No. 88
Eau de Parfum, Czech & Speake (2019)

I'm a long-term owner of the No. 88 cologne. The EDP retains the notes and gothic overtones of the original, but smooths down some of its freshness for a more restrained atmosphere. Both are exceptionally good and choosing between them - assuming that you've tried them, of course - is either a matter of mood or how much you want to advertise your taste.

For me the cologne is floral-forward and the drydown creates a dramatic contrast to the top notes. The EDP is more consistent and more refined. If anything, I kind of prefer the cologne, but either is a wonderful way to add a masculine floral to the collection.

A masterfully crafted gothic masculine floral chypré with an aromatic darkly assertive fougére barbershop aura. Dark, cold, leafy humid, slightly smokey petals of rose, geranium and frangipani lied down on wet stone (with smoked woods-residues in a kind of retrò leafy, woodsy, mineral mélange). As a saturnine, furtive, "Dickensian" and funereal this "neo Victorian in style" Czech&Speake's intenser revisitation of a great classic from the house represents the quintessence of a stoney concept of gentlemanly "nineteenth-century in style" elegance, the olfactory rendition of post Industrial Revolution's decadence in the Victorian England and the "poetic" representation of the by Dickens Oliver Twist romance-character Fagin's spectral silhouette while roaming in the middle of the night on a London Bridge completely shrouded in mist and mystery (a scene well represented as well in the Oliver Twist's 1948 and 2005 movie potrayals). For those who are already familiar with the more "cologney" 1980 Eau de Cologne version of No.88 performed by John Stephen, this new more recent (2021) Eau de Parfum version appears slightly woodier-thicker and basically less angular and smoother (with something vaguely suedish lingering and sparking in the background as a ghost). Over a first sniff you will still figure in front of your eyes a horse-drawn carriage and a darkly suited lord with his top hat while stepping outside in a foggy night under the pale light gleaming from a street bronze lamp. The cologne version in its current formulation is stronger on cold geranium imo, a main theme around which dark laundry rose, mild frangipani and powdery mineral woods play a supporting and interacting role in here. In the more recent Eau de Parfum formula geranium is less prominent indeed, the powdery notes are slightly toned down while rose, woods and a minimal hint of something smoother and vaguely rubbery come up on the stage. This new No. 88 Eau de Parfum could nowadays be considered a modern trait d'union of many cold assertive floral masculine fragrances from the past (each of whom with their own specific diverse peculiarities), starting from older victorian creations as the glorious Geo F. Trumper Eucris Eau de Toilette (1912) and Knize Ten (1920), going ahead for decades across pillars as Van Cleef & Arpels pour Homme (1978), Jacomo de Jacomo (1980), Pascal Morabito Or Black (1981), Ysl Kouros (1981), vintage Trussardi Uomo (1983), passing hearafter over modern rosey dandy-decandent olfactory representations a la Eau d'Italie Bois d'ombrie (2006) and Domenico Caraceni 1913 (2007) in order to finally make a landfall to diverse (but still coldly dark and impersonal) creations a la Durbano Black Tourmaline (2007), the Calice Becker's By Kilian Pure Oud (2009) or Rouge Bunny Rouge Tundra (2014). No.88 is still one of my favorite rose/geranium combo on the side of my absolute favorite Domenico Caraceni 1913 (both the versions, in its perfect Edt vest or in its more recent 2022 Edp). Frangipani is a further sharp (slightly milder) floral protagonist balancing the almost bitter further "floracy" of the formula. This is the perfect scent for a funeral imo since by inhaling its "ominous" assertive aroma you could figure in mind a mournful, black clothed, algid and composed tall man intent to stare the white laid down dead inside the open coffin, while standing in the mortuary chapel in the middle of the appalling night, with just his face slightly enlightened by the candles' faint glare. In the meanwhile (in the core of the night) his gray shade stands high on the faintly enlightened walls of the room and you wonder if the corpse has much more soul (and life) than this tall, sinister "of cold geranium smelling about" fellow still standing in the room. No.88 is a scent based over a leafy (a almost crispy-aqueous) bergamot/geranium and rose/frangipani accord, either equally relevant on this EdP version. The No. 88's aroma starts (also in the Edp version) with a citrusy astringent barber-shop note (in here a tad less pronounced and angular than in the old cologne formula) before morphing, through an heavily floral vegetal heart, in to a earthy/woody/stoney-mineral base with sharp (unrooty, purified) vetiver, hints of sharp patchouli, suede and mineral sandalwood. On this path the rose/geranium combo emerges supremely assertive, vegetal and masculine. The woods end to warm finally up the concoction balancing the citrusy-watery-leafy blast of the initial development and turning the final aroma to smell out about dry flowers and severe bergamot over a sharp woody (kind of mineral/incensey/stoney) base. Sillage and longevity are improved if compared with the old cologne version and are more than stout and "projectful" on my skin. A timeless royal fragrance for lovers of tradition with a wonderfully retrò style which I recommend as supreme example of decadent conservative elegance.

Imagine a sexy vampire from 1750 in a horse and carriage riding down cobbled London streets at night as gas light lamps light the way through the fog. He steps out with his top hat and silver engraved cane onto the streets and walks to his appointment at his gentleman's club.

That's what I envision when I smell this scent. It has the smell of a dark red dewy rose they used to scent water and hanker chiefs in Victorian times. There is lots of sandalwood and geranium and other notes to give this scent real character. It's surprisingly masculine for a rose based scent and has that old world barbershop charm. Easy to wear as well, big thumbs up from me!

Despite No. 88's reputation as a "dark" scent (mostly a misconception due to its unique black bottle), No. 88 is a masterfully crafted floral-chypre with a fougere structure, that is both long-lasting and projects very well for the best part of the day.

The cologne version in its current form comes across as quite powdery and packed full of geranium. The rose and woods play a supporting role here. In the more recent Eau de Parfum, the geranium and powdery notes are toned down and allow the rose and woods to come to the front much more. This is reminiscent of the vintage version and it results in a much smoother fragrance overall. Both versions have a touch of sweetness due to the frangipani. To me the cologne is a like, whereas the EdP is a love.

From experience, the Cologne works well in warmer weather - the opening freshness from the bergamot and accompanying florals (geranium and rose) make for a welcome change to the traditional citrus-chypre warm weather scent. Conversely, the new Eau de Parfum works well in the cooler months due to the more pronounced woods, but either can be worn so long as they are used in sensible quantities.

All in all, a unique floral-chypre fougere, centred around rose, with a classy character that is totally unisex.