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Contrary to what many people have in mind, the Guerlain Chypres came out before the famous Coty Chypre from 1917 {For a comprehensive reason as to why, please refer to my article on Chypre Fragrances Facts and The Origins of Chypre Perfume} [N.B. There is also Guerlain Chypre 53, a different fragrance]
A top of citrus and lavender gives way to the floral notes of pink jasmine, ylang iris, orange blossom, flanked by cascarilla, calamus, mossy chyprish notes, patchouli, and spicy accents of nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and balsamic notes.
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1926 DJEDI in parfum extrait
Chypre, amber, animalic [Review of Djedi perfume on this link]
The top notes are lightly aldehydic, with bergamot but especially with a lily of the valley note.
The heart is comprised of a floral bouquet of rose and jasmine. The base is where it's at with intensely dry notes of amber, moss, iris, musk, vetiver and animalic chords.
1934 SOUS LE VENT in parfum extrait
Aromatic Chypre, Green [Review of Sous le Vent perfume on this link]
Top with citrus, anise and aromatic fragrant notes (tarragon, lavender, bergamot, verbena) but also with the intensely green note of galbanum.
The floral bouquet in the heart is composed on pink jasmine and ylang-ylang, whereas the base is resting atop moss, balsamic fragrant notes, patchouli, musk and iris.
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1948: FLEUR DE FEU in parfum extrait
An aldehydic floral fragrance. [Review of Fleur de Feu perfume on this link]
The top note is made of aldehydes and citrus notes, lightly honeyed. The floral bouquet in the heart is comprised of pink jasmine, ylang ylang, violet and cassie. The base is powdery with iris, heliotrope, vanilla, tonk a bean and sandalwood.
If you haven't already been informed on the previous re-issues by Guerlain in the Heritage collection, please refer to Perfume Shrine's Part 1 and Part 2.
As always thanks to Sylvaine Delacourte, the artistic director at Guerlain, without whose help nothing would be possible.
oh, how i would LOVE to smell & wear these, especially the" chypre de paris"...
ReplyDeletei enjoyed your article on fragrantica---looking forward to part 2!
Too bad it's so difficult to smell those resurrected Guerlains. Last time I was in Paris, one had to book in advance, and it was only possible one of the three days, at a specified time. it just didn't work.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if one could just walk into the store and smell them.
cacio
I really wish they'd offer some of these for sale. I suppose this is better than nothing. *wistful sigh*
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info!<3
I would love to smell these too!
ReplyDeleteNFS,
ReplyDeletethe work done is commendable, there's no doubt about it.
M,
ReplyDeletethe by appointment scheduling is a bit annoying (like with Osmotheque) but there are practical considerations for it.
I should think that an album of impregnated scratch & sniff cards would be a wonderful "greeting" for those who pop into the store without an appointment. What do you think? :-)
[Guerlain & mme Delacourte are you listening?]
EV,
ReplyDeletethey can't possibly, since they're using banned ingredients from their remaining pile (a good use for practically useless -commercially- material).
M,
ReplyDeleteit's only an appointment and flight away! ;-D
Add me to the not everyone lives - or can get to - Paris list...
ReplyDeleteBut I do love the idea of educational perfume: so often it is dismissed as silly women's stuff (which I believe to be one of the reasons all those governments are attacking perfume rather than more dangerous chemical usage), but emphasising the art that scent can be is wonderful. We have heaps of visual arts, arts we listen to, arts we taste - is there anything other than perfume that could form an art we smell?
C,
ReplyDeletethere is a two pronged appeal here: the visiting audience who will come out with a newly inflated admiration for the brand and the escapist dreaming audience who will not go but appreciates the museum approach as fitting a truly historical brand. Guerlain wins in any case.
Perfume is usually (in most cases) a craft, IMHO, because it lacks much of the theoretical background of the fine arts (so I'm not taking the approach that there is an art corresponding to each sense), but surely it is much more than just silly women's stuff; between the two extremes there is an ocean of possibilities. Surely in that big space there is room for an artistic approach, even if it refers to a commodity that is sold and which profits from design as much as olfaction.