Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme--1994

A bit intimidating, stepping on to such a grand stage created by my lovely, fragrant wife. I know she has been hiding her apprehension about my inaugural review, like parents who have left their 16 year-old son at home for the weekend...alone with the keys to the Beamer. Although I am not as talented in the ars dictandi of fragrance review, I do believe I can offer some insight not only into the world of men's fragrances but also into the mind of the creature who hails from Mars.

I am Mr. TMH 256. I have always been a lover of men's cologne. But sadly, until the arrival of Mrs. TMH 256, my attraction to men's fragrance could be categorized as elementary. Superficial. Sort of like those who attend Nascar races to watch the horrific crashes. I simply could not appreciate the nuances of fragrance that exist on so many levels. So...without delay...let's talk about Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme. A fragrance that has become my favorite and one that makes me jealous when others wear it.

Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme is one that is immediately identified by whispers of citrus. The sweetness is what initially draws you in. Example: you are shopping and a man passes by who is wearing it. You catch it on the inhale, unexpectedly, and your mood immediately changes. You follow. He's now in the lawn mower section and you now realize you have never been within 20 yards of a lawn mower. But you don't care.

Secondly, the lavender and sage engage you on an intellectual level. It's as if you woke up with the citrus and are now in a lecture at the Universita' di Bologna with the lavender and sage around 1PM. You take notes and you realize that you are actually really interested in the subject matter. The lecture is on the difference between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It's the same boring material but it's being presented in such a way that you can't take your focus off of it, even if you tried. It's mesmerizing.

When the bell rings it's time to play. So cedar and tobacco show up in a rustic Alfa-Romeo convertible and promise to have you home by 2AM...Italian time (5:30AM if you're lucky). The cedar and tobacco are a devastating tandem. They remind me of going to the clubs in Rimini and staying out until they delivered fresh pastries to the corner cafe' around 6AM.

This is a scent that requires a certain maturity, a titanium-fortified confidence in ones sexuality and masculinity. It does not disappoint. It's like a Ferrari F340 as you merge on to the A-1 Autostrada from Bologna to Milano. You have absolutely no fear that your engine has perfect timing, what Italians call "sprezzatura"(nonchalance, effortless).

This scent can change my whole attitude in an instant. It takes me back to the summer of 1997 in Florence. The summer in which I never wanted to come back to the states, when the English language seemed so unrefined and when my Italian soul was officially born.

Thank you for reading my first fragrance review.