Van Cleef & Arpels Aftershave & Men's Fragrance

Van Cleef & Arpels is an esteemed jewellery house which is also known for its fragrances, watches and accessories of the highest quality. It was founded by Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels, a young couple that met at the end of the 19th century when Alfred, a Dutchman, was visiting France. As luck would have it, their families were both involved with jewellery and it wasn't long before they had joined together, in marriage as well as in business. Estelle Arpels sadly died before she got to see the first VC & A store, which opened in Paris's legendary Place Vendôme square in 1906. Alfred Van Cleef soldiered on and with the help of Arpel's family he was able to slowly build a jewellery empire with stores across Europe and later in the US.

The house worked hard to break into the American market in the 1920's but it wasn't until the beginning of World War 2 that they would have true success in the land of the free, ironically after having been forced to flee from France due to the invasion. Today they are one of the most respected jewellers in the US with a famed store on 744 Fifth Avenue in New York. The brand provided bespoke jewellery for all kinds of movers and shakers and they have also introduced innovations like the “mystery setting”, a way of secretly mounting gems on metal completely without prongs or other attachments, using miniature gold fastenings invisible to the naked eye. This method is only used for the most prestigious projects as it extremely complicated and time-consuming. Van Cleef & Arpels have also introduced luxury watches into their assortment. The intricate detailing and fine craftsmanship of timepieces go hand in hand with the house's approach to jewellery.

Van Cleef & Arpels introduced their first scent for men in 1989. Tsar is a woody aromatic fragrance with a forest-like scent, notes of pine tree and oakmoss mix with leather, blueberries, musk, florals and woods. It's a classic and very elegant masculine scent. A more modern choice is Midnight In Paris (2010). Part of the VC & A's “Haute Parfumerie” line of fragrances, this scent for men is a fantastic fusion of citrus, incense, tea and leather with an eye-catching bottles that depicts a mysterious night sky.