Question:
N.B.: I went back and smelled Gucci II again,and you can believe that I have done a 180º turn on this one. See my newer post below.
Original post:

I made a pilgrimage to Bloomie's men's fragrance counter today to smell the new stuff they have there. I got a whiff of three: Gucci II, Fleur du Mâle, and Kiton Black. Here are my impressions:
Gucci II smells really good on paper. There was a note I couldn't place, but that really appealed to me. Anyhow, I decided to try some on my skin. It was very nice for a few minutes, but quickly went south; something cloyingly sweet manifested itself and lingered for a long time, at least an hour and a half. After that, it resumed a pleasant character. One observation: I found no sillage; on me, it stays very close to the skin.
Fleur du Mâle started out way over the top. The florals are very prominent right off the bat. Given a little time (in this case, about 30 minutes on me), it calms down and becomes a pleasant, neroli-dominated scent. I can say the same thing about sillage as I did about Gucci II: there isn't much.
Kiton Black is reminiscent of Kiton Man. There is a bit of pepper in it, to my nose, but it is still basically a kind of woody chypre. It is a little less assertive than Man, but still very nice. Of the three, on first impression, I liked the Kiton Black best. This was contrary to expectation; from the scents I smelled on paper, I thought Gucci II would be my favorite.
So.... (drumroll)... What did I end up getting? None of them for now. They're all OK (after some drydown time in the case of the first two), but I'm not sure they're bottleworthy. That drydown time is a bit daunting, and the Kiton Black isn't different enough from Man to justify an immediate purchase.Coming from me, who buys fragrances at the drop of the proverbial hat, that's kind of faint praise. Knowing myself as I do, though, I've got to say that down the line, I might pick up one of them.
For now, however, I think I will probably visit the discount perfumery store in the same mall and pick up a bottle of Chanel No. 19 EdP. That would be worth having!


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Originally Posted by JaimeB For now, however, I think I will probably visit the discount perfumery store in the same mall and pick up a bottle of Chanel No. 19 EdP. That would be worth having! That's for damn sure.

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I have read so many differing opinons on the GHII, my head is spinning...I must sniff this myself soon so that I can decide for myself.

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Thanks for the interesting update. You will motivate me to go try Kiton Black for myself. I had hesitated getting Kiton Man when I first heard Black was coming out. Interesting you didn't discern any leathery notes in Black as some others here have, I believe.
Joe

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It is amazing how different an experience can be with a fragrance...I have been wearing Gucci II and been getting absolutely knockout sillage - received a compliment about six hours into the day from a distance I wouldn't normally want to my frag to be detected from (and I didn't overdose). The other morning, my son took a shot on each side of his neck, and a half hour later, my nose noticed when he left the room.
Anyway, as always, try before you buy. I have quickly fallen for this scent, it is absolutely wonderful...still aren't sure if the sweet note is the Myrrh or the cinnamon...either way, it totally works for me.

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Revised estimate on Gucci II:
So it's time to eat some crow. Apparently my nose was way off yesterday.
I went to Nordstrom today and the SA started touting Gucci II. I told him about my experience yesterday, and he was incredulous. He asked me to try it again, and I did.
This time, the first, bright notes lingered, never went south, but developed instead into a beautiful accord. The projection was notable and very pleasant.
I've done a complete 180º about-face on this one, from at D, I'm having to change the grade to an A-minus. The reason for the minus is that I find the remaining black pepper a little too assertive. I don't mind that it's there; it's a nice counterpoint for the sweet stuff. Still, I would turn it down just a bit.
So, I bought it. I got the 50 ml., and I'm very happy.
Now, I guess I have to go back to Bloomie's and see why my nose missed the leather note in Kiton Black. Nordstrom doesn't have that one yet. They say it'll be in the first week of April.


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Interesting I found very heavy sillage from Fleur du Male. I still picking up a heavy trace of the fragrance on a sweater sleave I sprayed over a week ago now!!!!