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Post by Portia
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Hi there Fumies.
I have been wearing this gem since it was launched. At the time I was living in England and a couple of my mates were models for JPG at the time. They were pierced and tattooed like crazy with shaven heads and killer bodies. It was this use of street kids in his parades that added an extra dimension of reality to everything he created. I was mainly an owner of his Gaultier Junior stuff, basically the diffusion line but I was ever so proud to be a billboard for this crazy designer that seemed to have grabbed the zeitgeist. I had some lovely navy blue leggings with a fabulous sewn patch and a maroon and white crop top. Of his pret-a-porter line I had only a cow print skivvy made of the softest and warmest mohair, I loved it so much and wore it till a couple of years ago I passed it onto a girlfriend who wears it infinitely more fabulously than I do.
Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier 1995
Le Male by Francis Kurkdjian
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mint, lavender, cardamom, artemesia, bergamot
Heart: Cinnamon, cumin/caraway (depending where you read), orange blossom
Base: Vanilla, tonka bean, sandalwood, amber, cedarwood
My experience of Le Male is not like any other fragrance in my cupboards. I refuse to parse the notes and enjoy the experience from beginning to end. The bright, sparkling opening through the sweet heart and the warm resinous dry down. It is a scent of its own and nothing on earth comes close. Francis Kurkdjian’s first blockbuster and he continues to make flanker after flanker, still I am drawn to the original.
Photo Stolen Flickr
These are scents that tell the story of my life. There were years where I would follow handsome men around clubs smelling their hefty Le Male sillage. One of these men even became my partner for a year or so and every time he spritzed I would be madly, truly and deeply in love with his aroma. It was the wildest sex of my life too, completely and utterly uninhibited. This is the scent I would wear for drag work on and off for years and always felt it was an interesting dichotomy how beautifully the scent fits being in drag and its name.
Nowadays Le Male gets less wear than it did. My scent wardrobe is so full of choice yet I do come back maybe ten times a year and wear it for two days straight. I am at the end of this current two days and Le Male will now go back into the cupboard till next time.
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
Further reading: Now Smell This and EauMG
Parfum1 has $48/75ml
My Perfume Samples has $2/ml to $7/5ml
What is your Le Male story?
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 
Gorgeous piece! Thankyou. Really written from the heart x
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Heya Ainslie,
I bet you would smell amazing in Le Male.
Portia xx
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I’ve never smelled Le Male so I don’t have a story, but I much enjoyed reading yours Portia. It’s lovely that you have reserved a place for Le Male in your life even though you have moved on from it.
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Heya Anne-Marie,
You may not have meant to smell Le Male but when you get to it you will remember it being ubiquitous through the late 90s/early 00s. I still get wafts of it on the street and in shops and clubs. SO GOOD!
Portia x
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I was first hitting the clubs when this came out and I LOVED it. I even owned a bottle. But the scent was too strong for me to wear and eventually I stopped wearing it but every now and again I’ll catch a whiff of it on a guy and my knees will start to buckle and invariably if possible, I will try and walk behind them for as long as possible just to smell it. Its a gorgeous fragrance. I loved your story too Portia, and can see why it would be one of your favourites xx
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Heya Margeaux,
Yes, it’s that kind of fragrance. It’s an easy sillage to ride because it’s thick enough to water ski on.
Portia xx
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You’re right. Everyone has a Le Male story 🙂
And I LOVED hearing yours!
Also, thank you for the link love.
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Hey Victoria,
It’s weird that we both chose 20 years after Le Male was released to finally get around to giving our point of view.
You inspire me on so many levels and I think maybe reading your piece earlier in the year may have been my subconscious impetus to write this too.
You’re welcome,
Portia xx
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I hear it has been reformulated and has lost both sillage and some of its formal beauty..i have some vintage stuff and i will be holding onto it..this was the first fragrance on which i got complment 🙂
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Hi there Fazal,
I’m not sure about reformulations. I’m still using an early 21st century bottle but I have a brand new one waiting for this to run dry. Time will tell.
Portia xx
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Hello Portia,
Been a long time fan of Le Male too. Like yourself I don’t wear it often these days and I also don’t dissect the notes since it is still so distinctive for me just to enjoy it as a whole.
Thank you for sharing your Le Male story… I can’t say I know which fragrance I’ve had the wildest sex.
Love… T
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Hey Tim,
Maybe it’s a fragrance you don’t own yet? Good luck with the wildness and I bet you smell incredible in Le male.
Portia xx
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