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arajan83 – :
Great scent but smells almost identical to Set Sail St. Barts by Tommy Bahama which is one of my favorites and is also much cheaper.
Longevity- This cologne last 3-6 hours. I would also recommend this for summer
Value- 10/10 I bought this from Kohls for only $24 but still recommend St Barts Tommy Bahama.
Would I buy again? I would probably not buy this again due to its simularities with St Barts.
The Gents Score 7.5/10 Not sure why they call this vintage but it is a good scent.
RABOTAG – :
A solid cheap fragrance here that gets the job done on warmer days and nights. Fresh citrus with a little bit of darkness that’s spicey. Great stuff. Usually, wear this on casual errand runs and gym.
RX333 – :
My boyfriend got this in his scentbox for July. It smells amazing on him. I didn’t have a favorite when it comes to his different colognes but I think this may be it.its very woody and peppery on him. You get a faint scent of citrus but it is really light. He wore it to work the other day and after his 10 hour shift I could still smell it on him. Little does he know, I just bought him a FB.
alexSThfg1 – :
Sharp citrus opening, almost piercing to be honest. Once dried down it blends into a nice breezy and playful summer fragrance. This is good when you need to run errands in the sun for less than 2 hours as the longevity sucks. I have a 50 ml bottle that will last me a long time as I hardly add this to my rotation.
This is cheap so give it a try, it’s worth the price.
bereg123 – :
Excellent and inexpensive summer fragrance! If you like Tommy Bahama St Barts. You may want to blind buy Vintage Black, or at least get your nose on Vintage Black!
Vintage Black smells extremely similar to St Barts, but has more “richness and body” to its composition. I do think St Barts smells a tad bit better as to how it has a more true summery freshness throughout the its life cycle.
Vintage Black is also an EDT which I think makes it an excellent alternative to St Barts as it’ll be longer lasting.
anaenuediox – :
For a cheapie, this is really a great fragrance. I find a pretty strong resemblance to Tommy Bahama’s Set Sail St. Bart’s. This one is cheaper and performs just as well or maybe a bit better. It’s heavier on the lavender, making it slightly more aromatic than St. Bart’s. Lavender is turned up on this.
Don’t overlook this for the warmer weather if you like tropical type fragrances.
Bigeimparcice – :
This takes soapy to new heights of genericness, it goes through generic and flips right out the other side into something which might just be causing a complexity, placebo effect, such is the paradox that is Kenneth Cole Vintage Black. So it’s good then? No…it’s very bad and here’s why.
I read notes like ‘Lime’ (In fairness it does open with a very fresh lovely lime smell which only lasts seconds) and ‘tequila’ and sniffing very hard through the matey bubblebath once settled and I’m thinking…”Yeah….Tequila maybe?” but There’s no agave/tequila smell to this, I’m almost positive of that now. It also reminds me quite heavily of Dior higher (a fragrance I gave away) but not as good.
Normally I’d say this is ‘fine’ and perfectly ‘wearable’ (and it is) but the mood I’m in of late is one with a no tolerance policy for this absolutely uninspiring twaddle. The dry down is actually annoying me there’s hints of white florals in there and it’s actually quite a prolonged ordeal.
I actually quite like the bottle and label design, it looks like something from a trendy concession like Kiehls or something?
JiLa – :
Picked this up on a whim, as it was on sale. Not a bad fragrance, but not the best either. It’s pleasant, if somewhat generic. But what else could you expect for USD 25 for 100ml!
The open is a nice lime and tequila mix, reminiscent of a margarita, with a bit of grapefruit thrown in. This quickly settles into a lavender-woody base. Nice, but not going to wow you.
I’m confused as to why this is called ‘vintage’ though. It’s a very modern fragrance. It’s also very different from the original Black, which I think I prefer.
Longevity is average, I get around 3 hours with moderate sillage.
smeamactiva – :
I call it “Sexy Cowboy”. The soft fresh citrus mixed with a fuzzy faux suede smell. Its like a guy that wears his super nice ostrich skin boots, his shiny huge belt buckle, but he has never ridden a horse in his life. Weekender cowboy. Rhinestone cowboy. Not dirty rugged nasty finger nails cowboy.
pookkk – :
Sexy. Good stuff. Thunbs up.
veryaz1970 – :
Certain scents just smell good and this one of them honestly. I have over 60 scents in my collection and although it’s fun to pick out a scent for specific reasons, colognes like this makes it easy. It has an aroma that won’t offend others because it’s to harsh. It just works when you need it and that’s nothing to complain about if you own this. The price point is perfect , and you’ll get your money’s worth. Not all brands are powerhouses for scents, some just compliments their other lines like clothes etc…. Not all colognes are groundbreaking in their release and completely lock up the market. Creed Aventus for example did that same thing and received a lot of flack for it. So I guess you can never please a crowd. All of this to say, if you have and like this then spritz away. You purchased it for you and you only.
Razezd – :
Smells almost exactly like Aeropostale Maximum, but with more citrus and much lighter. Pretty boring, kinda reminds me of Curve, or those other “fluffy but plain” scents (best way I can describe them). Lasts about 5 hours, but it does smell good. Not great, but good. Smells better when you’re in a suit and tie, because of the plain factor. An ex girlfriend bought me this and the original Kenneth Cole Black, and I think I’ll likely give this one away. I’ll keep the original Black, though. 🙂
If you like this scent, I suggest trying Aeropostale Maximum. It smells similar, but in my opinion, Aeropostale Maximum is much better, plus it’s easily twice as strong and long lasting, and it’s cheaper too.Update: Never mind, Aeropostale Maximum is now discontinued and nearly impossible to find. If you liked Aeropostale Maximum, try Kenneth Cole Vintage Black as a replacement. 🙂
f_first2010 – :
Citrus and boring.
No sweetness at all, so good for summer. I’m still waiting for tequila note to kick in.
misterdavid – :
On me this started out very nice with a smooth citrus and spice combination. The opening quickly turns to a clawing laundry detergent scent that gave me a headache.
Its one of many that are designed with a sweet opening to get attention at the perfume counter. Make the sale and get them out the door.
Berdnikov – :
I do agree that this is a very generic fragrance but has its place just like cool water though they don’t resemble. This takes me back to the late 90s and early 2Ks (nauticas, crave and bora bora) type colognes that for a person with a less mature nose than I have now could truly appreciate
FriendNathaniel – :
The clerk at Macy’s offered a Kenneth Cole coffret free of charge. I already own more than 200 bottles of cologne, so I said what the heck. Four more couldn’t hurt.
I sprayed all four of Kenneth Cole’s products on tester strips when I got home. I’ve decided that none of these will be going on my skin. (“These” being Reaction, Reaction Thermal, Black and Vintage Black)
Boring. They’re all competent, safe and well-made, but just plain old boring….like Kenny G and elevator music.
Vlad.kurganskiy – :
This was an ok fragrance that to me was a different take on Tommy Bahamas Set Sail St. Barts.
When 1st applied this didnt smell exactly like TB-SSSB but with the lime and tequila I could tell Kenneth Cole was trying to make a fragrance that was very similar.
The difference between this and Tommy Bahama is that Vintage Black takes that margarita vibe and tried to make a spicier,more mature,sexier version of that scent. I do like what they tried to do and it is a decent scent but I still strongly prefer Set Sail St. Barts.
Main reason for that is the note of lavender in this fragrance. Dont get me wrong I love the note of lavender in most fragrances but on my skin at least the note of lavender clashing with the lime and tequila made this go from a good fragrance to an only ok fragrance.
If this does work better on your skin I would highly recommend this for summer ! For most beachy scents they last 2-4 hours but this lasted me 4-6 hours which is great for a scent like this and had a decent projection for 3 of those hours.
(Blah, If I only I could have the smell of Set Barts and the performance of Vintage Black,lol)
Overall rating: 6.75 out of 10 ! This type of scent has been done before and done a lot better so in that respect it loses points. Its redeeming qualities are that it has above average performance for a summer/beach scent.
Deffinitly worth checking out though in my opinion
Dikiy – :
Keeping in mind that I am a woman who likes to try men’s colognes, this was not designed for my chemistry. At first try, I get the fresh spritzy scent most people here report. Sadly, it dries down to a powdery spiced talc scent that just smells like old guy. It’s more like English Leather than Tequila and Lime.
3koshka3 – :
This was an impulse buy, and I have to say I regret it. There’s a blast of lime at the front with an alcohol tinge–describing it as margarita is right on the money. After a few minutes it settles into smelling like a generic men’s shower gel or “sport” deodorant. “Fresh” aromas with light citrus and spice. Then it just fades away. Nothing special at all, for me.
School51198 – :
I fell in love with this frag at first sniff. The opening is great….a blast of crisp margarita freshness that dries into a deep dark mysterious woody base. I hear many people blasting this frag for lacking in longevity. I tend to go a little more on the trigger and it will last a solid 8 hours at least. It does tend to stick a little closer to the skin overtime but will project strong for at least the first two hours. The fresh opening tends to carry on through the duration although becoming much more musky but with hints of strong woods and a touch of lavender. I am fascinated by the way the fragrance evolves. When one applies it appears to almost have an aquatic vibe but yet eventually becoming dark, woody and very masculine. The overall vibe is signature scent worthy although I love wearing it on those cooler summer nights. It can be worn during the day but IMO the nighttime is the right time. Extremely versatile. Can be used for work for play or for a formal event. Wear it at the club,,,,why not. Smooth and sexy this scent is a big compliment getter through and through. Not overly flashy or loud yet masculine, dark and heavy enough to leave a strong impression. Along with polo blue my swiss army knife. A solid two thumbs up for me.
gdr364Diobtetty – :
I don’t get much lavender or pepper, but it’s a rather blended scent. However, there clearly is wood, tequila, and citrus, and these last quite a while. Sure, it’s not going to smell especially “natural” to many hobbyists, but I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect a scent like this to smell less “synthetic” than some perceive. I like how the combination of dominant notes is handled here, despite not being a fan of citrus or this kind of wood presentation, but the tequila is okay and overall I can’t really say anything bad about it. After reading some other reviews I feared this would seem too harsh but I was surprised that this was not the case, perhaps because I only used one spray to the chest. It may work better on a warm or hot day, so I’ll have to try it again under such circumstances and report back.
urd067Bessinepome – :
This doesn’t smell bad, if you can smell it at all. This stuff is gone in an hour or two regardless of how many sprays you use. Not only that but it absolutely sticks to the skin right from the start. Nothing to see here.
marat3641 – :
This fragrance is weird to my nose. Sometimes I get the smell of a watered down Margarita (which is nice) and other times I get a vicks vaporub (not good) smell to it. One thing is for sure about this one that the first 10-15 minutes is a blast of lime and tequila through and through. I think the opening has to much freaking lime and the combination with the tequila accord makes it sour. Overall it’s an okay fragrance I’ll give it a 4.5 out of 10. This is a going to a supermarket and going to eat out type of fragrance.
kpw285speagoessenda – :
This was a blind buy for me albeit after reading the comments of a number of Fragrantica visitors. Based on what i had read I was expecting citrus and woody. With my chemistry I get a quick citrus squeeze followed by lavender and black pepper. After 5 -6 hours some wood (oak?) makes an appearance.
Overall, it’s pretty linear but it is really quite nice. Is it safe? Perhaps but, safe isn’t always a bad thing. I’m really happy it has made its way into my collection. I just wish I hadn’t waited so long to add it.
jenya.solodckov2011 – :
Super tarty and fruity, as stated below nothing vintage inspired or dark about this, one thing… girls love it tho!
imponungamido – :
There is absolutely nothing vintage or black about this????
Does it smell it Good? It really depends on the person. Do I like it? Not really. It’s very generic which i have come to expect from mainstream fragrance houses these days. Don’t expect good silage or longevity It’s decent but very poor on my skin which is moderately dry. Does it surpass its older brother? I’ll let you be the judge of that.
viktorinka200 – :
The name along with the simple bottle were poor choices; if they had repackaged this it would not get some of the negativity it does. Sure it’s a safe citrus scent, but it has some woodsy notes in there to keep it interesting.
I usually take into account price and Vitage Black is very affordable, so I don’t think it’s fair to pick it apart like it’s some rare masterpiece (as the unfortunate name implies).
darybay_zhantas – :
Unremarkable and mostly harmless. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with it… but there’s nothing intrinsically anything about it, really.
It’s what little nowhere men wear when they’re on vacation, to me.
It starts out with a blast of chemical citrus, and settles out to weak lemon and hay. In five hours, I had to huff the collar of my tee shirt to find even a whiff of it remaining.
It’s my personal philosophy that one wears a scent to make some sort of statement; happy or wistful, serious or playful. This generic fragrance says nothing other than “I have a cologne on.” Perhaps it’s perfect for wearing while stamp collecting, or trainspotting, or doing light dusting.
Unless you really like weak citrus, you can pick up a 800ml bottle of Febreze for 5 bucks, and buy yourself a pizza with the savings.
eredysemTouse – :
I’ve owned this for a few years now. I bought it to try and replace my Bvlgari Aqva Marine that I’d owned four or so bottles of. i got it on holidays in the U.S.A and I haven’t really seen it until recently in Australia. This is what I wear when I don’t wanna wear my Cartier fragrances, cos I’m stingy.
I think everyone’s beat this poor fragrance to death. I think, that it’s quite fresh, without it losing its masculinity. I think people expect every fragrance to be a signature scent, and don’t allow more anonymous scents to have their day in the sun. Anyway, regardless.
It’s very fresh, without it, to my nose, being harshly chemically or synthetic. It doesn’t smell like something a professional would wear, or something that you’d wear on a date. It’s more of an every day, filler in fragrance I feel. It’s defiantly a young fragrance (I’d love to know the ages of some of the people that beat this, and other citrusy or aquatics to death). I’ve never garnered any comments or compliments on the scent, outside of ‘you smell nice’. No one has ever asked me what it is, or similar. So it is anonymous. The shopping mall sentiment from an earlier reviewer could be something I would agree with, but not mind as much.
It sits well on my skin, lasting for hours and hours, not that I’ve measured. I’ve never felt the need to reapply during the day. I have been an on and off smoker for years, smoking lightly, and this has always been a good deterrent for the smell, even when only applied once in the morning. It is also a fine fragrance to do a light spray on a jacket to compliment or remove the smell of tobacco.
So yeah, it is forgettable, affordable but pleasant and inoffensive. The fact that it’s not exclusive, or doesn’t have that signature vibe is part of its appeal. It’s not from a ‘master’ perfumer or from a dedicated perfume house or the main scent of the collection. So, for it’s purpose and its pricing, it’s fine!
FantMitatix – :
I want to try my hand at the single sentence review a la Turin…
This cologne smells like a poisonous margarita, utterly toxic and nauseating.
I think I could add to that with a full length review but honestly it’s just so cheap and harsh that it’s not worth it.
veniamin63 – :
The artificial smell of shopping malls, the generic reek of magazines with cologne inserts, the smell of synthetic leather purses in which cheap perfume has spilled.
Vovik80 – :
Awful, scrubber.
And, excuse me, but black is the color of Antaeus. This stuff isn’t remotely black in any way, shape or form. It’s relentlessly sharp and yellow. And how, precisely is it “vintage?”
A failure all around.
Andrey.s – :
A bit of citrus, a bit of wood. Not bad but very generic.
DrifsCerDip – :
My first impression of this fragrance was very pleasant and masculine. It opens with a crisp citric aromatic notes and wen it dries it remembers me of the original Black from KC. Woody, green and dirty. I’m not a big fan of the original Black but Black Vintage feels more fresh and casual. The longevity is kind of average (3-5 hours) and the sillage is soft but still not weak.
I really recommend to try first this fragrance with a sample cuz is not a safe blind buy. But personally I love Vintage Black more than the original Black.
3.5 out of 5.
torneo.t – :
I have both this and the original Black, and I think this one outdoes the original.
The citrus notes that open the fragrance are perfection, and I enjoy how they grow and develop into a strong and smooth woodsy base. I can definitely smell lime and grapefruit, and after that the tequila a little bit. Even after the top notes have seemed to “end”, they are still somewhat evident in the base as the woods reflect back onto the citrus’.
I think it’s a winner. One of, if not the best cologne I own!
Merpa513elipseskism – :
KC Vintage Black is a very nice frag but gets overshadowed by the original Black, which is also good but in my opinion cant hold a candle next to Vintage Black. The citrus and tequila blend pops u in the mouth but dries down with a nice sandlewood. Perfect for day and night in the spring/summer
gaddy – :
I don’t get all negative comments here! Well, it’s not something “vintage”, but it’s pretty nice scent! It smells little bit sporty and salty. But it’s nice mix of lemon and then little but of Tequila. Lasting power is great! I really like it!
eremenkornd – :
This is too sexy:). I got some for my hubs for his bday. I love it. It’s so sexy. I don’t see why all the bad reviews?
Edit: I am noticing a bit more of the tequila scent since I’ve been on the forums. I may be ever-so-slightly turning from this but not altogether. I’d still be bummed if this were to discontinue.
sobol12 – :
I´ve read some really bad and confusing reviews about this frag and I just can´t go conform with them.
Some people say this frag just smells too boozy. Sorry, but this would be the first frag to smell like cheap liquor. That´s just ridiculous.
You see, I´m just an average german guy, and with Wolfgang Joop and Carlos Lagerfeldos on my side, I pretty much feel like Robinson Crusoe with a Banana in one hand and a wooden…dildo …lets face it, we have awesome cars but fragrance like, we just suck.
So I´m in a state of swissness. Total open to the world of fragrances.
And with my nose, I´ve been able to travel the world just visiting my local douglas shop, and compared to some real good french scents (and some real crappy french scents) Mr. Kenneth Cole´s scent Black vintage does a real good job.
I can´t see why some folks would like to beat the bejesus out of it, ´cause let´s face it, it smells manly in a citric way. But not annoying citric.
It smells like a cool drink with a slice of lemon on the brink, sitting in your favorite bar, that kind of smell you wanne smell on your collar, when you finally got the beauty of the office (or the next door beauty, for those of you who don´t work in a frikkin office like me) to finally attend at a rendez-vous with you in that very bar.
Trust me, you don´t want to smell like Le Mal (spelled wrong, intentionally). You don´t want to smell like you´ve just been neutured when you finally got her this far.
Stand up! Smell like a man! This frag is the right way to go.
Besides all the above, I have to admit it that this frag isn´t top notch. But let´s face it: A BMW is not a Ferrari. But it is still a BMW. And a top notch fragrance is something else…something a girl in heat couldn´t possibly apreciate, with all the hormons and all the expectations. She´s just facing too much stess thinking about the colour of your mutual childrens eyes.
Again, “Le male” would be the wrong way, cause you wouldn´t feel confident, when she needs a strong shoulder to lean on. Poor thing.
After all, this is a fine, magicly citric, slightly bloomy scent with a dominant tequilla note.
For those who can´t immagine how this smells like: it´s just awesome. Period.
Give it a chance.
ВАХА – :
*Musing* Just what is it I wonder, that made them call this Vintage?
The ad shows a guy in a leather jacket (obviously worn) and faded jeans and rebellious “devil-may-care” attitude…where is the leather, the sexiness, the BLACK?!?! I am a BIG fan of Kenneth Cole (his scents, his footwear and most of all his clothing), this was a let down for sure. I am glad I did not shell out $67.50 for the 100ml (only size available) EDT!!
Maybe all the wonderful vintages and luxurious samples sent to me by other members have spoiled my nose…but this is NO vintage and barely even Black (I love Black original!) Woody? sure, eventually; aromatic? I guess. Check it out….
This begins with a HUGE citrus blast of grapefruit (bitter and zesty) and lime (dry and sour) along some non-descript greens. Modern and bright for sure, and very clean and light. The heart breaks no new ground as lavender is once again covered in a subtle white pepper, though the sharp booziness of tequila is a bit different. This is not all that different from Set Sail St Barts from Tommy Bahama…and, this is actually less appealing to me. That, at least, had some tropical leaves and salty sea spray to go with the tequila and lime!! The drydown of oak (actually a magnificent scent when smelled in real life) and sandalwood is ho-hum at best. This is coming off my WISH list as soon as I post this. The scent strip in GQ smelled better than the actual EDT from a tester bottle. Do yourself a favor, folks: spend the extra 15 dollars or so, and get Quercus from Penhaligon’s or just buy the original Black…at least IT has some character and sex appeal. This is not worth even the discount prices listed here!
Sillage: okay
Longevity: decent
Overall: 2/5
Kenneth Cole: What the hell were you thinking? Too much tequila the night before no doubt! LOL…
migren81 – :
Contrasting classic masculinity with metropolitan modernity, VINTAGE BLACK is authentic and unforgettable – a blend of effervescent citrus, masculine woods and soft skin musks. It fuses the past with the attitude of today.
nischenko – :
Being a huge fan of the original Black I decided to try this one out. Make no mistake – just because this cologne has the Name Black in it does not mean its the same or even similar scent… I notice they don’t list the nose behind this scent. I would imagine it was a nobody and not the original noses, Harry and Sabine. This cologne is nothing like the original Black. It smells like a cross between Polo Black and Armani Code… only not as good as either of those. As a die hard original Black fan – i do not recommend this vintage black at all.
dctt1984 – :
I smelled it and for about 2 minutes lingered in it. That’s 2 minutes, not 5 minuets. It was ok, but honestly not good enough for me. I’m sure some will love it.