Question:
Hi all,
It's been a looong time since I've posted. I hope this post finds all Basenoters well. OK, ok, here it is in a "nut shell". As much as I LOVE my (nearly depleated) collection of NICHE fragrances, I just can no longer afford to buy each and every bottles of my favorites, such as :
CREED BOIS DU PORTUGAL and MILLESIME IMPERIAL, MPG EAU DES ILES & ROUTE DU VETIVER, SMN PATCHOULI, ACQUA DI CUBA & NOSTALIGA,
LV PIPER NIGRUM, DILMUN & VETIVER, L'ARTISIAN DZING!,
DIPTYQUE L'AUTRE, MONTALE CUIR ARABIE OUD, SERGE LUTENS FUMERIE TURQUE, MILLER HARRIS FEUILLES DE TABAC, etc. etc. etc. Of course, I will ALWAYS have a FEW of my VERY TOP favorites but...that being said, which DESIGNER fragrances (Classics or newer) TRULY/REALLY/WITHOUT A DOUBT
do you believe compete with the likes of the best NICHE "heavy hitters ?"
I am seeking suggestions for fragrances that are NOT too expensive ($30.00 to $50.00 a bottle) yet, are truly SUPERIOR! On the whole (those who know my taste) know that I am not a big fan of TOO sweet fragrances. I tend more towards the FALL/EARTHY fragrances i.e. TOBACCO, PATCHOULI, LEATHER, COFFEE, VETIVER, etc. At any rate, I will list a few of what I believe are among THE best of the DESIGNER fragrances I have tried
and/or own :
YSL KOURSO
GUERLAIN HERITAGE, HABIT ROUGE & VETIVER
BOUCHERON JAIPUR
TRUSSARDI
PIGUET BANDIT
DOLCE & GABBANA PH
GENTLEMAN GIVENCHY
PACO RABANNE
KINGDOM
L'EAU BLEUE D'ISSEY
FLORIS JF
VC&A ph
YOHJI
Perhaps some of these DESIGNER fragrances are in your TOP TEN ?
I'm am open to more suggestion of your MUST HAVE fragrances
(perhaps your favorite THREE). Thank you ALL for any suggestions as to
THE best of THE best DESIGNER fragrances.
Regards,
SixCats!

Answer:
Yatagan is one of my top 5 fragrances regardless of price and I have some more pricey ones in my collection. $30-35 for 125 ml bottle. A steal.

Answer:
Hey SixCats ... welcome back!
Off the top of my head, my (personal) top three designer "must haves" would be: Burberry - Brit, YSL - M7, and Armani - Code.
Perry Ellis 360 Black is another "cheap" personal favorite of mine. I originally had it on my swap list but took it back off. It's really good and REALLY cheap. Another one, though not a designer, is L'Occitane's Eav des Bavx. Another personal fave and a great value at $40.

Answer:
Floris is probably classified "niche".

A "best of" designer list should probably contain the following:

Chanel Antaeus
Guerlain Vetiver
Caron 3rd Man
Van Cleef pour homme
YSL M7 (a bit sweet, but well worth it).

Answer:
Another Guerlain Vetiver vote, here.
And, since your preferences are in line, I have to give my obligatory plug for Puig. Quorum! (Can find a monster bottle for around 10-12 bucks. At that price if you hate it, you can always give it to me. )

Answer:
Guerlain Heritage for me.

Answer:
Good to see you, SixCats!!!! My recommendations...
Bvlgari Black
Lolita Lempicka au masculin
M7

Answer:
Caron Third Man
Bvlgari Black
Helmut Lang Cuiron, although it is gradually getting more and more expensive these days
Gucci PH

Answer:
One not mentioned yet that I think you'd enjoy is Dunhill Edition. It holds its edge from start to finish, and it is very reasonably priced to boot.

Answer:
Welcome back, SixCats!

Don't forget Hermes Equipage, which is in my top-10 overall, and I agree with the recs for Guerlain Vetiver and Heritage. So, too, Chanel Pour Monsieur, Caron Pour un Homme, Hermes Rocabar and Terre d'Hermes, and Cartier Declaration are all pretty much classics.

For my darkhorse recommendation, Krizia Spazio Uomo is out of this world for how little known it is, and bottles can still be found on eBay for pretty cheap.