Reviews of Fendi Uomo by Fendi
Fendi Uomo is one I've been wanting to try for a long time as a fan of 80's fragrances and I was able to acquire a 1.7oz spray bottle from the Bethco Fragrances era. I wasn't impressed with it at all.
Fendi Uomo opens rough of sweetened nail polish remover (acetone) that burns off to reveal citrus. This turns into a body of barbershop powder that's browned from a light blend containing small quantities of cinnamon, amber, a moderate sized leather note, and a lot of aged/oily patchouli. Unpleasant on patchouli because the spices grind into it coming off as hot and sweaty like it's trying to be a 70's disco hall scent through this tactic. Others have mentioned a "lipstick leather" and I get that as well. This cosmetic/chemical facsimile seems to be from a gooey carnation note latching onto the amber-cased leather. I get a little bit of sandalwood lurking behind the brown masculine powder to enhance the warm effect. Off and on during wear I pick up a light trace of that acetone that I thought wore off.
Fendi Uomo by Fendi I'm going to give a thumbs down rating. A lot of the DNA in this is ripped off from an old five and dime store found men's cologne called Cameron by Kensington (1982). Cameron was smooth and it's volume sits at 5 for a cheap cologne. Fendi Uomo is a clumsy and jumbled up version with the volume turned to 11.
Fendi Uomo opens rough of sweetened nail polish remover (acetone) that burns off to reveal citrus. This turns into a body of barbershop powder that's browned from a light blend containing small quantities of cinnamon, amber, a moderate sized leather note, and a lot of aged/oily patchouli. Unpleasant on patchouli because the spices grind into it coming off as hot and sweaty like it's trying to be a 70's disco hall scent through this tactic. Others have mentioned a "lipstick leather" and I get that as well. This cosmetic/chemical facsimile seems to be from a gooey carnation note latching onto the amber-cased leather. I get a little bit of sandalwood lurking behind the brown masculine powder to enhance the warm effect. Off and on during wear I pick up a light trace of that acetone that I thought wore off.
Fendi Uomo by Fendi I'm going to give a thumbs down rating. A lot of the DNA in this is ripped off from an old five and dime store found men's cologne called Cameron by Kensington (1982). Cameron was smooth and it's volume sits at 5 for a cheap cologne. Fendi Uomo is a clumsy and jumbled up version with the volume turned to 11.
Powerful, elegant, classy, but not for everyone. The person needed to be special to "wear" this fragrance. If you were one of those people, know that know that it deeply marked someone's life. Perhaps more than one.
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You get the same idea in Bandit and Tsar but here it's in a purer form.
Eau de Citron Noir does the same thing but it's not as classy.
A cold black leather fougère.
Eau de Citron Noir does the same thing but it's not as classy.
A cold black leather fougère.
Sometimes you can't tell whether you're going to like a scent or not just by sniffing the nozzle of a sexy faux marble splash bottle. Not this time. It opens big and boozy and settles with spices, herbs, citrus, and lavender - typical notes for the late 80s, but here they are stunningly well-blended. In the mid I get a slightly lipsticky, elegant leather. My nose is sensitive to iris, so you might not get any lipstick at all. In the dry-down the leather really shines amongst patchouli, vetiver, and restrained deer musk.
Both projection and longevity are good on this EA-Bethco bottle... seems earlier versions were powerhouses. It's not the kind of fragrance I'd want to overapply, but maybe that's just me.
Fendi Uomo is a classy macho scent that makes me feel like the bee's knees. It's what I wear when even leathers such as Weil Kipling aren't refined enough for the occasion.
Masculinity Level: Christopher Walken as the impeccably-dressed mafioso in True Romance.
Both projection and longevity are good on this EA-Bethco bottle... seems earlier versions were powerhouses. It's not the kind of fragrance I'd want to overapply, but maybe that's just me.
Fendi Uomo is a classy macho scent that makes me feel like the bee's knees. It's what I wear when even leathers such as Weil Kipling aren't refined enough for the occasion.
Masculinity Level: Christopher Walken as the impeccably-dressed mafioso in True Romance.
Got a S.pA Parma bottle here. It is seductive, slinking, stirring in regions unspoken, raw, leather, herbs, and patchouli. I detect angelica root in the dry down, musky yet verdant.
Virility in fragrant form.
Virility in fragrant form.
I have the Bethco EDT's. Longevity is about 6.5/10. Projection is the same. I get zero compliments with this, probably because I smell like Lorenzo Lamas in 1989, which is fine with me, but I really do not care for the dry-down. To me, this definately borders a unisex. The leathery-lipstick-cosmetic drydown sticks out like a sore thumb--which can be cloying, and seems to stick around too long, about as long as a bottle of white wine and a entire Dan Fogelberg album. I do gravitate more towards a fougere like Kouros, a more musky incense to layer with oudh, for lifting weights in the garage or just some beast-mode lounging action.
Interested? PM me, I have Fendi Uomo 50ml & 100ml sizes(edt) and 100 ml splash(edt), all full, not overpriced.
Interested? PM me, I have Fendi Uomo 50ml & 100ml sizes(edt) and 100 ml splash(edt), all full, not overpriced.
Fendi Uomo (1988) is one of those old Italian "men's cologne" fragrances, made for the out-and-out manly-man archetype expecting respect that tends to be the chosen mode of machismo culture pervading Latin and Mediterranean cultures, which includes Italy. Fragrances like these in modern history can trace all the way back to Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian things like Acqua di Parma Colonia (1916), which although intently unisex, formed a blueprint of sorts with citrus and woods focused for future men's market items. In particular with Italian men's fragrance, Acqua di Selva (1949), Pino Silvestri (1955), Capucci pour Homme (1967), and Gucci pour Homme (1976) continued in oneupmanship fashion, seeing a shift towards more of a French chypre form done with increasingly assertive masculinity; more woods replacing citrus-based florals like neroli, leathers and garrigue herbs creeping in, plus heavier applications of oakmoss. After a while, these Italian men's market chypres pushed up against the fougère structure with their sheer density in an attempt to have bigger muscles, a hairier chest, and more bacon and eggs between the legs than the competition, all while almost comically still trying to stuff themselves into a dapper pinstripe suit with their marketing. Fendi Uomo is perhaps a climax of sorts for this style, just as much a nod to grandpa's Acqua di Selva as it is dad's Gucci pour Homme, plus being a bit of its own mega-macho machine that perhaps less-than-discreetly borrows from some of the big French powerhouses of the decade. The ultimate goal here ended up being to create another monster leather chypre from an era when such monsters were one of several dominant species, but with a polite hat-tip. Unfortunately, this was 1988 and time was running out for this style being popular, although it didn't stop Fendi Uomo from having fans (and it still has fans who pay the discontinued premium to keep wearing it).
The basic premise of Fendi Uomo from my first glance is what Chanel Antaeus (1981) would smell like if it was processed through the perspective of your typical Hollywood "gabagool" mafioso stereotype, so in essence make it smoother yet somehow more dangerous. Antaeus in the most flagrantly French way imaginable announces its virility and doesn't even ask you if you want to deal with it or not, you just do until you can escape it. Fendi Uomo likes to slide up and play nice with its opening that reminds me more of a barbershop than an abattoir, then slowly rolls back the sleeves to reveal those brass knuckles ready to make you talk only after you've been disarmed with the smile and its too late. The thick Brooklyn accent probably should have tipped you off that you were in trouble, but you didn't want to stereotype anyone, and now you're paying for second-guessing yourself. The opening is bergamot, lavender, and lemon, smooth and a bit bright. The carnation and cyclamen that starts coming into the heart is the first clue you're going down the dark 80's animalic powerhouse path, then the cinnamon comes in and cumin, bringing us up to an isobutyl quinoline leather seemingly plucked right from Hermès Bel-Ami (1986), before the castoreum and patchouli join the heart's carnation to bring you those Antaeus vibes. Add patchouli, a ton of oakmoss, labdanum, cedar, and vetiver into the mix, and you've got an Italian stallion. A lot of things from the era smell like this in fits and starts, so if you're well-steeped in 80's masculines you may not need this, especially if you're an owner of stuff I've mentioned. Wear time is long here, at over 10 hours, and projection is "80's strong" so watch out, with sillage cutting to half that only halfway through. Best use is when you're out getting into trouble playing cards at the local deli, or at least that's what you're telling the wife.
Fendi is of course an Italian fashion design house based originally around furs and leathers until Karl Lagerfeld hopped on as creative director and made them into a more-modern fashion establishment like Armani, Versace, and the like. Because of this, the huge animalic leather streak in Fendi Uomo is not surprising. Hermès is mostly a leather maker too by heritage, which informed many of their men's market scents too. It's just with the very particular way Italian brands for the longest used to zero in on a traditionally prideful (sometimes overbearing) sense of masculinity in their men's fragrance efforts, that fragrances like Fendi Uomo could almost be predicted to smell like they do. Look at Gianfranco Ferré for Men (1986) before it, Versace L'Homme (1984) before that, Trussardi Uomo (1983) even before that, and you can see how a systematic amplification of these core olfactive values eventually came to a head in Fendi Uomo, which is almost the grandest of them all smell-wise. This is why I even dare compare it to something so shamelessly over-the-top alpha-male as Chanel Antaeus, but then we're back to French perfume being all-bets-are-off about whatever concept its exploring, something typically more-conservative Italian perfumes avoid in their attempt to be appropriate for the target audience. I'm not necessarily implying Italian fragrance houses were intentionally trying to out-macho each other, although the even more over-the-top Moschino pour Homme (1990) that seems to parody Fendi Uomo and Bel-Ami would accidentally add weight to that insinuation. Either way it was a fun time to be shopping men's fragrance, and these "men's cologne" macho frags are fun to take in, even if most like this Fendi are discontinued and too expensive so the casual wise-guy has to fuggetaboutit. Thumbs up
The basic premise of Fendi Uomo from my first glance is what Chanel Antaeus (1981) would smell like if it was processed through the perspective of your typical Hollywood "gabagool" mafioso stereotype, so in essence make it smoother yet somehow more dangerous. Antaeus in the most flagrantly French way imaginable announces its virility and doesn't even ask you if you want to deal with it or not, you just do until you can escape it. Fendi Uomo likes to slide up and play nice with its opening that reminds me more of a barbershop than an abattoir, then slowly rolls back the sleeves to reveal those brass knuckles ready to make you talk only after you've been disarmed with the smile and its too late. The thick Brooklyn accent probably should have tipped you off that you were in trouble, but you didn't want to stereotype anyone, and now you're paying for second-guessing yourself. The opening is bergamot, lavender, and lemon, smooth and a bit bright. The carnation and cyclamen that starts coming into the heart is the first clue you're going down the dark 80's animalic powerhouse path, then the cinnamon comes in and cumin, bringing us up to an isobutyl quinoline leather seemingly plucked right from Hermès Bel-Ami (1986), before the castoreum and patchouli join the heart's carnation to bring you those Antaeus vibes. Add patchouli, a ton of oakmoss, labdanum, cedar, and vetiver into the mix, and you've got an Italian stallion. A lot of things from the era smell like this in fits and starts, so if you're well-steeped in 80's masculines you may not need this, especially if you're an owner of stuff I've mentioned. Wear time is long here, at over 10 hours, and projection is "80's strong" so watch out, with sillage cutting to half that only halfway through. Best use is when you're out getting into trouble playing cards at the local deli, or at least that's what you're telling the wife.
Fendi is of course an Italian fashion design house based originally around furs and leathers until Karl Lagerfeld hopped on as creative director and made them into a more-modern fashion establishment like Armani, Versace, and the like. Because of this, the huge animalic leather streak in Fendi Uomo is not surprising. Hermès is mostly a leather maker too by heritage, which informed many of their men's market scents too. It's just with the very particular way Italian brands for the longest used to zero in on a traditionally prideful (sometimes overbearing) sense of masculinity in their men's fragrance efforts, that fragrances like Fendi Uomo could almost be predicted to smell like they do. Look at Gianfranco Ferré for Men (1986) before it, Versace L'Homme (1984) before that, Trussardi Uomo (1983) even before that, and you can see how a systematic amplification of these core olfactive values eventually came to a head in Fendi Uomo, which is almost the grandest of them all smell-wise. This is why I even dare compare it to something so shamelessly over-the-top alpha-male as Chanel Antaeus, but then we're back to French perfume being all-bets-are-off about whatever concept its exploring, something typically more-conservative Italian perfumes avoid in their attempt to be appropriate for the target audience. I'm not necessarily implying Italian fragrance houses were intentionally trying to out-macho each other, although the even more over-the-top Moschino pour Homme (1990) that seems to parody Fendi Uomo and Bel-Ami would accidentally add weight to that insinuation. Either way it was a fun time to be shopping men's fragrance, and these "men's cologne" macho frags are fun to take in, even if most like this Fendi are discontinued and too expensive so the casual wise-guy has to fuggetaboutit. Thumbs up
A thumbs up given mostly out of respect versus any serious intention to wear my bottle of Fendi Uomo anytime soon!
As a teen growing up in the 80's, Fendi Uomo stood out as one of the most interesting men's colognes on the department store tester counters. The bold bottle design was like a trumpet call, prompting me to set aside any shyness and just revel in the powerhouse potion within! Every time I would spritz this cologne on my hands, I would feel like a million bucks! Even in my youth, I knew that Fendi Uomo was too loud versus, say, my then go-to oriental scent Obsession. Fendi Uomo felt more like a curiousity fragrance meant to draw attention like an electromagnet...more so than I was comfortable doing.
And here I am, close to thirty years since experiencing a cologne which has long since been discontinued and totally absent from fragrance counters today. I tip my hat off to what was a credible contender in the crowded men's powerhouse scent field. Beholding its bold manly woody-fresh-spicy character now is like taking a trip in H.G. Well's Time Machine to the heart of one of the most gaudy, hedonistic years of my life.
A great period piece exhibit of a time so full of energy and self-expression, Fendi Uomo would be worn by me to relive the days when men's fougere's were like lions roaring around in the latest party scenes, of which I was still too young to experience. I like others bemoan the demise of the Fendi label as matter of principle, a handsome label representing men and women in those wild times. It's all over but the shouting of Fendi's relics.
As a teen growing up in the 80's, Fendi Uomo stood out as one of the most interesting men's colognes on the department store tester counters. The bold bottle design was like a trumpet call, prompting me to set aside any shyness and just revel in the powerhouse potion within! Every time I would spritz this cologne on my hands, I would feel like a million bucks! Even in my youth, I knew that Fendi Uomo was too loud versus, say, my then go-to oriental scent Obsession. Fendi Uomo felt more like a curiousity fragrance meant to draw attention like an electromagnet...more so than I was comfortable doing.
And here I am, close to thirty years since experiencing a cologne which has long since been discontinued and totally absent from fragrance counters today. I tip my hat off to what was a credible contender in the crowded men's powerhouse scent field. Beholding its bold manly woody-fresh-spicy character now is like taking a trip in H.G. Well's Time Machine to the heart of one of the most gaudy, hedonistic years of my life.
A great period piece exhibit of a time so full of energy and self-expression, Fendi Uomo would be worn by me to relive the days when men's fougere's were like lions roaring around in the latest party scenes, of which I was still too young to experience. I like others bemoan the demise of the Fendi label as matter of principle, a handsome label representing men and women in those wild times. It's all over but the shouting of Fendi's relics.
I don't understand it. How can Fahrenheit still be around and not Fendi Uomo. I wore Fendi Uomo on a daily basis. The few bottles I have left I use very sparingly, I suppose for old time's sake. What a pity Fendi discontinued this, as well as Fendi for Women, which was a beautiful rose/amber fragrance. I couldn't be that they didn't sell well, because I know MANY people who think it was a big mistake to discontinue those namesake fragrances and are hoping that the marketing people at Fendi comes to their senses and bring back these beautiful classics!
Stardate 20180105:
Old style Italian. Unfortunately it has more cumin that I like. Reminds me of Declaration but this is better made.
Pass for me
Old style Italian. Unfortunately it has more cumin that I like. Reminds me of Declaration but this is better made.
Pass for me
A nice barbershop frag which is a vast improvement over the other Fendi offerings that I've smelled. Lavender and leather, carnation and musk. This balances clean and animalic leather with more clean than animalic. Dry-down to leather and lavender, this fragrance is not wildly unique, but a good example of the style. Why they would discontinue this and keep producing Fendi pour Homme Acqua is beyond my understanding.
Obviously MASCULINE.It smells interesting at the bigining when you first spray but not for all.FENDI UOMO a true CLASSIC.it is definitely HEAVY but i would't say it is unique.
When you wearning this cologne people will think you have a particular style.Nice and warm.the base notes is woody and a little remembered GUCCI PH for me.
Not for every day.perfect for cold winter nights definitely special occasions.it makes you feel warm.Sillage and longevity are very Good.Anyway i recommend to test before buying.
7.5/10
When you wearning this cologne people will think you have a particular style.Nice and warm.the base notes is woody and a little remembered GUCCI PH for me.
Not for every day.perfect for cold winter nights definitely special occasions.it makes you feel warm.Sillage and longevity are very Good.Anyway i recommend to test before buying.
7.5/10
Fendi Uomo opens as a fresh-herbal aromatic fougère with an tamed down leathery-woody base, quite soft but virile, and an overall sharp barbershop feel (lavender, carnation, citrus notes, leather...). Fairly pleasant, clean and well made, but frankly also quite conventional, at least initially and for a while in a boring meaning, much similar to many other fougères from the 80s in the same kind of leathery-herbal style (no powerhouses, no civet/leather bombs, rather just dad's classy aftershave). Nonetheless, during the evolution it becomes more interesting, more unique and quite more fascinating: it gets darker, drier, losing a bit of its formal understatement and becoming more smoky, more austere, more sophisticated and shady. Fans of recent Amouage leather-based scents like Journey Man may like this (just compare the drydowns). It's still somehow conventional, therefore still a tad boring honestly, but good. Overall I'd consider it a solid, compelling, understated, not-that-exciting all-year-rounder, unworthy any high price or chase, but worth a try for any herbal-leathery fougère fan.
6,5-7/10
6,5-7/10
Complex, mature and quite elegant
I have nothing but admiration for the old italian style of perfume making, and Fendi Uomo is typical of this.
The fragrance opens up with a host of notes that can be almost overwhelming but which work together really well to give the impression of a well dressed, slightly conservative image of a man. Pure masculinity in the old tradition.
With lavender, cinnamon, carnation and herbs, followed by rose, iris and vetiver, with leather, patchouli and amber constantly in the background. It can be dense and a little heavy, but it dries down beautifully with leather and earthy, herbal florals to give this impression of masculinity. Think expensive cut suits with wide lapels, the finest Italian leather shoes, immaculate grooming. I don't see this primarily as an "old man" type of fragrance, but more of a "classic" style type of scent. Like a young man in an old Italian film or magazine dressed in the best male fashion of his day.
In this world where this kind of smell is slowly disappearing (Fendi Uomo has been discontinued for some time now), it really is nice to smell the old classic style of masculinity once again. Nostalgia, yes... but certainly worth it.
I have nothing but admiration for the old italian style of perfume making, and Fendi Uomo is typical of this.
The fragrance opens up with a host of notes that can be almost overwhelming but which work together really well to give the impression of a well dressed, slightly conservative image of a man. Pure masculinity in the old tradition.
With lavender, cinnamon, carnation and herbs, followed by rose, iris and vetiver, with leather, patchouli and amber constantly in the background. It can be dense and a little heavy, but it dries down beautifully with leather and earthy, herbal florals to give this impression of masculinity. Think expensive cut suits with wide lapels, the finest Italian leather shoes, immaculate grooming. I don't see this primarily as an "old man" type of fragrance, but more of a "classic" style type of scent. Like a young man in an old Italian film or magazine dressed in the best male fashion of his day.
In this world where this kind of smell is slowly disappearing (Fendi Uomo has been discontinued for some time now), it really is nice to smell the old classic style of masculinity once again. Nostalgia, yes... but certainly worth it.
A lavender with coriander and some bergamot sets the tone in the opening phase, with iris and carnation developing as middle notes. A bit of wood is also present and a mild patchouli. On my skin it does not develop on a particularly exciting way. Limited silage and projection with about three hours of longevity.
Ive now had 2 bottles of this and i love it. Sadly, this has now been discontinued. Only it hasnt. It was reincarnated as YSL's M7 in 2002. They smell exactly the same and i cant believe no-one else has picked up on this!? Basically, saw some pine in half and rub some cherries on the end. Smell. This is what Fendi Uomo smells like. Unique. Sort of.
Update!
This smells the same as M7 Oud Absolou, not the original M7. My mistake. But if you like Uomo, try M7 Oud Absolou.
Update!
This smells the same as M7 Oud Absolou, not the original M7. My mistake. But if you like Uomo, try M7 Oud Absolou.
You are spending a year abroad in Roma, the eternal city. You have treated yourself to an expensive FENDI leather tote bag. It will become your souvenir when you return home and remind you of shopping daily at the open air markets.
Today you are shopping for ingredients for a lovely fish dinner you are preparing for a special friend you met living in your building. You head out with the FENDI tote to a favorite market near the Spanish Steps. You toss in a couple of plump lemons and a particularly fragrant bunch of marjoram. Your eye catches a lovely older woman who makes home-made lavender soaps and purchase one for a sybaritic bath later that evening before your guest arrives. Before you head home you peruse the flower section for a bouquet for the dinner table. There is a mixed arrangement that looks particularly appealing. It is comprised of white carnations, white lilies and a few sprigs of jasmine thrown in. It will be perfect in the candlelight.
You stop at a sidewalk cafe' for an expresso before returning back to your apartment. This is the hottest part of the day and your filled tote sits in the sun for a spell. The fragrant items in that tote are at their peak. When you return home you open your tote and the most wonderful aroma of herbs, flowers, soap and of course, the smell of expensive leather envelope you. You are in rapture. That is the smell of FENDI UOMO in a nutshell.
When this was launched in the 80's there was the most sexy promotional film used in department stores. It was a beautiful Roman woman searching desperately through a burning Roman temple. She finally finds what she is looking for, a classical male nude marble statue. She approaches it and gives him a kiss on the lips. Lo and behold he turns human from his solid state. She is in sheer bliss. That is the way I feel when I wear UOMO.
Today you are shopping for ingredients for a lovely fish dinner you are preparing for a special friend you met living in your building. You head out with the FENDI tote to a favorite market near the Spanish Steps. You toss in a couple of plump lemons and a particularly fragrant bunch of marjoram. Your eye catches a lovely older woman who makes home-made lavender soaps and purchase one for a sybaritic bath later that evening before your guest arrives. Before you head home you peruse the flower section for a bouquet for the dinner table. There is a mixed arrangement that looks particularly appealing. It is comprised of white carnations, white lilies and a few sprigs of jasmine thrown in. It will be perfect in the candlelight.
You stop at a sidewalk cafe' for an expresso before returning back to your apartment. This is the hottest part of the day and your filled tote sits in the sun for a spell. The fragrant items in that tote are at their peak. When you return home you open your tote and the most wonderful aroma of herbs, flowers, soap and of course, the smell of expensive leather envelope you. You are in rapture. That is the smell of FENDI UOMO in a nutshell.
When this was launched in the 80's there was the most sexy promotional film used in department stores. It was a beautiful Roman woman searching desperately through a burning Roman temple. She finally finds what she is looking for, a classical male nude marble statue. She approaches it and gives him a kiss on the lips. Lo and behold he turns human from his solid state. She is in sheer bliss. That is the way I feel when I wear UOMO.
I like finding things I was looking for without trying. I enjoy S.T. Dupont and to some extent Declaration, but neither one works well on me. Well, Fendi Uomo smells a lot like Dupont without the Galbanum or the elegant smokiness. The cedar and coconut warmth is still there, though, along with something different - a scarce but pretty rose note, like a whisper of Halston Limited thrown in. This is not by most standards an exceptional fragrance, but it works for me in a simple, reliable, and pleasant way that I really appreciate.
I bought a large bottle of this untried and at whim when I saw it on sale for under $20. I had recalled some of the great reviews on-line and couldn't resist the very retro dark faux marble and gold bottle.
Little did I realise what was about to unfold…… this fragrance just about blew my head off!
Although the drydown is sublime in its nature, unfortunately, the top notes are just far too abrasive for me. I know that each nose is different and we all have our own olfactory preferences, but I'm not kidding when I say that the first blast was like my nostrils had been assaulted by some kind of hot, spicy, almost poisonous gas!
I had been forewarned about its strength, so I was careful not to over-apply. One spray on each wrist and one on my chest was all it took to completely overwhelm me. Initially, I was tempted to run to the shower and immediately wash the whole lot off, but then I decided to give this classic its fair due and see where this assault would lead.
The very strong abrasive notes lasted a good 2 3 hours before the whole thing started to calm down. About 4 5 hours later, I was enveloped in a gorgeous & entrancing herbal sweet musk. Unfortunately, by this time I was far too olfactorily (is that a word?) exhausted that I couldn't enjoy it as I'm sure it was intended. When I awoke the next morning, I could still clearly detect the herbal musky drydown; this is some 14 hours after a 3 spray application!
I can certainly see that some guys could pull this off and enjoy it too, but I guess I'm just not courageous enough to endure the almost 4 hour assault on my senses, before the drydown.
Little did I realise what was about to unfold…… this fragrance just about blew my head off!
Although the drydown is sublime in its nature, unfortunately, the top notes are just far too abrasive for me. I know that each nose is different and we all have our own olfactory preferences, but I'm not kidding when I say that the first blast was like my nostrils had been assaulted by some kind of hot, spicy, almost poisonous gas!
I had been forewarned about its strength, so I was careful not to over-apply. One spray on each wrist and one on my chest was all it took to completely overwhelm me. Initially, I was tempted to run to the shower and immediately wash the whole lot off, but then I decided to give this classic its fair due and see where this assault would lead.
The very strong abrasive notes lasted a good 2 3 hours before the whole thing started to calm down. About 4 5 hours later, I was enveloped in a gorgeous & entrancing herbal sweet musk. Unfortunately, by this time I was far too olfactorily (is that a word?) exhausted that I couldn't enjoy it as I'm sure it was intended. When I awoke the next morning, I could still clearly detect the herbal musky drydown; this is some 14 hours after a 3 spray application!
I can certainly see that some guys could pull this off and enjoy it too, but I guess I'm just not courageous enough to endure the almost 4 hour assault on my senses, before the drydown.
I've seen another note pyramid that lists angelica, marjoram, and coconut too. If this is true, these notes may account for the "brightness" I experience here, but don't in many similar masculine fragrance of this type from this era. On the other hand, it doesn't have a "wow factor" like some of those others do. I guess if you want "old school elegance," this might be the one to reach for, especially for a formal event. I've got too many of these kinds of fragrances (that I enjoy more) to feel compelled to acquire a bottle of this one, however. It's natural-smelling, with good longevity. The projection/"sillage" is moderate, at least beyond the top notes, which I always try to avoid.
Super holy giant straight from the deep 80's. One of the classiest scents ever. Virile, conservative, aristocratic, funereal and "luxurious leatherwears conjuring". The Fendi by Fendi male royal counterpart, many points in common with the great Trussardi Uomo, Balenciaga Pour Homme and Salvador Dali Pour Homme as well (like being an ideal more decadent/aristocratic mix of the overmentioned three creations), a fur-like floral powerhouse with baroque prerogatives and a sheer intellectual aura. I get immediately a blast of hesperides, aldehydes, lavender and cumin. Rich, sinister and palatine. Massive roman regal buildings, elusive high class fur-dressed women, tobacco corners, neo-classic debauchery, leather-sofà, chandeliers, golden framed paintings and dark unmentionable rooms jump ideally on mind as you are spinned around by a "turbine" of multifaceted nuances (floral, hesperidic, leathery, earthy, spicy, woody, oriental, mossy, exotic, fruity). A decidedly sour and astringent "appalling" welcome is the prelude for a powderfully spicy-fruity (pungent and sweet) and richly floral heart before the scent starts sliding towards an obscure, heavy, mossy and leathery-animalic (hyper refined) base. The outcome is a refined yet spicy-herbal, mossy, berrish, liquorous, finally soapy-dark concoction (dominant the spicy-viney vetiver and a velvety soft leather), a sort of warm regal liquor epitome of the 80's, due to be worn just for hyper-formal events. This juice is quite strong, spicy and dirty (musk, patchouli, castoreum and leather together in a stout connection) and I detect furthermore a sort of woody (sandalwood) and dense rooty (vetiver, patchouli) temperament slightly sweetened by amber, sweet spices and a bunch of rich flowers as carnation and cyclamen. Repeat, a veritable forbidding, "kind of mournful", "Palatin/Baroque", decadent and conservative piece of italian luxurious left back perfumery.
How would I define Fendi Uomo? "Quorum in a tuxedo".
Both strong patchouli/leather scents, but while Quorum is intrusive and with an attitude, Fendi Uomo is gentler, maybe a little more friendly, but still is a ballsbusting macho perfume yelling "I am here" (while wearing silk gloves).
The bitter Artemisia note in Quorum (which I love) is replaced by Coriander and Angelica in Fendi, not as "sharp" as Quorum giving Fendi a rounder and deeper feel. The heart is much much more complex in Fendi with Jasmine taking a more prominent role in Fendi, and while Quorum is woodier, Fendi is spicier. Then, in both, patchouli takes the reins sitting in this rich leather saddle and would not let go until the cows come home. Quorum's drydown being mossier and Fendi's sweeter, but both highly enjoyable.
Although they are somewhat different perfumes, they share too many facets that I can not think in one without thinking in the other. I love them both and while Quorum appeals to the brute in me, Fendi appeals to a more sophisticated me.
This review is for the vintage Fendi (Horizontal clear Window) and not for the reformulated one (Vertical clear window) I think the bad reviews here may refer to the reformulated one.
Both strong patchouli/leather scents, but while Quorum is intrusive and with an attitude, Fendi Uomo is gentler, maybe a little more friendly, but still is a ballsbusting macho perfume yelling "I am here" (while wearing silk gloves).
The bitter Artemisia note in Quorum (which I love) is replaced by Coriander and Angelica in Fendi, not as "sharp" as Quorum giving Fendi a rounder and deeper feel. The heart is much much more complex in Fendi with Jasmine taking a more prominent role in Fendi, and while Quorum is woodier, Fendi is spicier. Then, in both, patchouli takes the reins sitting in this rich leather saddle and would not let go until the cows come home. Quorum's drydown being mossier and Fendi's sweeter, but both highly enjoyable.
Although they are somewhat different perfumes, they share too many facets that I can not think in one without thinking in the other. I love them both and while Quorum appeals to the brute in me, Fendi appeals to a more sophisticated me.
This review is for the vintage Fendi (Horizontal clear Window) and not for the reformulated one (Vertical clear window) I think the bad reviews here may refer to the reformulated one.