Perfume Review: Cristiano Fissore Cashmere for Men

I talked before about Cristiano Fissore Cashmere for Women, describing my unexpected affection for -if not obsession with- the scent. Although I came to accept it as a fragrance indeed evocative of cashmere, the “cashmere quality” was not achieved there the way I would have expected. Cashmere for Men was clearly created by someone with my way of thinking. The moment I smelled it, I thought, yep, cashmere. It has soft woodiness and understated warmth that makes it most definitely cashmere-like in feel. You want to touch the scent, to nestle it against your face. It smells like a grey cashmere sweater worn by the love of my life. It smells like me wearing that sweater when I miss him. It is incredibly attractive. The scent starts pleasantly sharp, with a spicy, almost clove-like and at the same time balsamic accord of bergamot, bay and elemi. Within seconds, the sharpness goes away, and the scent reveals its gorgeous heart of woods jazzed up by just the tiniest residue of the spice from the top notes. For a lover of woody notes in perfume, the middle stage of Cashmere for Men is a veritable paradise. First there is elegant, slightly peppery cedar, then a richer, darker wood that has an undertone of the very black, over-brewed tea (that must be Guaiac)…The woody notes are complimented by the dark earthiness of patchouli and vetiver; in the drydown, the amber becomes very apparent and softens and warms the scent considerably, enhancing the “cashmere” effect. Cashmere for Men manages to be dry and cuddly at the same time. It is refined and comforting, discreet and full of character. It is one of those “masculine” scents that I absolutely adore, the ones that are understated, most decidedly non-macho and yet incredibly sensual. Like MDCI SB1, Let Me Play the Lion, Dior Homme and Un Bois Sepia, it has an urbane, subtle charm that I find irresistible. Because it does not possess the in your-face, bare-chested, I-am-man-hear-me-roar attitude, it is also entirely wearable for a woman. If the love of my life owned this scent, I would have borrowed it just like that grey cashmere sweater of his. Cashmere for Men is only available at First in Fragrance, €95.00 for 100ml. It is my hope that one of the US stores, like Luckyscent, would start carrying it soon as well, along with its wonderful feminine counterpart. The first image is from unity-models.com.