Aramis is a cologne that my grandpa wore. I remember the smell quite distinctly because I believe the nerves in your nose are most closely related to memory in your brain or some other such thing I've heard. Of course when I smell Aramis I immediately get a smile on my face because I remember my loving grandpa. The same thing happens when I smell chlorine in a pool (because the rare times we'd stay at a hotel with a pool as a kid) and when I smell the combination of lawn mower exhaust and freshly cut grass.
I bought a bottle of Aramis in college and used it sparingly. At first because I would save it for "rare" occasions, and then because the girls I would date would say they liked "Drakar" or whatever the fashionable cologne was that weekend. So 19 years later I still have about 1/4th of a bottle.
But then something funny happened.
A female friend of mine said she "LOVED" Aramis.
Because of the smell?
No.
Because of the company?
No.
Because of some other reason I couldn't guess?
No.
It was because her dad wore Aramis and it reminded her of him.
Now not to get into girl-daddy issues, but this little tidbit of knowledge got me thinking:
"What if you were to wear all the old colognes that were popular amongst men back in the 70's and 80's when the girls of today were little daddy's daughters and were regularly exposed to the scent of that cologne?
Would it remind them of dad and thus see you in a more manly and attractive fashion? Would it remind them of their youth, making them happier and thus more agreeable to your presence?"
I have no proof, but I'd be curious to see if you male lieutenants out there might want to try to carry out an experiment. If we were to look up the most popular colognes of the 70's and 80's among 30+ year old men, wear them while out and about, and see if there is a discernible effect. Heck there may be one already.
I just know Brut cologne never worked regardless of what year it was.
23 comments:
I'm in. Where's the list? Old Spice isn't on it, by any chance?
PS I'm looking for someone born about 1982ish so we need 80's on that list. :)
Hmm, doing a quick google search I don't find this information. We might have to do some actual research.
Well, here's an interesting article. Someone did a little "quality" test on the old classics.
http://artofmanliness.com/2012/01/10/6-forgotten-drugstore-colognes-and-aftershaves/
Do you think it will work for guys if women wear the same perfume as their mom/grandmother?
Funny, but my first real boyfriend wore Aramis because his dad did. For me, it is the memory of first love. I can still stake it out in a crowd.
English Leather was too strong, Hai Karate too "Axe" trendy. And Old Spice was my dad's and therefore abhorrent to me. Still is.
I still think Xeryus is the finest cologne I've ever smelled.
I believe Aramis is still available at Bergdorf-Goodman (Manhattan) and possibly at Barney's and/or N-M.
Experiment you say? I'll be the control group. I haven't worn cologne my entire life. Tonight I'm at home by myself after a hard day at work, followed by the gym, a run and a beer with my brother. I will most like drink a few more beers and make love to myself.
It's named after the Musketeer, I'll wager.
I don't wear cologne because of my allergies, but I was always partial to Old Spice.
I did this by accident twice before I caught on. When I was a young lad, my dad bought me my first cologne one Christmas and told me to take a nice girl out dancing.
So, a few months later (I was young and beta), I ask out a girl and we go swing dancing. I call him up to see how much to apply, then take the girl out swing dancing.
Apparently, my dad chose this because it's what was popular when he was younger. This girl had daddy issues something awful, not that I knew it at the time, and I wore his same brand. She went nuts for me.
Second time, same cologne. Took a cute but slutty girl out dancing (just grinding, this time - she was somewhat less sophisticated). The moment she gets a good whiff, she's on me like a fat kid on cookies. Turns out her biological father wore the same brand.
Now, the interesting thing is that neither of these girls actually made the connection. Girl #1 never figured it out - I noticed it when I met her parents, and saw the cologne while using the bathroom. Girl #2 went home to visit her biological dad and noticed the smell because he had just come home from a date before picking up his daughter, then she realized it was the same.
Both of their dads were serious alpha males, Don Draper types who could get away with slapping a coworker's ass in front of a female client. Both of them liked me, and I learned quite a bit from them, but the relevant point here is that if a girl thinks her dad is awesome (and possibly even if she doesn't), his cologne will turn her on and she likely won't even realize what it is.
I love Aramis. I do not know anyone who wore it or wears it, but it is one of those "classic" scents that really evokes masculinity for me.
I hate Acqua di Gio. I used to work the company that developed it for Armani. It was everywhere and on every man I met, either at that company or elsewhere. It signifies metrosexual to me, like so many other colognes of the 90s and 00s.
My personal favorite? Pinaud Lilac Vegetal, first launched in 1880. It's a fairly inexpensive aftershave and when my husband wears it I get all melty. Don't let the "lilac" in the name fool you: it's an incredibly masculine scent, neither overpowering nor fleeting.
The androgyny of fine fragrance ushered in by CKOne is a travesty. The complementary fragrances (a version for men, a version for women) are just as bad. Like jeans and a clean white shirt, classic scents are sexy.
Just curious Cap, any women's fragrances you prefer? Scent preferences are unique but I was wondering if any women's classics are favorites for you versus the newer fragrance types bowing in lately.
I worked in the industry for many years and sometimes I miss it, but it felt hollow and false after a while, like so many other things...
There may be something to this. I remember some study (source and potential bias unknown) that found women who had good relationships with their father tended to seek out men similar to their dad.
Who's your daddy? Huh? Say it...
I like the potential here.
heresolong,
this is for you. A searchable database of fragrances by launch date, gender, fragrance family/type, etc.
Happy hunting.
http://www.basenotes.net/fragrancedirectory/
I laid in two 50-gallon drums of "Hai Karate" back in high school.
The chicks did a good-smellin' man!
I've had women tell me they love how I smell when I wear classic Old Spice.
I've been wearing Joop and have had women -- complete strangers, mind you -- come up to me saying they like the fragrance.
A great lover from the 70's wore Pierra Cardin. I got my husband a bottle and he likes it (never told him reason I liked it). Ah, memories. Yes, Old Spice is good, too.
I didn't know it was gone, we've been using it continuously for 3 generations.
I can see the next step here. Find a girl you like, break into her parent's house, toss the bathroom to figure out what her dad wears, and off you go.
i thought everyone knew about anchoring as well. but yea it's a very effective tactic when you've done it right.:) i use lacoste because it smells good and is the best attraction achor on a budget for millenials.:)
In the UK in the 80's the main popular ones were Brut, Wrangle, Old Spice and Aramis.
Personally, I am a sucker for a man wearing "Obsession for Men" by Calvin Klein. :)
Uh, personal experience: sex with a man wearing your long-dead father's aftershave is really, really, REALLY weird. It didn't kill the relationship, but I was relieved when he switched to something else.
Personal experience: sex with a man wearing your long-dead father's aftershave is really, really, really weird. It didn't end the relationship (other things did), but I was relieved when he switched brands.
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