Jan

31

The Scent of a Man (or, Tom of Finland in a Bottle)

January 31, 2008 |

Ah, the scent of a man. I’ve never been into cologne (I’d prefer not to burn my tongue with a mouthful of eau-de-whatever, thanks). Nor have I ever enjoyed the pungent musk of guys who prefer to shower, oh, once a month, because that’s what real men smell like. No, real men make use of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps (dilute!) Anyway, I am nevertheless intrigued by the new Tom of Finland perfume. WWD notes it “does not disturb the odor of men.” But get this: You’ll have to be 18 in Europe and 21 in the United States to purchase it! WWD writes “(f)or the first time in history, showing identification will be obligatory to buy a bottle—of scent.” Perfume biz website Scented Salamander is amused: “Isn’t that funny and paradoxical? You will have to wear a large overcoat to buy the fragrance as well just to keep it hidden underneath.” What’s all the hubbub? The packaging is sexually suggestive. Christ on a crutch. Click here for a few more details…

The perfume-composer is Antoine Lie, who describes the scent as “a guy coming out of a shower. He’s clean, but not fragranced. And he puts on leather pants,” with themes of “metal, leather, sensuality, beauty and radiance,” inspired by Tom of Finland’s artwork. Notes to be found include “a crumpled leaf, suede, metal, pepperwood, iris, tonka, vetiver, and musks.” (Tonka is a vanilla-esque bean, while vetiver is fragrant grass similar to lemongrass.)

The parfum is expected to retail for about $110 (depending on how the American dollar plunges) and will first be available at Etat Libre d’Orange in Paris (or at their online store) and in the U.K. at Harvey Nichols. It doesn’t launch in North America until June.

That “does not disturb the odor of men” descriptive is interesting. Notes gay site Towleroad.com, “I guess [that] means you’ll still be able to inhale the rich aromas of musky armpit, taint, and other places your nose might care to travel.”

Contact JC Adams at JCAdamsXXX@aol.com


Comments

3 Comments so far

  1. Sinu' on January 31, 2008 12:38 pm

    AGE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT! Its just a cheap gimmick unless the company can prove why you have to be of a certain age to purchase Big Tit Tom perfume. [I am not intrigued enough to buy it at Harvey Nichols, as its full of smelly Mary's].

  2. JC Adams on January 31, 2008 1:10 pm

    Ah, of course. A marketing gimmick! Where was my trusty cynicism this morning…? Thanks, Sinu.

    Regards,
    JCA

  3. Rhys on January 31, 2008 5:42 pm

    I second the “smelly Mary’s” comment about Harvey Nichols. Buy it online, if you must…

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