Capolavoro a mio avviso! 😍
Rilasciato nel 1981
Classificato come un legnoso chypre
Il naso dietro a questo profumo è ovviamente il leggendario profumiere interno di Chanel Jacques Polge, che è stato dietro a numerosi classici di questa casa negli ultimi decenni.
Antaeus è il nome di un antico semidio greco. Forte come un dio e gentile come un uomo, Antaeus appartiene a quei profumi dall'individualità espressa e dal carattere forte che enfatizzano la mascolinità, come era di tendenza negli anni Ottanta.
Note di testa: limone, lime, coriandolo, mirto, salvia sclarea e bergamotto. Note di cuore: timo, basilico, rosa e gelsomino Note di fondo: patchouli, castoreo, labdano e muschio di quercia
L'apertura per me è edificante, è molto luminosa, una spruzzata di luminosità se vogliamo, ed è anche pulita, ma non in modo saponoso o agrumato. Questa luminosità e pulizia durano solo per pochi secondi, dopo di che il profumo inizia a diventare più pesante e audace, e viene introdotta la vibrazione animalista così famosa in questo profumo, con un cuoio affumicato e il castoreum, che è una nota animale derivata dal castoro. La nota di castoruem è di natura animale, ma non è affatto eccessiva, non ha un odore fecale o pungente, non credete che sia come la nota di zibetto di Kouros, anche se entrambe le fragranze sono nello stesso campo di battaglia, dei profumi di potenza della vecchia scuola, la nota di castoruem per me è una nota animale molto più leggera, anche se è ancora audace. Ho sentito il castoreum in diversi profumi, come Interlude Man o Beaver di Zoologist, e sono tutti leggermente diversi in ogni fragranza, ma la nota aggiunge un aspetto animalesco molto audace a ciascuno dei profumi. Accanto alle note animali forti e decise del cuoio e del castoreo, si trovano in sottofondo la nota del gelsomino e una rosa molto sottile. È la combinazione tra le potenti e bestiali note animali e le dolci ed eleganti note floreali del gelsomino e della rosa a trasformare questo profumo in un capolavoro, assolutamente divino. Come suggerisce il nome, è forte e delicato allo stesso tempo.
Uscito nel 1981, ha un profumo unico ancora oggi, non ha un odore datato o vecchio. Se fosse uscito oggi, sarebbe ancora considerato un capolavoro. Un classico senza tempo. Ha un'atmosfera da vecchia scuola, dovuta al tipo di fragranze potenti rilasciate all'epoca, ma non risulta minimamente datato.
Le prestazioni sulla mia pelle sono state moderate, purtroppo, non così bestiali come molte persone hanno parlato di questo profumo, il che mi fa pensare che sia stato riformulato o che si tratti solo della mia pelle. La proiezione è stata moderata, con una durata di circa 8 ore.
In termini di stagioni, sarebbe perfetto per l'autunno e l'inverno, e soprattutto un profumo da sera per le occasioni formali. Tuttavia, mi è piaciuto molto questo profumo e potrei vederlo come un profumo di firma per qualcuno, che si adatterebbe perfettamente a un gentiluomo dai 35 anni in su come profumo di firma.
Il voto complessivo è un perfetto 5/5. Questo profumo è unico e fantastico, un'incredibile miscela di bestialità ed eleganza, probabilmente la migliore fragranza maschile di Chanel.
Antaeus it seems, never really took of for Chanel. While it could have been for the maison what Coco became, Antaeus was a hit of the moment, spawning a short lived Antaeus Sport flanker, and then took refugee in the back. Few use Antaeus, even today, and even though Chanel has kept it for its followers, it hasn’t bothered to promote it; the vintage enjoys cult status, while the current, stripped by laws and cost cutting could have benefited from a newer flanker if only for the spotlight to shine on the original. Review based on a 200ml splash from 1982. Antaeus is one of the few perfumes that always brings two specific movies to my mind every time I use it; Cruising with Al Pacino, discovering his wild side in the meatpacking district leather clubs. Given the fact that Antaeus was rumored to be a huge success with the gay collective circa 1980’s, I wonder if this association isn’t that far fetched. But Antaeus is so much more than that. Less popular, less in-your-face than the popular brute Kouros, launched the same year, Antaeus always maintained a more suave appearance, a distance, just like Richard Gere in American Gigolo; is he really a killer in disguise, or has he always had the instinct all along? Herbal, dry chypre, rich in woods, leather and castoreum, with a beautiful beeswax note that got lost through the years. A deep rose, N°5 in a way that links it to the house and the grand dame. This is what the vintage smells like. Antaeus opens with herbal accents of myrtle, sage, coriander, basil... Polge’s intention was of a classical composition. But it’s 1981 and whether you like it or not, the market and tastes dictate power and strength. So Polge played with the oakmoss and the leather and the castoreum with maybe just a smidgen of civet to give the base all the power and longevity that men and women demanded, and gave the heart a more somber treatment. The rose and jasmine that glow in the background smell distinctly Chanel; there is a brief link to N°5 in this beautiful floral vein that runs among the more classic herbal/chypre feel, and the more contemporary animalic growl. The leather, abundantly rich creates the signature of Antaeus. And it’s the deep tanned leather, Cuir de Russie meets Peau d’Espagne. Classic gentleman meets his dark side. Was it there all along? Antaeus is always a pleasure to use, and a challenge to the senses. While it is unequivocally Chanel, the treatment of the notes is the work of genius. Polge created something that was in the realm of classic and respected but he also played his brutal animalic side, playing with shadows and contrasts to create something bigger than the sum. Class, elegance, sexuality, debauchery. Was Antaeus a killer all along? The longevity is outstanding, pulsating from the skin like a heartbeat in the heat of the night, while the sillage is mellow and discreet. In this sense, it doesn’t shout, but he’s always lurking in the shadows. And when he comes out, there’s no escaping.
Well it takes a big man to admit he was wrong...and I'm a big man so yeah...I was wrong. Don't know if my original review has disappeared because it got thumbs downed so hard or I used foul abusive language because I was so appalled by the animistic stink of this fragrance. Anyway...My mind has changed somewhat having tried this again a couple of times and really gained a new found respect for Chanel fragrances and things which are not necessarily my cup of tea. The complexity from an objective point of view is great and this fragrance really has got depth and I can totally see why people hail it as a classic. It's raw, masculine and almost pheromone like (It attracts the beaver anyway;) I can appreciate the top notes now which are fleeting but nice and some of the dank quality of the oakmoss. Also, Labdanum is another ingredient I have a love/hate relationship with, so all in all this fragrance challenges me, that's before we even get to the castoreum! I still don't like it underlying but I've managed to take the positives from it... I don't think I could ever wear it but I will remove it from my hate list as it creates intrigue every time I smell it.
I've never really been a fan of this perfume. Smelled like an awful blast of floral/animal musk which totally put me off and it's not just because I don't like macho, animal scents because there's loads I've always liked not least Kouros. However, there was always something which intrigued me in the other notes, spicy/herbal glimpses of something really quite amazing and definitely unique. However, this was older formulations and trying it again and again over the years I'm either.... Starting to warm to it? my tastes have changed? Antaeus is so bloody complex I'm smelling different things everytime? The formula has and is constantly evolving so much I'm smelling something new everytime? I really don't know? There's so many factors at work here my mind is reeling. More than likely it will be the diminishing oakmoss and musk which is perhaps starting to reveal the other notes more prominently...I'm really not sure? Thyme, labdanum and clary sage all things I love and maybe they are getting more of a look in? Purists and hardcore fans of Antaeus might disagree but even in it's current format this fragrance asks more questions than it answers, and that (without wanting to get too pretentious about it) is possibly what we all look for...I know I do. So Antaeus hasn't got me convinced but I don't and can't hate it anymore but I'm strangely drawn to sampl it ever couple of years or so. Sorry Not a very useful review, more of a commentary on my ongoing experience.
My thoughts are off a bottle from the mid-90's but I imagine this could apply to versions from the 80's-2020 or so, and simply put they are that this is beautiful men's perfume. On my skin I get the herbs and myrrh that opens up in to a rose that is not to floral and then the castoreum hits and I can't get enough of it. It is just what an elegant man should smell like with a hint of rouge or rebelliousness in his attitude. I wish I was the image of what I envision the man who wears this is, however, guess I will just have to settle with smelling like him.