Trussardi Uomo (original)
Trussardi (1983)

This review is for an original formula.

It’s a well composed composition but ultimately, Trussardi Uomo is redundant, plus it makes a hard right turn directly into grandma perfume in the dry down. This basic aroma is repetitive. Without a doubt, this is a wearable daddy cologne even for todays standards with nothing super exciting to set it apart but then again, aren’t the majority of these 80’s creations like this?

To my seasoned nose, this is a blend of 60% Charles Jourdan’s Un Homme and 40% Lancetti’s Uomo with a lot more musk. I own both of those, rarely wear them for the reasons stated above. For fun, I applied a little of all three on different spots for comparison purposes and to be completely honest, the differences are negligible at most.

This is a do not like. I don’t particularly care for the dry down on this. It’s too musky that reeks like old lady perfume.

A classic leather, or more specifically Italian leather men's scent with many of the 1980s hallmarks of its time, which sadly was reformulated prior to being discontinued. Smoky, spicy and dry with a hint of florals but the overwhelming vibe is of rich leather. Evokes memories of the original Burberrys for Men, another forgotten classic leather and shares similarities with the dry floral chypre Version Originale (V.O.) by Jean-Marc Sinan from 1980. Trussardi's creation spawned many copycats, notably Fendi Uomo 2 years after Trussardi's release, which remains an unpleasantly sweaty creation in any formulation in my opinion, and a poor clone to boot. Trussardi Uomo is a rugged male leather fragrance from the old school, blended with a great deal of refinement and is a perfect fragrance to represent a company with a proud history of manufacturing high end leather goods. Recommended, but only if you can find a vintage bottle of either the EDT or after shave.

Reading some of the more recent reviews, folks seem to be picking up the newer, neutered version of Trussardi Uomo from 2011 in the re-designed bottle. There is a separate entry for that release, as it an entirely different fragrance from what I've gathered, and these disparaging reviews belong there.

The classic Trussardi Uomo was originally produced by Scannon and then subsequently by Selective Beauty SA (from which my bottle originates). Selective Beauty seemed to have done an excellent job preserving the integrity of this fragrance, though I haven't experienced an older vintage.

Be me up, Scotty, to Aldehyde City. The opening is sudsy, mildly rosy, and redolent of herbs and caraway. Of course I like this, this is what I live for. The real magic, however, is as this settles and we have a honeyed leather, which sets it apart from say, VC&A PH or Leonard PH. Vetiver, patchouli, and treemoss coalesce to create that great 80s bombast for which I just can't get enough. Why am I so drawn to macho, hairy-chested scents? What does that say about me? Oh yeah, the moustache, hmm, right. Well, you can always send me a private message, fellow Fragranticans.

The classic Uomo is a sophisticated Italian leather, full stop. Best wishes on your search to find a bottle.

Trussardi is another old Italian leather maker-turned-designer just like Gucci and has throughout the years diversified into ready-to-wear clothing, jeans and perfumes. By 1970 Nicola Trussardi had taken over the family operation started by his grandfather Dante in 1911, with the company still family owned and administrated as of the date of this review, and chose to launch the perfume arm in the 1980. Trussardi Uomo (1983) came to be a few years later, penned by a young Beatrice Piquet who is perhaps best known to guys as the nose behind both Jil Sander Sun Men (2002) and the stellar L'Instant de Guerlain Homme (2004). Perfumes for all genders were knee-deep in "powerhouse" mode by the mid 1980's, and Trussardi Uomo was no exception, being positively stuffed to the collar with tons of blended potency, to the point this can actually make you nose blind if given too large a dose all at once, something typically reserved for modern-day "beastmode" fragrances. Trussardi Uomo is an oriental chypre at its core, and crosses lines with many other such perfumes of the time period, making it a bit redundant to the collector seeking variety from the time period, but a must-have for those addicted to all things potent from the 80's. Trussardi Uomo sits in the middle of a Satanic pentagram of 80's might, or put in a less-scary way, predicts branching themes that would follow it into the later years of the decade by combining them into one fragrance before each of them technically existed. That's quite a feat I'd say, even if it may not have been on purpose.

The opening is an aldehydic blast of citrus, majoram, spices, and sage rounded with sweet lavender. Before too long, we get a deep carnation note which will automatically date this for guys born just before the 21st century and associating such smells with their dads or grandads, but it's the primary heart note of Trussardi Uomo. A honeyed benzoin geranium and rose note similar to the later Boss/Boss Number One (1985) shows up at this stage, but Trussardi Uomo doesn't go the full animalic route with civet, instead choosing to saddle a tobacco note with a bit of castoreum leather into the base. Here we see patchouli in a minor role supporting the honeyed benzoin for resinous smoothness, while oakmoss and labdanum give us the chypre effect and a slight dot of vetiver add in some smoke to buttress the tobacco vibe in the heart. From here on out it becomes a boxing match between the dandy floral elements which remind me of the later Salvador Dali pour Homme (1987) and the macho man tobacco incense smokey leather elements which recall a bit of Roger & Gallet Open (1985). The floral aspects mixing with the tobacco also recall the end-of-decade Montana Parfum d'Homme (1989), which is a huge compliment, while the resinous patchouli feeling could draw a parallel to Giorgio Beverly Hills for Men (1984). Wear time is all day for something this powerful, and projection isn't even something to worry about. Instead, worry about how far away people have to stand in order to avoid smelling you. Best use is honestly an 80's night at your local club, since this is clubber strength, and in cooler months where the chill air can take some of the edge off the wall of smell this provides.

Such a strutting example of 80's wrecking-ball perfumery must certainly be discontinued right? Yup, say no more, as this has been put to pasture since 2011 when the stuff was re-orchestrated completely and re-released in a different bottle. The old Trussardi Uomo bottle was designed by Nicola Trussardi himself, and has crocodile leather vibes that today would be politically insensitive since it's basically flaunting the exploitation of the environment in the name of high fashion, but the bottle is really the least of your worries. Finding this may be difficult, and who knows what it will likely cost, but only the hardcore collector looking to create a museum of their wardrobe really need waste the time or copious coin on a bottle, since Trussardi Uomo really just smells like a suicide slushie of all the popular 80's flavors they already own combined into one. The neat thing about Trussardi Uomo is it came before a lot of the stuff that it smells like, so Beatrice Piquet was either a genius or had a happy accident with stuffing so many wonderfully baroque things into this pretty little black bottle. Selective Beauty would pick up the rights to produce Trussardi fragrances into the 90's (onetime owners of the Claude Montana license), and they'd really pimp the living Hell out of the name with a multitudinous miasma of mediocre masculine releases (Batman), so this is still the only men's scent that really gets any talk. What makes it worse is most of these lackluster things except the newest ones are also discontinued and sell for way too much money online, giving Trussardi a "house of unicorns" vibe similar to Jean Patou and Balenciaga. Thumbs up.

A powerhouse Italian men's cologne that is a timewarp to the heart of the 1980's. It lies in the aromatic spicy family of fragrances.

What makes my bottle feel special is that I had recently purchased the vintage version from an Italian vendor online for a decent price! :-) This comes with the gold greyhound logo and gold bottle cap on a beautiful leather-covered bottle. It's like unearthing a perfectly frozen person preserved for the past 30 plus years!

Trussardi Uomo (original) starts with a loud citrus and spice hit, very reminiscent of Polo (green) by Ralph Lauren, of Havana by Aramis (though a bit simpler and less chaotic) and of Quorum by Puig (albeit cleaner and better formulated). It is bright, bold and brash, hearkening to the decade of excess from which it originated. This initial brightness tells you immediately that Trussardi Uomo is about business, unashamed and ready to go toe to toe with its peers in whatever setting (i.e. evening formal or casual or party scenarios).

Over time, Trussardi Uomo settles into a mellower, still quite aromatic spicy, character where subtle notes of leather and tobacco start to appear. Jasmine mixes with oakmoss, nutmeg and pimento to continue the thick spicy sensation present in uber amounts on the opening. The base seeps in with a medium strength incense interplaying with a slight smoothing sensation of patchouli and sandalwood. Cedar is nested deeply in there to prolong Trussardi Uomo's sensational brashness.

As a 40-something scent collector, I see myself sporting Trussardi Uomo (original) once in a blue moon for evening outings where I want to communicate an old-school, bold aura among others of near-age. Given its heritage, I cannot see millenials and beyond automatically enjoying this cologne unless they have a nostalgic spirit that can willingly accomodate and appreciate such a wild ride (they're out there!).

I haven't tried the reformulated version, and I will withhold judgment until I try it and assess it on its own merits (versus "aw, this is not like the original, and I don't like it for that reason alone").

Bravo, Trussardi, for having created the 1983 legend!

Stardate 20170918:
Vintage Version.

A leathery incensey floral Chuck Norris.
One of those fragrances that wear you.
Sillage and longevity is great.

It shares its DNA with VCA Pour Homme as well as Leonard PH. Similarities with Smalto, Montana and others noted in other reviews are apt.

One Million of the 80s, though 1000 times better. The development is great. Dries down to spicy powdery tobaccoy sweetness.

Nothing to dislike. Just get it.