Giorgio
Giorgio Beverly Hills (1981)

I turned 20 in 1980 and loved almost everything about the decade! I loved the music, the fashions, the nighttime soaps and the fragrances. I loved Giorgio back in the day as it made me feel confident and empowered. A few years ago, I bought it again on Fragrance Net and found that I still love it and enjoy wearing it as a woman now in my mid-60's.

If Giorgio happens to suit your body chemistry and is worn in moderation (i.e. a strict maximum of two small squirts!), it really is second to none.

It goes on slightly more citrusy, due to the bergamot, but then settles down to be a beautiful, well balanced, slightly sexy, slightly sweet, but not too sweet, delicious peach/apricot creamy white floral, with a slight woody/smoky feel.

With the creamy tuberose taking centre stage, more and more, as time goes on.

It smells a bit like cream soda tastes, actually, if you can imagine that?

Just gorgeous.

Sadly, I have issues with many older, non synthetic (or less synthetic) fragrances turning too sour on me.

This is one of the very few that doesn't do that.

It's, thankfully, still not artificially over-sweet, like most current fragrances are; but, it's not sour, either.

So, if you have similar issues and like peachy white florals, of the vintage variety, definitely give this a go.

I've tried a lot of fragrances (both newer and older ones) and very few even come close, let alone beat, Giorgio.

Having said that, other ones to try, if you like Giorgio and find it suits you, are Michael Kors by Michael Kors, for an interesting, more linear, punchy, rubbery, bananary, purer, slightly more smoky take on tuberose and Estee Lauder's Beautiful, for a slightly more innocent, varied and pretty (rather than sexy) floral bouquet.

I have a generous vintage sample. I remember when this came out. Everyone, I mean everyone wore it. Too much of it, too.

My sample is vibrant but more mellow than I remember from years past. The florals of tuberose, gardenia, ylang ylang, jasmine, orange blossom, and rose are all intact. Very bold. I get a hint of green which may be the chamomile or oakmoss. The amber and musk are enhanced by vanilla. The patchouli is sweetened by something - I can't put my finger on it. It may be fruit.

Overall I am glad I found a vintage sample. Honestly, I never owned a full bottle of this back in the day. I only had a sample. I gave it away because I couldn't stomach wearing something that every other woman was drowning in.

I remember my mother wearing it. It was just smelling like perfume, generic perfume, to my kid's nose back then. Now I remember a dry, musky floral and I'm curious of smelling it again.

I normally love big ostentatious perfumes from the 80s - couldn't remember what this one smelled like, but it seemed like a pretty safe blind buy when I came across a massively discounted bottle of EDT. Oh, my. I really do see why some restaurants prohibited patrons from wearing it, it is a cloying melange of florals and pervasive as all get-out. It doesn't yield to soap and water without a fight, either. Stand back!

Everything but the kitchen sink (florals). The kicker being massive ylang-ylang and gardenia heightened with sandalwood and vanilla, also overloaded. Big hair and shoulder pads are a must. Famous for making small spaces intolerable. Perfumes like this give perfume a bad reputation.