Aramis 900
Aramis (1973)

Aramis 900 was one of the first of Bernard Chant's compositions that is a modulation of a previous release marketed to gents, here following the success of Aromatics Elixir two years prior. However, the two are not one in the same: a variation on a theme is not merely a "clone" or a "dupe" but can have a character all of its own. Aramis 900 trades the meadow-earthy chamomile of Aromatics Elixir, with the aldehydes mellowed,  a brighter green-spicy coriander and the rose pushed more forward, reminding me a bit more of Jean Couturier Coriandre than AE in its top notes. It isn't any wonder I love all three.

Soapy, radiant, but also a bit sour as it progresses into the heart, the complete absence of sweetness may read to certain sensibilities as "dated," not "date-worthy", certainly not a "club scent" or a "daily driver" for the youth. It would be a hard sell for sure, but it fits me like a glove. Give me a sour green, rosy chypre any old day over something that makes me smell "like a snack." Trigger warning to formulation nerds: it confounds me why there's so much talk of this (and other Aramis Gentleman's Collection relaunch versions) are "shadows of their former selves." Is it actually a miracle to have pretty much all of them bloom and persist on my skin? The "new" Aramis 900 for one lingers for hours, just long enough for me to feel full satisfaction. I've sampled older versions of all of them, and save for Devin, they are nearly indistinguishable, and even with the Devin, it's a completely solid and wearable effort. But I digress...

Aramis 900 dries down into a blissful woody-patchouli base with a warm, slight touch of civet: nothing aggressively animalic, but I don't believe that was the intention. A civet accord (or more often accent) wasn't always meant to be aggressively animalic to begin with and is poorly understood. I'd even argue that certain turned bottles may seem a bit more animalic because of whatever chemical degradation had done to the bases: it's just a theory. This whole topic of olfactory perception in vintages of arguable condition is ripe for discussion. In the meantime, I will enjoy lavishing myself with the brilliant 900.

Being more floral and stronger than my normal fragrances, Aramis 900 took a short while to grow on me and for me to be comfortable with it. Aramis 900 is herbal and debuted in 1973, toward the end of the back-to-the-land, hippie era but the accords are sophisticated and provide an upscale, urbane herbal scent. The fashion and fragrance industries had appropriated elements of the counterculture by then so the overlap is natural. Entertainers, athletes, Formula One drivers, and others had let their hair grow and were wearing more denim by then, leading to such oxymoronic terms as "rich hippie," "jet-set hippie," "playboy hippie," etc. Depending on who one asks and which day they ask, 900 is among the fragrances Aramis is discontinuing, so I'm buying back-up bottles - ditto for Devin and Havana.

Rose. Rose, rose. Rose, rose, rose. This review is based on a vintage mini-bottle. Aramis 900 is very unisex and smells like a rose soap bar. It's fairly linear as I don't detect any scent complexity to make it more interesting like, for example, Creed's Royal Mayfair, of which I am very much a fan. Regardless of its EDC designation, 900's performance is very EDT good and the low price for a 3.4 ounce bottle is also very good; you just have to really like rose.

A bold yet elegant masterpiece of perfumery. It takes a real man with confidence in himself to wear and appreciate this ingenious work of art. An absolute joy to wear as it takes you on a journey as it dries down. A fragrance connoisseur's wet dream!!!

A masterpiece. As with all Aramis scents I have tried, it has one ugly note in the opening, here an overpowering hairspray blast. Quite shocking the first time. Thankfully 900 quickly opens up and starts a stunning transformation, from your lover's bed to medicinal shelf to a forest pond lit by a milky sun. The heart is sublime and can easily hold its own with the great wet greens Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, Grey Flannel and Loewe Esencia but with a modulating bitter touch that gives 900 its own personality.

Aldehydes (that hairspray smell) and Patchouli is what I get on first spray quickly followed dusty roses and moss. It's green and herbal and old school with a underlying subtle civet. As it dries down I smell some carnation and woods. It's one of those ones that smells good in the air around you but not so good up close because of the aldehydes.

Nice in a old fashioned way but not something I would buy but I can appreciate it.