A Fashionably Fragrant Night Out

So as you know, September 10th was deemed Fashion Night Out. Kudos to all who participated. Stores were packed, people were shopping and the weather held up quite nicely. I decided to partake in the festivities but with my own twist. I made it a fragrant night out.

My first stop was Bergdorf. The main store was bananas. Zac Posen painted dresses in one of the 5th Avenue windows and a large crowd gathered to take photographs. My good friend Ainsley Connell and I made our way into the store but quickly exited as the crowd was quite thick. A good thing for them, not so good for us. We went across the street to the men’s store which was much more relaxed. After checking out some of the wears, we quickly made our way over to the fragrance counter. Before we could even begin asking questions, we were introduced to Cuoio by Odori. I found it to be extremely sophisticated and quite masculine. The bottle’s packaging, which seemed familiar with its wood and leather accents makes it worthy of being prominently displayed on your mantle of colognes. We then sampled two stand out scents, Vetiver Ambrato by Bois 1920 (earthy, woody, very sexy) and Lyric by Amouage (modern take on Rose with spicy, green accents). I highly suggest checking these two out. To me they possess the distinct characteristics one should search for when looking for a new fragrance. Also, if you’re still hanging onto the belief that rose scents are for women, its time to come from under that rock – and smell the roses. Come into the light and start with, Parfums de Rosine Rose d’Homme…if this doesn’t change your mind, nothing will…Our next stop was Barney’s.

To my surprise, they had the Comme des Garcons/Monocle collaboration, Hinoki. My first introduction to Comme de Garcons was Odeur 71 and ever since then I’ve been a huge fan of their fragrances. I was introduced to Monocle magazine about a year and a half ago and truly enjoy reading it from time to time. Thus when I heard about the collaboration, I was quite intrigued. I am happy to report, I was not let down. It is quite woody and resinous but also quite sensual.  We then sampled a few scents from Byredo Parfums, Bal D’Afrique, Pulp, and Fantastic Man. The guys are hot right now and after smelling these three scents, I know why. Each have their own unique quality bot for me, Fantastic Man was the winner. It has a traditional appeal but they dry down quickly updates it nicely.

Before heading to the lower level in search of champagne, I wanted to get a whiff of Nasomatto’s Black Afgano. For me, this was the winner of the night. I became a fan when I discovered Duro and this also swept me off my feet. From Afgano’s opening, I detect what smells like cumin. I’m not sure if it’s there and the salesman wasn’t quite sure but there was a sweaty factor I recognized. With that I knew this is for a confident man. If I was invited to the after after party where the unmarked door opens to a fete that doesn’t really start jumping until 3:30 am, this is what I’d wear.

The moral of the story for this rather fragrant night out is it’s all about sampling. Gents, if you’re looking to add to your collection, get out there and try a few things before making a rushed decision. How many stores do you visit before purchasing a new camera or television? How many questions do you ask the salesman before buying a computer or new stereo? The same reasoning applies. Do this and you’ll make better decisions about which fragrances suit your taste and style.