2016 is going to be a very good year for perfumes that were released in the mainstream sector. The primary factor which I think have made this year better is the desire of the big perfume brands to connect with the younger fragrance buyer. What this has led to is a few interesting takes on existing tropes. One of the more consistent things this has produced are perfumes which take half chances. Willing to let the top notes or the base notes carry some risk but the other half needs to be safe. If the interesting half is engaging enough that might be enough. The latest example of this is Versace pour Homme Dylan Blue.
Versace pour Homme Dylan blue is ostensibly a flanker to Versace pour Homme. While it shares the same perfumer, Alberto Morillas, this is pretty much a very different fragrance. It shares some of the same freshness of the original but that’s pretty much where I would end any comparisons. Dylan Blue is making a play for the player in his 20’s or 30’s.
Alberto Morillas
M. Morillas’ plan to ensnare this perfume wearer is to take that stale aquatic fresh accord and really add some pizazz to it. This is that half of Dylan Blue which really succeeds. M. Morillas combines a whole host of synthetics which bounce off one another in a very engaging fashion. The problem is that ends and what we are left with is a very generic ending which lasts longer than the opening.
Dylan Blue opens on the tried and true citrus of grapefruit buttressed with bergamot. Right away M. Morillas switches things up by adding fig leaves and an aquatic accord. The fig leaves are a really nice touch adding a creamy green quality. This juxtaposes with the aquatics and the citrus. Then M. Morillas just keeps adding in kinetic energy; black pepper, violet leaves, and papyrus all come in and find a dance partner. The papyrus inserts itself with the aquatic accord and the fig leaves. The violet leaves provide a sharpness to the grapefruit. As this all comes together this does feel like an attempt to reach out to a new younger fragrance wearer with the plea “I’m not your father’s cologne.” The unfortunate part is the base is just like your dad’s cologne. A very generic ambrox, musk, and tonka is what is left behind.
Dylan Blue has 10-12 hour longevity and average sillage.
Dylan Blue is half of a very good fragrance. On the second day I wore it I topped it off three times during the day so I could enjoy the early moments again. Even though the title refers to a color of fabric used by fashion designers I was reminded of Bob Dylan’s great song “Tangled up in Blue”. In that song the lyrics tell of a search for love that always begins well but ends with him back in the same place heading down the road. Versace pour Homme Dylan Blue begins well only to end up in the same place but that beginning is worth getting tangled up in Dylan Blue.
Disclosure; This review was based on a sample provided by Versace.
–Mark Behnke
