Infini (1970)

I wasn’t sure whether to get a second bottle of Infini after half using another one. My first one was a pressurized atomizer, early 70’s PdT that, while green and wonderful at first, became sour, stale and ugly after a few minutes. I’m guessing poor storage and expired propellant had the upper hand upon that gorgeous tobacco green haze that couldn’t survive more than a couple of minutes. Some weeks ago I came upon a pristine and boxed infinity bottle of the PdT as well, in the gray geometric box. 1974 batchcode and a bargain price. And here goes. This version of Infini is vastly different from my previous one, although both are roughly the same year. Infini, as many Caron’s, is known to be notoriously batch sensitive; the same concentration can vary significantly from one bottle to another. One greener, the other heavier on tobacco, ones with a prominence of narcissus while others offer a nondescript floral melange. My bottle goes from a Calèche/Madame Rochas prim aldehydic-ness to a greener, irisy N°19. My first Infini opened with a bitter herbal green; grassy, wheaty, smoky. Soon after, it died. This Infini opens with sparkling aldehydes. Soapy, a little bit astringent even. What follows is a tender floral medley that doesn’t show a prominence of narcissus. Hence the comparison to the above two same period classics. At this point, even though stronger than Calèche and Madame Rochas, I don’t find it particularly different or memorable. Had it been a narcissus heavy variant, I would’ve felt different. And honestly, it doesn’t start to impress me until the heart notes start showing. A smoky vetiver, rich foliage and spicy coriander take center stage, along a very Chanelesque iris, touch of galbanum and what I believe is a dollop of Mousse de Saxe. Among the golden tobacco tendrils, the abundance of green and the lick of civet, a leathery narcissus creeps timidly, but the floral star becomes the iris and the lilac. I can smell the cool beauty of vintage N°19 edp, but, with the leathery undertones of a 1940’s perfume. At this point it has nothing to do with futurism but more with the past. It lingers like this for hours, projecting vividly, before the base engulfs me in sandalwood with slight coumarinic sweetness. The greenness never really subsides but the leathery darkness slowly takes over before fading away almost a full day later. The 60’s and 70’s were all about space age, pixie do’s and mini skirts among spider lashes and plexi chairs. Shag carpets, orange and maroon furniture amidst avocado green bathrooms, all the while Paco gave us Mētal and Calandre, Yves gave us Rive Gauche and Robert Piguet was taking us into the Futur while Courrèges was Empreinte(ing) us its signature! Infini tries to tap into the future, but after the sparkle of the opening starts to fade, it really just goes to the past. The classic and solid bases of the house are still here, even if less noticeable. Is it possible it harks to the original 1912 Infini? I couldn’t say. Infini was marketed to the young and free woman of the time. Modern, vivid, full of life. But underneath it all, it can’t hide the good upbringing of the house, its masterpieces that came before, and offered another excellent perfume with quality and class. Subtle differences and a different approach to the green and floral aldehydic, make Infini one to try. It didn’t win me over easily, but it has become a favorite in no time. Stunning!

This version of Infini PdT is layered beyond its opening aldehydes. It would seem disingenuous to discuss what notes I detect, whether a narcissus accord goes in whatever shape or direction or the rose is a certain kind of rosy and the lilac reminds me of arboretum walks in May, and so on. This is because my nose doesn't tell my brain that it knows where one ends and the other begins, or even if there are clear overlaps. It all just coalesces like the seasonings in a good warlock's broth: a composite deliciousness. It's so tasty. Orbiting it all is muted, cool greenness and spiced-clove smoke, discreetly herbal accents, moving forward into the iris-cloaked "woods are lovely, dark and deep" and a warm amber sunset. It feels crepuscular, recalling that sensation I love, a hypnagogia, the liminal space between awake and asleep, a heavy-eyed mossy sedative. I took a nap in the afternoon while wearing this, and it served as the "smell-track" as some Don Slepian new age was the "sound-track." Infini PDT inspired me to explore this concept more. This earlier Daltroff version is a must for green aldehyde floral adventurers.

Vintage Parfum in angular bottle with cut out: Infini is a lovely blend of iris, jasmine, narcissis, and aldehydes. The beginning reminded me somewhat of Grand Amour with its aldehydes, leather and resins. Then 5 minutes later florals came forth and it evolved into a floral bouquet of jasmine, lily of the valley and narcissis reminding me of a Paco Rabanne Metal but with a lot less aldehydes. It's a gorgeous scent that is sleek, modern yet pensive and oddly a little androgynous. This perfume is not making statements of sexiness, or power, or anything like that but rather it makes a statement about fixed points in time that symbolize a world of possibilities.

Poor Infini has been through so many reformulations it is likely each of us is reviewing a different version of the scent! The Infini I had twenty-five years ago was a hugely lactonic floral with remarkable sillage and a faintly metallic drydown, like the jingle of keys on a ring -- a little edgy, a little cheerful. The version I own today still has some of that wonderful milkiness and decent sillage, but alas, the drydown jingles no longer.

Today i received a bottle of VINTAGE Infini from Caron - 1st version. Ooooo my God, this scent is sooo beautiful - typical old school of scents...I cannot even describe of what its smells, but so far it is my favourite Caron smells. It is very expensive feminine aldehydic scent, in a way similar but much more interesting as Chanel No 5. Absolutely gorgeous, precious!!! Love it.