Le Dandy

I recently acquired a large hefty octagonal clear numbered (2) crystal Baccarat flacon that was still factory sealed with gold cord and containing approximately 2 thirds of the original parfum (70 mls.), I believe it held about 90 mls. when new? just not quite sure though...The juice is a deep gold in colour and extremely unctuous to the touch and although very old now still retains the most glorious fragrance that was Le Dandy, lashings of heavy French florals, oodles of spice, tobacco, fruity notes, patchouli & leather//tonka + Mysore sandalwood, a chypre of the highest order & a definite high hitter for it's day, Oh, this must have been absolutely incredible, although this juice is almost 100 years old it still has the power to convey the original spicy/boozy character intended by the perfumer, Henri Robert I believe ?, I'm thrilled with this latest acquisition, to be able to find this notable fragrance is exciting enough yet to include the historic bottle is really awesome, it is so heavy and beautifully executed by the Baccarat glassworks circa 1920's to 30's, I will cherish this rare find as these fragrant gems pop up rarely for sale these days & with the contents that have withstood the hazards of so many intervening years, one of my very best vintage finds for this year 2025... PS. I don't smell vintage No.5 here as others have commented on, much more spicy & leathery to my nose, just my impression & opinion, bon chance to all in the hunt for that elusive long forgotten fragrance!!!

So far this smells incredibly similar to Chanel No 5 Eau de Cologne to me. As such, it is incredibly good. Warm, woody deep vintage florals with just a touch of aldehyde. It's very nice, but honestly, it's easier to track down No 5 EdC for a good price.

Well, I have the much more modern Le Dandy by D'Orsay Pour Homme and love the heck out of it. The dried fruits, booze, sweet spices. I noticed that the original 1923 Le Dandy, evidently targeted to women (strange, given the name), had notes of spices and dried fruits too. So I thought maybe there was an attempt to retain some of the old OG DNA in the modernized Pour Homme. So I found a mini vintage splash bottle of Le Dandy. No idea the year produced, but I assume it's the vintage formulation at least to a substantial degree. So I splashed the OG on one blotter and sprayed Pour Homme on another. The OG stained the white card, so maybe it is extrait concentration. The vintage smells much closer to other period fragrances, especially Floral Aldehydic ones, than to the more modern Pour Homme. So Chanel No. 5, etc. I don't smell much similarity between the two Le Dandy's at all. I don't get any sweet spices or dried fruit in the vintage. What I do get is that old school animalic/pissy musk and/or indolic jasmine, and the freshness of aldehydes. OK, MAYBE in the far drydown I get just a bit of a hint of those spicy and fruity notes I like so much in the 1999 Pour Homme. Maybe. It smells like 1923. Now, I don't know if the age of the juice has ruined the vintage, and I don't know if the dried fruit or sweet spices would manifest if it were brand new. But if they did manifest it would indeed bring it at least closer to the modern Pour Homme DNA. But as is I detect no similarity in smell, just in listed notes.

Letting go of my very beloved and very rare black Le Dandy extrait bottle from the 1930s, in box and juice intact. I assume the bottle is 15ml. Smells incredible, even for its age. Bought from a french seller who knew their stuff. DM if interested for photos and price. UK based.

I wonder why Henri Robert is not credited on this perfume's page?