Worth pour Homme by Worth

The current version of Worth Pour Homme is a fougère that has tried to modernise itself by shedding some weight, yet the result remains difficult to digest today. The first thing you smell is a potent cardamom (which isn’t even listed on the decant) mixed with nutmeg, a combination that sometimes turns sweaty and unappealing. The opening is cold, with citrus and green notes of pine and rosemary that feel frayed. Then petit grain, geranium and vetiver appear, but timidly, as if cardamom and nutmeg are suffocating them. In the dry down, it gains a discreet leather and moss, nothing spectacular. The overall scent isn’t that of an elegant gentleman, but of an authoritarian, arrogant military man, John Wayne style. It’s too masculine for modern tastes and is sold cheaply online, probably for that very reason. If you collect history, it’s fine, but olfactorily it’s a challenge.

Searching for rare and classic things, I came across this 1932 Worth Pour Homme, launched alongside Je Reviens. Both have had a life of ups and downs in the market, although the feminine version is still in production. Comments on Fragrantica suggest it smells like Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, but I believe it’s the other way round: Worth is the progenitor from forty years ago that defined many subsequent proposals. When applied, it smells old school with a formula from the past: flowers, citrus and wood with a rugged presence, plus a shy cinnamon. After ten minutes it remains linear, but at fifteen minutes the magic happens. As the initial notes recede, the similarity to Paco Rabanne is confirmed, but with more wood and pine. At times it evokes Loewe Pour Homme, like a blend of both. It’s wonderful and unique: a lavender, a green forest and balsamic woods with fresh sprouts. It starts serious, but after thirty minutes its gravity vanishes, like a man taking off his suit jacket and loosening his tie. At this point it recalls Lomani due to its evident geranium. It denotes great masculinity, is elegant and almost timeless, ideal for three seasons, avoiding winter. In the 60s and 70s it was a benchmark of elegance, and curiously Paco Rabanne was born in 1973 with much of that philosophy. Although discontinued, I managed to get the last version, which is more sober. If you collect perfumes and like history, I recommend it 100%.