Romeo Gigli Man (2004)

by: Dr. Marlen Elliot Harrison

This is another in a series of bargain fragrance reviews, scents that may be found online or at discount stores for US $25 or less. Leave a comment below for your chance to receive a sample, shipped anywhere in the world, free!

Summary: The second eponymously named men’s fragrance from the Italian design house of Romeo Gigli, RG Man 2004 couldn’t be more different from its 1995 predecessor; this time Gigli offers an aromatic, spicy citrus that while not completely remarkable, is still incredibly pleasant and easy to wear.

Perfumer: Alberto Morillas.

Try this if you like: citrusy fragrances, citronella candles, yuzu fruit, fresh green scents, airy vetiver aromas (despite the lack of vetiver in the composition of RG Man 2004), traditional eau de colognes (Guerlain, 4711, Alvarez Gomez, etc).

Pros & Cons: This was love at first sniff for me, in part because it is incredibly easy to wear, subtle and completely inoffensive; a variation on a familiar theme – the classic eau de cologne; the notes suggest a rich oriental (cinnamon, pepper, patchouli, hiba) but the fragrance is anything but; this is a winner in warmer weather when the fragrance comes to life.

Notes: “It features the notes of bergamot, mandarin orange, yuzu, cinnamon, geranium, pepper, bamboo, patchouli, hiba wood and musk.”—Fragrantica.com

Reminds me of: Paul Smith Story for Men; Dunhill D; Roadster Sport; Creed Original Vetiver; Lanvin Oxygene Homme; Caron Yuzu Man.

Designer’s Description: N/A; discontinued.

Number of times tested: 25+ over the last 5 years.

Number of sprays applied for this review: 2 sprays to the back of hand from a bottle I purchased.

Fragrance strength: Eau de Toilette

Development: (Linear / Average / Complex) RG Man is a strange bird: it has a very specific character, noticeable from the start, which fails to provide much complexity. However, as the scent develops, the white pepper and cinnamon peek out and provide a uniquely subtle edge to an otherwise classic aroma.

Longevity: (Short / Average / Long-lasting) I can get around 4-6 hours.

Sillage: (A Little / Average / A Lot) Aromatic enough to be noticed by those around me during its first hour; no one could detect it while around me after that. Likely office-safe.

Note about the packaging: A simple, sleek, transparent glass bottle with writing on one side and burgundy round plastic cap, housed in a simple, cardboard-patterned paper box.

Where can I buy it? Found online for as little as $20 USD for a 100 ml EDT spray.

Gigli working on the campaign with Chen Man, from the-dvine.com

The Bottom Line: I will admit the story of Romeo Gigli’s fashion empire is quite a sad one. Gigli was a late 20th century fashion icon, widely credited for jumpstarting a change in women’s fashion, an antithesis to the more severe power-fashion of the 1980s. The sadly-departed Alexander McQueen was even one of his assistants. Sadly, Gigli was taken advantage of by business partners and despite multiple collaborations throughout the 90s, never really recovered his fashion empire. One of the things he lost in the business dispute was his fragrance license and to this day he is attempting to recover his name/license. As such, today’s reviewed fragrance had zero input from Gigli himself … and has very little to do with Gigli’s design aesthetics.

However, both Romeo Gigli Man and Romeo Gigli Woman (2003) share the sensibilities of early 21st century perfumery, namely a subtle take on classic themes with Asian influences. Whereas the women’s scent plays with traditional floral notes set against herbs and woods, the men’s version offers another traditional theme – the classic eau de cologne. Here, Morillas employs yuzu and bamboo in place of neroli, bergamot and rosemary; geranium, cypress and pepper round out the mid notes; and Japanese Hiba/Asunaro (a cypress popularly planted in wetter regions of Europe and North America) replaces sandalwood and cedarwood. The effect is familiar yet unique at the same time: a bitter green with a fresh citrus lift anchored by light woods. The “reminds me of” list above should give you a good sense at to where this fits in the fragrance landscape.

Romeo Gigli Man is a scent I never want to be without and one I never consider swapping, quite like the original from 1995. It is a comfort scent that I come back to over and over again, sometimes forgetting what I’m wearing and thinking, “gee, I smell REALLY good.” The best part is that it cost me so little to experience such scented enjoyment.

Now, here’s to the renaissance of Romeo Gigli—the man, the license, and the designer—and a return to more sumptuous scents such as the kind we enjoyed in his first fragrances with perfumer Sophie Labbe from the 90s.