Les Exclusifs de Chanel 28 La Pausa

I came to 28 La Pausa late, having fallen in love with so many of Chanel's Les Exclusifs, particularly the La Pausa EDP. I thought I'd never get my nose on its original "28" EDT formula. Luckily, a reputable eBay seller listed their 200 mL bottle at a (laughably) reasonable price, not recognizing this discontinued gem could command much more than they asked. I count that as a major win! Before I dive too much into 28LP EDT, let me copy/paste what I said in my review about the LP EDP: "La Pausa is gentle, delicate, fragile. In life, tangible items with such qualities often evoke a sense of unease or anxiety—'I must be careful not to break it!' But no, La Pausa isn't like that at all. Instead, it forces you to marvel at the beauty contained within such fragility." The reason I include my write-up for the EDP? Because it's even more applicable here. The two are different scents, yes, but masterful scents, both. Many have commented on the scent's short lifespan—and I agree, to a degree—but, for me, that's part of how moving it is. If the EDP is delicate and fragile, the EDT is even more so, also more austere and spare, and all the more beautiful for it. I liken its scent to a pared-down version of Bel Respiro melded with the skeleton of 1932, then boiled down to an even leaner, wispier phantom. I'm a college professor, and my niche is in aging, dying, death. My mind is never far from end-of-life issues, and that's where it goes when I smell 28LP. The scent was named after La Pausa, Coco Chanel's vacation home on the French Riviera; "La Pausa" as the break, the pause, the rest. Rather than relaxation and restoration, though, I think of the pause, or the break, between life and death, of eternal rest. You see, 28LP is a ghost of a fragrance. It haunts. But it's not the ghost of another—it's a ghost of the self. Assume for a moment that the soul, the spirit—whatever you want to call that metaphysical representation of "self"—exists. Then this is the smell of the soul loosening itself from its mortal vessel. There's a melancholic air about 28LP, but also a sense of calm detachment, or maybe of affirmation. Like the sadness of leaving the physical realm and all the pain that accompanies it. But also the wonder of having lived at all, of you—a fragile creature in a vast, cold, uncaring universe; at best, a mere mote of dust in the grand scheme of things—having experienced the world. Love, joy, loss, and the difficult lessons of life. Yes, that's what 28LP conjures for me. Life and death. Living and dying. Sadness, but acceptance. The soul coming unshackled from its physical bonds, comforting its ailing vessel. This is the smell of that white light at the end of the tunnel.

(#9) 28 La Pausa, my heart is broken. Not the essence that this smell bad, but no one will be able to smell this Iris masterpiece. I fell in love with La Pausa, you can trace I review but I do not want to go full retail price. So I opt out looking another one in resell market, they was 1 bottle post 2 years ago. In EDT rendition, 28 La Pausa. The price was ok at USD 185. I know it mere chance, but I want to try - If she already sell, I move on. But no, she is not sold yet, after few discussion. She lands on my hand. And I am so grateful. Les Exclusifs de Chanel is the first line that make me speechless. EDT is smells almost as rich and strong as EDP. But EDT is keep the scent somewhat transparent but mystical. La Pausa 28, Is quite similar to La Pausa EDP. But, It is not as green as EDP and somewhat smell is much colder. Also, more greyish purple than her new rendition, which more like muted emerald green. Rose is also more prominent, and it the cold dew rose in morning. The Orris root, very bloom to leathery cloud of sophisticate. If La Pausa at least speak "Don't brother me" 28 La Pausa would let you instantly know, please let me have my time. My absolute interpretation of Iris. ===== Extension 1 on January 30, 2025 I want to write certain random thought. As I venture deeper. I appreciate my bottle of 28 La Pausa, as I recently sniff all the good iris glory. I found that this is closest thing to Iris Sliver Mist... (Only 28 La Pausa). 28 La Pausa have certain coldness to it like it seems inspired by "Iris Sliver Mist". I am not sure what behind the Coromandel Curtain but Christopher Sheldrake is supporting Chanel around 2005, These EDT seems to have coldness tone that present in Luten's fragrance. Even Iris Sliver Mist doesn't make by Christopher Sheldrake, But it might be a blueprint or idea. Iris Sliver Mist doesn't have woody backbone similar to 28 La Pausa which anchors stronger by quality of Vetiver and aldehydic Chanel. More powdery feel on skin. I find "La Pausa" in EDP is greener and slight smokier but not in nature of green iris, So a bliss of purple iris, contains in 28 La Pausa. It’s one of few “iris” fragrance Santa Maria "L'iris" velvet label - is another way to go...

Finally got my hands on this and I'm certainly not disappointed. It's very ethereal and natural and it smells expensive, albeit a bit fleeting, though other people can smell you more than you can.... Still, I can easily rank it in the top 5 Les Exclusifs and possibly even top 3: best being 31 Rue Cambon (EDT!).. Le Lion is quite beautiful (18 and Coromandel also)... I guess my issue is the longevity... It is what it is and while I suspect that the lack of longevity / protection is directly due to the fact that this is one of the MOST NATURAL and beautiful iris fragrances I have ever smelled, I wouldn't want it altered to "improve" performance... My assumption is that's what happened to "La Pausa" EDP which has far better performance but.... is honestly a COMPLETELY different scent... Not better or worse, please take note that this is the ONLY LES EXCLUSIF that actually had a NAME CHANGE when it was reformulated from EDT to EDP... I applaud whoever realized they couldn't keep the same name for these two VERY DIFFERENT fragrances... Again, not better or worse but.. absolutely not the same. The current EDP prominently features vetiver and, I'm not an expert but I detect a dash of vanilla as well. 28 EDT is more airy, has a HINT of animalic leather (just a tiny hint but enough to make me LOVE it) and the driest, most perfect impression of rose... I, myself, prefer the more fleeting disappearing act of THIS one (28 La Pausa) to it's successor, La Pausa EDP even though that one performs much better.... I'll just spray with abandon! If you get the opportunity to try this one I highly recommend it...!!!

Love at first sniff. Yes, I'm a lover of iris/orris; I love damp autumn leaves, rainy pavements, ink stained desks and the wonderful sense of nostalgic yet erotic yearning that orris/iris conjures up for me. This is the perfume of Catherine Deneueve's rain-soaked trench coat flung carelessly over a chair, before embarking on an illicit affair with an erudite, impossibly handsome author! I know I go against the grain by finding this a million times more seductive than any gourmand, but then again I'm not interested in blokey men or footballers. I fall in love with erudite, talented, enigmatic (yet handsome!) authors and musicians, so if that sounds like you, wear this when you're in the mood for love. But not when you feel low, because in a low mood this may make you feel a bit rainy in your soul - maybe not a bad thing when you're in creative mood mind you That's my personal take on 28 La Pausa. A more down to earth decription is - inky, earthy yet light, subtle, skin-scent sillage yet distinct, scenty and redolent of timeless elegance I dislike most of Polge's creations such as Allure, Coco M and Chance but this is excellent. A full bottle is absolutely neccessary!

28 La Pausa is a thing of utter beauty on the right skin chemistry. The opening of this is breathtaking: a gorgeous gray-toned chalky powdered iris note hangs in the air enticing you to sniff and sniff again as you evaluate its pleasing texture and softness. This hangs around for about 30 minutes before the perfume evolves into what on my skin chemistry is a semi disturbing rooty orris and vetiver drydown. It is not cold so much as acidic and slightly indolic. I can see how some reviewers likened this to a green tea note, but on my skin it is much more metallic-green-citric and lacks the roundness and duskiness that tea usually imparts to a scent. Perhaps this is my perception of what has been labeled a leather note in the pyramid above. Whatever it is, it was hard for me to appreciate this scent once this becomes the prevalent note and the powder disappeared. Given the divergent reviews, I am convinced that one's opinion and perception of 28 La Pausa is highly dependent on whether or not their skin chemistry projects this final note. For me the dry down is hard to like, but the opening is sheer heaven! Definitely try it on your skin and DON'T blind buy.

La Pausa is perfect. It is the exact evocation of the spirit of the materials it is made from. Orris is at once earthy, woody, boozy, hay-like, powdery, rooty, carroty, fresh, vegetal and dry. La Pausa captures all of these elements and does so with charm, restraint and elegance. Its longevity isn't great, and its sillage is moderate at best. But La Pausa isn't about wafting a huge cloud of stench around and making vulgar display for hours on end. It's about a personal and entirely introspective enjoyment of one of nature's most subtly gorgeous scents. There are four great perfumery Irises which all Iris fans should know well, if not own. Iris Poudre is one (Rich heady, chock full of natural orris), Iris Silver Mist (the ultimate expression of synthetic Iris dryness and melancholy), Après L'Ondee (the vintage version is a masterpiece for all time), and this La Pausa which showcases the true spirit of Chanel which contrary to popular belief isn't Aldehydes but Iris. If you want to know what real orris smells like this one is a must sniff, if you love perfumery "Irises" then you should love this. 10/10.

If there was ever a perfume that could smell just like dust, this would be it. I have used orris root powder when making cosmetics. It is grey, and it smells just like the opening notes of 28 La Pausa. At first the smell is oppressive and a bit depressing. I am not one of those people who match mood to perfume, but I felt those things when sniffing this. In my town we have a Victorian mansion that was turned into a museum, so people can see how a wealthy family lived in those days. This smells like a lace table cloth that covers a table that has not been dusted in 100 years. Kind of sad yet full of memories of the gilded days when there was livelihood in the house. Memories of dinner parties with silver tea pots and children being chased by their nannies. In the heart there is a floral note and a touch of citrus that brings some much-needed cheer. Leather is extremely tame. I like it. It does contain that remarkable Chanel-aide, an elegance and gracefulness that makes even this melancholy, distant perfume seem remarkable. It is certainly unique, chic, and simply well-done.

I was amazed upon the opening of Chanel 28 La Pausa, by the buttery, doughy yet ethereal iris. I find that when iris is buttery in texture, I usually have difficulties interpreting it as an iris fragrance, and my attention is usually attracted by other elements with more recognizable smell, which is the case with Iris Nobile and Terre d'Iris to me, although I enjoy them very much. But in 28 La Pausa, there's no other element stealing the splendor of this buttery iris. But then, after about 30 minutes, poof, it's gone. Actually, I can still smell it, albeit very close to the skin. But the magic is gone. The buttery iris mellows into a smooth, soapy, woody-floral skin scent. It's still very elegant and chanel-esque, but it feels underwhelming after the marvelous opening. The sillage is very soft and the longevity is around 6 hours. Despite its ephemeral nature and my personal disappointment towards the drydown, the opening phase of 28 La Pausa is still a quite unique rendition of buttery iris. I think it worths a try.

actually I find it very irisy- especially in the topnotes: it even has something that appears as strong as in "iris silver mist"- the same cool & metallic notes of iris - and not the iris/violet-vibe of, let's say, Après L'Ondée. It's a very natural iris and gets smoother and smoother after a while. also the combination of iris and vetiver I find unusual...and very beautiful...I can smell it for about 10 hours on myself (the vetiver stays), but I'm afraid, that sillage is so poor, that nobody else can smell it...not even sure if it is recognizable when 20 sprizzes applied just before...but nontheless I prefer it to L'artisan parfumeurs "iris pallida" because I like the rooty-earthy-airy aspect of this more than the fruity-musky one. all-time and every-occasion-favourite, even if it's only me, thinking that I smell heavenly...BIG LOVE <3 (still hoping that it subconsciously transports its enigmatic beauty;-)

I quite enjoy this one. Yes its light and you need a few sprays but it's such a realistic fresh rooty iris scent. I love it. Its well done without interference of too many other notes. If you like the smell of iris you will enjoy this one. La pausa unfolds like a blooming iris and dries down to a warm skin scent , like the smell of a lipstick. Floral, metallic and slightly woody. And needless to say the bottle is out of this world. All the exclusifs are stunning in their minimalist bottles with the magnetic top. Thanks mister_chaz for the sample , I now have my bottle ! Sadly enough this one will be off the shelf by the end of the year. It was replaced by the new 1932 ,which I haven't tried yet.

Even though the sillage is minimal and the longevity is, well, weak, to be honest. Still... I love it. The iris root is just so stunning and rich in this one. Sharp-carroty-earthy at first, then a comfortable vetiver note creeps in. I spray it on fabric to make it last longer. As we all know, these "For women" or "For men" indications are meaningless. They can discourage someone from trying a fragrance which would fit them perfectly. And here, I find it particularly annoying to be warned off by a "For Women" signal. I encourage any guy who is curious to try 28 La Pausa if he gets the chance : it's 100% unisex.

This is one of the most amazing scents I've ever had. I didn't even know that iris can smell like this, especially in scents. Not that I knew much how the flower itself smells like. I bought it about 10 years ago and I tried many different Chanel scents in that shop, maybe 30 or more, after choosing this as the best of all (there were obviously other candidates too). It was expensive, yes, but I wanted something very special and enjoyable and I got it. It still is very special and will remain so until it lasts.

28 La Pausa is a beautiful and ethereal creation ... posh, yet earthy at the same time. I have never smelled anything quite so intriguing. Warm Iris and leather with occasional wisps of freshly mown hay... in today's age, i do not want a silage monster - this is for my pleasure, not for the pleasure of other's in the same room. And longevity i think, really depends on ones own skin chemistry ... this last around 6 hours on my skin.

Glossy and extraordinary beautiful and..dreadful by its longevity (20 minutes is about right) Inky-dusky-dusty-leathery-iris as an image of serious, attentive and elegant personality, I just don't get this Chanel's HUGE problem - to make it last, so we able to enjoy it for real , not dragging pieces of the smell from the corners of our bank-memory to remind ourself that we actually ARE wearing 28 La Pausa...

28 La Pausa reminds me of my mother who wore No.19 30 years ago and it was similar. To me this is pure Iris but without the metallic side of some Iris fragrances. I don't smell leather, I don't smell powder. Maybe a hint of rose. I do not think it is weak, but I have become very sensitive to fragrances as I've aged so a little goes a long way.

Wow, what a beautiful fragrance this is! Delicate & romantic, feminine & dreamy. The texture feels like silk. It's a perfect bland of floral, woody, green & leather. The base is similar to Chanel Bel Respiro. I really don't want to describe this smell, because I feel like butcher trying to do so. This one really needs to be experienced!

Absolutely beautiful. One of the loveliest Iris perfumes I have ever found. This is a treasure-and I have no problem at all with the sillage or longevity . I sprayed twice at 8:00 am and still have delicious waves of fragrance now at 7:00pm. It took me two seconds to buy the large 6.8 oz bottle. What a gorgeous perfume!!

I so love this perfume. It is a delicate iris root, both airy and earthy. The very subtle vetiver drydown works perfectly with the ever-present iris. It is understated to a fault and I want it in a stronger concentration. I put on a good number of sprays on fabric to make it last.

I found a big resemblance with kelly caleche hermes ,but pause is without citrus note and very weak perfume. i like pause cos it's so fragile and tendre perfume with iris and rose,my favourite flowers.

I’m in huge trouble. I’m in love with this perfect iris fragrance and it’s probably going to bankrupt me as I spray it so liberally.