When classic preppy brand Gant first ventured into the world of fragrances, the result wasn't bad at all. Gant Classic from 1997 was by no means groundbreaking or original, but it was a well crafted mossy, fresh fougere with a clear concept and sense of direction. Their sophomore effort - the peachy G2 indicated serious lack of inspiration. Subsequently they´ve continued to put out bland, generic, run of the mill, watered down juices regularly. From the muted grapefruity Indigo to the artificial red pepper mess that is Soho and the aquatic monstrosities known as Adventure and Liquid, all Gant fragrances the last years have been just terrible. There is no other way of putting it.
This fact does seem to have been aknowledged by their responsible people now though. The latest release, Silver, is a serious step up for the brand, in several ways. Before anyone gets too excited I'd describe Silver as something in between Ralph Lauren Polo Sport and Giorgio Armani Code, no grand prize for originality in any way. But fact is that the fresh, ambery and faintly herbal juice works quite well. It´s a woody comfort scent that is perfect for subtle office use. Notes include bergamot, lime, basil, lavender, cardamom, thyme, patchouli, tonka bean and amber.
The packaging, ads and overall concept is executed well, and for the first time in ages the brand has managed to create something that I believe will stand out enough to get just a tad more attention and excitement than other similar, generic launches.
To read the company's own copywriting about Silver being "prestige" and "premium" this and that is just laughable though. This is just an acceptable fragrance, nothing more, nothing less. A somewhat synthetic feeling comfort-concoction that will stick around a few years simply because the competition is that bad right now. With Silver, Gant are right back where they started fragrancewise. A promising (fresh) beginning. Let´s hope they don't start making the same mistakes again.
To read the company's own copywriting about Silver being "prestige" and "premium" this and that is just laughable though. This is just an acceptable fragrance, nothing more, nothing less. A somewhat synthetic feeling comfort-concoction that will stick around a few years simply because the competition is that bad right now. With Silver, Gant are right back where they started fragrancewise. A promising (fresh) beginning. Let´s hope they don't start making the same mistakes again.
Year of Launch: 2008
Gender Classification: Masculine
Reminiscent of: Ralph Lauren Polo Sport, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Giorgio Armani Code, Azzaro Onyx, Davidoff Silver Shadow
Longevity & Sillage: Both slightly below average
Overall rating: 5/10
2 comments:
An excellent blog Mattias!
I enjoy your style of writing and "nose" for detail.
Keep up the excellent blogging... I will visit often :)
Dimitri.
Önskar recenson av Kate Moss-parfym! Kanske t.om funkar på killar, vem vet? :)
Keep up the good work!
/Joanna
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