Question: What Does A Versace Summer Smell Like?

It took us a lot longer to try out and evaluate Versace Eau Fraiche. It would be far too easy to write this off as yet another fresh one that blends in with the rest of the field because, to a certain extent, it does: it’s commonly known that large houses like Versace make their money from fragrance, cosmetics, and accessories so it’s in their best interests to create something with mass appeal. Yet Versace’s Eau Fraiche is more nuanced than we gave it credit for, something which took us several wears to see (or in this case smell). We noticed that it smelled different on us straight out of the shower than, say, applied an hour later after we had dried off and cooled down completely. It’s fresh but, more specifically, a citrus woody smell that starts off with top notes of lemon and star fruit (top notes so fleeting you have to stick your nose to whatever part of the body you applied it to really grasp those profiles). Yet it’s when it evolves and mixes with your body heat and chemistry where the cologne turns - still light and not creamy and heavy like 1899 (a true fall/winter scent): heart notes of tarragon, sage, and cedar heighten it to something warmer. As the day winds down, these spices lead to bottom notes of sycamore wood, musk, and amber: you’re still in the woods, but the fragrance has gotten slightly more earthy. This is what we imagine summers in the southwest smell like, around a desert campfire in New Mexico or, say, the lobby of the Inn of the Five Graces.

Versace Eau Fraiche, $67.81

Price point: High