Stetson All American (2009): The Smell of America's Melting Pot {Perfume Review & Musings}

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All American by Stetson is the latest Stetson cologne to see the bright light of day. In advertising images, the effort is spearheaded by the persona of Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady. Nothing unusual so far. Brady, like actor Brad Pitt, seems to be the very mainstream, and for the most part, convincing incarnation of the classic All-American folk hero, the one who seems to have spent his childhood on a Midwestern farm running on a background of cornfields before reaching for the stars and getting national attention as the best possible outcome to the popular successful-story master narrative, with roots.

All American Barn by Marty Martinez

But what I find truly fascinating about this new mass-marketed cologne is the way in which the successful contributions to America's perfume culture that were made in the last few years by celebrities from minority groups were purposefully taken into account and weaved into the scent by perfumer Harry Fremont of Firmenich. Just by reading the PR-released interview with him, I would have never guessed. In fact I was wondering how to make use of one interview so controlled was it in its tone, its total lack of spontaneity, a little bit as if he were answering sitting in a confinement room in the pressure atmosphere created by two former KGB operatives giving him the steely eye each time he might be tempted to depart from the official party line.

All American is no old-fashioned Stetson cologne, or at least, the idea was adapted. The idealized cowboy imagery is still up on the new billboards (the folksy hat is gone but the rancher's gloves remain) but the perfume itself has already started to smell like a mix of real-life influences and cues taken from Jennifer Lopez in her most Hispanic phase, Sean John (see review), and Usher. They have all been very successful at impacting America's fragrance culture through the celebrity-perfume niche.

I am now starting to understand better in what ways celebrity perfume may not be such a trivial topic as it is helping define America's identity smell-wise. If you look at celebrity perfume developing as one of the major entrepreneurial niches for minority celebrities; if you realize that those celebrities brought different sensitivities to the notion of a smell-good perfume; if you acknowledge the fact that American olfactory culture has already been hit by the change...then one better understands how mass-market gorilla Coty is making a politico-cultural statement with Stetson All American. I would have never suspected that so much could arise from the inclusion of a guava natureprint® note (and other notes) spotted from early on. One could have just imagined a slightly trendy and forward-thinking fruity men's scent along the lines of Calvin Klein Man (2007) and The One for Men by Dolce & Gabbana (2008), say...

I had once critiqued the ads for Estée Lauder Sensuous (see also review) as being curiously homogeneous and white-bread for a perfume that supposedly aimed to be targeting every woman in America in its message. The perfume itself had an easy olfactory identity, bordering on bland in my opinion, and was well represented by the idea of the wearing of a versatile white men's shirt. But it was obviously trying to blend in rather than to blend pluralism.

In the case of Stetson All American, one finds an interesting discrepancy between the advertising campaign, which remains linked to the traditional Marlboro-cowboy imagery and the John-Wayne archetype only slightly modernized, and the olfactory composition itself which is taking a step back from those icons and recognizing in subtle and less overt ways the taste preferences ascribed to Hispanic and African-American communities tressing those together with the signature leathers, suedes and woods of a classic Stetson men's cologne. The taciturn lonesome cowboy who only talks to his boots and mumbles to his cattle between two reflective silent spits has evolved into more of a sensual dancer, a man with a skin who takes a vacation on the beach once in a while. In other words, Stetson cologne is not landlocked anymore, it has moved into coastal territory and is undergoing "exotic" influences.

How It Smells

The initial impression is musky, woody, and peppery with fresh (cedar leaf, ginger root) and fruity (guava, a hint of coconut, the latter not listed) facets. It feels at first like a disappointingly standard and safe masculine accord but with a fruity guava note weaved in. Is this the start of more triteness? The peppery guava though is winsome and realistic enough to feel like a new spicy dessert has materialized on your plate. The blend is nice and smooth. It evokes an easy nonchalance and brings a perceptible touch of exoticism to a very mainstream, nay "all-American" offering. Incidentally, Lady Stetson has already been advertised as being for the "all-American woman". At this point it seems to me that it is a good move to bring in a jammy guava perhaps more associated with the Hispanic, Mexican communities and thus redefine what "all-American" means in 21st century America.

The guava goes a bit in the direction of a candied gummy note (Japanese erasers). The blend continues to be smooth thanks in part to the subdued addition of vanilla. There is also a quite pronounced dusty mineral accord that helps define the masculine character of the cologne using an olfactory code men are used to. As the cologne develops, the fruit ripens bordering on the idea of over ripeness with a hint of natural alcoholic fermentation. The scent dries down to a very yang sensation of hot and dry skin with a continuing mineral counterpoint. The aromachemicals Norlimbanol and Z11 that are captive molecules to Firmenich and listed in the press material contribute to that dry-sand/dry-skin feeling. Muscenone was used in good measure and creates a more extrovertly sensual perfume.

All American is a Stetson cologne that has been influenced by the successes of African-American perfume developers such as Sean John and Usher, so it has taken on a more overtly sensual vibe and an exoticism and references to a kind of Copacabana high-life style including tropical cocktail drinks, coconut-scent tanning lotions and dry sand (but very abstract, as in a filigree, and as if smelted all together). Tom Brady's ex-girlfriend and new bride, Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen, may have had been an influence, who knows.

Image courtesy of coverbrowser.com

I find All American to be an interesting fragrance from a sociological point of view while being at the same time honestly pleasing to the nose. For the price point it's sold at, it's great. This is one possible version in scent-form of the idea of the American melting-pot. The scent of magnetic, iron dust suddenly takes on a new, at once more concrete and emblematic meaning here in this context.

Although Tom Brady could be perceived as the embodiment of wasp-y by some, the perfume itself takes care of signaling diversity and alluding to varied smell-cultures. The typical cowboy smell of leather has been happily compromised by ripe fruits, black-urban musk, and a tropical Brazilian joie de vivre. I am willing to accept that the Western frontier of the US is still represented in the optimistic feel of the cologne and the sage note. But now, when I look at the good-looking indigo glass bottle with the American bald eagle emblem on it appearing as in filigree on a banknote, then the one lone star which fulfills a metonymic role obviously, I realize better that All American means the star-spangled banner more than aspirational Tom Brady, literally speaking, and can be now better smelled as all the Americans.

Perfume notes: cedar leaf, ginger root, guava, black suede, nutmeg, sage, water fern, amber wood, musks, patchouli, vetiver.

Please check out the giveaway for All American.