fragrances for father: My top ten (right now)
Time to get a present for Dad, and if yours is anything like mine, that is a serious challenge. Most dads don’t want anything you can afford to get them (cars, computers, trips to exotic locales) so you usually flake out and go for the easy options (ties, food, drink, fragrance, books, gift certificates, etc.) Well, this is a fragrance blog, so I can help you with one of those categories. Here are my top ten picks for smells for Dad for this year. Some are pricey, some are cheap, some are in the middle. These are not only some of my favorite masculines, they are also all a little more unique than the ubiquitous Ralph Lauren Polo or Hugo Boss. You can also check out my guidelines for picking out perfumes for mom, but sometimes dads are a little harder to read, and give you less to work with. These are in no particularly significant order, by the way. These are not necessarily my favorite masculines of all time; they are just ones I think most men would not push away in disgust, and might even come to love very deeply, if you’re lucky!
-L’Occitane Cade—The splash, one of my very favorites, appears to be discontinued, alas, but you cna still find very nice shaving toiletries in the wonderful scent.
-Guerlain Vetiver—Like I’ve said before, Merlin would have worn this (and if he did live backwards, as E.B. White tells us, maybe he did..or does!)
-Diptyque Tam Dao-comforting sandalwood and cedar; you can’t go wrong.
-Caron Yatagan—One of my very favorites! this is resinous, dark, piney, super-dry, and extremely distinctive.
-Frederick Malle French Lover—Incredibly well-constructed, complex scent.
-CB I Hate Perfumes Wild Hunt—the smell of a forest, complete and atavistic.
-Hermes Eau d’orange Vert-one of my favorite citrus splashes. You have to try it—but be warned, it lasts about two milliseconds. It’s a luxurious and emphemerally decadent way to wake oneself up in the morning.
-Tom Ford Tobacco Vanilla- lots of folks love this, even people who don’t like tobacco-based smells, because it is so rich, round, and comforting. Very manly, but the vanilla softens the harsh edges of the cigar/leather accord.
-Bay Rum: every man should own some bay rum aftershave. I recommend Royall Bay Rum, or Burts Bees—which is nice and clovey and rich.
-Geo F. Trumper Royal Fern- A very classic, old-fashioned fougere, smells like money and taste.
OK, I lied. Here are a few more that I love and would recommend, thus spoiling my intended top ten list: Hermès Bel Ami, Dior Bois D’argent, L'Artisan Parfumeur Dzonkha and Tea for Two, Chanel Egoiste, and CDG Zagorsk,
Anyone else have suggestions for fragrant presents for Dad?
CREDITS:
from the Sydney Morning Herald, Vater mit Kind im Publikum by Roger Rössing, compliments of Wikimedia commons,
Hermes Eau d’orange Vert is such a good choice. I love the scent from Hermes. If your father likes a bit more contemporary scent, you could give it a try with Voyage d'Hermès. It's slightly peppery but it reminds you the luxurious smell of harbours at Côte d'Azur. Thank you so much for your lovely comment on my blog.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes! That's a very good selection! I have only tried it once since it's come out, but I remember liking it a lot, and it has such a distinctive bottle. Your welcome for the comments, but believe me, the pleasure was mine!
ReplyDeleteI meant to say: you're welcome! Goodness gracious!
ReplyDeleteNice post! I, too, love Yatagan - very sexy! Tea for Two is another of my personal favorites. Today, my husband wore Insense by Givenchy, which was lovely. Also, at the right place and time, Azzaro is perfect.
ReplyDeleteMy dad happens to like Lutens' Gris Clair, so this year, he will receive a large decant (which will last forever, knowing him).
I really like your blog - thanks again for the fun post!
I love tea for two! Incense and Gris Clair are also wonderful. as is Azzaro, so thanks for that!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words as well!
Yours,
LVB
I always eyed L'Occitane's cade stuff, looking for a cologne. I love cade. I also love Yatagan and will get a bottle as soon as budget permits and I'm a sucker for Dzongkha - which my father would think a great air spray for his car, I guess. (and we don't do this Mother's day and Father's day in my general area although it seems that in a few years, we'll be defeated with adverts telling us to buy things...)
ReplyDeleteI don't know where you live, but I hope you can escape globalized commercial holidays for a few years longer!
ReplyDeleteI really do love Cade.
You should check out Parfum1.com. I got a huge bottle of Yatagan there for like 25 dollars! and they have a 20% off sale right now until Father's Day. I'm pretty sure they ship internationally.
I am not affiliated with parfum1, although I must say I do often take advantage of their low perfume prices
Thanks for the advice, I'll check them.
ReplyDeleteI have a great lavender and cade shampoo, alas, the company started making perfumes of that boring (and rather bad) soliflor variety instead of getting inspiration from their cosmetic products.
LBV,
ReplyDeleteHellu from London I hope everything is well and life is good...you have written some great posts...I agree and have use(d) these fragrances from your list during the years;Hermes Eau d’orange Vert,Bay Rum,Geo F. Trumper - Royal ... - Wild Fern....but I guess i more identify myself with...see my post..there is your answer...
Thanks Traveller! I left a message with you; but it got lost in the posting, so I posted another, and so on. I hope you didn't end up with 3 comments from me on your post. if so, sorry!
ReplyDeleteGood choice, by the way.