Eternity For Men By Calvin Klein: The Clean Lavender Fougère And Its Descendants

In 1968, a young man from the Bronx named Calvin Klein started a label with his childhood friend Barry Schwartz. It began with coats, and one of the early orders came from Bonwit Teller, the New York department store. That is a very small beginning for a name that would end up on jeans, underwear, campaigns and eventually a lot of bathroom shelves. The fragrances came later, and they are the part most men own without thinking about it.

Calvin Klein is now owned by PVH, and its fragrances have long been handled under license by Coty. The women's Eternity arrived in 1988, composed by Sophia Grojsman with Christy Turlington, then nineteen, in the campaign, shot by Bruce Weber. Eternity for Men followed in the late 1980s, and dates vary between 1989 and 1990 depending on the source. Carlos Benaïm was the perfumer. It is an aromatic fougère, and the notes read like a clean morning: lavender, lemon, bergamot and mandarin on top, sage, juniper, basil and geranium in the heart, and sandalwood, musk, vetiver and amber to finish. I would argue eternity for men is the great sentimental fresh scent, the one a father or a first boyfriend wore, and it deserves better than a shrug.

The trick is to smell the family in order. The first grid does that. Eternity Eau de Toilette is the original, and the Eau de Parfum from 2019 is a newer version with sage, apple and ozonic notes on top and suede and ambergris underneath. Aqua is the water-named relative. Then the rest of the Calvin Klein shelf: ck one, CK Everyone and Defy, plus Coach Blue as the one outsider, a fresh scent in the same easy mood.

Start with a simple rule: if you like lavender, wear it in a place where lavender is not a surprise. Lavender is a big, familiar note, and on a suit or a clean shirt it looks confident. On a gym bag, it looks like a spa.

Burberry London Eau de Toilette with lavender is the classic gentleman. Prada's Luna Rossa Eau de Toilette pairs lavender with sage, and Luna Rossa Carbon Eau de Toilette adds bergamot to the lavender. Dolce&Gabbana's K is the lavender one, and Gucci's Guilty Pour Homme mixes lavandin, lemon and patchouli. Jo Malone London's Silver Birch & Lavender Cologne is a cologne, which makes it the softest of the lavenders, and an easy one for a small office.

Two are less obvious. Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male Eau de Toilette adds mint and vanilla, and it is the one that people ask about. Versace's Pour Homme Eau de Toilette is the brighter pick, and a different mood altogether.

A pairing I like: a lavender scent with a plain white cotton shirt. The two are built for each other.

What I would skip: a strong lavender at a dinner where lavender is on the menu. Some things should not compete.

One rule for office scent: if a colleague can smell it from a metre away, you are wearing too much. One or two sprays on the chest, and that is all. Fresh scents are meant to stay near.

Hugo Boss's Boss Bottled Beyond Eau de Parfum with ginger and leather and the Eau de Toilette Intense with orange and leather are the two Boss options, and the Bottled Beyond Deodorant Stick for Him is the small companion that makes the routine simple. Gucci's Guilty Essence Eau de Toilette and Coach's For Men Eau de Toilette Spray are the easy, friendly ones. Prada's L'Homme L'Eau is a lighter, cleaner take on a favorite name, and Valentino's Uomo Born in Roma Eau de Toilette with violet is a good one for anyone who wants something a little different.

Ralph Lauren's Polo 67 with pineapple and bergamot is the brightest, a fruit-forward bottle for warm days.

A habit worth borrowing: keep a deodorant in a drawer at work. You can refresh without adding more fragrance, and the scent on your shirt stays as you put it on.

What I would skip: switching fragrances at lunch. Clean scents work best when you commit to one a day.

Try this: choose your body wash and your deodorant first, and your fragrance second. The shower is the base coat, and a clean scent looks its best on skin that is already fresh.

Dr. Squatch has three here, and they cover the bathroom shelf: Men's All Natural Bar Soap, Fresh Falls Body Wash, and the Odor Squatching Deodorant. Method's Men's Sea and Surf Body Wash, Moss and Meadow Body Wash and Juniper Sage Body Wash are the three that go with a clean scent in a friendly way, and a good pick for anyone who prefers to keep their routine simple. Dove Men+Care's Active Clean Dual-Sided Body Wash Shower Tool builds the scrubber into the wash. Carpe's 100H Sweat & Odor Control Antiperspirant Deodorant in Sandalwood is the practical one for a long day.

A pairing I like: Juniper Sage in the shower and something with lavender on top. Juniper is right there in the heart of the original Eternity, so the two agree.

What I would skip: a strongly scented body wash on the days you are wearing a fragrance you love. Give the bottle the stage.

I think the original Eternity for Men is worth smelling at least once, if only to remember what clean smelled like when you were younger. It is not trying to be a trend, and that is exactly why it works. If you find it a little dated, try the Eau de Parfum, and if you want it lighter, try Aqua.

I would pick one lavender, one office scent and a simple wash, and be done. Calvin Klein began with coats. You can begin with a bottle and one good shirt.

Eternity is a clean shirt of a fragrance, and once you have settled on it, the natural question is what to wear when you want that same tidy feeling with a little more depth. I would start with the Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Le Parfum with Lavender & Vanilla and the Le Male in Blue, since both keep lavender in the picture. For evenings, Gucci Guilty Pour Homme, Versace Eros Eau de Parfum and the Valentino Born in Roma Green Stravaganza are easy to reach for. The Dolce & Gabbana Velvet Tender Oud and Velvet Honey Santal are the ones I would bring out on colder nights. Two Jo Malone London washes, Pomegranate Noir and Wood Sage & Sea Salt, and the Polo Blue deodorant round out the routine. What I would skip: the Velvet bottles on a crowded morning train. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Dolce&Gabbana Cologne for Men and Chartreuse and Lavender Outfits to Try This Fall.