My Top Montagne Parfums - How Close Are They to the Originals, and Are Any Actually Better? I look at Montagne a little differently than I do most clone houses. I have always said that if you're cloning a fragrance, name the original. I don't care how good the clone is; the original deserves the credit. Then I judge the clone for what it actually is. For me, there are two questions: How close did they get to the original? And maybe even more importantly: Did they do anything that actually makes me want to wear the Montagne instead? Montagne is one of the few clone houses where I can legitimately say the answer to that second question is sometimes yes. These are the Montagne bottles that stand out the most to me. 1. Tigris Cologne - Inspired by Bvlgari Tygar This may still be Montagne at its best. You get that huge sparkling grapefruit sitting over the clean woody ambroxan base that makes Tygar so ridiculously easy to wear. The original Tygar is smoother and more refined. You can tell where some of that extra money went when you smell them directly beside each other. But Tigris Cologne gives me a juicy grapefruit, a very good presence, and gets extremely close to the overall experience. This isn't something I smell and say, “that's pretty good for a clone.” It's just a damn good fragrance. Closeness to the OG: 95% Better than the OG? In refinement, no. But when you bring grapefruit, performance and value into the conversation, I can make an argument for Tigris Cologne. My rating: 9.5/10 2. Afternoon Dive - Inspired by Louis Vuitton Afternoon Swim Another one Montagne absolutely nailed. Afternoon Swim has that gorgeous natural orange and mandarin opening that Louis Vuitton does extremely well. Afternoon Dive is a little sharper and slightly more citrus-peel-like right at the beginning, but give it a few minutes and these two get surprisingly close. The bigger issue for me is performance. Afternoon Swim smells fantastic, but I have always wanted more staying power out of that DNA. Afternoon Dive hangs around better.

“There are some ingredients that I use often but I think you also need to challenge yourself to find new ingredients. If you’re building a collection with only 30 or 40 ingredients, it can limit your creativity. I always try to get out the ingredients I like but find a combination with another ingredient for a new intensity. It’s really key in our line of work to be curious, to find what’s new and behind every door…” — Paul Guerlain Creativity shrinks when we keep reaching for the same familiar tools. Challenge yourself to explore what you have not tried, combine old strengths with new possibilities, and stay curious about what may be waiting behind the next door. Growth begins when comfort stops setting the limits. Enjoy the #Journey. Love to hear from ya’!