Smelling like a man is more complicated than just working outside all day, drinking a beer, and basking in the aroma of your own sweat and booze. It means smelling like manly things, without repelling others. Things like the forest, black pepper, tobacco, leather, and gin — all scents you'll find in Moonshine Cologne ($75). This "gentleman's cologne" arrives in a modest bottle, inside a burlap sack that's protected by a wooden box, which is slightly more impressive than the presentation for our last delivery of real moonshine. [via]
Inspired by the company's New England roots, Gant Eau de Toilette ($65-$90) represents a rebirth for a brand that's seen its highs and lows over its 62-year existence. Created with help from renowned perfumer Pierre Wulff, it mixes notes of tar, ocean, wood, lemon, coriander, and lavender to create a scent that recalls both the woods and the ocean simultaneously. The fragrance arrives in a solid blue glass bottle with a retro black Bakelite cap, designed by artist Pierre Dinand. Expect to see it on store shelves in November.
It's always nice when a fragrance arrives in a bottle that looks as good as the stuff inside smells, and John Varvatos Star USA Fragrance ($55-$72) is no exception. Eschewing the designer's traditional flask-like container for an upright bottle topped with a knurled metal swing top that reminds us of a Grolsch, it pairs perfectly with fall weather thanks to a mixture that blends fresh and woody notes for a masculine, clean scent.
If you haven't eaten enough pork this summer to have the smell naturally seeping from your pores, Que Cologne ($25) can help you along. That's right — this unique barbecue-scented fragrance features notes of spices, smoke, meat, and a little bit of sweat, giving you the smell of a BBQ master. Or just a guy who hangs out by the pulled pork cart all day.
Behold the awesome old school goodness of these vintage-printed, buttery-soft Homage T-Shirts. They turn back the clock with shout outs to eclectic moments and personalities in sports, music, politics and popular culture. From Bruce Lee to Larry Bird, the tees tell stories of triumph, individualism and hustle. Pay Homage.
Feeling a little guilty? Might as well let everyone in the vicinity know by dousing yourself in Gucci Guilty Pour Homme ($57-$73). Described as "an intense and individual contemporary fougere that provokes as it seduces" — who doesn't love some fragrance hyperbole? — it boasts notes of Italian lemon and mandarin, crushed green leaves, lavender, and pink pepper, and arrives in a stylish monochrome silver and glass container.
It's not cool to smell like winter in the middle of spring. That's why there's Paul Smith Optimistic (£35; roughly $55). The latest scent from the stripe-obsessed designer, Optimistic is new for spring '11, offering notes of mandarin, black pepper, sage, geranium, cedar, and vetiver, it's ideal for sunny days. Remember: a little optimism never hurt anyone.
As absurd as it sounds, we're not really surprised. Bacon Cologne ($36) includes just a hint of bacon essence in its Gold (citrus) and Classic (spicy maple) fragrances to give you all the allure of a cooked hog. It was bound to happen.
Ensure your scent matches the weather by spraying on a few dabs of Bleu De Chanel ($60-$80). This new mens fragrance features a blend of citrus and woodsy scents that's perfect for fall — which means that yes, it's time to shelve those ocean + flower scents until next spring.
Arriving in a container that fittingly looks as much like a flask as it does a cologne bottle, John Varvatos 10th Anniversary Fragrance ($90) celebrates a decade of the renowned designer's eponymous label, mixing notes of bergamot, orange, and cinnamon to create a masculine scent that's just right for autumn.
Spice up your late summer scent with Marc Jacobs Bang ($75). Described as an "explosive threesome of peppercorns wrapped in warm, sensual woods," one might think it was cologne exclusively for porn stars, but luckily for you, you can pick up the fresh scent in the funky bottle even if you're not packing an anaconda-sized trouser snake.
Instead of launching yet another single fragrance like Romance, Polo Sport, or Polo Crust Crest, RL broke out the big guns and made four for the Ralph Lauren Big Pony Collection ($50). With names that sound more appropriate for $5 body spray than high-end fragrance, the collection includes the lime and grapefruit mixture of Sporty, the dark chocolate and musk notes of Seductive, the pine and ginger root scented Adventurous, and Stylish, with notes of mandarin and kyara wood. We're not sure why they didn't try to come up with an "S-Word" for Adventurous — but then again, we couldn't think of one, either.
You might not be successful, but you can surely smell like it with Creed Aventus ($280/4 oz.). In keeping with the fragrance company's father to son lineage — it has been passed from father to son in an unbroken line since 1760 — Aventus is made with ingredients selected by Erwin Creed, and was originally created using hand production methods dating back to Creed's founding. Notes of black currant, apples, and pineapple abound, supported by jasmine, birch, oak moss, and vanilla. If it's good enough for queens, kings, and America's modern royalty — the Kennedys — it's good enough for us.