Women may have Chanel No. 5, YSL Opium, Guerlain Jicky and Dior Diorella, but men have Clive Christian No. 1 For Men and that just about evens the score on all fronts. A classic in its genre? Check. Smooth and warm and disarmingly attractive? Check. Richly layered? Check. Stuffed with expensive ingredients? Double check.
Luca Turin dismisses Clive Christian No. 1 For Men as a “powdery floral” and “a touch boring” but maybe that’s because he’s only smelled it on himself and not on someone else. Delicate and potent at the same time, No. 1 For Men envelopes the skin like a top-shelf, retro-chic wrap job, presenting its wearer as the ultimate gift to the party while silencing any cheap swaggering chatter about how a “real man” is supposed to smell.
It has its own depth and solidity, but it complements what surrounds it. There’s no foghorn, no trumpet blast, no desperate bids for attention — just rock solid composition and a scent that will still be glowing long after the last drunk socialite has been fished from the pool.
One minor quibble: you have to be the type who can regularly date socialites to afford it, and its price has nearly doubled since just last year.
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