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ntkm – :
This fragrance is really for the older men.Oldskool.love it! Not for the younger men. A real Classic
Tatsy79687 – :
The same thing as Strictly for Men (only little difference in bottle)
adamantics – :
OMG, i remember the heavy notes and that’s not a pleasant memory. Never again. 😀
han710 – :
Classic. Readily available in Sweden and in airport taxfree shops. Smells like a mix of antaeus and korous but a little more reserved and safe. Great formal scent for a grown up. I love it.
infiniti080490 – :
Was at my parents house this evening, and just out of curiosity I browsed through some of my fathers fragrances. Most of them are gifts that he received for christmases or birthdays, but funnily enough he doesn’t wear them. Me myself I gave him a large Boucheron pour homme some years back but he dropped it some months ago, and it broke. I found among his frags this Van Gils scent that I tried out of curiosity.
So what do I get out of this scent?
A powerful scent indeed, aromatic and spicy, but not very well balanced. The opening is a but too much for me actually but as it develops it turns more acceptable. It is really masculine, and a bit dated I think, not something I would wear. It is a heavy scent to wear and is not the casual frag that is easily fitted in. I clearly get the patchouli and the vetiver, as well as a spicy amber. To my nose, I can’t detect any citrus, but there is thyme and spices in this one for sure.
The overall impression is not very positive, and unfortunately I had to go and wash it off my wrist. I can see why it was made and also the potential audience, but I do not fall into this group.
Overall Rating 3/10
Usanteetoge – :
ANXIETY AND CALMNESS. When I wear this fragrance I have persistent association of staying in a dark dense forest, inhabited by fairy-mysterious creatures. In late summer or early autumn you got here in the morning after rain and leisurely stroll among the huge old trees covered with moss, bypassing the thickets of various shrubs and creeping plants. Sun rays make their way through the trees crowns . On the ground, there are traces of animals, and from above you can hear periodically voices of unknown birds, that sound sometimes dramatically disturbing, sometimes protracted and melodic. Somewhere nearby there is a lake with it’s mythical inhabitants who also feel how you’re approaching. You are a little afraid of this unexplored space and at the same time extremely excited from touching the sacrament of nature. Everything is unbelievably fascinating here but you have to learn to become an organic part of THIS.
The aroma is very complex. From the first application you might be scared by it’s loudness and potency but since it settles down you dive more and more into the beauty of the scent. So many things going on here: you can find different herbs, spices, moss, tar of coniferous trees, fresh pine needles, citruses, amber, leather, balsamic notes and even a little bit of animalistic. Sometimes it’s hard to classify it but after all I think this is a great fougere. The fragrance smells very naturally and all the notes not perceived as rude cacophony but as harmoniously sounding orchestra. To my nose It has some similarities to fragrances like Salvador Dali PH, Givenchy Gentelman, Chanel Antaeus, YSL Kouros and maybe Aramis Devin, but it’s distinctive features and personal touch stand out this edition as a self-sustained interesting representative of the rigorous man’s scents era. Yeah, it’s hard to argue the fragrance is strongly connected to the 80-es and 90-es, I mean this type of scents was more frequently usable that period. But who said that retro means bad. For me it’s not outdated but timeless. No doubt, this is so called “powerhouse” in terms of it’s character and this POWER is not to alienate but rather involve. This power can be emphasized and/or transmitted by/to the carrier. I recommend to wear this scent when you need to go back to the roots to recall who you are.
And yeah, keep in mind, this juice has remarkable longevity. Three sprays serve me well for 17-18 hours on the skin, and on fabric it’s still alive being applied 3 weeks ago (no joke). Sprayer is very accurately tuned and releases a small finely dispersed cloud.
P.S. My bottle is in the box as pictured above, but the flacon itself is completely black with only golden letters (without silver stripe and table). Eau de toilette concentration.
SUPERB MALE SCENT.
Ilya132006 – :
Starts with a strong aromatic accord where clove/carnation is the main note, dark but not sharp, similar to Gianfranco Ferre for man drydown or even the new reformulate Kouros. Really good! What amazes me is that, suddenly, It turns. Some bright notes appear and the fragrance becomes clean and powdery, in the vein of Boucheron pour homme (without the citrusy character): an exquisite clean aromatic talcum powder smell. I had never seen such a drastic change. Normally It starts citrusy/bright and then is dominated by powerful/darker notes.
It’s pleasant, perhaps a bit dated, but never cloying. As time goes by, some slightly sweet notes join the powder and It remains like that until It vanishes. Great longevity on my skin, nice projection. Definetely a keeper!
Unfortunately, hard to find these days.
DashaChe – :
Found this first in ’86 in my retail company’s fragrance-testing office. Loved it straight off and found that it worked well with my skin type. The romance lasted several years, with the occasional side trip – Kouros, Gucci Homme, etc.- but I’d always come back to Van Gils. Then, suddenly it was off the shelves in the UK. I was distraught. After a long period of mourning, I found it was still available in Holland – but no-one shipped abroad, and the trip to Holland rather built up the price! Eventually, only three or four years ago, I rediscovered it yet again online and stocked up. It still smells good – on me and to me and, happily, the majority of people who get near enough to sniff me think the same. Van Gils Classic and I were clearly just meant for each other.
prel – :
Got this as a blind buy based on reading reviews here. Was really looking forward to this. Very disappointed.
In one word this sucks. Sure its a classic but IMO its Plain and boring, nothing sets it apart to give any wow effect which equates to its price. To me it smells like a $10-20 cheap
Good as a daily driver, but not for special occasions
hellman99 – :
Searched everywhere, never seen it. Though available online but the price is unbelievable. Either it is really rare or discontinued product that makes it sought after items.
доктор_хирург – :
it seems to be very difficult to buy this, can’t find it anywhere.
volkov83 – :
welcome back my old dutch friend, for men not boys
mamulka – :
To me this is one of the best ever. It has a quality that is hard to describe, it is there with high quality ingredients and is wonderfully blended. It´s manly, it´s cosy and warm, it has the right projection, never cloying, never sharp. Still possible to get at a good price.
Do not confuse this with Strictly for men, which is not in the same league.
toff35 – :
A gorgeous retro powerhouse. A lovely woody, spicy, floral masculine scent with a powerful patchouli. Staying power and projection top notch. In the same family as Antaeus, Givenchy Gentleman and Salvador Dali Pour Homme. Be careful about over application – it’s potent – but has tons of character and is so well blended. Just great!
ultraloc – :
Probably the best 80’s powerhouse.
Van Gils classic opens up with a shameless scirocco of citruses riding on spices in a way that is only rivalled by Cerruti 1881 in my experience. A fresh and aromatic roaring presence that just screams out: I’m rich and you’re not !
And unlike the Cerruti it doesn’t turn into yesterday’s bitter tea.
This is nothing short of explosive. And if you ever tire of the fecal notes in Kouros then this is it. The beautiful vulgarity that rules your imagination.
sich – :
When VG Classic was first launched in the 80’s,I was working in Selfridges,Oxford St. for a rival fragrance company (Fred Hayman),but after drenching myself in it constantly every day,and adoring it.I even asked the distributing company if I could work for them,they said no,(luckily Fred didn’t get to know,as he was in Hollywood…lol).
Alas,I never got to work for Van Gils.I could have done so much for them.
VG Classic to me is like SEX in a bottle.I always get compliments whenever I wear it.The sillage is amazing and longevity is unbelievable.
I continue to replace my precious bottles,as I love this fragrance so much,even though it’s almost impossible to find these days.
sokol008 – :
The classic Van Gils for men is a great fragrance. If you like timeless classical scents such as Antaeus, V-C & A pour homme, Tsar, Santos and Aramis, you will love Van Gils classic. It`s a typical 80-ies powerhouse, but timeless and very elegant. I understand it`s very rare nowdays, but luckily it`s widely available in my country for a reasonable price. Thumbs up!
4manius – :
One of my first frags i bought in the eighties/nineties
very masculine.Suprises me not many people reviewed or voted this one.
Here in my country(holland) its was worn everywhere.
anksky – :
I’m fairly sure the notes listed are to a different Van Gils fragrance, as this one has a touch of Kouros, Jules, and Aramis 900. Really, a perfect balance of all of those if you can believe it, at least to me, and to me, that smells near perfect!
arturik30 – :
Used to wear this stuff all the time, last time i owned a bottle was 1998! Looking to buy again, if i can find the stuff.
Fabregas_Alex – :
Smells sooooooooo good. My husband all time favorite
efus – :
With only a couple of drops left in my old bottle, I managed luckily to find a NOS 100ml!! I am so happy, this is cologne heaven, might be my #1.
Everybody should try this at least once!
intradco – :
If you like Antaeus you will love this one. If you like Quorum you will also love this one, I think.
Anyway, at my toplist, 9,5/10