Five men’s scents that will create modern memories
There was a time when most boomer-born dads smelled alike. If you grew up in the late ’50s and early ’60s you might remember your dad trailing the scent of aftershaves or hair grooms like Aqua Velva, Old Spice, Pinaud Clubman and Brylcreem. My father was no different: He smelled like a merger of Vitalis hair tonic and English Leather aftershave.
Those early drugstore scents are still around. But our tastes in fragrances have grown up. Here are some new colognes that might make modern scent memories of Dad: Bottega Veneta Pour Homme Extreme: A rich, masculine eau de toilette, the scent features amplified notes of labdanum (a resin sourced from rockrose) and pimento. It smells of wood, leather and fir: a more intense, sensual version of the original Bottega Veneta Pour Homme; $85 and $115 at Nordstrom. Vince Camuto Solare: A warm bright flare of citrus, Solare is a woodsy oriental flush with juicy, sweet mandarin and a spicy touch of cardamom. Musk and cashmere wood provide the earthy base notes to this third Vince Camuto fragrance for men; $57 and $70 at Macy’s. Polo Red Intense: It all started with that original green bottle of Polo in 1978. Today, the Ralph Lauren fragrance line has grown, and the newest addition is this intense blend of red ginger, red wood and leather mixed with roasted coffee, red saffron and. orange flower; $50-$86 at Sephora and Ulta stores. Calvin Klein Eternity Summer for Men 2015: The designer provides endless summer with this new scent that’s a burst of fresh ocean air filled with grapefruit and spicy black pepper. Notes of fig leaf, juniper berry, cypress and the warmth of driftwood and amber round out the season; $70 at Macy’s. Boss Bottled Intense: Hugo Boss amps things up with this scent inspired by the intensity of men’s professional and personal ambitions. So how does ambition smell? Woods (cedar, sandalwood) sprinting with green orange blossom, apple, geranium, cinnamon, clove and vanilla. Intense, indeed; $79 at Nordstrom.
Greg Morago