Lacoste Pour Homme (Original 1984 EDT)

I found the old bottle of Lacoste Pour homme when I was packing the weirder items in the cabinets. I'm not certain about it, but I seem to recall that it was my mother who bought it for the Blond the first year we started dating, which means it's from the early 1990s. I doubt that he wore it much, because the same year I bought him Minotaur by Paloma Picasso which he loved (and couldn't be more different than the Lacoste). I didn't remember what it smelled like, so I started testing it  regularly in the last couple of months since resurrecting the bottle and have found myself oddly enjoying it.

The original Lacoste Pour Homme (not to be confused with the newer scent under the same name which was launched about 20 years after the original in a sleeker bottle and was accompanied by an ad featuring a naked dude and is utterly different and also quite vile) was an 1984 release and smells pretty traditional as far as male cologne goes. It starts with a green-citrus-lavender opening that used to be people's idea of "fresh" before the horror of aquatics appeared in our lives. It's brisk and bracing and feels like a cool summer morning, before the sun has fully risen.

Lacoste develops in a spicy woody direction. I smell a light cinnamon-clove touch, maybe some anise and mint and a  non-incense pine, which feels a bit off and too loud until it settles into the other wood notes. There's quite a bit of sandalwood which I dare say is nicer than the sandalwood you find in many mass market perfumes today. This is smoother, cooler and not creamy in the least, keeping the scent crisp and tight.

This original Lacoste Pour Homme is surprisingly long lasting (10-12 hours) and if heavily applied it's a full blown 80s power scent. My (our?) bottle is splash, so I only dab a little as to not overwhelm my nearest and dearest and anyone else within smelling radius who might raise an eyebrow at the retroness of it all.

I'm not sure if this cologne is still in actual production, considering there's a new and different Lacoste Pour Homme. I also can't tell you if newer bottles of the old juice (remember, mine is nearly 20 years old) still smell the same, but they are widely available online and priced between $30-$40.

Images:
Lacoste Pour Homme ads circa 1993 from couleurparfum.com
Vintage Lacoste fashion ad:  80s-tennis.com