Le De Givenchy

Oh my. This is a far cry from anything else today. A soft golden hue, particles afloat in a sunbeam... A whisper. The floral accord and hint of citrus gently lift the spices over the sunlit fields of morning. Coriander and tarragon are rarely used in modern-day aromatherapy; nowadays they are found at the back of the cupboard, for use in the most painstaking recipes. In Le De Givenchy, they are used artfully. I have a vintage mini that I bought online along with L'Interdit from an estate sale. They must not have known the treasure they were selling, because I paid nearly nothing for the two. On the outside of my forearms, where the scent clings to hair, the amber rises, stirring the jasmine. Orris root subdues absorbs any oiliness from the jasmine... like the finest talcum powder that gives your skin a creamy finish. Guaiac wood and sandal anchor the scent to my skin. Guaiac wood is distinct in this scent; slightly resinous, tar-like, certainly deep but gentle, and it makes me feel like I'm walking through the woods. I know the soap Iluvsmellies (cute handle!) is referring to. Le De doesn't smell exactly like it, but there is a certain stage of the drydown that might remind me of it from time to time. The soap had a bit of the tar-like tinge the guaiac wood has here, which was interesting, distinct, and... smelled clean, to me. I believe it was also faintly scented with something floral. It had a nice lather, and the memory of that soap tied to happy "arts and crafts" time during childhood. Could you give Le De another wear, on different parts of your body? That may make a difference. I wish the lily-of-the-valley note in the opening would last longer and stay as sweet. Perhaps my vintage bottle has faded a bit. I'm very interested to try the reissue. I can certainly see Audrey Hepburn wearing this perfume everyday, but I would probably save it for special occasions. Although very gentle, it's sophisticated. Like your most expensive and delicate gold chain. This is one of the scents that makes me whisper, "I love perfume." Hubert De Givenchy is the founder of the house of Givenchy. 'Le De Givenchy' takes his name. Le De is perhaps a much gentler, earthier L'Air du Temps. Their carnation notes, while of lesser strength in Le De, are similar, so I wondered if they were by the same nose. No, Le De is by Ernest Shiftan, who also created Youth Dew. L'Air Du Temps was created by Francis Fabron who, incidentally (and this is interesting), also created L'Interdit.

I have a vintage bottle of the pure perfume. I understand it’s the only perfume Bette Davis (who I adore) wore when it was launched in the 1950’s. Well I had extremely high hopes for this perfume and I thought it would be sharper and more angular than it is, it’s very soft and powdery. It’s extremely feminine and has a cooler note that hums along nicely in the dry down. I think this is typical of its era when women were viewed differently, less bold – more seductive and subtle. Very pleasant, beautifully balanced but not the showstopper I was expecting but that may be my modern “nose” that’s been sullied by louder more rambunctious perfumes. UPDATE: OK I have been wearing this on the back of my hand for a few hours now and it's developed into sweet/savoury base notes, it's still uber-fem, subtle and demure, however it's much more complex than I gave it credit for. Liking it more and more as I wear it.

I LOVE Le De! And I have since I first started wearing it while in college back in the '60s. It's manners are just impeccable, like its creator, the consummate gentleman Hubert de Givenchy. And it was also a favorite of Audrey Hepburn, for whom he created L'Interdit. It is very French, elegant, but not at all stuffy. The woody base grounds it and keeps it from being a "fluffy" floral. As do the spices. For me, it is a fragrance for all seasons and for all occasions. The reformulation is a competent one but lacks the depth of the original. I have a total of one half ounces of vintage parfum which I wear a drop or two at a time layered over the reformulation. But not too often!

If memory serves me, this scent was reformulated sometime in the last decade, and the current version, while lovely, makes me yearn for the version I fell in love with in the early 1980s. The spiky floral beginning is still great, and the drydown is very much like the 1980s version of the scent, a dreamy, creamy amber. The middle part is where, for me, the new Le De really takes a departure from its 1980s predecessor, with much more emphasis on the lily of the valley, and far less emphasis on the lilac. All in all, though, Le De remains the class of the field of Givenchy scents -- rich and radiant, discreet and delicate. And gorgeous.

Le de Givenchy is a classic fragrance from the late 50's, and yet until a week ago I'd never heard of it. Then a micro mini arrived and thanks to Fragrantica I know more about this scent. The fragrance is stylish, sophisticated and unisex. I don't find it particularly feminine. The floral notes are cool and controlled, quite unlike the more modern Givenchy perfumes. The notes play well together, nothing jumps out to announce itself. Just what I expect from a house like G, this perfume has class. LdG is very wearable and work safe. The fragrance stays close and never overwhelms. Ladylike - yes! But also gentlemanly! LdG should get a lot more love, but it seems to have been overtaken by the modern Givenchy scents. Being an older fragrance, it's hard to come by. Is there a reformulation? LdG is worth finding and wearing.