Italian Forest Tom Ford's Italian Cypress

Italian Forest is Alexandria UK's homage to Tom Ford's now-discontinued Italian Cypress, a fragrance beloved for its classic Italian barbershop character. It opens with a crisp, commanding blast of cypress and garden-fresh basil, cooled by mint and lifted with a bright citrus edge, closely mirroring the original's confident freshness. A woody heart of cedar, sandalwood and patchouli builds a dry, dignified backbone, while vetiver adds earthy depth. The base settles into olibanum and amber for a smoky, resinous finish that reads professional rather than sweet. Where it comes up short of Italian Cypress is texture and longevity: the Tom Ford original has a more layered, almost powdery incense drydown that lingers for the better part of a day, while this version's woody-incense base thins out within a few hours and reads slightly flatter throughout the wear. Still, as an accessible way to sample the barbershop-woody genre that's grown increasingly hard to find at retail, it's a solid stand-in for office or daytime wear across most of the year.