Eau Fraiche

Supposedly a huge milestone for the great Dior nose Edmond Roudnitska in combining the classic chypre formula with a very citrus-heavy eau de cologne, this fragrance paved the way for his great later chypres for Dior such as Diorella and--most of all--Eau Sauvage. The latter is like a men's version of this, with more spices in that fragrance's middle in the place of the very rosy rosewood here (there must also be some genuine rose in this as well). The lemon in this is also less acrid than the lemon in Eau Sauvage, although it's certainly still a sour and attention-getting lemon. Despite the rosiness, this does seem today more of a unisex fragrance than a women's fragrance. This has a mighty sillage, but does not possess as great a longevity. This is termed an eau fraiche, after all: although in its day its longevity was considered remarkable for the genre, today, when we are far less used to the olfactory brevity of eaux de cologne and eaux fraiches, it might seem unsatisfactory to many. The best thing about the old bottles of this (one of which I was lucky enough to snag for a very low price) is that it has all the dense oakmoss of the original. It's quite nice, though be careful on the trigger.

In my "Eau de Cologne Fraîche" bottle with the wicker cap, I am greeted upon application with an aroma that reminds me of the flavor of Cavendish and Harvey candy drops, dusted with powdered sugar, sour lemon and citrus mix. No sooner than this delightful introduction am I met with classic Roudnitska, a hint of bruised melon and smidgen of civet over a somewhat creamy, somewhat creamy woodiness. I can immediately identify this as the progenitor for Eau Sauvage, Diorella, and Parfum de Therese. Then there is the vanilla-glazed and woolly mossiness that together may very well be responsible for its durability, an enduring skin scent of fresh meeting flesh, the sweat of sunshine, a noble daytime chypre that both gives a perfume history lesson and is a delight to wear.

for me it's the Feminine EAU SAUVAGE so classy with the fresh mandarin orange opening wich i lovvee. then it's more sweet and flowery, great! i'm so happy that it's has been released with other dior classics.

I have just opened a vintage bottle of this beauty: it was unused, still sealed and still in its cellophane wrap. A blind buy for me, but the previous reviewers whetted my appetite for an Edmond Roudnitska creation that I had not come across before. Yes, it's very old world cologne, at least initially. Lots of bergamot and citrus. But, to me at least, not much like Diorella. Actually, I'd call it the masculine version of Eau Sauvage! In its middle notes I'm getting some pepper and abit of something sharp, but I can't quite place what it is. I love oak moss, but it hasn't appeared yet. The base note is clean, soft and powdery, and reminds me very much of baby powder. Of course these notes are all too fleeting, being just a cologne - the only one in my collection! I love vintage parfums, but am very happy to have come across this if just to add to my other Roudnitskas!

I quite enjoy this scent. It reminds me of a sunny vibrant yellow flower at the beach. The scent trends towards citrus, but it has a beautiful windswept aquatic hint to it. This lovely scent pulls very unisex. On me it is a touch of lovely yellow floral windswepth sandy beach day, and on my hubby it pulls as a masculine aquatic daffodil kayaking down a rabid class 4 rapid. I enjoyed the depth and tasty citrus of this scent.