Jicky Extrait

(Extrait, bottle c. 1984-1985) I remember the first time I smelled Jicky. I was already pretty deep into this passion for perfume, and I had started to get pretty good at reading them and understanding them mostly via newer releases that were easy to get a hold of and reasonably priced. Slowly but surely, I started to expand my experience into modern perfumery's back catalogue of classics. Emphasis on the word slowly, as anyone who has gone hunting for old classics, in good condition, and of pre-restrictive formulations will tell you that it is often a financially and emotionally painful endeavor. Jicky was a purchase fairly early on in that back-catalogue exploration, with the bottle I found and bought being around 25 years old at the time. I still have it, and I still pull it out on a very rare occasion. The first time I smelled it I recoiled in shock, "Jesus Christ on a bike, this perfume is rude!" It was, and still is. Even today, after years and years of exploring this passion for perfume, it is one of the lewdest, most lascivious, and most inappropriate perfumes I own and have yet to smell. It is also one of my favorites that I own, and fully deserving of its legendary status. It was a head-turner on its release. It shocked France. Women found it far too difficult and improper, even though it was originally meant for them; men loved it for its boldness and fearlessness; the seedy Parisian underground consumed it by pool-sized quantities because its rude and irreverent nature spoke of the hedonism and freedom they valued. It turned heads no-less because it was one of the first perfumes to rely on abstraction, rather than faithful and literal representations of natural materials. Jicky wanted to tell a story, a bar room tale of raunch not anywhere close to appropriate for the office water cooler, and when it delivered the punch-line it was going to smack your scrotum through your pants while laughing a bit too enthusiastically. Jicky signals its intent from the get-go, announcing itself very loudly, and very confrontationally with oily, bitter, and zesty hesperidics and ample doses of woody spices and pepper. It's tight, it's difficult, it's impenetrable and "emotionally unavailable", and it is definitely confident. It's also short lived, perhaps 45 minutes or so, before caving in completely to one of the most arresting lavender hearts I have ever smelled in a perfume. Every aspect of lavender is accounted for here. Its herbal facets are amplified thanks to the masterful blending of basil, rosemary, and bay leaf materials; floral facets are amplified thanks to carnations and roses; oily and woody facets well represented by a buttery orris note and good dose of cinnamon. But there it is... impossible to miss... like a lout wearing bright red velvet to an all-black funeral, is civet. I swear part of Aime's formula included him, or someone else, or something, taking a massive sh*t in the perfume vat. And I'm sure someone tried to stop him, saying he was nuts to formulate Jicky this way, but "Non! Non! Il faut faire caca!" Surrounding the lavender of Jicky are plenty of amberic notes. A good amount of real sandalwood - ugh, how I miss real sandalwood; it's so creamy and peppery - and other balsams, and plenty of vanillics, spices, and benzoin. These things together with the floral and herbal heart make for a perfume of exquisite beauty. But the civet deadlocks with all of them, they can't escape, and turns each one of them to the dark side, shape-shifting the Venus di Milo into something you'd find in a smut rag. Newer formulations of Jicky are more tame, but that bar was already at its own standard. I said at the beginning that I pull this perfume out of my cabinet on very rare occasions, and I think you now understand why. There is no easy time or place with which to wear Jicky - that is, unless, you are hell bent on making a very big, and very striking statement. It is, therefore, very impractical; new formulations of lower concentrations are going to be easy to find and cheap, and on the side of easier to wear, which sort of negates the point I'm making, but the extrait is not easy to get and its expensive - especially if you want an OG formulation that pulls no punches. I count myself lucky to have one. This is art, a brilliant piece of work that is at once very beautiful but is intent on pushing your limits. Every perfume lover needs to smell this at least once in their life.

I have just received a flacon carre Jicky (realease bottle) and i am in freaking HEAVEN!!! I live in a country were there is very little perfume culture, i guess because scarce options are available (only the most sold) and our devaluated coin makes them so expensive... So i found this almost full Jicky that is from before 1939 at $42usd!!! So i simply had to blind bought it. My first encounter ever with this scent, that i have wanted so long, was going to be with the original formulation! Imagine my happiness when i found it to be this perfection! I really thought i would need to work on my liking of this one. That i would need a time to understand her. With vintages, i often found we need a long courtship, just like in the old days, to really fell in love. But this one was really love at first sniff! What surprises me the most is that the lemon is still in the front row. I expected a century old perfume has its top notes long gone... But to be honest i've never had before a perfume this old in front of me, ever. (i am truly afraid to try a new realease since it has so many coments about ofensive smells) I have a Shalimar Eau de Cologne from de 70s and find little resemblence to Jicky, despite the Shalimar EDC it's supposed to be the closest one to this perfume. It makes me remember a lot the scent that remains on the clothes i keep in a drawer with Roger and Gallet soaps underneath. It is totally unisex and a lot lighter than i supposed it would be. The smell it remains on me it is not perfumy at all. It is more like a clean smell. Like if i have (all the time) just had a bath with the most expensive and refined soap ever dreamed. Long live to Jicky!

Jicky smells like Heaven! At least I think this is what it may smell like. I have the vintage Extrait and the modern EDT. I agree that the Extrait is much more well balanced than the EDT. I love the botanical Lavender which is prominent at the start with the lovely Lemon freshness. A great pick me up. I also agree that Jicky Extrait blossoms with body heat. It starts to morph into a very comforting and warm experience as you continue to wear it. The Vanilla, and to a lesser extent Woody notes, envelope one gradually in a cloud of feminine awesomeness with the Lavender making it all a bit more ethereal. The Spices are there but not like those in Coco or Opium. They are more sedate but lovely. I tend to wear my vintage Jicky Extrait when I am alone so I can enjoy every moment of it. I also like the Extrait when I am drawing up designs for my work as it brings out my creativity perfectly. I suppose because it is very calming to me. My mother used to spray me with Lavender oil mixed in distilled water as an infant and child. This of course is way more complex than that. The EDT I wear when going running about. Longevity is 8+ hours and the Sillage is moderate. I give Jicky Extrait Vintage: 10/10++ Modern: ?

Rumor has long had it, that Aime Guerlain composed this perfume as an ode to his first love, a young Parisian girl in the 1800s. With this in mind, and upon smelling either the edt or the edp, one would come away thinking that Guerlain was truly ahead of his time in that much like the modern Secretions Manifique, he chose to represent his beloved in a photo realistic way via the olfactory senses. That is in all of her pre-indoor plumbing, pre-antiperspirant 19th century glory. Upon smelling the parfum extrait version however (that which is likely most close to the senior Guerlain's vision), one can see that instead of realism, this is an ode to a young woman's lavender floral scented skin (a very popular soliflore in the 19th century) in all of the velvety, petal soft splendor often attributed to youth. Hate the edt and edp for their indolic, soiled underpants note? Get your hands on a bit of the extrait. The extrait is the richest, most thoroughly adult, beautiful, and sensual use of vanilla that I have ever come across.

It amazes me how Jicky withstood the test of time, while hundreds, perhaps thousands of other fragrances had gone by, completely forgotten. This alone, is already a proof of greatness, but there is more to it. Jicky is, simply put, beautiful. It’s not the naive type of beauty, but a very complex, “grownup”, mature beauty. The type of beauty that intrigues you and makes you wanna explore it deeper and deeper each time you encounter it. And no matter how hard you try to understand it, she will always seem to have another trick available to surprise you with. And that is why Jicky is so timeless. I have always loved this fragrance.From the first sniff a long time ago. I left it behind a few times, but then always came back to it realizing that I missed it! I love it most as an Extrait, which to me has the perfect balance. It’s a flawless symphony of heavenly aroma! And I don’t care that it changed over the years. It’s still Jicky, with countless facets, bold, dynamic, sophisticated, opulent, delicious Jicky.