FRAGRANCE | By Dolce & Gabbana Man EDT: Is this unicorn worth the price?

I was clueless about By Dolce & Gabbana Man until I was offered a partial bottle more than a year ago. Turns out it's a so-called "unicorn" in the fragrance world, something highly sought after after having been unceremoniously discontinued. I'm not a fan of the zebra print bottle but it's fine. I also snagged its partner, By Dolce & Gabbana Woman, which comes in a similarly-designed flacon except for the leopard print.

The opening is dominated by a sharp but warm spiciness, ferried by some citruses. It's strong, aromatic, and heady, a little headache-inducing even when repeatedly smelled up close. Thankfully it starts to mellow soon enough. Lavender appears shortly but the spiciness persists, so it doesn't really develop a creamy character, which reminds me of how the spiciness nixes the lavender's creaminess in Tom Ford Fougère d'Argent. Nevertheless, the lavender here lends the scent a certain fresh and clean vibe as a counterpoint to the warmth of the spices.

There's a dry tobacco bubbling under, its gorgeous bitterness slowly peeking through the spiced-up lavender. I get a very mild sweetness as well but it doesn't distract from the general scent profile; more like a subtle added flavor into the mix. The fragrance's woody and leathery facets begin to develop, underscoring the whole scent rather than standing up as dominant notes. Through all this, the spiciness never lets up while the tobacco quietly weaves around the scent.

I had the impression that By Man would have something animalic in it but I was mistaken. Blame it on the bottle's animal print for suggesting it. What I get instead is still that confluence of spices, lavender, tobacco, wood, leather, and mild sweetness. Over time, the bitter tobacco dissipates, the spiciness relaxes, and the sweetness grows, allowing the lavender to show a bit of its creamy side. Although it starts out strong, the fragrance's projection is mostly moderate. The scent lasts for several hours but it stays close to the skin after the 3rd or 4th hour, give or take.

This frag has masculine written all over it but if we were not to adhere to how marketing has shaped our perceptions about gender in fragrances, it can be a veritable unisex scent. It's a really good, all-occasion year-rounder. I like it a lot but I'm not crazy over it. Much like Gucci Envy for Men, I don't see how this is worth anywhere between $300 to $500. But then, to each his own. Moreover, I think what By Man represents is that seemingly lost ability of designer houses to come up with solid and noteworthy fragrances because right now, we're bombarded with K and endless flankers of The One and Light Blue.