Posted by Kevin
on
5 February 2009
I was an Equipage fiend. When I smelled Equipage for the first time in Los Angeles in 1993, I became hooked on the perfume in seconds and, for weeks, took the bottle with me everywhere I went…spraying, spraying, spraying all through the day. My best friend, a perfume fanatic herself, asked me on one memorable occasion to “STOP!” applying, or should I say RE-applying, Equipage. My friend and I were going to dinner and she made a quick stop at a dry cleaner’s to pick up a dress; when she returned to the car, the Equipage fumes were so strong she began to cough. She smelled Equipage in her car for days afterwards (but went on to buy Equipage aftershave for her father at Christmas).
I depleted my last bottle of Equipage around 1996 and I decided to take a “break” from the fragrance so I wouldn’t tire of it. I never got around to buying Equipage again. Now, I am about to smell it for the first time in 13 years. Here goes — (pssssst!) — AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! I’m in heaven! Balmy, relaxed, warm and addictive, Equipage is as I remember it — and I want to use every drop of my Equipage sample immediately.
Equipage was created for Hermès by perfumer Guy Robert and it debuted in 1970…
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Posted by Angela
on
30 January 2008
Although it took me a while to appreciate some of the classic Christian Diors, as I've become more experienced with perfume I've come to love them more and more. For instance, the first time I tried Miss Dior and Diorella, I wasn't sure about them. They were intriguing, but I wasn't ready for them yet. Dioressence, on the other hand, I loved at first sniff. What I didn't know was that my first sniff was of the vintage Dioressence.
Dior's website describes Dioressence as a “spicy oriental” and lists its top notes as aldehydes, greens and fruit; its heart as jasmine, geranium, cinnamon, carnation, orris, ylang ylang and tuberose; and its base as patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, vanilla and musk…
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Posted by Angela
on
2 August 2007
Isn’t it strange how two perfumes can have the same list of notes and yet sometimes smell so different? Lots of perfumes start with bergamot, neroli, or lemon, then segue to rose, jasmine, and iris with maybe some lily or tuberose thrown in. Then the perfume drys down to some combination of sandalwood, vetiver, amber and maybe tonka or vanilla. Racier scents might have civet, patchouli, musk, or oakmoss in the base. Of course I’m being overly general here, but so many scents have the same ingredients and yet smell so different. Madame Rochas is a case in point.
Helène Rochas — the real Madame Rochas — took over the House of Rochas when she became a widow at only 28 years old. It was 1955. Helène was the woman for whom Marcel Rochas commissioned Edmond Roudnitska to create Femme as a wedding present. By 1960, Helène was ready to add a new perfume to the Rochas brand, one that was easier to wear than Femme. She looked to Chanel No. 5 and Arpège for inspiration, and she hired Guy Robert to create it…
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“We are like painters: some use simple colors, others prefer sophisticated ones. It's the result that matters”. With over half a century of professional experience under his belt, Guy Robert knows what he's talking about. He grew up among perfumers, trained many talented noses throughout his career, and created a few brilliant fragrances of his own. His book Les sens du parfum reads like a straightforward, down-to-earth tutorial for novice perfumery students: what does it take to master this difficult craft, and where does one start? Besides providing a fascinating insight in the world of the modern perfumer, this book also serves as a practical guide for perfumistas. (French-speaking perfumistas, to be precise.)
The first three chapters of the book cover perfume history, the sense of smell, and fragrant raw materials…
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Posted by Robin
on
3 October 2005
Calèche was released by Hermès in 1961, and for many years it was their best-selling women’s fragrance. It was created by nose Guy Robert, and includes bergamot, mandarin, orange blossom, aldehydes, jasmine, lily of the valley, rose, gardenia, iris, ylang-ylang, oakmoss, sandalwood, cedar, and vetiver.
In 1992, Hermès released Calèche Soie de Parfum, a reformulated version that they hoped would appeal to a younger, more modern consumer. According to Women’s Wear Daily (3/27/1992), they “heightened and brightened” the floral notes, and cut back on the powdery wood notes. That is the scent I am reviewing today. I have never tried the original parfum, and I have no idea if it has been reformulated as well…
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