Chevalier d'Orsay

In my humble opinion, this is the crown jewel of the house of d'Orsay. There is unequivocal mastery, yet it is understated, polished, and round. It reminds me of the virtue of returning to what is proper, sensible—essential, even. These simplest, classic elements are present: lavender and citrus are an aromatic salve at its beginning, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. A synergy from the spices seamlessly bridges the tops notes into a heart that brings to mind (shocker!) masterpieces such as Guerlain Derby or Hermes Equipage. The volume is balanced, not too loud, not too soft, wisps and wafts, elegantly undulating just a foot or two away from one's personal space. A "lean in" experience is here, not one that muscles its way into a room. Its dry down of musk, oakmoss, patchouli and vanilla is a progression of holistic grace and aromatic beauty. This is perfection, this is what more modern fragrance enthusiasts should admire and honor; it's not always the "beast mode" that wins the prize and gives a fragrance esteem and value. All discussions of 'performance' have been skewed in recent years and fragrance has been reduced to more utilitarian expectations, as if it were something meant purely to validate, garner attention, promise ongoing returns with every wear. On the contrary, fragrance was not meant merely to get compliments, but to complement. It would be absurd if we were to put the same pressure on other accoutrements such as neckties, frocks, shoes, and belts as we as a community of enthusiasts tend to with fragrance. But I digress... Chevalier d'Orsay is noble in its execution, criminally overlooked, and really the amalgamation of what all of the most pleasant aromatic components can do harmoniously in a fragrance composition. I tip my hat to d'Orsay and its rich history.

I'll start by professing my ignorance-I'm a complete novice. I got this as a sample as a blind tester (it was one of those 'people who bought the fragrances in your shopping cart also bought these......). I didn't even realise it was for men until I read up on it, but what the heck, I gave it a go. It is glorious! Absolutely gorgeous and I am totally in love. It starts out as a slightly bitter herbal citrus-its fresh orange zest rather than orange juice. The basil in this just works perfectly-I've tried Jo Malone Lime Basil and Mandarin and that was rank on me, but this citrus basil combination is wonderful. The middle spicy notes are smooth and warm-I've tried Fracas which has similar cinnamon spice notes and that was awful on me, but Chevalier D'Orsay seems to be a perfect combination of gentle warm spice without bitterness, a hint of sweetness with the vanilla and the rounded musk underlying it all. This isn't an over the top macho man scent, this is pure class, and could be unisex (unless you're the type who like sweet candy or bright florals). For a woman, I'd say this was a winter evening scent.

A very nice perfume Fresh and citrus, slightly woody and colored by the touch of oak moss, this gives it a mature style but remains delicate, because it is not dominant ... It is perfect for summer and spring and during the day..suitable for a casual, dressy style or an office atmosphere during sunny days We clearly feel a quality even if the distribution is far below what we might expect..it is felt for a few hours, but remains close to the skin (at least for the version I have between 98 and 2004) Musk prevents it from falling into the old school type of colognes, nutmeg gives it a slightly spicy side ... so it's a nice aromatic full of qualities and good manners. Definitely a gentleman's scent that would suit a lady too who hasn't problems wearing oakmoss A real Orsay success .

Mixed feelings. I doused my shirt and two folded tissues with the whole mL+...the juice was in a non-resealable plastic blister-type sample (what a remarkably stupid way to package it!). Because of this, I'm writing a very stream-of-consciousness review because this is the only shot I get, and I suspect that I got fatigued to the scent in the process. It's a light greenish citrus, with some subtle florals mixed in...they appear where it got on skin but not until later on fabric. It has that bright shiny golden feel contributed by certain sharp herbs, as in AdP Intensa, Burberry original, Dolce and Gabbana, or Platinum Egoiste. For a while, it seems to be getting sharper in its herbiness, approaching Villoresi Uomo, and the lemon peel really starts to stand out. It would almost be a perfectly natural lemon peel, but the herbs give it a disappointingly wilted mustiness that approaches Joy, or a similar lemon dishsoap. Soon, on cloth but not on the tissues, the mustiness of the lemon peel starts to clear up, leaving only the good parts. Eventually, it's down to a vague but classy floral lemon residue on cloth (even though I used 3-4 times my usual SOTD amount), and it reeks horrendously of fetid dishsoap on the tissues (too much lavender!). As a frequent tissue-tester, I can safely say that this scent varies more between cloth and tissue than anything else I've ever tried, and I really don't appreciate that. (I know, I know, "it will only smell proper on skin, etc, etc...", spare me the dogma!) Still, what's intriguing is that, like AdP Intensa, it leaves on cloth a transparent but very persistent aura of refinement, which I can never assign to a particluar plant note, but simply smells expensive. A gentle cloud of golden fleece, perhaps?

I, by all rights, am a fragrance novice. I know I appreciate what smells good and avoide what doesn't suit my taste. My uncle was unloading some colognes and I found myself in posession of two vintage frags, Givenchy Xeryus (blue art deco bottle) and what has to be a late 70's to mid 80's FULL bottle & box of Chevalier d'Orsay. I did the research, and came up surprisingly emptyhanded. All I can understand is that it's a quite rare bottle. Anyway, this quickly surpassed Pure Malt and Aventus as my 'dress-to-impress' scent. Seriously, I typically hit manly, fresh, or darker fragrances. This is delightfully out of my comfort zone. The opening is a smokey/sweet that I can't explain with due dignity to the cologne. I'm in my third hour as we speak and it is still firing a liquid cinnamon/honey/hot toddy that I'm just enfatuated with. And it projects. Seriously, it gives no f's. Rightfully so. The end is, and I only describe as such because I don't have the olfactory perception to pontificate on each note, what I believe a truly comfortable man should smell like. Confident, sweet, spiced, and assuredly dignified. With more complexity and depth than I knew possible by frags. This will never see the office. I'll employ some more acceptable dailys for that. One, it is far too rare. Two, I don't need the headache of explaining what I have on and why the newly hired girls suddenly 'need my advice'. Just try to find it, please. This is one that you'll coddle one dap at a time.