Gucci’s 2013 tailoring-themed eau de toilette: lavender, nutmeg and plum over labdanum, leather and patchouli.
At a glance
Gucci Made to Measure is an eau de toilette from Gucci, launched in autumn 2013. Gucci called it a spicy oriental: bergamot, orange blossom, lavender and aniseed over nutmeg, cinnamon, plum, juniper berry and water lily, on a base of labdanum, patchouli, leather and amber.
It was conceived under creative director Frida Giannini as the partner to Gucci Première (2012). Gucci did not publicly credit a perfumer.
Creation and context
The name comes from Gucci’s made-to-measure tailoring service, and the launch material leaned on the metaphor throughout. The press release, published in full by Tristupe, described a scent “constructed like the Made to Measure suit: each accord and ingredient lending texture and structure”. It added that the fragrance had “taken many years and hundreds of iterations to perfect”.
Fragrantica’s launch report dates it to autumn 2013 and, like the press release, calls it a partner to Gucci Première. Parfumo also dates it to 2013. Now Smell This reviewed it in November 2013 as a recent launch, in 50 and 90 ml eau de toilette; Fragrantica also lists a 30 ml size and a matching collection.
James Franco, the face of several Gucci fragrances since 2008, returned for the campaign; the press release and Parfumo both name him, and Parfumo adds that Nicolas Winding Refn directed it. Gucci’s fragrances were then licensed to Procter & Gamble; Parfumo lists Coty, which took over the licence in 2016, as its last marketer.
The composition
Gucci published the notes in its press release, and Now Smell This, Fragrantica and Parfumo list the same thirteen materials in the same tiers.
The press release calls patchouli “the signature ingredient of all Gucci perfumes”. On skin, the reviews disagree sharply. Now Smell This found a flat bergamot, juniper and a watery “water lily” note, with the plum and leather barely present. Tristupe, which received a sample from Gucci, described a warm, spicy scent that suited all-day wear.
Why it matters
Made to Measure is not a landmark. It is interesting as a late product of the Giannini years at Gucci, when the house built its fragrances around fashion concepts and paired launches as companions. Among the house’s companion releases it followed Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme (2008) and Guilty Pour Homme (2011).
It also shows the limits of a strong brief. Its bottle and packaging were designed with great care: slate and pearl-grey glass, Guccio Gucci’s signature in jet enamel, a hand-brushed gold-coloured cap with the horsebit, and a box in Gucci’s Diamante pattern from the 1930s, all described in the press release, with the colours and cap confirmed by Fragrantica. Critics were less persuaded by the scent itself; Now Smell This called it “a contemporary, boring, watered-down spice scent”.
For the family behind it, see oriental: Made to Measure is a light, modern take, with more water lily and fruit than resin.
Reformulation and editions
Made to Measure was issued as an eau de toilette with aftershave, shampoo and deodorant; Tristupe lists the full range. No reformulation or flanker is documented.
The Malaysian price list published by Tristupe names it “Gucci by Gucci Made To Measure”, but it is a different fragrance from Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme. Check the name on the box, and note that Parfumo gives Coty as its last marketer, so it may no longer be in current production.
Wearing it today
Expect a soft lavender-and-bergamot opening, a spiced, lightly fruity heart and a quiet amber-patchouli base. Parfumo users rate its longevity and sillage at about five out of ten, so it suits the office and daytime better than evenings.
Opinions differ widely, so sample it before buying a bottle.