Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Grooming

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The Best Tom Ford Colognes for Men To Wear In 2021

John Jones
By
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Tom Ford is probably the closest thing that the fashion industry has to a superhero. He has lent his widely lauded design talents to legendary fashion brands, including, of course, his own. He has an elite, loyal customer base that is made up of international celebrities from all disciplines and, of course, the fabulously wealthy. He also happens to have movie-star looks, is in great physical shape — at 5’11”, he could just as easily have been a fashion model — and projects a personal style that is powerful and sophisticated. He is also an Oscar-nominated director for his two films A Single Man and Nocturnal Animals, and he’s the current chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. And, oh, yeah, he’s also a dad, a distinction which he shares with his husband: they’ve been together for 27 years, just tying the knot in December 2020.

Ford has applied his genius to collections like Perry Ellis, Gucci — where he dusted off a tired brand that was stuck in the 1970s and made it synonymous with sex — and, Yves St. Laurent. He’s dressed former First Lady Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Daniel Craig, Tom Hanks, Ryan Gosling, and Will Smith. Ford designed Craig’s suits for the James Bond films Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die. 

Recommended Videos

As you might expect with a resume like that, Ford product doesn’t come cheap. A Tom Ford cocktail jacket (pants not included) can you set back $4,100. A cashmere hoodie is nearly $3,000. Jeans are around $700 to $800. A nylon backpack goes for nearly $3,000. For some people, that’s okay! But if you want to share in a bit of that Tom Ford glamour without breaking the bank, you can always indulge in the Tom Ford fragrance collection. As eau de parfums rather than colognes (EDP contains between 15 to 20% pure fragrance essence. Colognes are less intense and come in at around 2 to 4 percent), most of them still aren’t cheap, but here are a couple of our favorites that, for the investment, at least will make you smell like a superstar. 

Black Orchid

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Black Orchid was the very first Tom Ford Fragrance, introduced in 2006. It’s technically a woman’s eau de parfum, but with its warm, spicy, earthy profile, it’s become gender-neutral in its appeal. The fluted black glass flask will make a dynamic statement on your dresser, too. 

Related

Oud Wood

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ford launched his Private Blend collection in 2007. The 12 unisex fragrances were each designed to be worn alone, or mixed with others in the range. Oud Wood kicked off the current rage for this (expensive) ingredient that is sourced from a fungus-infected agar tree. It’s woody and spicy with hints of vanilla, balsamic, and powder. Oud Wood is considered to be one of the most classic colognes in the collection. 

Soleil Brûlant

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The newest member of the Tom Ford fragrance family, Soleil Brûlant was introduced in March 2021. Yes, that name means “burning sun,” but you won’t need sunblock to enjoy it. The main part of the fragrance is a warm, musky amber, brightened with citrus, honey, and floral notes, as well as a touch of balsamic. (We also think the gold bottle looks as though it were lifted from the set of David Lynch’s 1984 version of Dune.)

Beau de Jour

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Beau de Jour is an aromatic, spicy fragrance with hints of lavender and patchouli with a green, earthy, mossy finish. It’s perfect to wear to work: Light, without being cloying or too seductive for daytime.  

F–king Fabulous

Image used with permission by copyright holder

With a name like that, this Tom Ford had better be the perfect fragrance for evening. It’s seductive and maybe a bit carnal with an aromatic blend including leather, orris root (from the roots of irises), vanilla, almond, and lavender. Spritz on a bit of this before heading out for the evening and nobody will care that you’re not wearing a Tom Ford dinner jacket (or if you are, you may not be wearing it for long). 

Bitter Peach

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Maybe a perfect fragrance for summer, this unexpected combination includes the fragrances of peaches, blood oranges, rum, and cognac (maybe inspiration for this evening’s cocktail?), but then dries down to spicy patchouli, earthy sandalwood, and vanilla. It seems like a perfect fragrance to brighten a dull day, with staying power into the evening.  

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
John Jones
John Jones
Contributor
John Jones is a Jersey City, New Jersey-based writer who enjoys covering design in all its forms, from fashion to…
Your complete Maison Margiela cologne guide: What to wear for every occasion
Most of these Maison Margiela fragrances are unisex, so you can share
Maison Margiela REPLICA Under the Stars

Freshly mown grass, coffee beans, rain, and roasting marshmallows -- we are surrounded each day with fragrances both simple and wonderful. Scent is the all-powerful key to unlocking memories -- the core ones, such as your first night camping under the stars with your dad, and the tiny moments you may have forgotten. Maison Margiela created the Replica line of unisex fragrances to capture these unique, everyday scents. Come stroll with us through a zen garden, a candlelit restaurant, and the starlit open air, and we'll show you which moments to bring home with you.

Under the Stars
One of Maison Margiela's most recent creations is the leathered, woody and smoke-wreathed Under the Stars. This fragrance leans masculine, venturing out into the real wilderness with animalic notes of leather, black pepper, nutty oud (Agarwood), and earthy labdanum. While many members of the Maison Margiela Replica collection linger cozily indoors, (

Read more
Hair products 101: Get all-day texture and hold with the best hair paste for men
Give your dew volume and flexible hold with these hair pastes
Two containers of Fellow Barber Texture Paste.

Hair products can be confusing to navigate — do you need hair paste? Hairspray? Hair gel? Hair paste hits a magical middle ground between a hair gel and a hairspray. You can apply it strategically like spray without losing hold anytime something touches your hair. It also has the long-lasting strength of a gel without getting hard and crunchy. Paste is the best option to keep your hair's natural texture and allow it to move around a bit throughout the day. A good paste allows you to tweak your style anytime you catch yourself in a mirror and see that something is just a little off, because if we're being honest that happens to all of us. 

We rounded up a list of the best hair paste for men available now. Their properties and functionality vary a bit because, like a fingerprint, we all have unique hair. Half the battle of achieving the hairstyle you want is finding the product that works best for your hair. That can be a daunting task with so many pastes on the market so we've narrowed down the options for you. Just remember, we can help you find the best product to achieve your new hairstyle but we can't stop your mom from criticizing it.

Read more
The 5 best purple shampoo options for men with blonde or gray hair
Maybe red or blue shampoo is more fitting for your hair color
Brad Pitt

At some point in time, non-blonde American men decided that blondes really do have more fun, and that they were going to let themselves in on the fun. Brad Pitt (pictured above), Ryan Gosling, and the Carter brothers showed their handsome superpowers, and suddenly everybody from Joe Jonas to Jonah Hill followed suit.

The trend seemed to start during the COVID-19 pandemic when many of us couldn't leave the house to go to the barber during lockdown — and maybe having just a bit too much time on our hands — inspired many of us regular guys to go to the home coloring route, experimenting with everything from True Sons to Colorsmith to Just For Men to achieve the shining mane of a legendary lifeguard. 

Read more