My first cologne, Wild Country by Avon, was a gift from my grandmother when I was around 10 years old. I don’t remember what it smelled like, but I do remember how much fun I had playing with the race car bottle.When Mr. Peacock started junior high school, I graduated to the Wild Country companion pieces—like soap on a rope, hair and body wash, and deodorant.
You can still find great vintage Avon bottles like pipes, guns and cars...and even a faux plaid thermos on eBay (above).Avon still makes Wild Country fragrance for men, although I haven’t smelled it, but I know the packaging isn’t as cool as Avon’s novelty packaging during the 1960’s and 1970’s.
In high school, I began receiving more “adult” fragrances as gifts. My mom gave me Halston Z-14. I thought it had the coolest bottle at the time, and boy did I like the smell of that fragrance. The fragrance is still available, unfortunately it doesn’t smell the same to me at all, or maybe my sense of smell has just evolved.
Polo was very popular too! Occasionally on the subway, I’ll get a whiff of that peppery Polo cologne and it takes me right back to high school—and getting into trouble. I haven't smelled the 30th anniversary Polo Modern Reserve fragrance.
I also received a fancy Dopp kit filled with Aramis products one holiday—probably a gift with purchase. Does anyone remember the Aramis man—Ted Danson?!
Interestingly, Aramis is relaunching a handful of their vintage scents (above) from the 70’s to the 90’s including: Aramis 900 (launched in 1973), Devin (launched in 1978), JHL (launched in 1982) and three others. Mrs. Estée Lauder created JHL originally as a custom-blended fragrance for her husband, Mr. Joseph H. Lauder. It’s a citrus, spice and amber blend.
Aramis is calling these vintage scents, The Gentleman’s Collection—"a quintessential collection of fragrances for the modern gentleman". Hmmmm, Mr. Peacock is a modern gentleman. I guess I’ll have to stop by the fragrance counter at Bergdorf Goodman or Saks and see if any of the scents bring back any memories...or could possibly make some new memories.I'm not really a big fragrance kind-of-guy, but I have my signature scents that I repeatedly purchase over and over again...and use sparingly.
In the summertime I like to wear a bit of Acqua di Parma. I bought a big bottle of it years ago at 10 Corso Como, so whenever I put in on I think of Milano. I like the citrusy, yet herbal lightness of this classic scent.
My “year-round” fragrances are Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet, and Saint Maria Novella’s Vetiver. I’ve always been a fan of the earthiness of Vetiver based fragrances, and I'm always on the lookout for a new Vetiver scent.
My friend Doug gave me a bottle of Armani/Prive Vetiver for my birthday. I’m still undecided if I like it, however the bottle is intersting—a glass cube with “rock” as the lid. It has kind of a moldy/mossy smell, with very light Vetiver notes. I actually like a stronger Vetiver base.I always think I want to switch to a new scent, but then I’m completely overwhelmed when I go shopping/searching for a new fragrance. The descriptions of the scents are always very seductive and intriguing, but I rarely have the same experience reading a description of a scent and actually smelling it. They all start smelling the same to me and give me a headache—not very sexy. I’ve been bold a few times and asked strangers what fragrance they’re wearing. Unfortunately, the scents react so differently to your body chemistry.
I actually like scented body washes, soaps and deodorants, because they give you just a hint of the fragrance and aren’t overwhelming—perfect for the daytime.Do you have a signature scent? Any Vetiver recommendations?
