VE177 Black Jeans

VE177 opens with a herbal, citrus-tinged blend of ginger, tarragon, lavender, lemon and mandarin, an unusually complex start for a budget dupe. A rose-geranium-carnation floral heart, softened with iris and jasmine, carries the middle before the composition lands on the leather-forward base that made the original Black Jeans a cult favourite among 90s Versace fans. Leather, vetiver, cedar and tonka bean give a warm, slightly rugged finish, though the leather here reads a touch more synthetic and rubbery than the smoother, suede-like leather in Versace's original blend, and the aromatic top notes fade faster than they should. It's a rare chance to experience the shape of a genuinely discontinued fragrance without hunting down an old bottle, and its floral-leather combination still stands out from most modern masculine releases. Best worn in cooler months where the leather base has room to shine.