I am probably going to piss off some clone warriors with this one, but so be it. I can say this because I have been there. I chased everything. I owned hundreds of dupes and clones. I chased every new “95% identical” release, every beast-mode version and every $30 alternative that supposedly made the original obsolete. But I also chased every inexpensive designer brand I could find. Rack-store bargains, discounted designers, cheapies that somebody on YouTube said were hidden gems — if it was inexpensive and getting attention, I wanted to try it. Then I started doing the same thing with niche. I chased niche brands, affordable niche, hyped niche and whatever house everybody happened to be talking about that month. For a long time, the hobby became about the next bottle. And eventually I had to ask myself a question: Do I actually love perfumery, or do I just love collecting bottles? Because those are not necessarily the same thing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying affordable fragrances. There is nothing wrong with clones either. Some are excellent, some perform better than the original, and some are incredible values. But if your entire collection is built around copies of fragrances you have never even smelled, I have a hard time calling that a deep appreciation of perfumery. Especially when those same people turn around and say: “Why would anybody pay $300 for the original?” “The clone is better.” “It smells exactly the same.” “The original is a ripoff.” How do you know? You never smelled it. Watching a YouTube reviewer tell you something is 95% accurate does not mean you have experienced the original. And this is one of my biggest problems with clone culture. Somewhere along the way, price and performance became the only measurements of quality. If a fragrance costs $25 and lasts 12 hours, it is automatically considered better than a $250 fragrance that lasts seven. That makes absolutely no sense to me anymore. Perfumery is more than projection and longevity.

Chanel is one of those houses I respect more the longer I’m into fragrances. When I first started collecting, I was chasing everything — inexpensive designers, every hyped designer release, Middle Eastern clones, and eventually niche and artisan perfumery. Going back to Chanel after smelling all of that makes me appreciate just how well put together their fragrances really are. Chanel isn't usually trying to beat you over the head with projection or create the loudest fragrance in the room. Their strength is refinement, balance, blending, and making fragrances that simply smell expensive. Bleu de Chanel is obviously the modern centerpiece of the men's designer line. Some people dismiss it because the blue fragrance category became so crowded afterward, but Bleu de Chanel helped define what a modern upscale blue fragrance could be. I particularly like the Parfum because it takes that DNA in a smoother, richer, and more mature direction. It isn't trying to scream across the room. It smells polished and extremely well composed. The Allure Homme family may actually be the strongest part of Chanel's men's designer catalog for me. Allure Homme, Allure Homme Sport, and Eau Extrême each have their own personality while still clearly belonging to the same family. Eau Extrême especially has become almost a benchmark fragrance because of how effortlessly it combines freshness, sweetness, woods and that creamy Chanel smoothness. Then you have Platinum Égoïste, which is a completely different side of Chanel. Green, aromatic, metallic, clean and masculine without smelling like another modern shower-gel fragrance. This is one of those fragrances that reminds you Chanel existed long before the current blue-fragrance era. And then there is Égoïste, which I think deserves much more attention today. Woody, spicy, and considerably more distinctive than most modern designer releases. It comes from a time when designer houses weren't afraid to put something on the counter that actually had some edges and personality.

Well gents, im gonna end up wearing whatever I want anyways, but i do appreciate the collective wisdom of the group. I have a 1st date with a very attractive 28 yr old university student tomorrow. She's more of a country girl, than city. She asked me out because "the city boys dont get it, and she prefers a country gentleman". Shes from my area, but temporarily living away for school... this is the 5th attempt Lots of wild fire smoke in the air. Temperatures around 32C (89.6F). Most likely a patio dinner, drinks, walk, etc. Eventually i will get called to work and it will end. So which frag to choose (i honestly haven't decided yet)