Bois 1920- 1920 Extreme

It occured to me that while it was nearly two years ago that I wrote about how I bought a bottle of 1920 Extreme by Bois 1920, I've never actually reviewed the perfume. I'm wearing it today for the first time in at least three months and it's such a pleasure to be reminded how beautiful it is (and how much fun I had in Los Angeles).

1920 Extreme is considered by many a masculine. It's an aromatic fougere, after all, with quite a bit of fern and lavender. The latter pops up nicely all through the scent's development, even after you think it's gone. 1920 Extreme could have easily been a clean and green perfume, but while it's decidedly well-groomed and has a tailored feel, there's a lot of complexity and depth there, thanks to a very rich tonka bean base. The official notes mention Bourbon vanilla, but don't expect cupcakes. The sweetness of the drydown feels more like tree sap than like anything one would want to eat.

I consider this a unisex scent, one that works beautifully throught the year and always feel balanced and appropriate, if a little mysterious. There's a bit of a power play when I wear a fragrance like this. Then again, I'm more likely to wear something from the mens department than anything with pink flowers on the box, so consider the source. I got my husband to try it a couple of times and it was great but different: less sweet, more woody and spicy. I wish it was an EDP and not an EDT, but I admit it's a lot of fun to spary with abandon. I wear 6-8 sprays and they last all day long. Normal 2-3 application doesn't work for me with 1920 Extreme. I guess I need to saturate myself to make it stick.

Bois 1920 perfumes ($180, 100 ml) are available from Barneys and Luckyscent.

Photo: myvintagevogue.com