BEL AMI (Hermès,1986)

Year: 1986
Top: Lemon, Cardamon, Sage, Orange, Bergamot
Middle: Ylang-ylang, Iris, Basil, Carnation, Jasmin, Patchouli, Cedar
Base: Vanilla, Sandalwood, Vetyver, Leather, Coconut, Oakmoss, Amber, Styrax
Perfumer: JeanLouis Sieuzac
VOTO: 10/10


ABSTRACT: There is no need to ask Guy de Maupassant : even without the encouragement of the famous French writer , BelAmi has been a fabulous scent of the '80s, with rare elegance, still in production (although reformulated).

One of the best "leathery" scent ever produced , with a significant "smoky" contour, but remaining kind and polite, not too strong and not too heavy, due to the large amount of sweetness that soften the whole scent. It seems a powerhouse that has been deliberately limited down, in order not to give too much the appearance of olfactory bomb, in a style typical of the Hermès Man, elegant but with a certain understatement, to get noticed without excess.
If you like the trio "leather, smoke, and a lot of elegance", BelAmi will not disappoint you.
One notable aspect of BelAmi is being unmistakable once smelled, never to be forgotten or confused with another scent. Some smelled similarities with "Moschino pour Homme ", another wonderful arrived a few years later: in fact, there is only a slight similarity. Both fragrances are excellent and highly recommended , but each is great " in his own way ", and for different reasons.
Warning: BelAmi is  typical winter scent, don't use it in summer, and with a warm climate: it loses a lot of power and uniqueness. 
It is definitely not a "casual" perfume, not to be used during the common daily activities. On the contrary, it is a perfume for formal, special events.
Another warning: the aftershave is very strong and intense. Since the vintage Eau de Toilette is virtually impossible to find, the vintage aftershave is -on the contrary- relatively easy to find, so the advice is to search for the aftershave, in the absence dell'EDT : you will not be disappointed.
And finally some good news: Hermes relaunched BelAmi in a new bottle no longer shaped like a shaker but in a rectangular bottle, and obviously "reformulating" it, to be in compliance with the current regulations . Well, this reformulated version is not equal to the original , but it's very well done. The modern one has the "sharps", typical of of modern perfumes, without the " smoothness " of the original, but the overall result is very good .
Longevity and Sillage : at least 5 hours (EDT) / at least 3 hours (Aftershave) 
RATING 10/10 (vintage) - 9/10 (reformulated) 
Notes: bottles in pictures are a first-production series, and have no barcode (before 1990) ; 
a bottle is parafilm-sealed in order to protect old splash bottles from evaporation. more info here. 

Modern bottle

Vintage advertisement, year 1986

Modern Advertisement

Year 1986

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UPDATE

NEW Bottles are never completely full.
The perfume arrives until the brown part
of the bottle, not beyond.
How can you know when a bottle is unused?
Simply put upside down and watch the level:
 it should arrive at the word "Hermès"
(100ml, 3.4 oz. bottle)
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Late bottle, with Barcode and Greendo (after 1992)

Last bottle with traditional "shaker" shape:
year 2002.

Vintage and Modern Batch-Codes

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Plus:

Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent, visual guide (here)

Fahrenheit by Christian Dior, visual guide  (here)

Azzaro pour Homme by Azzaro, visual guide (here)

Drakkar Noir by Guy Laroche, visual guide (here)

Opium by Yves Saint Laurent, visual guide (here)

Samsara by Guerlain, visual guide (here) 

and others..

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