Jil Sander Man Pure (original)
Jil Sander (1981)

Jil Sander Man Pure (original) by Jil Sander (1981) was originally just called "Jil Sander Man" when it was released in 1981, then after the release of Jil Sander Man 2 by Jill Sander (1982), it picked up the name of "Jill Sander Man 1" which it kept until the original trio of Jil Sander Man were all discontinued (subsequently including 1987's Jil Sander Man 3); after that point, Pure Man by Jil Sander (2004) would be launched as a reformulation of this scent by perfumers Illias Ermenidis and Nathalie Lorson (the original 1981 perfumer is unknown), while an entirely unrelated new Jil Sander Man by Jil Sander (2007) would appear a few years later. To make things more confusing, the "Jil Sander Pure" reformulation from 2004 would be shuffled into a new bottle as part of 'The Essentials" collection, relabeled Pure Man by Jil Sander in 2012. Suffice it to say, if your bottle is brown, and has the divided rectangular shape with just "Jil Sander" on it, you have the original 1981 Jil Sander Man, before any numbers or instances of the word "Pure" began showing up to muddy the mental waters. This is a very no-nonsense fragrance though, and something that made enough of a mark to get a spiritual successor decades later.

Heidemarie Jiline "Jil" Sander was all about minimalism anyway, but at very least her house could find an idea and stick with it instead of just constantly redoing everything but the scent itself evidently, beyond whatever changes reformulation bring. Now for the smell itself: Jil Sander Man is a big slug of cedar, castoreum, oakmoss, and chewy herbs like basil and oregano, wrapped in dandy florals and spices to try and make it a bit more civilized than such a wild combo might otherwise suggest. I am reminded both of Polo by Ralph Lauren (1977) with the patchouli and tobacco elements, while also roped into thinking about Halston Z-14 (1976) with the ambery cinnamon and carnation on display in the heart. Neither as green as Polo, or as sweet as Z-14, Jil Sander Man cross-talks between them and heavier castoreum fragrances like Caron Yatagan (1974) or One Man Show by Jacques Bogart (1980). The clary sage for me is the "X factor" that makes Jil Sander's offering stand out amongst the crowd, making it just more aromatic and a bit dressy as sage imparts a sliver of "clean" over top it all. The scent here would be paid homage to with Scent 79 Men by Jil Sander (2008), which is thematically identical but executed differently.

This was 1981 and just about peak "macho man" for men's fragrances, with heavy powerhouse fragrances preceding it and also following it into the mid-80's, so Jil Sander Man may have gotten lost a bit in that mix, hence it not being mentioned in the same worshipful tones as Chanel Antaeus (1981), Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent (1981), or Oscar de La Renta pour Lui (1981). I'd put this on the B-list roster with other 1981 releases like Bijan for Men (1981), or my lovable drugstore fighter Coty Stetson (1981) at best, and it has its fans. Jil Sander opted for a more-frequent release schedule of men's fragrances than what was common in the 80's, with Jil Sander Man 2 coming the very next year having a smoother, less-hirsute manner, less "pure man" if you mind the easy pun there. Veneration from collectors and YouTubers who make it their entire personality to bemoan the loss of masculinity in men's fragrance, or exalt the nobility of fictional oakmoss quantities these perfumes never contained, will tell you I'm a heretic for not being absolutely gobsmacked here, but there were more interesting things to get your nose on in 1981. I won't besmirch the quality of the blend though, and it's a fine aromatic with a little kitchen sink "something for everyone" likeability about it. Thumbs up

Refined, sophisticated and beguiling, Jil Sander Man (original) is the epitome of what a higher end fragrance of its time would deliver: a convergence of textures and aromatic elements with a stratospheric sillage and a mysterious undertone close to the skin.

The opening is a stellar accord of oregano, basil, lemon, and clary sage (just as the note pyramid suggests, its all there). I am a sucker for cooking herbs when they appear in a fragrance, and here they are dosed to perfection, with the oregano more nuanced than say, Amouage Interlude Man, imparting a warmth contrasting with the brightness of the other elements.

Oregano merges into nutmeg in the heart, a unique contrast I haven't encountered before in a fragrance, even as the de rigueur carnation and geranium join the chorus, but its the castoreum note that is the real showstopper. The dry down is incredible: rich, dark, elegant yet sexy, a "thief of hearts." Heartbreakingly hot and handsome, the swagger is in its base.

This stuff rocks.

Just Woooowww such a quality balenced fragrance why should not be among us in the commercial shit perfumes of today.
How a nice fragrance for todays its production back to 1981 while it has modern vibe what an attitude was behind its creation that time which is still match to nowadays frags .
At first soapy and mossy but spices like cardamom cinnamon came to the game soon and animalic smoky leather accord back it up at the back.

Like a mathematical mean of the aforementioned Halston 1-12 and the eponymous Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme, with a particularly odd effect - This scent smells like it is highly concentrated but coming from farther away, like it's the ghost of a looming powerhouse fragrance. Basil, inky castoreum, and patchouli dominate, making the composition filthily clean. This fragrance certainly defies logic, moreso for the fact that it is no longer in production than that it should be impossible. Fans of classic Halston or Aramis frags would be doing themselves a great favor by sampling this. This is exactly the kind of scent which makes enthusiasts lament modern perfumery.

A classic top chypreThere is a bit of neroli in the opening that combines with herbal notes in a well-balanced fashion. A woody undertone is added, and all is penetrated by a first-class oakmoss drydown of phenomenal quality. It all blends beautifully, with the touch of inherent sweetness nigh neutralized on my skin by the herbal tones. Good projection, good silage and a good longevity if over four hours. A classic paradigmatic chypre.  

A powdery mossy chypre projecting in the air a sharp white/boise poisonous magic of the forest. Pure. It reminds me more than vaguely Leonard Pour Homme but without the leathery feel and yes, i find similarities with the Equipage's neutral mossy/floral suede. In the middle of the cloudy powder you can detect the aroma of fern and birch tar, some delicate hesperidic oil, a touch of aldehydes, musk, moss, ethereal spicy soap (cinnamon/orange?) and soothing balsams. Sometimes i wonder if a touch of not listed eliotrope is inserted in the blend. The balance is severe, the naturalness of the elements extreme and the fragrance, slightly hesperidic/aromatic at the beginning, turns out slowly as a silky/talky olfactory pearl with an airy/sharp mossy tone and with an orangy/floral animalic-powdery vibe. Just wonderful.