Armani by Giorgio Armani

Smelling this familiar scent again is precious; it evokes countless memories. Every perfume tells a story, a precise moment. These essences hold adventures and memories in elegant bottles that honour eras, cinematic beauties, and icons, but above all, ordinary men and women seeking an olfactory identity. Armani by Giorgio Armani is the symbol of the 80s: the aggressive, seductive, mysterious woman of the time, the dream of all. It was expensive then (imagine 150-200 euros today), worn by executives, wealthy ladies, and daddy’s girls with big handbags, but also by many who saved for years to afford it. It was the era when perfumes were real dreams. Armani was powerful and left a trail in corridors and lifts for hours. It is an elegant chypre, spiced, floral, mossy green, and almost soft at the end. That unmistakable Armani elegance that reaches immortality. It is a chypre with a dominant floral theme, complex, rich, with a brilliance you won’t find in modern chypres. It opens aldehydic and green mixed with citrus, working very well. What is interesting is the contrast of calendula and pineapple in the opening, leading to a surprising development; it leaves almost visible traces and doesn’t fade quickly. The rose and neroli in the heart are phenomenal, evident but with perfect volume, first-class ingredients. At the end, a woody amber with moss that softens with tonka, maintaining a substantial and long-lasting trail. Let’s admit it: from top to bottom it is perfect; it would do wonders for a night out in sweet company in the city. If you are drawn to perfumes with a soul and a unique character, it is worth saving up to get it.

Returning 35 years since my last review of ‘Because It’s You’ from this line. Back to a time when fragrances had character, underwent transformations on the skin, and lasted a long time. Analysis of the notes: an opening with lots of galbanum and calendula full of sparkling aldehydes, sweet, herbal with hints of soft mint. A floral chypre in the style of its time, very narcotic and opulent. Unlike Fendi 1985, Ungaro Diva, or Gucci N3 from the decade, which lean more towards rose with honey, Armani’s is more herbal, but with that same talcated and chypred DNA. When the mint and herbal notes settle, you feel the flashes of pineapple that give the sweet side. The rose begins to emerge afterwards. Interesting, mysterious.

Years ago I met this Armani fragrance; it came in a box alongside Paloma Picasso, Fidji, Lauren, and another from Lancôme that I cannot recall… Its scent is very intense, floral, and with a woody base, very much in the 80s style. It clearly smells of jasmine, orchid, neroli, and woods, very feminine and refined.