Gucci’s 2008 chypre of the Frida Giannini years: cypress, violet and tobacco over patchouli and elemi.
At a glance
Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme is a 2008 eau de toilette from Gucci, the companion to the original Gucci by Gucci of 2007. It is a modern chypre: bergamot, cypress and violet over tobacco and jasmine, on a base of patchouli, amber and elemi.
It was one of the pillars of Frida Giannini’s fragrance programme after Tom Ford left Gucci, and it led to a Sport edition in 2010.
Creation and context
Now Smell This announced the launch on 3 August 2008, describing it as the counterpart to “last year’s” Gucci by Gucci. It was available first from Gucci in the United States, then at Bloomingdale’s from August and other stores later in the year, in 50 and 90 ml eau de toilette with matching grooming products. Fragrantica and Parfumo also date it to 2008.
The fragrance was developed under creative director Frida Giannini with Givaudan, while Gucci’s fragrances were licensed to Procter & Gamble. Parfumo lists Giannini and Givaudan as its creators. Fragrantica and The Scented Devil name the Givaudan perfumer as Aurélien Guichard. According to Now Smell This, quoting Women’s Wear Daily, Giannini was drawn to elemi “because together with the tobacco it turns up the intensity of the perfume”.
James Franco was the face of the launch. Now Smell This and The Scented Salamander both report his role, and The Scented Salamander published the 2008 television commercial. Fragrantica adds that the black-and-white film was directed by Jan Wentz and the stills photographed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. Fragrantica describes the bottle as transparent, “steamy” glass under a silver cap with Gucci’s horsebit, which The Scented Devil compares to a door knocker.
The composition
Gucci has not published the formula. The structure below uses only the materials named by at least two of Now Smell This, Fragrantica and Parfumo.
Fragrantica also lists leather and olibanum (frankincense) in the base. Now Smell This and Fragrantica both call it a modern chypre, and Fragrantica files it as a woody chypre; there is no oakmoss in either list, so “chypre” here means the structure of a fresh top over patchouli and resin rather than the classic oakmoss accord.
Why it matters
Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme marks the point where the Pour Homme side of Gucci’s range moved away from the Tom Ford era. Ford had left the house in 2004. The Scented Devil places this fragrance after Gucci Pour Homme II (2007) as the second step in Giannini’s new direction, and notes that it borrows the violet and tobacco of Pour Homme II but drops its tea. For the earlier Ford-era fragrance, see Gucci Pour Homme (2003).
It also shows how a chypre could be updated for a younger designer customer: the violet-and-tobacco pairing keeps some of the character of older classics, while cypress and bergamot make the opening fresh and clean. The Scented Devil calls it a “blue” tobacco scent and an unusual combination for its time, though not an artistic one.
Reformulation and editions
The original was an eau de toilette with aftershave and grooming products. In 2010 Gucci added Gucci by Gucci Sport Pour Homme, a lighter citrus edition that, according to The Scented Salamander, kept James Franco as its face. Fragrantica also records a travel-spray edition of the Pour Homme.
Gucci has not published a reformulation history. The fragrance was made under the Procter & Gamble licence, which passed to Coty in 2016; Parfumo lists Coty as its last marketer. It is a different fragrance from the 2007 Gucci by Gucci, from Made to Measure, and from the later Guilty line, so check the exact name on the box.
Wearing it today
Expect a cool cypress-and-violet opening, a dry tobacco heart and a soft patchouli-and-resin drydown. Parfumo users rate its longevity and sillage as moderate, and its reviewers there describe it as subtle and safe rather than loud.
It suits the office, evenings and cooler weather. Two or three sprays are enough; if you like it, compare it with Gucci Pour Homme (2003) to hear how the house’s style changed after Tom Ford.