Question:
Originally Posted by DustB Damn good question. I'm going to play with both and get an answer for me.
It happens that I've always thought Bandit was a bit of Bel Ami with some flower stems in it (especially Bandit edp). Not to far to move between Bel Ami and Antaeus, time wise, so maybe the comparison will work really well.
Good idea, Indie.
--Chris I think I was right about Antaeus containing Iso Butyl Quinoline, which is a HUGE component of Bandit. (BTW, last week I had guests who wanted to sniff my aromachemicals-- a girl sniffed the Iso Butyl Quinoline and said, "Hey this smells like marijuana" -- so that's even more evidence of the whole Bandit/pot phenom. But actually Iso Butyl Quinoline is used often times to give the smell of leather to a composition, and since Antaeus is a leathery fragrance, it seems to make sense.
Aside from the technical side though, Antaeus is truly one of the finer things in life. I love that when you smell it you picture deep red, matte gray, and gloss black. Glad to see there are others who love it too!

Answer:
this article from January in Business Week describes the new CEO's plan to make the brand more exclusive.
with a paragraph like this I wouldn't be surprised if Antaeus is soon never available at the discounters.
" The plan isn't without risk. Chanel could anger big accounts Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Nor do some shops want to sell Chanel: "Chanel is so last year," says Debi Greenberg, owner of swank independent Louis Boston."
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_05/b4019069.htm?chan=innovation_branding_brand+profil es

Answer:
On the bottle issue - the EDT has a flush cap as you describe, whereas the after shave has the smaller cap.

Answer:
Originally Posted by Dante On the bottle issue - the EDT has a flush cap as you describe, whereas the after shave has the smaller cap. Yes, thats the one I own (with the smaller cap) which is the aftershave splash. I've never owned the EDT.
I'm coming up for a renewal buy on this & unsure which one to get. Using the splash I get a lovely aura around me for a fair while, but I don't find it particularly strong & seem to get through quite alot of the stuff. I'd always presumed the EDT was stronger & was going to get that, but am wondering now as many people seem to be mentioning that the modern Antaeus is a bit watered down.

Answer:
Originally Posted by Lone Wolf Yes, thats the one I own (with the smaller cap) which is the aftershave splash. I've never owned the EDT.
I'm coming up for a renewal buy on this & unsure which one to get. Using the splash I get a lovely aura around me for a fair while, but I don't find it particularly strong & seem to get through quite alot of the stuff. I'd always presumed the EDT was stronger & was going to get that, but am wondering now as many people seem to be mentioning that the modern Antaeus is a bit watered down. Ahh... so the aftershave has the smaller cap.
As far as Antaeus being watered down-- Right after I bought it, I stopped by my parents' house and showed my Antaeus to my mom and dad. My mom sprayed some on her arm and said, "Oh, that's really nice. And it smells really light."
"Light" is not how I'd typically describe Antaeus. Although last night before bed I sprayed some on my chest for the hell of it and I can still smell it loud and clear. Maybe Antaeus doesn't project all that much, but still has great longevity. That would be fine with me because I don't like fragrances that project more than two feet or so.
Another thing about scents like Antaeus being super masculine is this-- sometimes people find the scents that are super masculine to be super feminine. For instance, yesterday after thinking about Antaeus, I went to my perfumers' organ and made my first Chypre. It turned out really good, and it was really masculine. I took a sample to work and let some of the girls smell it. They really liked it and commented on how manly it was. Some of the older ladies really swooned over it. Well, I took the sample and ambushed this guy, Glenn, who is a waiter--and I dabbed some on his hand. "Oh No. What's this? I smell like a b*tch now." He was going on and on about how feminine his hand smelled. It was a weird reaction, because this guy is one of the most hairy chested, masculine types I know.
It's the same with Antaeus. I think it's about as masculine as they come, but some people probably find it girly because they associate fragrances that are complex with being feminine.

Answer:
Btw, the "poor man's Antaeus" is, IMHO, easily found in 273 for Men by Fred Hayman.

Answer:
Chanel becoming more exclusive? More exclusive than "Vendors who do not reach a potential of $100,000 in Chanel sales annually will not continue to advertise our products." That's a lot in just perfume, but think about it... sunglasses vendors? Purse stores? No way are they doing $100,000 a year in just Chanel!
- Rich