Envy Perfume For Women, 60Ml

Product Information

I wouldn't say this is the best example of the mini-genre it created, nor that the genre itself was very remarkable; but having the clout that the brand Gucci affords obviously didn't hurt it in the least. The loins of Gucci Envy for Men would beget a few scents, with the most notable being Carven Homme (1999), another discontinued masculine literally made famous only after the discontinuation of Envy for Men; and thus is a scent made nauseatingly expensive by scalpers waiting for the gibbering masses stirred up by community hype to come hunting for the "second best" option in their quest for the Holy Grail. Compared to all the fresh fougères, aquatics, gourmands, and ozonics flooding the designer market at this stage, it is easy to see how Envy for Men might be perceived as mature, old-fashioned, overtly masculine, or dated.

This sleek, masculine, oriental, woody scent became an instant classic when it was launched in 1998. Gucci Envy for Men was created by Daniela Andrier, the woman who would shape the smell of house Prada until 2020, and the start of a short-lived revival of green woody/tobacco-based masculines that rode the cusp between the 90's and 2000's.

Had I paid anything near that and smelled this fragrance for the first time under those circumstances, I'd be extremely disappointed and would give this a thumbs down; but when removed from all that drama, Gucci Envy for Men is a pretty good little scent taken on its own. This throwback to the 70s, that Tom Ford does so well, should be evident from the first glimpse of his spare, chrome-capped bottle.

If you'd rather not get your wallet eaten by carnivorous cave bunnies you can instead try the rest of what came in the wake of Envy for Men, but the further down the line you go, the less of a resemblance there is as the style is played with more by other perfumers. In fact, what sweetness there is, is only there to stop the tamarisk note from getting out of hand, nothing more. She wraps herself in a luxurious white robe while she ponders what to wear that night (does she wear the Castelbajac or the Sonia Rykiel? I suspect the lavender, coriander, ginger, anise, and rosewood profile really helped establish this perception of Envy from guys used to things like Liz Claiborne Curve for Men (1996) or Eternity for Men by Calvin Klein (1989); for older Gen-X guys or even Boomers still in the market for new fragrances at that time, this might have been a godsend away from all that "fresh" nonsense.It's still pretty, but it's very white-flowery on me – I don't get any pineapple or rose or sandalwood or pretty much any of the other notes. The aforementioned light sweetness is caused by some mandarin orange, and adds a surprise oriental touch to the opening of Envy for Men, something which is followed up by jasmine hedione and a bit of rose before carnation - another old-timer favorite - shows up to continue the mature theme of the top. Back in 1997, it seems the public had an unhealthy appetite for 'mean and nasty' as well as pink fluff and candyfloss, and we see the same thing happening today with the Spiky Woods. And I think I've figured out why it irritated me – a) the white flowers take over after half an hour or so, b) it barely lasted four hours and c) what was left took on a rather sharp, almost-but-not-quite sour green edge.