DOLCE & GABBANA
Dolce & Gabbana pour Homme EDT
2012
PERFUMER
Max Gavarry
bergamot
mandarin
neroli
lavender
sage
pepper
tobacco
tonka bean
cedarwood
Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme was first released in 1994 Dolce & Gabbana pour Homme EDT (1994) • DOLCE & GABBANA. It was reformulated in 2012 Dolce & Gabbana pour Homme EDT (2012) • DOLCE & GABBANA. Apparently the Pour Homme DNA has remained largely the same in the new version (as opposed to the Pour Femme).
‘It’s not so much a reedition as it is a fine-tuning (…) We altered the bottles a bit.…There has been an evolution of the brand since the Nineties, Domenico and I were much younger then — we’ve really matured a lot.’ – Stefano Gabbana
THOUGHTS
I’ve sampled this modern version shortly after getting a bottle of the vintage 1994 formulation, so I’ll try to compare to two a little in this first impression.
Online I’ve read that the formulation hasn’t changed much, but on the other hand, people are very enthusiastic about the old version and it’s a popular vintage find. Other people have told me that the new version is all citrus and lacks the light tobacco and deeper touches from the vintage. I can confirm… all of these things (based of a first impression, so thoughts may vary over time).
The opening was really quite similar. I didn’t find this newer sample that I have to be any more citrussy, the opposite even, which was a big surprise. Perhaps less sharp and green, but moving past those first minutes directly and going into a more slightly smoother and comforting lavender.
If anything, I get even more lavender scent from this and I miss a bit of the citrus. It does feel more rounded and smooth, in a negative (?) way. The vintage went really smooth for the style of scent that it was, but it had that invigorating barbershop kick and more transitioning going on. This version is a bit less contrasty and more one dimensional.
After a while, it gets extremely soapy. More so than the vintage. Opting for a more generic showergel scent that I started to like less and less during the wear. The vintage kept more of a mix of notes and spiciness (even though I found very little tobacco in that one to begin with).
I feel conflicted about this one. On one hand, it is still very similar to the vintage. The vintage that I loved more than I expected and will be worn quite a bit this Summer. And I can’t say that I dislike the scent this formulation either. Comparing this to some of the designers that I’ve been testing lately, it still ranks quite highly. However, the soapy quality gives it that connection to really cheap men’s shower gel or body spray that really doesn’t capture the full essence of my vintage bottle at all. Close, but making a big difference.