Arrogance Uomo
Arrogance (1987)

Arrogance Uomo

Not 'pour homme', not 'man', but 'uomo'. My bottle I've had for years now is dated to '89 . I get herbs and moss, moss and herbs. So much moss.

There seems to be a confusion with this one and, admittedly, it might just be mine. My perception seems so different to others'. Perhaps there've been significant recipe changes, maybe the mix is beyond what little deciphering ability I possess, or maybe my bottle is just showing its age, I don't know. No citrus, floral, sweetness, animal or leather to speak of, just herbal/moss prominence on vetiver/patchouli background and maybe a little dusty amber. Old school, definitely. Reminds me of a less polite, lower-toned, lower-pitched version of R de Capucci with less vetiver... a good office scent as well.

It's woody, it's dark, and it's spicy. I should be nuts about Arrogance Uomo, but I can't help but feel I am largely anosmic to some of its ingredients. It is touted as being a heavy frag but I can only detect it from close-up. It boasts an orangey vetiver theme like the old Armani with a dash of inky castoreum. The flowers are almost completely overpowered by the woods and herbs, but the touch of mace is certainly enjoyable. Arrogance is quite good, but the title is definitely a misnomer.

The younger brother of classic Arrogance pour homme is a more modern, versatile fragrance: fresh citrusy top notes surrounded by a soapy, even aquatic accord (aldehydes + Iso E?) mixed with slightly sweet floral notes and a woody, a bit sharp, base of cedar/vetiver. The overall feeling is of a fresh formal scent, great for office. Found really cheap on ebay, this is a winner.

"Overkill..."

If it gets any more masculine, you shall probably die from a macho overdose!

Arrogance Uomo is one of those (several) ultra cheap scents with a totally respectable good quality – so good it would be fun to do a blind test with other more expensive and renowned fragrances. The opening comprises mostly cumin, bergamot/citrus, a vibrant mossy heart (with some good old oak moss: fun enough, it smells more dirty, earthy, dense and realistic than tons of niche/more expensive scents which claim to feature it but don't contain any – rather just some evernyl). The oak moss emerges better also later on, together with cedar/Iso E, dusty tobacco notes on the base, a classic, pleasantly aromatic floral accord based on lavender, and a spicy side of cloves and cumin. Aldehydes and a general (cheap) contemporary "metallic" feel complete the blend. Finally it emerges also a discreet, subtle but pleasant leather base, which together with cedar, woods, herbal/mossy notes gives the scent a proper "fougère" seal. A crowdpleaser, of course, but quite underrated. It's a decent, even good contemporary fougère, versatile, refined, long-lasting, austere and well made, with a nice formula, just a bit nostalgic without being too retrò. Above all, it's just pleasant to wear. People who look for "safe office scents" with averagely low expectations and end up in buying rubbish like Creed may consider giving this a try.

7/10

your comments seem to me to refer to the black (home) and not to the Gris (MAN Italian) This perfume is really fantastic, open feel a mixture of citrus, bergamot, sage, lavender, which is the carpet but the dry down is where a set of truly fantastic flowers always praise accompanied by vetiver never too present as well as the patchouli is present but not intrusive, a good balance. An eau de toilette fragrances that can fight with the most famous and very expensive, definitely 4/5 my vote and in my personal top ten certainly fit ... thumbs up!