Quadrille

too bad that a: quadrille isn't a guy and b: i've sworn off marriage anyway. if i ever run into a guy whose last name is Quadrille, i may have to take it as a sign from God, and try again. there are at LEAST 250 perfumes living in my house. tho' fickle, by no means have i loved every single one. i have had my favorites, and i think i have mentioned that x is my favorite on this very blog site. quadrille moved in just over 2 months ago. they haven't stayed long, and i've had to buy 5 bottles in that short time. i suffer the curse of favoring the discontinued and hard to find. in the OFFICIAL PERFUME DICTIONARY, when you look up discontinued there is a one word definition: expensive. as quadrille is not as plentiful as many other discontinueds, it's pricey. naturally smaller bottles are less expensive, but sellers of rare perfumes are, in general, a delusional lot. i've seen 2 oz (it's an edt) listed for 69, and the same amount listed for 299. (i wrote to that seller, suggesting rehab and a reality seminar.) none the less, i've dropped over 500 dollars on quadrille in just over 2 months. with bottle 5 dwindling at the same rate as my meager bank account, i decided to take action. so i contracted to sell a kidney. and then, heaven descended from the sky, and landed, of all places, on ebay. at this very moment i am bidding on a one quart (as in "a quart of milk, please) of quadrille. i can barely count, even using my fingers, but intuition tells my that that's one hell of a lot of ounces. we are 4 days into the auction. the starting price was 50 something. i bid first. another gal was up for the challenge, but retired from the field in short order. that quart is currently standing at 117. there has been no further activity for 2 days. unless there are at least 2 people who are crazy for a perfume, huge bottles of perfume never bring in what they are worth. even if you're crazy about a fragrance, there aren't many people out there as eccentric and over the top as i am. even i must admit that saturating my skin and clothing every 2 or so hours is, um, exessive? compulsive? let's get real - i have a serious problem. as life's problems go, it just isn't serious enough to make the fix it list. and face it, kids, pets and brothers are all problems, too. brothers in particular are HUGE problems, so i've been told. but we don't try to get rid of them. mostly. we maniacs are a small minority. a normal person might love a perfume but figure they won't live long enough to use a whole quart. so i'll get it, and probably for under 200 dollars - but even if it goes much higher, when you consider my expenditure to date, it's worth my while to pay up. so, for now, i think i'll have a good week or two of quadrille before i have to think about selling my body parts. i wonder if anyone needs an earlobe transplant.

As I write this, I am experiencing yet another cloudy, grey day here in New England. Weeks of the same, with the occasional burst of sun reminding me of its critical nourishment, and, like torture, the clouds swallow the rays back up. It's enough to make anyone feel listless and uninspired. I sit looking at the books I've yet to read, finding it myself to muster the concentration, looking with resentment at my phone, feeling the ache in my back from far too many hours sitting in front of work monitors. I sprayed some Quadrille; to some, it's considered merely Balenciaga's version of a fruity chypre, "me too!" "We did it too." Today, though, as I wear it, I realize there's more depth and meaning for me. It's one of the earlier uses of cardamom in a modern fragrance, adding a layer of intrigue to the skin, beyond the usual peach lactones, plummy liquor, and clove-flower bouquet. I am reminded of my old Uncle Roy's liquor cabinet that I'd sneak into, of course not to drink, silly, I was single-digit aged, "you may look, but don't sip!". I would just marvel at the amber and burgundy colored liquid in the cut-crystal carafes. I would sneak them open to just sniff, though. Quadrille is reminding me of the aromas. The dry, spiced framework holds throughout the development, perhaps stern and dowdy to the wrong noses. To the right noses, a cause for elation and sweet memories. The warm-liquor amber seeps through the dry surface, dusty mahogany cabinetry, faint jasmine whispers, moss-laden apparitions from times that we can't decide were simpler or more complicated. It makes me want to watch film noir (I am glad I have a Criterion Channel subscription) and escape for a few hours. I chose this 90s version (bar-code on the box), before it was discontinued, as I've heard that Quadrille tends not to age too well, and I wanted to capture the closest approximation to its spirit. It's a terrific bygone gem that is giving me some light when the clouds just won't part.

In a world of bright sugar-bombs, Quadrille occupies the lonely space in the corner. It battles enigmatic sweetness with an impossible darkness, refusing immaturity. The 1950s mini I have in my hand has densely compacted decades of history into just a few precious drops. It takes clearly after Femme, but smells as though it had to wait its turn. The Prunol base, has been greedily taken by Roudnitska to construct the generous, sticky Femme, leaving Balenciaga with the thick, sludgy nectar at the bottom of the barrel. It is at once aged and plummy, but lacks the sweet peach jam, instead leaning heavily into the earthy, suede-like leatheriness, brought to life with spices of clove and cardamom. It is quiet and subdued, reserved and shut away from the famous plum perfume we all know, and yet thrives on its own two feet. This shadowy, humid potion of fat prunes and cloves, swimming in a retired oak barrel, is the nepo-baby of Femme, and yet manages to occupy a darker territory Rochas never quite ventured into.

I have a vintage bottle of Qualdrille. Let me start by saying this baby lasts a really long time, more than 12 hours and after a shower I can still smell it on my skin. Clove and cardamon provides a wonderful spice framework, sweetened with fruits although my nose cannot pick out which specifically. Amber jasmine and musk warms the composition and provides a base that lasts and lasts. I think the cardamon and fruit provide a unique intensity and dramatic contrast to Qualdrille. Cardamon and Cloves are so intense they are difficult to balance, but this composition pulls it off spectacularly. I'm updating this review...I've been wearing this more recently and this frangrace has skyrocketed to my favorite.... a magical fragrance that whisks you away on an exotic adventure surrounded by beauty. I need more....

Oakmoss and patchouli should be listed in the base-notes. And there's a note of anise that might be missed if you aren't looking for it. And the heliotrope, of course. Anyway... So gorgeous! God, I wish they still made fragrances like this- I'd wear my precious little amount more-often than I can now afford. Fruity, but very dry against the oakmoss- like expensive champagne just for your nose! Warm with amber, rich with distinct resins modifying the labdanum with minute curls of incense graced with subtle spices. At once glamorous, restrained, and exotic- I see the comparisons with the chypres Mitsouko (heliotrope, jasmine, spices) and Goutal's Mon Parfum Cheri (heliotrope, plum, and patch), but this takes things to another level. (PS-I'm not a huge Mitsouko fan)

Thank goodness I didn't come up against oopsfauxpas on an ebay auction for this gorgeous bottle, because it would have been Thunderdome. And this perfume is worth the spilled blood. Quadrille is amber perfection; it is everything I ever wanted in an amber perfume. (Vintage) Quadrille is a warm amber, whose simplicity belies its beauty. Balanced to perfection. Spice, fruit, and floral notes do not fight for attention. Rather, they play together as if they were meant to co-exist: like peas in a very beautiful amber pod. There is no plastic-y vibe to the amber note, no spice market to contend with. No gratuitous note to challenge my senses. Just one of the most superb perfumes ever created. Bonus: one of the most beautiful bottles in perfume history.

Oh my word, this is lovely. I bought a decant on a whim and it is so good. It is an older fragrance and reminds me very much of Creed Angelique encens (not at all similar in scent, but similar in the mood and atmosphere it creates). It's sultry, sexy, and dark. I don't get the floral note so much on me, it seemed to go almost straight to spiciness. It is quite masculine and mature, and is made for seduction.

Ah, the rapturous "Quadrille!" Weaving sinuous waves of an almost indescribable, smokey, piquant floral ambience around you. And it lasts, and "wafts" rather than hits you over the head like some of the more recent, modern perfumes. Like someone once said, perfume should be a subtle suggestion, not an open invitation.....

I love it. One of my favourite "old lady perfumes". I get the comparisons to Femme. My partner says it's like a dusty version of Femme. Very warm and mossy. I'd love to wear this with silk clothing in the summertime.

It is like the mixture of scents from a L U S H shop. If you had been in one you'd know this rich soap - yum yum - I am going to spend a fortune here I love the feeling so much state of mind /madness/!

Lovely & deep & boozy, with a pleasant burnt note to start. Very complex and pretty. Another Balenciaga masterpiece!

Why was this discontinued? One of my favourites, so elegant, although it didn't keep as well as some...

It smells like a Lush shop before Christmas. A+ And it last and lasts 10 hours in my case. Go vtg!

Recently rediscovered this (vintage parfum)after many years - what a heavenly reunion!

I have a couple bottles of this I bought on ebay (where else!) in the past and I am mystified that it seems there isn't much I can smell which I would call a floral element or a top note. However, on me it smells like a very pure chypre basenote, nice, but missing. The way I use it is to act as a fixative for floral scents which need more on the bottom, and it works extremely well for that purpose. Yeah! Oakmoss!!

You would expect a perfume named after a dance to be lively and exciting. Quadrille is actually rather sedate, a perfume that a lady would wear. It is dry and mossy rather than sweet and sparkling. It is warm, spicy, and ambery. It is somewhat like Femme but less fruity. This is a perfume for a confident woman who knows that seduction is slow and subtle, not hurried and explosive.

Very like vintage Rochas Femme, but somehow not quite as rich or well rounded. Dry, chypre with powdery iris

Mine is OLD. All the top notes are gone, and it smells mostly of spices with some musk and a little bit of sweetness from the amber underpinning it. There’s a tiny touch of something soapy/floral, but that’s about it for this one. A little bit 1950’s housewife-y. Sad that it was apparently so badly cared for before it got to me. 2/10

Same pharmacy has 4 bottles of this stuff. I tested this out for all the great reviews here. Unfortunatly all i got was a hit of chanel no.5. which is exactly what i cant stand ( its my mother's perfume). This one is definatly for chanel no.5 lovers. I'm definatly a coco fan. I definatly get the hollywood 50's glamour vibe .

This smells exactly like my grandmothers hairspray! But i am not a vintage perfume girl, so maybe it's just me!

Ok, Archivist (and Silverbutterfly) below really hit the nail on the head. I was trying to figure out how to describe this one on my skin and really scratching my head over it, as it is VERY unique, VERY chypre, and yes, a bit dated (but oh, in such a good way!!). Yes, it is mossy, dusty, and smells EXACTLY like the inside of a Fifties Vixen's traincase. It opens with a dusty peach and lemon and my skin immediately grabs a hint of the cloves and jasmine and cardamom like a spicy sexy face powder---a classy lady getting ready to go out to the theater with her beau. This is a perfume of a time gone by, one that I love revisiting every time I spray this one. I don't feel musty or fusty when I wear it, I feel like Lauren Bacall has let me play in her makeup while she's getting ready in the morning. The drydown on me is a hint of amber and musk, still with the green dry powdery chypre-ness of it throughout....I have the edt and it lasts 5-6 hours with 2 sprays, but I like to be more liberal and just spritz all over. This is not a room-clearing scent, it wears close to the body and I find it very lovely, sexy, and delightful.

I have had a teensy tiny sample bottle of Quadrill in my jewelry box since my grandmother brought it back from Paris @1961 when I was only 5.I still remember the delicious scent and have grown up the same as I was as a child; intensely sensitive and allergic to heavy perfumes;when I was a kid, i would either literally pass out or get nauesous fromt he heavy perfume the older ladies wore...now they( Poison, Opium,Ciara made me nauseated or as in the case of the infamous Elizabeth Ardens Red Door,I would get 48 hour migraines which would destroy me. So,not on the financial scale of Quadrille, which I would love to get ,one of my other all time faves has madea comeback;was able in the last few years to buy on line but was shocked to acutally be in a CVS and find Loves Lemon on the actual shelf!! Yeahhhhhhhhhh for clean ,simpple scents! And hangin onto a bottle of Nikki De St Phalle for more years than I can remember now!

I'm reviewing the vintage EDT, from a sealed vertically ribbed bottle with a black cap, probably from the 1960's. In this formulation, Quadrille is a restrained mossy scent with a subtle peach lactone note that definitely evokes vintage Femme. (Ms. Rochambeau's comparison of the two scents is spot on.). Quadrille has less creamy musk than Femme and more warm spices--I get clove and cinnamon--but it has that same enveloping cashmere quality. I'd like to try the vintage parfum some day, to see if Quadrille becomes a little more glamorous and assertive in a stronger concentration, Meanwhile, I will wear my EDT to the office.

This is my favorite vintage fragrance! Fruity, sweet, powdery, and carmalized. Smells exactly like one of those dark, smokey, sexy film noir movies from the 1940s. Quadrille also smells like old loose-powder foundation, which is another reason I like it. I have a tiny 1950s mini bottle, and a drop of the stuff is enough to smell up the room, and it lasts until you wash it off. Why can’t we have nice things anymore? I wouldn’t call this an “old lady” scent- more like “old hollywood”, definitly not an office appropriate scent unless you are Joan Holloway from Mad Men.

This is an older fragrance that I found in the late 70's. I wore it off and on till about 1995. Until recently I found some great deals on eBay. I now work with small children and they LOVE this discontinued "old lady" scent on me...however... It is to me a very sexy, sensual fragrance. I scored an unopened dusting powder as well. When i wore it in the late 70s and early 80s I was young and wild and free and it takes me right back there. This fragrance will surprise you!

I recently bought a nearly full 2 oz bottle of vintage EDT with the black cap and black label courtesy of eBay. I absolutely adore this when I smell it as I open the bottle and I get the comparison to Rochas Femme at the top of this page when it first comes out of the bottle. Unfortunately, and very disappointingly, this doesn't last for more than a few minutes on me with my skin chemistry, no matter how many different ways I try it.

I’ve found a 1oz. bottle of the pure parfum sealed for $10,00 in a flea market. Bought it once I love perfumes and have a nice collection. This week, after reading a lot about Cialenga (and wearing it), I decided to give Quadrille a try. Well...wow! An absolute storm of oak moss in my nose! Beautiful and musky, with peaches and tuberose. Kind of strong but nice anyway! Excellent choice for colder weather!

There was a time, way back in the punk era, when all my friends were wearing Chloe and Anais Anais,that I wouldn't go out of an evening without spraying copious amounts of Quadrille all over myself. Because in my mind, this was NOIR! A dark,smouldering, flashing eyed vamp of a perfume that was like catnip to my younger self. Sadly discontinued. Wonder what they'd make of it now?

One of the oldies but goodies...full of class...Reminds me of pale green satin and brown velvet,treacle and wooden mannequins. i am so sorry this is unavailable, i guess the main customers all died.This will happen with White Musk one day LOL!I so want a bottle...anyone who knows where to get a copy Id love to know.

I recently found a tiny vintage mini of Quadrille and when I dabbed it on, I immediately thought of vintage Rochas' Femme. This is a fruity/spicy and chypre-like and although it's similar in many ways to Femme, it's not as leathery and animalic. Think of it as a more "behaved" or "lady-like" version of femme.

Oakmoss (!) + gum arabic liquid (glue) + heart disease drugs changing into + sweet red wine + honey. It smells like a mother of all chypres, like the base of chypre fragrances, for instance: Cabochard = Quadrille + potatoes in a basement + an old wallet Creation = Quadrille + incensed twigs + adhesive tape

i just found a bottle of this perfume in the thrift store for $8 a 50ml full but the sprayer is missing i can find out if its real because the bottle i have has the ribbed lines on it but the top of it is big n gold n oval with Balenciaga written in the center i really want to know if this is authentic

Although a Dior girl, this is my favorite perfume(not fragrance ) of all time.Bought on my first trip to Paris, while working for Guerlain ( disloyal) and wear it to this day. I was over on a course, and the girl I was rooming with wore it, love at first sight, thank goodness I stockpiled!

Just received small vintage version in French perfume collection of miniatures. A lot of spice. Reminds me of YSL Champagne. It is okay, not the best in my humble opinion, from Balenciaga. Paris is my favorite from this fashion house. I would even take Rumba over this. Not a head turner.

A fruity-floral perched atop a sturdy base of amber and musk, this scent is the sort I could imagine wafting up from the decolletage of a spunky heroine in a Billy Wilder film. Wear this scent when you are in the mood for witty banter and a dry martini!

Dear all, dont get the similarity to Rochas Femme. Femme iis like Diorama or Arden On Dit, all three by the same nose. Of course it is only my opinion.

Gods of scents must be french ! This fragrance will stay my favorite until the end of my life.

Feminine, sensual, sexy. I know several women who like that. And even more men! (On women!)

Mossy, plummy, smokey, oldish, but it is very interesting and unique.