Crêpe de Chine

I've long been drawn to old-fashioned perfumes, especially chypres. They are, perhaps, the most evocative, majestic, and timeless of fragrances. However, my main chypric encounters have been with contemporary embodiments of the genre; any of the classic fragrances I've grown to love have inevitably been modern reformulations of past glories. Some, like Mitsouko, are available in extrait strength, and therefore can reincarnate the approximate intensity and complexity of their past selves—usually at a price. So, it was high time for me to try a true vintage chypre, which just so happened to be this. By a strange serendipity, the last two reviewers here—Anamandy and Judespeak—were the ones who suggested that I try Crêpe de Chine. Their reviews were beautifully written and incredibly comprehensive, so I'm going to limit my remarks to my own impressions and contemplations on this magical fragrance, after having spent some time with the tiny unopened bottle I got from an online retailer. The name does this perfume justice: crêpe is a kind of thin, delicate fabric (hence the name of the pastry) that has been treated and worked to retain waves or wrinkles. In 19th-century Europe, black crêpe was often worn has a sign of mourning, a hommage to a lost loved one. This, however, is "China Crêpe", something altogether less forlorn and much more refined. This perfume has a fullness to it, an aged velvety richness that is doubtless the product of its genesis in a pre-regulatory era. The first thing my nose detects is rich benzoin and leather, dark sienna resins and animalics, nocturnal skin incarnate. Then comes the keenly grassy, almost bitter galbanum, holding hands with warm moss (true, multidimensional oakmoss!) and fuzzy-fizzy aldehydes (which never become too waxy or soapy). The carnation and iris contribute their powders in perfect complementarity: the former tired, contemplative, travel-weary and the latter light, airy, curious. The only other note I can detect individually is the wonderfully pungent and acidic bergamot, the greatest, oldest, and most regal of the fragrant citruses. There are a host of other notes, but it would take a nose much finer than mine to untangle them in their complicated unfolding, particularly in a potion this old and rarified! Crêpe de Chine revels in early- and mid-century splendor. There remains, perhaps, something of the mournful gravity suggested by its textile name. More importantly, though, there is something here of the exotic, of the oriental, at least in the way it was conceived in the occidental imaginary: dark, mysterious, esoteric. The allure of absolute otherness, rendered knowable and approachable through a few deft touches of familiarity (was not that, after all, the secret of orientalism: a core of the self wrapped up in a shroud of the other?). Such are the subtle methods by which Crêpe de Chine attains the heights of its sophistication, by balancing a prim distance with an expansive welcome, by weaving together fibres of such disparate quality in such sensuous tension that they ultimately warp and bend in upon themselves. Coarseness in gloss, weight in diaphanousness, difference in identity. In terms of the logistics of wearing Crêpe de Chine, it's hard to say, because it's such a singular composition nowadays. This feels like it would work in any season but summer, and is perhaps more fitting at night than in daytime. Though this was originally marketed towards women, I believe anybody could wear it in the right context. What a treasure, what a pleasure.

Oh Lord, how did mere mortal men make such heavenly creations? As soon as I unsealed the bottle of parfum and applied a drop, I was entranced. This is one of the most beautiful floral chypres I have ever smelled. This may seem strange, but for some reason the first thing I thought of on smelling this was original Miss Dior. But while they share a lot of the same notes, and both are floral chyres, Miss Dior is more lighthearted and youthful. Crepe de Chine is Miss Dior's darker, deeper, and more worldly older sister. She also predates Miss Dior by over 25 years. I'm sure this scent had some influence over the composition of Miss Dior, just as I'm sure Coty's Chypre did. Maybe it's just because it is a chypre, and all chypres resemble each other to a degree. Or maybe Dior wanted to challenge one of the reigning fragrances of the day. Whatever the case, I think lovers of Miss Dior should try this. They might love this scent as much too. This really is such a sublime creation. It was wildly popular in its day, and it is no wonder. It is exquisitely crafted. Soft, warm, earthy, sensuous, mysterious, deep, mossy, herbal, green, with a lovely floral heart and a light terpenic spiciness. It is all so beautifully blended, creating a classy, subtle, and elegant vibe. It should not have come as a surprise that I would love this fragrance as much as I do considering the perfumer, Jean Duprez, created it. I adore his other masterpiece, Bal a Versailles, just as much. I would one day love to try his other creations, Jardanel and Sheherazade, but prices and lack of availability have now put those masterpieces out of reach. While researching this fragrance I came across a lot of advertising material. The advertisements certainly give me an image of the type of woman Millot seemed to be targeting. Smart, sharp, sexy, polished, and witty. Some of the ads were so entertaining I thought I'd share them here. One of the ads showed a half-empty bottle of perfume with the tagline, “By this time you should have quite a past.” Another read, “A dab or two can't last forever. Not when it's constantly circulating your message.” There were others cited, and all just as amusing and sophisticated. I wish I could travel back in time to see the beautifully coiffed, exquisitely tailored, very stylish, svelte ladies who wore this scent. If the advertising is any indication, they must have been a sight to behold. Overall, I am so happy with this lovely scent that I now own not only 2 bottles of the parfum, but also a sealed (though now opened and used) big bottle of the Eau de Crepe de Chine. It's just as wonderful, but lighter and somewhat different in composition. It's as bright and crisp as the spring green color of its perfume. It even feels like spring! I love it just as much. Grab this scent while you still can, and while prices are still within range. Otherwise, it will go the same route as Jardanel and Sheherazade and become out of reach too.

My mother (b. 1941) recently gave me her old bottle of Millot CRÊPE-DE-CHINE. It's an EDC that dates to the 1960's, so I am almost certain it's full of all-natural things like real oakmoss, real deermusk, real sandalwood, etc. There is now about a teaspoon of liquid left in the bottle, and it has turned to a dark brown over the years... the color of molasses. Surprisingly, it does NOT smell "turned" or "spoiled"... If anything, it smells richer and more burnished... like a parfum! I remember this very bottle from my mother's dressing table, from when I was a child (me, b. 1963). I remember not liking the smell of it as a young kid! It's a green chypre, of course, and this olfactive family is probably one that's an acquired taste for just about anybody.... sweeter, vanillic and fruity things, which this is NOT, probably please children more. My current sample smells dark, musky/animalic and woody, very "Yin", with hints of bitter galbanum, sandalwood, cedar, and patchouly. Loads of benzoin, giving it that curious "cocaine" smell that select 20thc scents possessed. A rose element is still quite noticeable. The jasmin is there, but its tartness is highly muted now. Civet is not listed in the above pyramid, but there is no doubt in my mind that this jus is brimming with it. Something-- the elemi?-- is giving it an herbal/aromatic quality, almost like black pepper (or even a subliminal, entirely pleasant chive-y/onion-y note, like asafoetida?). Nutmeg is unquestionably the most prominent spice here. In far drydown, the sandalwood appears, giving that warm, quasi-Oriental leaning, as, say, Guerlain VOL DE NUIT possesses. Perhaps surprisingly, I am not getting much of a leather quality at all. It reminds me of other famous chypres from the 1930's, especially Schiaparelli SHOCKING, Desprez JARDANEL and Coty CHYPRE. This smell is the mother of later scents like Balenciaga CIALENGA. This stuff that I disliked as a kid, is sending me into raptures today, and I wish I had a full bottle of it. One of those grand old scents that makes you say, "Now THIS is perfume!".

Finally, a spot for real F. Millot Crepe de Chine instead of the Long Lost abomination. Mossy, herbal, musky, dark beauty; CdC is vintage chypre at it's best. It would no doubt be considered too masculine for a female by those who follow the current fruity 'floral' feminine standard, but there's no reason CdC can't be worn by any gender. It works with jeans or a little black dress equally well. Though I've worn it for decades, I didn't know it was created by Jean Desprez until I read it here, but I'm not surprised to hear it. Two of my favorite fragrances, Bal a Versailles and Sheherazade, are Desprez creations too, and all three are similarly well composed in classic old school french perfume style. If you like true oakmoss, it's a star here, smoothly blended with an all star supporting cast: bergamot, resins, sandalwood, carnation, heather, musk, patchouli. I have both cologne and perfume (have had the tall bottles and the shortys, both are good.) The perfume is often available in good condition for decent prices and I would recommend going for it over the cologne, if you have to choose. Crepe de Chine is one that seems to have held up through the years very well. If it's sealed and boxed, my experience is that even the top notes will be intact when it's opened - even in bottles a little older than me, which is old. The term chypre gets thrown around mercilessly these days, very often applied to fragrances that just don't meet the requirements of the term. Crepe de Chine is a real chypre. And I have to second Grayspoole: Millot Crepe de Chine is anything but a clean, fresh out of the shower scent. It's neither soapy nor noticeably rosy. Not even close.

I wish I could get my hands on a bottle of this. I had one for many years that my dad gave to my mum in the early 60s. She didn’t like it and gave it to me when I was a young girl. I used to pull it out and have a smell and it always used to calm me. Only a few times did I put any on, as I dare not go through it as it was a loved treasure to me. Years later I’ve gone to look for it and it’s gone, must have got lost in one of the many moves I’ve made in my life. I’ve looked on EBay to try and locate some, and there have been a few but costing hundreds of dollars. Then there’s the issue of having it posted to Australia - my understanding is that this can’t be done. I’ve bought so many perfumes trying to replace the precious smell of this beauty and am always disappointed. I’ve spent thousands in the pursuit. I would give anything to get my hands on another bottle. Edit: I bit the bullet and bought a bottle and this time it arrived from overseas. It’s a full, never used bottle from 1963. What a joy to finally have it back in my possession again. It smells the same now as it did all the years I had it. I’m over the moon that I got this and nothing comes near this stunning scent in my opinion.

Oh I wish I had a time machine. I'd visit the 20s and scoop up a huge bottle of this beauty. I have a small decant. It is hard to believe this is almost 100 years old. After a few minutes and into the first hour I can't help but picture a gorgeous woman in a beautiful gown on a chilly night. She is chilled but isn't fussy. She decides to warm herself by the bonfire burning in the garden. She doused herself in Chanel No. 5 and as she sits by the fire those around her get to inhale the combination of her perfume and the smokiness from the fire -they are intoxicated by the aroma. Hours later the smokiness subsides and the skin is sweetly kissed.

I'm wearing this today. A proper vintage EDT. Starts off full of aldehydes then settles into a complex sophisticated scent which is subtle on me, maybe because it's an EDT or it's because it's vintage. I feel like I'm bathing in a rich history of perfume. It has the notes and depth so many modern perfumes don't have.

As a vintage lover of almost everything, I purchased the vintage (1960s) Crepe de Chine and it's now one of my very favourites. Deep, rich, mysterious and spicy, it lasts all day until I wash it off. Love.

As a vintage enthusiast, you read a lot about "classic French perfumery" Yet in 2018 its hard to get an idea what that encompassed unless you start diving back into the vintage fragrances of that era. For those looking for the classic Chypre, I think vintage Crepe de Chine needs to be your first stop for a couple of reasons: 1. Coty Chypre is difficult to locate. Crepe de Chine is more accessible and held up well. My cologne bottle is still the spring green emerald color. The parfum also holds up well. 2. It displays the hallmarks of a classical chypre as well as French perfumery aesthetic. Incredibly balanced, transitions seamless and a graceful refined way about the scent. Theres nothing jarring or out of place. The sum total is... you smell amazing. Ive come to learn that in the early days there seemed to be a herbal spiky galbanum opening vs the Iranian 1960-70s type Im more familliar with. Jasmine, lilac, carnation all start to bloom under a mossy musky dark base. A slight bitterness from the vetiver adds to the mystique that is Chine. I can see why it was widely popular for many decades. The configuration is timeless. I wouldnt have a problem at all wearing this out and about in 2018. Desprez studied with Givaudan himself, and one thing is for certain about this perfumer..every one of his creations have withstood the test of time, elegantly put together and Im convinced we lost some incredibly important knowledge in construction with his passing. I have a 1930-40 bottle of Jardanel that its citrus leather opening smells as fresh as the day it was made. Bal a versailles has grown richer over the years and now with Chine, his first creation...you see the start of something wonderful as a perfumer to come. Just splendid. A must have in any vintage enthusiasts collection.

This smells like receiving Communion from one of the older ladies at Church. Very nostalgic. Also very well made. The dark amber juice lightly tinted my skin when I applied it. I didn't get any citrus in the opening, just neroli, wood, and oakmoss. Very pungent at first as most of the vintages I've tried are. The longer it dries the more the florals shine, accompanied by powdery sandalwood. I can't stop smelling my wrists. That being said, this is definitely not something I would buy a full bottle of. It's beautiful, but it belongs to an era I don't think I can or want to pull off. It's a fragrance to be admired. Also the bottle is so beautiful.. modern perfumers could never...

I tried a vintage EDP (don't know from what decade) on my skin and i was surprised with the warmth, almost sweetness of it. A chypre still, but i got a spicy vanilla when i applied it (maybe because of the resins). Dries down floral and towards a more traditional chypre in the end, with mix of moss/leather/wood, very elegant but always with this cozy and warm feel. I say this maybe because lately i've been trying some vintage style chypres that are more bitter and distant, and this was just so approachable and human. Unexpected but very wearable and addictive, i suspect.

I was able to get a vintage sample of this. It starts with oakmoss and powder for me. The top notes have mostly faded for me so I wasn’t able to fully experience the Cypher, which is a shame. You have to give this perfume some time. After about an hour it starts to settle in. It is warm and floral. I can’t really pick out which flowers, but sometimes I get a beautiful soft red rose. It’s the Bulgarian rose which is my favorite. I wish this rose note was more prominent. Then the sandalwood comes in which always pairs well with florals. There is a lovely mix of powder, floral, and something spicy. This is a really nice mix that is balanced well. This feels like a modern fragrance so it’s incredible to know this was created in the 1920s. I can see why this is fragrance is considered a classic and loved by many throughout time.

I had a mid-1960s mini that is in terrible shape - so I won't comment on the top and heart. Sergey Borisov's article does a great job of describing my experience with the first hour of this scent - just add a touch of melted plastic and burning rubber due to the small rubber stopper melting into the opening. Once I get through the first 90 minutes, I'm left with a lovely orris butter-laced, carnation-tinged, powdery leather chypre. It sweetens as it wears. Crepe de Chine smells of its early-20th century time and would be more at home in a smoky club than on my skin. The dry down tells me why this is a sought-after classic among 20th century chypre afficionados. I'm just not enough of a fan to go hunt down more.

I'm very new to Fragrantica and fragrances in general. So a newbie. I've recently bought some vintage scents from Ebay and Crepe de Chine was one of them. I thought it would be lovely as others seemed to think so. Could it have gone "off" and become rank? I hope that's the problem and that it really is a wonder, but the juice in the little bottle I purchased, and it's just like the one pictured, is wildly overpowering and I can't figure out what exactly it expresses. It just knocks your socks off and not in a good way. Maybe I need to learn something about applying perfume? Maybe this stuff is such a powerhouse I simply put on too much. I will try again in a week or so. I am enjoying experimenting!

Fragrance Review For Crepe De Chine Felix Millot Top Notes Aldehydes Neroli Bergamot Lemon Orange Middle Notes Rose Carnation Lilac Ylang Ylang Jasmine Orange Blossom Iris Elemi Base Notes Heather Sandalwood Cedar Amber Oak Moss Galbanum Vetiver Patchouli Benzoin Leather Musk *This fragrance has been catalogued before on Fragrantica as Long Lost Perfume Crepe de Chine. Because it didn't mention F. Millot but bore the same name I assumed it was the same Millot fragrance. The picture on this page matches up with the same bottle from eBay I purchased about a year ago except it's more rectangular and it's a miniature dab on. Felix Millot is the grandfather of Jean Desprez who created Bal a Versailles. Back in 1925, he launched Crêpe de Chine at the Paris Art Deco Exposition on June 6, 1925. It was a night of eternal fragrance classics. That same night, Jacques Guerlain introduced the world to Shalimar and Jean Patou introduced not one but three frags: Amour Amour, Que Sais-Je, and Adieu Sagesse Crêpe de Chine was reportedly the first perfume to be assembled under argon gas, away from light, and under controlled temperature for consistency and fidelity. It was revolutionary and very modern for 1925. However, it comes out of the same fragrance family as Chanel No. 5 and from many years prior back in 1917, Francois Coty Chypre, but with the addition of never before heard of notes like hazelnut and authentic jasmine flowers from Grasse where modern French perfume was born. This fragrance exists today as a vintage classic of two kinds: the original 1925 which is shockingly expensive because of the Grasse jasmine, and the re-release in the 1960's. I have a vintage splash bottle 1960's edition that comes in a white box with a rose logo (F. Millot) and comes with a stand for the perfume bottle. This is an aldehyde floral chypre. To me it's really more about roses than woods, as the wood notes, musk, vetiver, oak moss and patchouli give it a solid foundation for the headier feminine red rose scent. It smells like a bold red rose. This is a lady in red, a glamorous, sophisticated and mature confident woman in a drop dead gorgeous red dress making an entrance and smelling of red roses. Attar rose petal essential oil in perfume, once finished, has the power to change itself and turn into different familiar domestic scents: soap, powder, lipstick, nail polish, you're usual feminine cosmetics smell. This is where it has something in common with Francois Coty's La Rose Jacqueminot, launched back in 1904. It smells like a rose that has two lives: masculine and feminine. Where as La Rose was masculine and strong on my clothes and soft and delicately feminine on my skin, Crepe de Chine is feminine on my clothes and masculine on my skin. Applied to the skin (neck, forearms, chest) it becomes a man's cologne. This is totally unisex. It is a masculine rose but that's because it has been layered in a foundation of the woodsy notes of sandalwood, oak, vetiver and patchouli. The patchouli is never that strong and the woods give it a nice lift, but it develops into a purely sweet heady rose. Yeah it can smell like fancy rose soap and it is very old fashioned and old timey but that's why I adore it. It's recommended for evening wear and formal dress. Crepe is a fragrance to be worn with suits and ties, and beautiful evening gowns. This is a night out at the opera, theater, or a dinner party or gala. It smells of the night, and has a distinctly scarlet red color. This could have been a perfume worn by Gloria Swanson or Rudolph Valentino, at the same event. Crepe is very beautiful and for a lover of old perfumes like me, this is a real treat. They still sell discontinued and vintage editions on ebay and in specialty stores in Europe (I found one in Paris one time) and in South America (Buenos Aires Argentina). But they should re-release and relaunch the fragrance with the same original formula. Smells great, it's a confident, sexy, provocative red rose and also because of the soapiness it's a clean, fresh out of the shower scent that would totally sell today. I'm very grateful to the world rummage sale that is eBay where one can pick up a bottle of a perfume that time would have otherwise forgotten. Crepe is a gorgeous absolutely gorgeous fragrance and should be experienced by fans of the Golden Age of Perfume. As the preview review attests this is one of the unsung classics, as good as Shalimar and No 5. So yes check it out for yourself. Get the word out there. Crepe is a winner.

This is a beautiful example of the early aldehydic chypre. I've smelled both a cologne strength formulation and the extrait. The lighter strength definitely read powder and flowers (and I think the perfume wasn't in the greatest condition overall). The extrait bottle I eventually bought (fairly cheaply!) was symphonic, floral, fruity, mossy, musky. The structure from Coty's original prototype Chypre is definitely there--juicy/fruity top, abstract floral heart, and mossy-musky drydown--but this, like Mitsouko, feels like a step further refined or made more complex than the "proto" Chypre. It's well blended, and one is hard to pick out individual notes over the general impressionistic sense of the fragrance. In the floral bouquet, I always feel like I can make out carnation for sure and maybe some spicy florals. The topnotes do read bergamot, but there is another jammy-fruity aspect to it. The drydown settles like a classy, lingering floral soap on the skin. It's elegant while not being "pretty." It conjures a beautiful dark olive green color in my mind (maybe just the power of suggestion in advertisements). It can be found for mostly decent prices online. Aldehydes and citrus are things that time isn't kind to--I was lucky enough to find a well-preserved bottle. At the right price, for chypre fans, I feel this is worth the risk.

Hooray! Vintage Crepe de Chine finally has its own proper listing in the database! Along with the more glamorous Shalimar, the quietly elegant Crepe de Chine was launched to great acclaim at the 1925 Art Deco exhibition in Paris, and it remained a popular perfume until the late 1960’s. I am commenting on the parfum formulation from my well-preserved bottle from the 1950’s or earlier. Vintage CdC is a smooth, gracefully composed chypre that leans slightly green and herbal at its opening, but it also has glorious floral notes, a rich mossiness, and refined musks. It is perfectly balanced among floral, green, woody, balsamic, and animalic elements--CdC has all of these aspects but none of them is forced to stand out in an obvious way. The classic chypre trio of bergamot-labdanum-oakmoss plays beautifully within this scent, and I also get clear and lively notes of jasmine and carnation. CdC lasts for many hours, but it stays close to the skin. It's like wearing a silky crepe de chine camisole under your clothes. Jean Desprez’ composition is defined by its subtlety, complexity, and restraint, and Crepe de Chine is my reference for how beautiful a vintage chypre can be.

(This review is for Eau de Crepe de Chine) The sparkle of aldehydes and neroli preserved in this bottle betrays the age of this charming bottle with its bakelite cap. The color of the juice, sheen green, reflects the joie de vivre that emanates: a cavalcade of florals, led by carnation and lilac, and ylang ylang. This is a fresh, lambent chypre with a notable luster and texture coming from heaps of moss and now forbidden nitro-musks. The florals become more of an abstraction with rosier elements as the lighter notes begin to evaporate, and a creamy, powdery sandalwood stands out in relief among a warm benzoin. If you are drawn in by the majesty of old-fashioned chypres, this will titillate you with its roundness and refinement. There is even a plush Cuir de Russie-esque leather in the background further into its dry down, and the echoes of lilac that are like a sheer curtain over this leather make this stage of the development absolutely spectacular. Fortunately (for now), this one hasn't become a dodo bird and is still relatively easy to obtain, and ranks up there with the greats such as Coty Chypre, Vol de Nuit, and Jardanel.

I'm so excited. I won a 1/2oz. of the parfum for a good price. I wasn't specifically looking for this fragrance but happened to stumble upon it as I was looking for something else. As soon as I saw the bottle I knew it without even knowing what it was. That was the bottle I remembered seeing and handling as a child. It was always on my aunt's dressing table. It was the only perfume there, so I assume it was the only one she wore. She didn't wear perfume a lot, usually only to an event, which is the way many women wore perfume in those days. But during those special times she smelled wonderful, so much so that even though she has passed decades ago I can still smell how wonderful she smelled just by thinking about it. I haven't received it yet, but I sure hope it smells the way I remember. Review to follow. Edit - Oh, It does!

Millot's original Crepe de Chine is indeed a classic of the perfume world, even if it's not as well known as its contemporaries --- Chanel No. 5, Shalimar, Arpege, Soir de Paris et al. It was a pioneering scent at its introduction in 1925 --- one of the very first fresh chypre scents, along with Guerlain's Mitsouko and Coty's original Chypre, and it doesn't smell dated at all --- it's still elegant, refined, complex, and very intriguing. H&R's Fragrance Guide lists the notes of the original formula as follows: Top: Bergamot, lemon, orange, neroli, fruity note Middle: Carnation, rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lilac Base: Oakmoss, vetiver, labdanum, benzoin, patchouli, musk