Imprevu

A lesser known selection from the oeuvre of the great perfumer Bernard Chant, Imprevu displays his penchant for highlighting the emotive qualities in the dry and otherwise seemingly stoic materials in the perfumer's palette. He had much success with then Cabochard with its "take no prisoners" feel (a nod to mentor Germaine Cellier's own iconic Bandit). With Imprevu ("unexpected" in French), Chant turns up the citrus, floral and grassy levels, with a notable presence of vetiver to accompany the massive moss and raw, rooty sharpness of quinolines, albeit their ferocity somewhat contained. A honey glaze and rosy sweetness are also worth mentioning here, so this is by no means a completely acrid and brutalist experience. We would see this same template once more in Chant's creation the year following, Aramis, this time with the aromatics as the core, then once more with Azuree, with the florals of Imprevu and the aromatics of Aramis resulting in what could be called the paragon of these variations of the Chant theme (by way of Cellier's evident inspiration). However, Imprevu, since it ended production long ago, is sort of the forgotten chapter, not to mention it was released by Coty, whose lustre was a bit tarnished by the mid 60s. So, it isn't spoken with quite the same adulation, but it certainly worthy of a bit more than a footnote in the history of perfume.

Wearing this, you can feel that people in the 60s had optimism for the future. There’s something jaunty and forward thinking about it. It’s too artistic to express practicality, exactly, but it gives you the feeling of being on the go and getting things done. It’s bracing in a good way. All of the notes minus the rose come through for me. There was a moment when the leather really reminded me of Chanel 19. And another accord reminded me of something else, but, maddeningly, I couldn’t place either. My bottle is the small crinkly one with the ribbon and the ozone destroying gas. Remember when we actually tackled our big challenges instead of pretending they don’t exist?

When I opened my Imprevu's small bottle I thought I knew what to expect. Another great deep mossy and moody perhaps masterpiece. Well....a light wet earthy smell is there indeed. Sweet peppery moss on the background. Woods and subtle leather are detectable. Why it doesn't seem to me as a serious retro chypre? Because I feel also playful glowing notes of bitter orange and gentle flowers in between. I feel as if the wet fog is lifting and warm sun beams start to carress my skin. Imprevu is subtle from the beginning but extremely long lasting. Nicely sweet with a slight sour juicy note and remains ethereal despite its earthy status.

I remember really liking this scent as a teenager, and now I understand why. It has a sharp, fresh woody smell throughout from the citrus, oakmoss and woodsy notes; I think I also detect some pine or cedar. It's almost a unisex fragrance on me, but toward the end the floral notes and the sweetness of the cloves becomes more dominant, tempering the more masculine elements. I was only able to find a small amount of the EDC within my price range, and unfortunately the longevity is very brief (although the sillage isn't bad for a cologne while it lasts). I must try to find some EDP...

For me, Bernard Chant gets it right every time. Users MaryjaK and akats summed up my experience of this fragrance quite well. My bottle is a wonderful little propellent spray mist cologne, late 60s? The kind that ruined the ozone but seem to capture and hold these old beauties so well. I want the extract. The cologne smells delightful but doesn't last. But for my budget it's a treasure nonetheless.