Empreinte

Robert Gonnon's less assertive contribution to the floral-IBQ chypre genre results in a radiant, elevated sensation in Empreinte (French for "footprint"). It has a different stride, calmer, with florals and fruit pushed forward, feeling light, yet substantive. Empreinte wants to counsel rather than litigate. It wants to sip tea rather than have a second cup of french roast. Empreinte is refined under the sunshine, with just a few scant clouds in the periphery. However, it does have a bit of animal magic underneath the citrus, fruit, and florals. A sheer, creamy woodiness with a pinch of castoreum and costus keeps this from being a chaste Pollyanna. What I do appreciate is that it is airy rather than compact, caressing rather than giving a deep rub down. It's one that would be appropriate in higher temperatures. It's for these qualities that it isn't exactly an "also ran" of its time. It does in fact leave an imprint.

I always think that the French had superior execution in terms of scent and this one is a classic example of a cuir chypre done excellent. Empreinte’s quite meek but splendid in its transience. I think that it was made upon the idea that ameliorating the cuir accord and presenting it over a chypre base would make it more appealing to the French woman. It also respects the integrity and beauty of the tonic qualities of a cologne. This I find seamlessly embedded upon a creamy fruitiness and a polite chypre base: usual accords in golden ratio. It’s a beautiful composition which might endear you to castoreum, that is in infinitesimal quantity. Last to note, the drydown establishes that the composition should be light-hearted but the peach and melon accord survives the fixative accords. I must tell you that the drydown is creamy and fruity, one thing that might elicit lopsided smiles.

Adorable! spiced fruity, herbal chypre. My old favourite that I cannot find it anywhere these days. It's been discontinued since 1999 -I think- but there is no stock in most of the e-stores and if you may find it, it will be very higly priced! Empreint was a bit citrusy at the beginning but not in a sharp ways. After a while, you smelled moss and spices in a fruity backgroud,(melon and peach were not sweet) but co-existed in harmony together with cream florals. The dry down was sensual, dark but subtle as well. If I could give an overall discription, I would say that the composition was warm, creamy but not candied. It was spiced with herbs giving some bitterness and fruits were marvelous hidden behind the herbal and animalic notes. Everything was well balanced, so the smell was not overwhelming. It was sporty, sexy, appropriate for casual wearing.

Empreinte is a very original perfume, it doesn't look like anything else. The 70s Empreinte has been reorchestred in 2012. This reformulation retained the basic idea, but greatly diluted it. Empreinte is long gone... Don't be fooled by the new name L'empreinte (with an L) in the red bottle : its predecessorc Empreinte is only the name. It has nothing to do with Robert Gonnon's masterpiece. Empreinte is in my top 5 best chypres of all time.

En Europe ce parfum s'écrit Empreinte. Quand les notes de fond s'épanouissent sur la peau,le parfum devient très sensuel. Ce chypré floral/animal facilement reconnaissable est un vrai aphrodisiaque. La version parfum (dans un petit flacon doré) était sublime. Aujourd'hui, on ne trouve plus que l'eau de toilette qui est parfaite sur des lainages en cachemire.