Guy Laroche

For a classic that has been on shelves since 1982, Drakkar Noir remains one of the easiest recommendations in men's fragrance. It is the scent most people first reach for when they discover the house, and its barbershop-leaning character wears well without demanding much fuss. If you want a piece of 1980s perfumery history that still feels at home in daily rotation, it earns its place.

Fidji, launched in 1966, was Laroche's first women's fragrance and the scent that put the house on the perfume map. Drakkar Noir, introduced in 1982, is the men's signature most shoppers know today, following the earlier Drakkar of 1972. If you are choosing your first Guy Laroche scent, Fidji is the romantic, feminine starting point and Drakkar Noir the bold masculine one.

Start with the icons. Fidji (1966) is the house's foundational women's fragrance, while Drakkar Noir (1982) is its best-known men's scent. From there the line opens up into other releases such as J'ai Osé (1977), Clandestine (1986) and Horizon (1993), but the two signatures tell you most of what you need to know about the brand's character.

Guy Laroche was a French fashion designer, born in La Rochelle on 16 July 1921, who founded the eponymous house. He began his career in millinery and from 1949 worked for couturier Jean Dessès, eventually becoming his assistant before striking out on his own. He died in Paris on 17 February 1989.

Laroche founded his high-fashion atelier in 1956 or 1957 at 37 Avenue Franklin Roosevelt in Paris, after a 1955 trip to the U.S. to study new ready-to-wear manufacturing methods. In 1961 he moved to larger quarters in a townhouse at 29 Avenue Montaigne, opened a boutique and introduced his first ready-to-wear collection. The house has been Parisian from the very start.

His debut collection was praised for reintroducing vibrant colours such as pink, orange, coral, topaz and turquoise, alongside plunging neck and back lines, while keeping traditional elegant colour combinations as a staple. He cited Christian Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Jacques Fath and Pierre Balmain as his main influences. Known as humble and gracious rather than aloof, he designed haute couture but kept his womenswear practical.

Yes. In 1966 Laroche launched men's ready-to-wear and opened the Guy Laroche Monsieur boutique, the same year his first women's fragrance Fidji appeared. He was also an early adopter of separates for the American market, reflecting his interest in practical, modern dressing rather than couture alone.

In November 2007, Franco-Swedish designer Marcel Marongiu took over as artistic director of the Guy Laroche couture house. The label continues as a fashion and fragrance house long after its founder's death in 1989.

Yes. Actress and film producer Hilary Swank wore a navy blue Guy Laroche dress when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2005. It remains one of the house's most recognised moments in popular culture.

Because the house's signature scents date back decades, you will find both current production and older bottles in circulation. Long-running classics like Fidji and Drakkar Noir are easy to source new, so unless you are specifically chasing a vintage formulation, the current versions are the simpler, more reliable buy. Always check that any pre-owned bottle is intact and well stored before committing.