Saturday, May 12, 2012

Just a little lick of lemon

As uninteresting as my current neck of the woods in Alaska is, one thing that I do thoroughly enjoy is the dependence of the seasons. While I'm not a huge fan of summer because of seasonal allergies, sub-arctic summer is never too intense for me, but for sun lovers' sake, it boasts so much daylight (nearly 24 hours a day) and so much greenery that you don't even notice it will only maybe reach 80 F on any given day. The farther south I've lived, the worse I'm able to handle hot summers and it only seems to get worse with time. Even though my little bubble of space is now thrust into the rainy season of Alaskan spring it's hard to not jump into summer's palette right at this moment. Today I had a delicious piece of lemon coffeecake that so dearly reminded me of a classic fragrance in which lemon and some of its complementary scents create a timeless and all around good-guy men's fragrance.


Pierre Cardin - Pour Monsieur, Pierre Cardin
1972

The Goods


Men's fragrance, colloquially called cologne despite actual definitions, is distinct from women's fragrance (colloquially called perfume). Pierre Cardin Pour Monsieur appeared on the scene roughly a decade before post-industrial men's fashion laid roots on its way to a huge boom starting in the mid 1990's and railroading on rapidly today. My initial reaction to this scent which I first encountered in about 1996 was "Holy hell is this women's stuff?" But letting the scents seep in it clearly gives way to an opaque, distincly men's fragrance structure.


Gender is relative (both sociologically and biologically), and nowhere is that more true than in the fragrance industry. Certain notes might be labelled masculine in one era's tastes and switch to feminine in the next. For me, the three note ladder of lavender-geranium-vanilla screams feminine, as it would with most enthusiasts, but when charged with the masculine combination of basil-leather-sandalwood the classically feminine scents become accent pieces that fit the scent well and don't over-"perfume" the Pierre Cardin fragrance. When it comes down to it, Pierre Cardin for men is a premonition of fragrances in what would be the near future. It has a warm vibe with a clean cut edge that screams the arrival of men's fashion of the 1980's and the reshaping of the male condition.


My preferred use of this fragrance is Monday mornings, the time of the week you want to come in and say "I mean business" with a deceptively smooth exterior that lures in your competition.


Argent's Random Artistic Fragrance Word Association


Leather shoes. Ties. Stripes. Diamond earring. Steel chair. Computer. Brick cell phone. Clocks. Floor wax. Concrete. Zen garden. Driving. Shaving. Polish. Communications system. Price quote. Loft.


Conclusion


Pierre Cardin Pour Monsieur is an unforgettable fragrance that has timeless appeal. It beckons to a time that borders between the height of the classic strong 20th century male and the dominance of yuppie as a precursor to the next century.


Rank It Up


6 of 7 Sprays. The only reason it's not 7 of 7 is that this fragrance does not have a modern "it" factor and its versatility is dated, regardless of its eternal appeal and enjoyment. Much like how vintage clothing can ride the fine line of being retro and chic vs. looking like a hippie or hipster, Pierre Cardin Pour Monsieur is not recommended for frequent wear because you will smell "like the 80s".

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