Öland
Avon (1970)

Avon as a brand is often sadly dismissed as low-brow and is often the punchline rather than treated with reverence. This is quite sad, really, as the brand does conjure up fond memories for many families raised on their products, specially from the 60s through the 80s. My friend Derek, aka Varanis Ridari on Basenotes (the Scented Devil on Instagram) has championed Avon in his numerous thoughtful reviews of fragrances from this house, and he has covered so much in the way of context that I couldn't even begin to endeavor. It's really worth seeking out his writing on not just Avon, but on fragrance in general.

I will agree with Derek that Öland was one of the best of Avon's masculines from this time period. Everything from its chunky Nordic mid-century-modern bottle to the cologne inside. Most dominant in its profile is that of bay leaf, cedar and leather, feeling like the finest soap-on-a-rope you can imagine. As it dries down, the outlines of tobacco are evident, sweet, aromatic, with just a slight articulation of funk. I am also reminded of the scent of the red bayberry candles that are quite popular in these parts.

This is an Uncle Roy scent; a category of fragrances I invented just I am writing this, that remind me of my good ole great-uncle who was a no-nonsense blue collar gentleman who did take time for some of the finer things, even if they could only be as fine as his wallet could handle. Öland would not be out of place on his dresser (or "bureau", as we usually refer to them here in New England), along with his various splashes and after-shaves. For context, Uncle Roy would be 107 if he were alive today.

This is a joy to wear.

One of the better old school men's fragrances from Avon.

This one is hard for me to describe. Other oldies like Avon Leather, and Avon Deep Forest smell like an era that I'm totally unfamiliar with. Oland feels like it's a step in the direction of the era that I remember, when late 70s and 80s fragrances were popular and being worn.

The middle of this fragrance is my favorite part. A couple reviewers have mentioned Kouros and Aramis. I don't get a direct comparison to those, but I think if you like or at least even appreciate those two, you'd like Oland. It's not even close to being as brutish as Aramis's drydown is, and it's not nearly as challenging as either one. That said, the middle is decidedly a masculine scent.

When the basenotes come into play, you get that typical Avon men's accord. Kind of sweet, soft, with some slight spice in there. I think it's more well-rounded here than in something like Leather or Deep Forest. It's more pleasant and effective.

So far, this is my top Avon scent.

*This is a review of early 1970's Oland.

Oland goes on with moderately sweet bergamot-laced smooth, almost liquid leather before transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart the bergamot vacates, as does most of the early sweetness, leaving the now slightly rugged leather as the focus, supported by warm nutmeg-like spice and an underlying musty labdanum and tobacco accord. During the late dry-down the composition eschews the remaining sweetness as the remnants of the leather and warm spice remain through the relatively brief finish. Projection is below average, as is longevity at around 4 hours on skin.

Oland is the kind of composition that definitely has strong roots to the past, but unlike many others of its time, something about the perfume comes off as "dated." I really enjoyed how the bergamot citrus meshed with the moderately sweet liquid leather early and would have loved for that accord to remain, but alas the composition quickly morphs into a warm, musty, spiced leather kind of thing with a slightly soapy bent that while far from unpleasant really is not particularly appealing. The potency of the composition should be mentioned as it is extremely watered down to the point that the 6 ounce bottle may not last as long as one might think as you need to really *splash* Oland on skin to get even passable performance. The bottom line is the $6 per 6 ounce bottle on the aftermarket "above average" 2.5 to 3 stars out of 5 rated Oland represents strong value, but proves only slightly compelling to collect, unless one covets the subjectively "cool" Packard Roadster collectable bottle a lot of it is housed in. Recommended for the nostalgic bottle, not particularly for the perfume.

On at least one other site the notes are listed as: "The fragrance features bay leaf, spices, woody notes, tobacco and leather."

On one level it's like Kouros Lite, but it's more leather-oriented and becomes more powdery after a while. I don't get much spice here, though, unlike Kouros, and there also seems to be a hint of tobacco. I don't get much top notes but the drydown is great, if this is the kind of scent you enjoy (and it's entirely natural smelling). This is my favorite Avon fragrance, and they have made quite a few that are at least good, such as Mesmerize for Men and Clint.

Side by side with the excellent 1975 Etienne Aigner this scent may seem Old Fashioned, however the structure, colour and statement is similar enough to have it share a relationship. Perhaps Olander is an older brother who was farmed out to the country in his youth lacking some little bit of Sophistication of the younger.
The Aigner is slicker,rounded and carries a richer more complex drydown and polish. A scent of the well-heeled Leather set City set.
Oland is well worth a try, as it trades rather inexpensively.

The Aigner is almost extinct.

March 14, 2019.

My first review of this was based on applying as a Splash. Spritzing into the crook of my arm, from ZC's sample, has this competing well with (my dwindle of Aigner No.1)
Smack in the middle of this is, a really beautiful, Iris Heart that is wrapped up in a Bouquet of Carnation. Background skank pillows and accentuates a bit of green Floral texture.
Doesn't quite meet the, under the surface, Carameled and Buttered Spice of the Aigner or the bright,vivid Orris, of today's Contemporary taste, however it proves to be a favourite of mine, for a day like today, where I've not showered for a couple and my own skank gives this stuff a boost.
Recommended. Period.

Avon Oland is probably one of the best masculines of Avon's 60's through 70's period. It was made at a time when the door-to-door perfume giant was really trying to make headway with the male market amidst a rising tide of male-aimed fragrances from perfume houses high and low abroad, but in the US where Avon ruled, had still mostly been the province of the barbershop, apothecary, or drugstore. Past efforts like the original Avon for Men (1949) and 'Vigorate (1957) had been simplistic, but with Avon's first fully-realized men's fragrance line Tribute for Men (1963), Avon proved ready to go toe-to-toe with rivals like Revlon, Elizabeth Arden, Yardley, Coty, and the like. A slew of really unique and fairly high-quality scents followed, with a few strange failures along the way, but with the rate Avon has always pumped out new scents, it really didn't matter. Oland was coming out of the gate in 1970, the beginning of a decade that would see an equal number of hits and misses for Avon masculines, with some of the shameless derivation Avon would become known for among it's masculines starting to appear. Oland itself was a strong creative force however, presaging soapy and floral leather scents by a few years with it's top notes, and factoring in that vintage bay rum feel for the mature men of the day that weren't ready for the future. The best way to describe Oland is as a faux-Scandinavian take on the bay rum trope, with some leathery base notes and woods, undoubtedly to offer a cheaper alternative to Kanøn (1966), but really smells nothing like it.

Oland opens with a lemon, lime, bergamot, sage, and bayberry, which is where it gets it's bay rum comparison. It's a very similar opener to the much late Stetson by Coty (1981), except that scent would head in a might brighter and more floral direction. Stetson could almost be Oland's offspring, free from it's legacy elements and rife with androgynous components that ironically belie it's cowboy countenance. Oland has no such complexity nor contradiction of form versus purpose, and plows ahead with orris, cedar, bay leaf, and carnation in the heart. The base here is amber, labadnum, oakmoss, leather, and tobacco, which instantly takes it in darker direction after the soapy orris simmers down. Oland is the smell of a man in a smoker's jacket holding a night cap, listing to some old swing on his turntable. Oland doesn't have a lot of secrets, and isn't terribly sophisticated, but it's clearly masculine and suave, being sweeter than the average male-aimed scent of the day but still rich enough to assert itself. One can almost see the DNA between this and the feminine chypres of old, but while stuff like the later aforementioned Stetson was really just a re-skin of roaring 20's feminine chypre design for a man, Oland seems to borrow less-heavily from that time and blends the chypre idea with a compromise between a more aromatic scent and a full-on nostril-opener. Seems Avon learned it's lesson after the fairly divisive Avon Leather (1966) and instead tried to incorporate some the those ideas from that scent into a masculine with wider appeal for the day. Oland has one foot in the 60's for that reason, and one foot in the direction that the 70's would be known for with male perfumery.

Oland also bears a close resemblance to the later Jacomo Eau Cendrée (1974), and Etienne Aigner No. 1 (1975) both with their leathery aspects and aromatic elements, but the Eau Cendrée goes darker and drier than Oland with more vetiver, while Aigner veers further away from the thick and sweet bay rum and orris one-two of Oland and tries to be rounder and more complex, both leaving the high street aspects of Oland behind for something closer to The Pall Mall or Savile Row. If baroque, unmistakably masculine scents like Oland coming on like a room full of bearded, barrel-chested men dressed in turtle necks with smoking pipes sounds like your ideal, Oland is definitely for you. If you're less Grizzly Adams and more Roger Moore, then you might want to skip this one, as there's nothing really classy about it, but it is just tremendously comfortable in it's masculinity. Oland is likely my favorite Avon masculine from this period, tied only with stuff like Avon's own Tai Winds (1972) and Avon Black Suede (1980), which would serve as the opposite bookend for the decade and be another chypre worth checking out, but leaning more towards oriental spice and leather. Oland seems more inspirational to other houses than anyone really mentions, especially how you see it's vibes repeated in altered form throughout the 70's, but unlike the Avon blockbuster masculine Wild Country (1967), neither Oland or any of them would survive the passage of time, which is a shame. Oland is best worn in the comfort of your own home, or a casual day of errands. It's the kind of scent that doesn't need context or purpose, but isn't flashy enough for a night out, or sophisticated enough for formal attire. At best, this could be an office scent, but unless you want your days at the office to feel like a rerun of Colombo, I'd probably not wear it there either. One thing's for certain, there isn't much out there like it, and it's the kind of scent you never forget regardless of how you feel about it, as it's both familiar and unique all at once. Avon just doesn't even try to make them like this anymore. Great stuff!