Borsalino
Borsalino (1984)

This smells like Dr. Scholl’s odor absorbing foot powder, according to an honest coworker. Oh, lemme tell you, that one hurt.

Upon further examination, my coworker was correct. I threw this directly into the bin 3 pointer style as soon as I got home.

Fuck a Borsalino!

Borsalino is in the 80's BIG aromatic fougere men's fragrances from the venerable Italian Borsalino gentlemen's Millinery dynasty. Along with every other fashion house in the 80's, Borsalino jumped on the fragrance ‘bandwagon'. It seems that that decade of decadence paved the way for every fashion house, even if your specialty was cotton underwear, you had to have a fragrance to be in the “in” crowd.
I did not do Borsalino EDT justice by pigeon holing it as I did. It did share many notes of similar aromatic fougere of the era but is much more. The imagery of a dapper, handsome Italian gentleman in a well-made fedora is very appropriate to Borsalino as it is a drier, smokier and more sophisticated fougere than its contemporaries.
I believe still a relevant fragrance for wearing today and not just collecting.

Sweet lavender and lots of bitter herbs. A fragrance for a dapper mature Italian gentleman with a Borsalino chapeau. Definitely not a fragrance for a young guy, too old school. I like it, maybe because i'm a 50 something Franco/Italo man. Wish I could pull off the hat! I've always appreciated the quality of Borsalino fedoras and this fragrance lives up to the brand's aesthetic.

This is almost a 3 star "neutral" for me. BORSALINO tends to be synthetic and chemical-smelling at intervals with crisp, reedy waters and spices. Not discernibly bergamot or as warm as "leather and woods" fragrances might be despite it's pyramid of notes. Still, BORSALINO draws you in and provokes an affection for itself. Opens with green grasses and a vaguely minty accord that dries down to pronounced florals and musk. That's where BORSALINO lives for its' 5+ hour longevity. There is an occasional fleeting note of nutmeg, cedar, and black tea. These are very incidental notes though. I like this just well enough to warrant the Thumbs Up...I imagine most others would too. I'd also imagine this being appealing to both men and women.

Piney oakmoss, fern/lavender, cyclamen and leather in a perfect somewhat vintage blend. Stiff, gentlemanly and conservative with its really herbal and woodsy soul mastered by fern, clary sage, basil, labdanum, moss, vetiver end further. Borsalino by Borsalino is an herbal-mossy-leathery angular chypre in the same vein as Quorum, Givenchy Xeryus, Enrico Coveri Pour Homme, Azzaro Acteur, Basile Uomo, Smalto, Chanel Antaeus and many others from the 80's. In italy it is not impossible to be found as well as Borsalino Panama that is a more modern, sweeter and smoother type of concoction. The initial combination of aromatic herbs, lavender, fern in particular and citrus is classic in execution, bracing, tart and stiff. The rich floral heart is "studded" by a plenty of deep, melancholy and astringent sharp floral elements (geranium, carnation, jasmine, may be rose). The florals are the source for a severe and solitary botanic/earthy/lymphatic mildness, romantic, introvert and distressed. The combination of cedarwood, ambergris and vetiver pushes the aroma out so grave, woodsy, realistic and very virile in its closing performance that is finally uncompromisingly leathery, smoky and mossy-ambery (ambergris). A great great classic.

Reminds me a lot of Givenchy's Xeryus and Francesco Smalto, but with a hint of smokiness in the woody base notes. Similar fresh, green, spicy and coniferous opening and middle. Borsalino is a bit more understated, but clearly of the same lineage. I like it!