Chypre

This review is of a vintage Coty Chypre Eau de Toilette from the 50's. Chypre is generic, in the sense that it established an entire genre of fragrances with one simple structure: citrus, resin, lichen. In this case - bergamot, labdanum, and oakmoss. A central structure so flexible yet high quality that it allowed thousands of fragrance ideas to come to life. The chypre is probably my favorite type of fragrance. It always hits the right spot, as long as the chypre "smell" is there. So, yes, Chypre is generic because it has that "chypre" smell, but smelling this vintage juice from the 50's is kind of like stumbling upon a lost city in the wild where all taboos and societal limitations run free. It is a timeless accord, paired with a civet note that couldn't have been done any better. There are very few animalic chypres out there, but Coty was able to pull off civet with a fleshy, sexual warmth better than any Guerlain ever could. And, it's not to say that Guerlain sucks at civet - Jicky and Shalimar are both awesome fragrances. However, Chypre is MY kind of civet. While I do smell a faint resinous labdanum note in Chypre, the supporting structure (middle) is decidedly floral, with prominent notes of jasmine and iris lending to that signature "starchy" smell of a chypre. There's also a strange "fishy" note in there, but it's not intrusive or unpleasant. The base is a faint mossy green smell. Overall, Chypre EDT takes about 5 to 6 hours to evolve on my skin. I've heard people say before that Chypre de Coty is a dark, green, bewitching fragrance that is hard to love. I don't find it evil at all - in fact, I find it just as friendly as Mitsouko. Chypre is like Mitsouko's wild, unchained sister. It's the perfect fragrance for a hippie that likes to smell nice. It's a crime that Chypre, one of the most important fragrances ever, has been lost to the world, and I'm going to try and get as much as I can of it before it vanishes for good. Hopefully someday it will come back in all or most of its former glory. Also, in terms of what the original Chypre is closest to, it has the starchiness of Mitsouko, but it's not fruity at all. It has a greener character, sort of like Givenchy III.

[1300] Coty Chypre is significant, as it is the perfume that originated the scent family of the same name. I have a tiny vial of the parfum version of Chypre from Perfumed Court. As it is only marked as "vintage" I can't decipher its era, but it is truly brilliant, encompassing all that I love about this genre. As a chypre fangirl, I have long wanted to try this. Chypre is indeed an old-fashioned chypre, classic in style, a truly brilliant example of its genre. No wonder it spawned a whole scent family. The legendary Mitsouko was Guerlain's response to this, going on to become the reference and gold-standard chypre. Chypre opens with tart bergamot, as fresh as if it had been added yesterday. I get some orange alongside it, enhanced by the orange blossom note that paves the way to the spiced floral heart. The floral notes are bold and realistic, dry and powdery in the manner of vintage perfumes. I get rose and jasmine in particular, with carnation adding clove-like spice. The oakmoss emerges alongside the bouquet, developing in the background and paving the way to the chypre accord of the base. It complements the florals to perfection, lush, earthy and dark. The animalic base follows, dirty and musky with a prominent civet note, the kind of base that doesn't exist anymore. It remains dry and woody, with a pinch of patchouli adding earthiness to the chypre accord in the later stages. The powdery florals fade from view here, with just remnants remaining. It is full-bodied and dense, very well-blended throughout. Sillage is strong and longevity is long-lasting. It is unisex, as is the case with most classic chypres. The original chypre, and a contender for the best if it had been preserved. A piece of perfume history. 5/5.

Coty's Chypre...This may be the most beautiful scent I have ever worn, and I wish with all my perfume-loving heart that they would re-issue it exactly as originally formulated. I bought a bottle of vintage EdT, which I'm forcing myself to use slowly. In the opening moments, there is citrus, including a lovely bergamot; quickly followed by a hint of civet, and then flowers---rose, jasmine, orange blossom, perhaps. Then I smell something spicy, and a bit of deep, rooty iris scent. There is a lightly green quality at this stage, with almost a mint smell, and a rich bed of oakmoss and the dry styrax underlying all. I don't see them in the notes, but I feel as if there are some resins in this: labdanum, especially. The first several applications from my older bottle seemed to have a pronounced powdery vintage note (a la Coty face powder) which took a while to dissipate, but subsequent sprays have much less of that quality, for some reason. This is not, on me, a strong perfume. Sillage is pretty close, definitely within arm's length on a warm day and more subtle even than that on cooler days. Duration is perhaps four hours. It clings to cloth, but loses some of itself; what I smell lingering in clothing is jasmine, rose, and civet, more reminiscent of Joy than of Chypre. I will seek out the re-issue of this from 1986, which is said to be rather different but still beautiful; but I will always be watching for bottles of the older Chypre, in any form. For me, this perfume is like coming home to oneself---one's best self, sensual and smart and in touch with all things ancient and profound. Chypre is the scent of a woman dancing between the green earth and starry heavens, beautiful and mortal and ecstatic...

I'm blessed to have a friend who turned me on to this scent back in the earlier 1990s, and am now sitting on a decent-sized stash of this wonderful perfume! Many younger perfumistas tend to view Mitsouko as the archetypal chypre, and if they dislike Mitsouko, they give up on all chypres. Don't know if it is an idiosyncrasy of my nose or not, but Mitsouko does NOT smell to me like most of the perfumes which I consider a chypre, such as Coty's Chypre, Crepe de Chine, Intimate, Paloma Picasso, Miss Dior (the original), Ma Griffe, and many others. In fact, I've never cared for Mitsouko, with its fruitiness and a host of Guerlain oriental spices mixed into the base. Guerlain's traditional bases have never worked well with my nose or my chemistry. And it doesn't matter how many paeans are written to their glory, the only thing that matters when you spray on a scent is whether it appeals to your nose. What I love so much about Coty's Chypre is that it also has an elegant, perfuminess about it, allied to the green honeyed, mossy freshness of the chypre basenotes. The base holds onto this perfume-y character so that one feels ensconced in the beauty of the floral notes. | p.s. Bandit, alike mentioned as a big chypre, is also not necessarily a typical chypre. It's a very dry, leathery type of chypre, and it's on the far side of the spectrum at one end. Bandit and Cabochard have never been anything I could stomach either.

Heartbreaker Chypre I have a reissued 70s (maybe early 80s? I'm not sure when this was finally discontinued) bottle of Coty Chypre Eau de Parfum strength. And I love it. This is one of the most lovely perfumes I have ever worn. CC possesses almost human characteristics of grace, dignity, beauty, and hope. When I wear this I want nothing more than to sit quietly, concentrate, and just experience. The top bergamot, lemon, and lime notes in the head notes are not only intact, they smell incredibly fresh and dense and they last for well over an hour. The floral part is interesting, because at first CC becomes a bit spicy and smells like carnations paired with civet, but that fades into a stunningly perfect blend of iris and sandalwood and ylang ylang, supported by incense and a bit of rich musk. That part lasts for hours and hours, and it is so gorgeous. The base surprisingly is light, and smells like woods, incense, and oakmoss. The lasting power is very good, well over 8 hours, but it wears close to the skin. You know you have those big bombastic 70s green chypres, or 80s rose chypres, whose elements seem huge and encompassing? CC is nothing like those later chypres. In fact it is extremely delicate and refined and balanced, nothing is loud or trying to outshine anything else. CC is almost otherworldly, it gives the sensation of being just out of reach, something you can sense but not take hold of.