When the dress code is black tie, your cologne should be just as elegant. Here are five of the season’s top special-occasion fragrances. Kayleen Schaefer
ARMANI/PRIVÉÂ
Oranger Alhambra ($115), Giorgio Armani Beauty
If you’re a skip-the-vest guy, try this lighter scent with bitter orange and rosemary.
TOM FORD EXTREME
$125, Saks Fifth Avenue
This cologne, with Thai basil and Italian black fig, will last until you loosen your bow tie.
DSQUARED HE WOOD
$59, Sephora
Vetiver and musk make this powerful fragrance best for parties that don’t start until well after cocktail hour.
BECKHAM SIGNATURE FOR HIM
$50, Macy’s
The spicy juniper-berry-and-patchouli blend is meant to stand out—a good thing when everyone’s wearing the same suit.
GUCCI BY GUCCI POUR HOMME
$70, Bloomingdale’s
A mix of violet and cedarwood, this scent is as classic as barrel cuff links.
THE CLASSIC: CREED, GREEN IRISH TWEED
$250, Neiman Marcus
In 1985, when Creed created Green Irish Tweed for Cary Grant, the distinguished 71-year-old had recently married a woman nearly 40 years his junior. The iris-and-sandalwood scent doesn’t guarantee you pretty young things, but it might give you some of Grant’s legendary ease in eveningwear. Just ask Russell Crowe and Tom Hanks, who’ve tried it out.
