Versace The Dreamer BAFFLES Me: Here's Why (Review)

Versace The Dreamer is a fragrance for men first launched way back in 1996. It’s an aromatic, floral fragrance renowned for its clean and unique scent profile. As a fan of Versace fragrances, I simply had to try this one too. Accordingly, I smelled one of its recent reformulated batches. And it’s safe to say I’m totally baffled with the praise it gets. Read on and let me explain.

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Versace The Dreamer smells like sharp aromatic florals with clean tobacco blossom

Versace The Dreamer contains artemisia, juniper, iris, tobacco blossom, and amber.

The Dreamer opens with artemisia and juniper. The artemisia smells green and bitter, with juniper’s sharp, pine spiciness mixed in for good measure.

After this duo mingles for 10 minutes, an iris accord appears. It rises to the forefront, providing a clean, soapy smell that pairs with the aromatics.

The blend doesn’t feature a middle phase, instead transitioning straight to the dry down. And once it hits, the final two notes come forth:

First, starting with tobacco blossom. It smells like a clean, masculine interpretation of tobacco, devoid of any usual dry, smoky strength; and
Then the amber emerges. Similar to the tobacco, its presence is hardly rich or thick. Instead, it only acts to infuse a hint of powdery sweetness to the florals and aromatics above.

I’ll concede that vintage lovers will continue to appreciate the classic character of Versace The Dreamer. It does smell unique and was a bastion of its time. Still, its remarkability does not endure today – not by a long shot.

In summary, Versace The Dreamer smells like the sharp scent of fresh laundry. It begins floral and aromatic, before becoming slightly more meditative and manly over time.

Its floral profile is bland, lacks charisma, and misses the modernity expected in the 21^st century. Therefore, guys new to the fragrance game should look elsewhere. Helpfully, the brand released an alternative – the aromatic Versace Pour Homme, that I do recommend.

This reviewer shared thoughts I agree with:

I tried to like this fragrance. I had heard that it was a very “different” and “unique” scent, a scent I had hoped that I could get on board with. However, the opening to me smelled very much like a clinical setting- like being in a hospital. What’s more, it was fresh, but overwhelmingly clean, soapy and synthetic. I didn’t “hate” the fragrance, but I was disappointed.
Fragrantica.com

Performance is lacking

Performance of The Dreamer leaves much to be desired.

Specifically, it projects mildly from skin for the first hour, before withdrawing to a skin scent for 3 more. Therefore, total longevity of 4 hours is to be expected.

Many people report greater strength in older batch formulations from the 90’s and 00’s. Unfortunately, they’re difficult to find these days.

Simplicity for the office

If you’re still committed to trying The Dreamer, there’s a couple of situations you could wear it.

Firstly, its simplistic nature makes it useful for the office because it lacks bold and daring character. Also, the iris makes it worthwhile for the corporate world, much like Prada L’Homme.

man who wears versace the dreamer — This man might wear The Dreamer

Furthermore, consider it for casual and ad-hoc application when you simply want to smell clean. For example, errand running or shopping.

For those scenarios, stick to spritzing in the moderate seasons of Autumn or Spring.

In Conclusion – Versace The Dreamer

My high hopes for The Dreamer soon became nightmares.

Although its scent profile is unconventional, that isn’t necessarily a positive. The clean, fresh florals and aromatics fall flat, with the strange ingredient choice in the dry down doing no favours.

Nonetheless, it doesn’t smell horrible – just very ordinary. Long-time fans of this old-school stalwart will enjoy what it brings to the table. However, going forward, they’re the only ones who will.