford, bois farine l’artisan !!!!!! .
The worst comment i have received when wearing a perfume was anais anais cacharel , he said it was like a diaper smell !
oh and i love men that smells like aqua di parma colonia and aramis , but a girly scent great on a man is ralph lauren romance !!! yummy !
Nice suggestion!
I wonder if the Anais was too powdery for him? Well, you can be happy at least that he notices, even if he can’t remember what it is you wear.
lots of the guys like the Narciso rodriguez…and stella
ok after all of this..i HAVE to start trying some of these above..on my hubbie…but i will have to not tell him what..just kind of pretend its a new sample for men…there is NO WAY he would try some of mine!!! after reading this blog…i now need to smell my gorgeous frags on him…bal a v. ..a whole lot of serges…mitsouko….black cashmere
Oh yes, Black Cashmere would be really good.
Recently i have been splashing on my sister’s Empress by D&G anthology. I really like this one, it makes me happy and is probably the only Anthology that lasts.
I think it would be kind of fun as a man to spray on something called Empress.
There’s a big, portable food cart I bicycle by every day that serves breakfast. It’s called the Empress.
Women’s Dune smelt amazing on my ex.
I can imagine it would smell wonderful on a man.
Dune has been getting a lot of love in the comments.
I really struggle with the whole idea of wearing feminine perfumes – probably because I’m a slave to marketing and in some respects I feel many perfumes ‘intended’ for women smell so thoroughly feminine I couldn’t imagine wearing them myself. I don’t know, I’m probably very old fashioned in this regard, I like how women have their own scents, I don’t really want to wear what my wife does – I like to associate those fragrances with her.
But who knows, I’m only one year into my fragrance addiction. In 6 months time I could be walking around wafting fracas/bandit/mitsouko thinking I smell great and who cares what anyone else thinks?!
I too really, really struggle with crossing the gender line. There are very few masculines I’d wear: Eau Sauvage, Stetson Rich Suede – but not regular Stetson, as I once had a boyfriend that wore it. And I *would* wear Old Spice, but my father wears that, so it’s off my list too. The dreaded “shaving cream accord” seems to pop up all too often. Shaving cream smells nice, but shrieks “Man!” to me.
And I don’t wear many “unisex” fragrances, either. That Tabac Aurea smells delightfully masculine to me, but in a borrow-able way. On the other hand, I’m always picking up some classic feminine scent like Arpege, or one of those Dark Rose frags I love (Lyric, Cabaret), and thinking that it would smell really fabulous on a guy.
I really enjoy a lot of masculines, but some of the hard core fougeres or really “aftershave-y” scents don’t please me much. I’m a reasonably feminine woman, too, but a waft of Bel Ami or Encre Noir is marvelous.
encre noir is awsome and wearing christian lacroix tumulte pour homme makes me feel like a have the most calming / serene aura around me…
Yes, Tumulte for Homme is great, too–thanks for the reminder of how nice it is.
There’s something surprising and alluring about encountering a hint of something feminine on a man. It shakes up your expectations and really makes you look at him. You might be surprised at what a hint of Mitsouko can do.
ross..i love it…all three together…and who cares?
my taste range is rather wide. i can easily layer Kouros with Flowerbomb. or wear Dior Addict (it’s that damn gorgeous bourbon vanilla at the bottom… and a bit of that loud rose on top). Black Orchid is a no-brainer.
fruity florals next to aquatic, “fresh” cleaning detergent. sugarfrosted, genetically enhanced fruits also do it for me. Britney’s Midnight Fantasy is damn delicious too. as is Bulgari’s Blu Homme Notte (which even has a powdery scent to it).
i’m only not too huge on florals. i dunno why, but when a fragrance comes to me stuffed with flowers, i tend to dislike it. one of the few i liked, is No 5 Eau Premiere. it smells of fresh optimism.
Funny you should mention this — last night I was “daydreaming” about the possibility of layering Kouros with something and I forget now what it was I had in mind. Maybe Rose Poivree to really amp up the civet.
That would do the trick.
You’re kind of the mad scientist of perfume mixing, it sounds like. Nice!
it’s really less “mad scientist”, more mixing either hyper masculines with hyper feminines, or modern masculines with modern feminines.
a spritz of Dior Higher lightens up pretty much everything. same with E. Arden’s Green Tea.
while RL Safari, Kouros or Nautica’s disc’d Latitude Longitude ‘butches up’ pretty much everything.
You’ve really thought it out, and I can see how it works.
Just a quick check-in from work so I haven’t read all the comments, but today I am rocking Back to Black (love. it.) and I think it would smell great on a guy.
Oh, Angela, I tried Daphne and it is a stunner. I can see why you bought it instantly. Not sure if I’m quite there but it is a beauty. Wonderfully feminine in just the right way.
Oh Back to Black seems pretty unisex to me, all right. I’m glad you liked Daphne. I’m addicted.
What a fun read – great post Angela! And it’s been fun reading all of the suggestions. It’s already been mentioned often, but probably the number one scent I’d love to smell on a man is Mitsouko extrait – the old one with lots of oak moss. Other than that, Wazamba (or is that marketed as unisex?), Patou’s Colony and Sous Le Vent.
Wazamba sure feels unisex to me. I bet Colony and Sous le Vent would be fabulous, too.
I love to wear Prada Infusion d’ Iris. I prefer the one marketed to women over the Infusion d’Homme.
I am an individual who enjoys wearing fragrances and I do not mind it’s marketed demographic. I say “if you like it wear it.”
Great attitude! A lot of guys seem to prefer the feminine Infusion d’Iris.
I´m in love with Gucci Eau de parfum and Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Parfum. Everytime I wear any of them, I get compliments and not even one person has thought I was wearing a “femenine” fragance
Oh, I can see the Gucci coming off really well on a guy.
Fantastic post (as always, but I especially enjoy these)! I’ll trot out Agent Provocateur as a great scent on the right man. On me it’s almost parodically feminine if I don’t watch what I pair it with, on a traditionally styled, masculine man it’s showstopping, the perfect contrast.
I think that’s the key: contrast. A ballerina who smells vaguely of oil and asphalt would be fascinating, just like a traditionally styled, masculine man in Agent Provocateur would fascinate.
Ooh Angela, I’m going to have to spray my husband with AP – he would be the perfect candidate – so Italian and old-school NYC and utterly masculine. Thanks for the rec!
And by the way, I JUST KNOW you will appreciate this far more than my husband and BF do – I scored a vintage Fendi bag in black patent leather with pony hair at Goodwill for $6.99! The real thing! I’m carrying it around like a newborn.
Congratulations! That’s amazing!! That should go down on the first page of the book of Best Things Ever Snagged at Goodwill.
It was a great find for sure, but I’m still on the prowl for vintage perfume! I did spot a sealed bottle of Sira Des Indes for $9.99… might have to go back for it.