Fougère Platine
Tom Ford (2018)

Tom Ford - the brand and the man - have never run short of things to say about the retro aesthetics of yesteryear. Fougere Platine is one of the brand's (handful of) musings on the classic barbershop fougere genre. Perhaps it is only me, but this perfume almost feels like it's meant to be a joke; a fun, playful, self-deprecating take on a genre meant to represent the clean, crisp, serious but not stuffy, well-groomed man. The lavender note played in this perfume turns far away from any of the aromatic, oily, and floral qualities it can sometimes have to solely be bone-dry and herbaceous, and we are given an ample dose of sage to drive the point home. But then some artemisia and honey, really rather unserious and lighthearted sweet notes, are swirled into this retro mix's bowl. There are, of course, notes of bergamot and woods, particularly cedar, but it's the touches of olibanum and labdanum injected into the base to make sure the perfume doesn't lose the elegant feel that great barbershop fougeres should have. If it weren't for the honey and artemisia, this would likely come across as a very serious, tight, and modern rendition of the genre, but the notes of artemisia and honey add such a light-hearted juxtaposition to the rest of the perfume I'm almost certain the perfume is aware it's making a joke. Or, maybe this is a dandy that doesn't realize he's a bit foolish. Either way, it's an enjoyable take that is very much worth pursuing for those who love this genre.

As you might imagine from the names of both the house and the fragrance, this is a glitzy, metallic take on a fougère. There's quite a bit of flash here, especially in the first hour; focused on the brightest aspects of bergamot, lavender, and olibanum, the green notes tinting things rather than defining them. Not too long into wearing, the sillage downshifts substantially as the lavender gives way to light patchouli, leaving less platinum glint than honeyed sweetness hovering above the skin. Perfumers Olivier Gillotin and Linda Song bordered on gilding the fern—had Fougère Platine traded some opulence for elegance (and burned the performance candle on one end rather than two), it might have survived in addition to, if not instead of, stablemate Fougère d'Argent. Ah, but then it would hardly have been Tom Ford.

Taken as it is, it's a bright young thing for Bright Young Things, a pretty smell, but not rich enough to be so costly. I will be more than satisfied with, and remain grateful for, my decant.

This is a fougere that merges classical with modern and puts emphasis on notes that are typically supporting rather than lead roles. The clary sage and artemisia are more pronounced. However, that isn't to say they "steal" the scene, as there is a great chemistry with the lavender and honey, rendering a glistening, almost metallic sheen: gilded and fuzzy fern bracts. Clary sage blends seamlessly with tobacco (as it does famously); if you have ever smelled the solvent-extracted clary sage absolute, it is so similar to the smell of cured tobacco leaves, far more so than any tobacco absolute.

The sillage is lustrous, at each turn I receive a reward of aromatics and noble manly cleanness, but it no way desperately screams "fresh", a human warmth is extended through the honey and resinous base notes. It breathes cool and composed, is tactful and debonaire, but it knows its heart belongs in the forest deep, and wonders if the great Tom Ford himself would even venture into the deep with him. This is one of the creations from Tom Ford that transcends all the coarse tropes and discomfiting humor of the private line; of course it's discontinued, go figure.

The opening strikes as a Meyer-lemon enriched lavender. A green lavender with minimal woodsiness, and a touch of soapiness, without developing a strong barbershop undercurrent. A bit of clary sage lingers in the background after a short while, whilst some bergamot aids the lemon in contributing brightness and freshness.

After the first few hours a hint of bitterness creeps in due to an artimisia note growing stronger, but the lavender still makes its presence felt - and smelt. There is a thin veil of olibanum adding a very smooth sweetish-spicy impression at this stage.

After that is is rapidly reduced in strength and quite close to my skin, especially when the base notes arrive. There are centered around a nonspecific cedary wood notes that is probably norlimbanol-based, and is paired with a touch of a bland and sweet tobacco impression that lacks any a smokiness on me.

I get moderate sillage very good projection initially, and seven hours of longevity on my skin.

Whilst there are some elements of a fougere given in this scent for warmer autumn days, like the jasmine, bergamot, the sage, and the lavender, but the galbanum, oakmoss and coumarin are missing. This 'fougere lite' is still a respectable take on the theme initially; the second half, however, is so generic an egregiously synthetic that it spoils the initial positive impression. Overall 2.75/5

Like this a lot. A different take on woody fragrances these days. A Winter gem. Has a rugged effect with enough citrus to balance it out. The Lavender is very noticeable, and if you're not a fan of Lavender you may want to stay away. I enjoy this slightly better than Fougere D'Argent. 7.5/10

When I put this on it felt pretty herbal, and almost metallic. Think of a tomato leaf, sorta like that, but not quite there. It loses that herbal green bitterness gradually over the next hour, and then takes its ultimate form, which essentially smells kinda like dial hand soap. This is pretty strong, and pretty tenacious. True skin scent probably sometime around hour 2. Good/great longevity, projection pretty heavy for 1.5 hours. This really has ideal performance, it basically comes down to if you like the smell. To me? It is boring. It really doesn't bring much to the table. It has the feel of a competent modern fougere. I'm going neutral. I'm not sure even if it was $40 if it would bump itself up to a thumbs up, the value here is not great. Other things can be had for cheaper that cover the same ground.