Romance Silver Men
Ralph Lauren (2003)

Ralph Lauren Romance Silver for Men (2003) is a flanker to the not-so-successful Ralph Lauren Romance for Men (1999), and comes across very "un-Lauren" in execution just like the original. The biggest problem with Romance for Men was that it had little to no follow-through after a gorgeously-inviting ahead-of-its-time mass appeal opening that presaged a lot of modern compliment-getters stinking up buses, elevators, and offices today. The citrus floral combination with Romance just didn't have the sustain it deserved from the woody white musk backbone the fragrance was given, likely an attempt at keeping it subtle and "romantic", but ultimately causing Romance for Men to be a broken promise and unreturned call after a one-night stand. Romance Silver for Men at least feels like a complete fragrance, with a full development from start to finish that lasts at least an acceptable amount of time being detectable on skin, even if the stylistic changes it throws down in order to do this also make it somewhat of a forgettable fragrance in my mind. The general theme here versus the standard Romance experience is to go a bit into a warmer and more aromatic direction, which probably explains the added heft completing the fragrance, while keeping itself fruity and based around clean musks in the finish. Of note, Romance Silver for Men often gets compared to Bond No. 9 Bleecker Street (2005) just like Ralph Lauren Purple Label (2003) does, but also Fou d'Absinthe by L'Artisan Parfumeur (2006) and more-recently, to Montblanc Explorer (2019). All of this once again makes me think that this line was released in the wrong time, and for a market that didn't quite yet exist.

Romance Silver for Men opens up with a sharp alcohol blast with something sour which must be the bergamot and tangerine, before immediately becoming sweeter and resembling once again something that would be more-greatly popularized about a decade later with Creed Aventus (2010). There's no pineapple or blackcurrant here but the vodka note and the citruses play around with a bit of grape leaf seemingly taken from the same source as Versace Man (2003), to create a similar effect, adding a touch of the birch smokiness Aventus would be famous for too. Another gorgeous mass-appeal handshake of an extroverted type-A personality doing one-handed pushups in a slim-fit mid-2000's Slimane-tailored Dior suit is what you get here just like in the previous Romance release, just with the knobs tweaked to be more aromatic. Romance Silver doesn't stay in this lane for long, and like it's predecessor, moves away from the "handshake" into the real meat and potatoes, which it actually has this time around, unlike the "now you see me now you don't" dry down of the original. Violet leaf and and nutmeg add some green spicy masculinity, while a bit of dried floral/leafy tobacco a la Versace Man once again takes to the stage, which represents my favorite part of the scent which I wish was where it stayed. The dry down of white musk is bolstered by a honeyed woody-amber claimed to be guaiac wood, which ultimately makes Romance Silver feel more mature at the end. Wear time is good at 10 hours, with moderate projection and sillage, best for fall and early spring as evening wear or casual use, if scarcity wasn't such a huge problem with this one being discontinued and scalped to high heaven on eBay.

The rub with Romance Silver for Men comes from the fact that it is still a bait and switch fragrance like its older brother, except that instead of greeting you with a smile and leaving you with an empty bag, it at least puts a few clumps of dirt in the bag before vanishing. You get a complete scent here, just one that goes on smelling like you're ready to take everyone's number you meet in the club and get the shaggin' wagon ready for a road trip, to smelling like you're just daydreaming about being a stud while stuck in an office cubicle compiling Excel sheets for the boss on a Saturday while he's out at the Catalina Wine Mixer. In both cases, a modern ambroxan-powered base would have added sustain to those lush top notes that drive all the FragBros wild, even if you wanted to keep some of the violet and tobacco woody-amber... thing of the dry down intact for uniqueness. As for how close this actually is to Bleecker Street, well I don't know, but I don't recall getting grape or violet being a part of that fragrance, although I can see how all the roads on the path to the modern compliment monster intersect here. The fact this remained so unloved for years after release (online stores like Thescentedmonkey made early YouTube videos a decade ago just to move inventory), then suddenly exploded into a unicorn like its brother is a testament to just being too ahead of the curve for its market. The existence of social media and insecure try-hards with the ability to easily network would have made all the difference in the world. Scent-wise, this is marginally better than regular Romance, and worth about $30, but not $300. Neutral

A mandarin opening with fruity grape and woodsy element is quite interesting; it lasts on my skin for about an hour. It is followed by a drydown that qualifies as disappointing at the best: a synthetic violet with very generic wood and musk notes - dull at best. After the beginning this is quite forgettable. Poor silage, limited projection and four hours of longevity - overall mediacre and unexciting.

Permanently borrowed this from my father when I was a young teenager, but it should have stayed in his collection! What was I thinking when I put this on at that age? This scent is woody (to my nose: cedar) as all get out, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Poor to average longevity and sillage. A good smell more suited towards matured fellows in my opinion.

Very sophisticated, smells like there is quite a bit going on. I usually wear at night time. Compliment getter, both sexes. Found my 1.7 at a TJ Maxx, which I guess they were at about a year ago or so. Not a everyday type, at least for myself.

Light, flowery oriental? Fougère with violets and wood? It is difficult to pinpoint exactly, but I perceive a sweet but dry fragrance with a melancholic tinge and a tiny bit of old school powerhouse in it. It's a bit unsophisticated, synthetic and linear, but I give it a thumbs up because it brings me into a pleasant, trance-like state that keeps me sampling it again and again. And again.

Very cool, fresh, lasts long enough. If you like mint or some like that you should try this.