The Smell of a Man

According to Esquire's Encyclopedia of 20th Century Men's Fashions, Puritan-influenced American men didn't wear scent a century ago. That made them late to the party as the great perfume houses were founded earlier than that. Creed, for example, has been owned by the same family since 1760.

Despite of America's late start, or perhaps because of it, film star Rudolph Valentino's masculinity was questioned during the 1920's because, among other faults, he wore a citrusy cologne. Fortunately, that implied connection had disappeared by 1965. Products for men went through an "It's OK if it smells like it came from a barber shop" phase followed by near complete acceptance.

Scents have a vocabulary all their own. Topnotes are the first smell that registers with the brain. Mid notes follow. They are the body of the scent that takes over after the initial smell dissipates. Finally, we detect the base, which is comprised of the fixatives used to hold and boost the strength of the earlier notes. Base notes are typically rich and slow to emerge. They evaporate slowly, and are responsible for the lingering scent of the fragrance.

My personal favorites include Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet for day wear ($90 for 100ml). It is delicate, with citrus and lavender on top, pine in the middle and a woody base. The scent is gone by end of day, leaving your skin ready for something else.

For evening, I like Creed's Green Irish Tweed (about $100 for four ounces - four ounces are about the same as 100ml - from various web sites). GIT has a base of ambergris and sandalwood, a middle of iris and violet, and a top of lemon and verbena. Technically it's a perfume and much more concentrated than a typical cologne, which may account for its more enduring scent.

Whatever scent you wear, it should be noticeable only inside an area extending about two feet around your physical self. If you are one of those men who can't smell himself when he's that discreet, sprinkle a drop or two inside your handkerchief at the beginning of the day and you'll get a reminder whenever you raise it to your face.