Clandestine

Clandestine was the clincher that put Guy Laroche in my top five perfume houses once and for all, because, according to my personal taste of course, every fragrance that the house launched until Guy Laroche's death in 1989 was a perfect ten, and has earned a more or less legendary or even cult status over time. I mean, think about it for a while. Fidji, Eau Folle, Drakkar, J'ai Ose, Drakkar Noir and finally Clandestine. Of course it comes as no surprise that after Monsieur Laroche's departure for perfume heaven, and with the brief flash of Horizon in 1993 (probably due to momentum), good ol' L'Oreal thought it was a good time to start joking. Drakkar Dynamik, Drakkar Essence, J'ai Ose Baby and J'ai Ose Aqua. I personally didn't laugh at all. I just pray there's not any Fidji Urban Chic or Clandestine So Cute in the making... And now that the eulogy is over, let's get to the point. We all know that there's always a good chance for something very interesting and possibly dangerous to be happening behind these huge metal waste containers that are usually found in dimly lit and occasionally wet dark alleys. I mean, come on, we've seen it in a thousand movies, so it's got to be true. Well the interesting and surely dangerous thing that is happening behind this particular one that stands before us, is Clandestine. With her trashy but flashy dress raised, her panties lowered, and happily peeing behind it. Moments after she has left one of these thunderous '80s clubs, where she was dancing like crazy all night long. What's more interesting is that upon getting caught in the act, she doesn't bother to cover herself. Not in the slightest. On the contrary, she looks at you at full defiance, utters "What?" and goes on with her business. And she goes from Clandestine to in-your-face in an instant. And this instant is enough to make you fall desperately in love with her! Because the smell of this stupendous and intoxicating aura engulfing her, is speaking of pure, unrestrained woomanhood and it will make you stagger and swoon every single time. For it's not possible to escape this musty, dirty but in the same time sweet and guile attack unscathed. Because you stand the same chances as if you were under full frontal assault (pun intended) by a crazed battalion of civet cats, with Company A ferociously gnawing on (tube)roses and Company B looking to gnaw anything on you that resembles plums. Ferociously as well. With their CO smiling from the shadows of her hiding place... But don't worry about any connotations between her and the contents of her hiding place being more than concrete. Cause it may be that no matter how hard she tries to sell her lady self, the tramp within her will always show, but who doesn't like this kind of tramps? And who wouldn't be ready to die for her after seeing her audacious poise despite being that exposed? OK, maybe not die, but at least watch over her until she finishes relieving herself. And perhaps follow her obediently afterwards, drawn by the invisible leash that Clandestine has tighten around your neck. For it may be gallant and noble to defend a queen, but it's always the plain rabble girls that will pay you back with everything they've got. And this one has got it all...

If you ever wondered what an 80’s fruity floral smell(ed)s like, here you have it! Main difference? Bigger sillage, long lasting and downright sexy. Clandestine, coming out a year after Poison, was a departure from Fidji and J’ai Osé. And it inevitably borrowed some of it. And from La Nuit. Starting out plummy and liquor like, Clandestine doesn’t take much time to show what it’s all about. Underneath a short lived metal ray of aldehydes, the top is about fruit. Big, decaying fruit. Plum, peach, a slightly pissy blackcurrant... it’s playful, carefree but yet, debaucherous. It also crams big bold flowers; tuberose, rose, jasmine...add some ylang with its custardy sweetness and a big dollop of honey, and what you get is a massively indolic heart. Sexy, decadent, narcotic. There’s a powdery veil that prevents it from going all the way...yet. But the drydown! Oh, the drydown, long and skanky filled with the last remains of honey, carnation, and joined by a big slice of civet and musk, dims the lights and lets the animal out. Clandestine starts fun and sexy, goes wild midway down the night, ending up in a dark alley making out with a stranger. There’s a ‘Poisonesque’ fruitiness, the same dirtiness of La Nuit but dialed down a bit, and lots of class. For all it’s notes and progression, Clandestine could just as easily go to a party, to a gala, or for dinner and drinks. 80’s volume, and yet, there’s a bit of elegance taken from earlier decades. The animalic aspect is far more amplified on warm skin, but never reaching the levels of other monsters. A fruity floral with a kick! Yeap! Just like they don’t make ‘em anymore. Review based on a splash from 1986 (Edt). Sillage and longevity? I’ll see you in the morning!

An oniric vision. A dark mysterious draped figure, under an acacia tree at noon. ripe fruits fallen at his feet. A rich fused gold, spiced magma honey, with an hidden black soul. So woman in fur. After have written this two sentences above I made a check at the reviews of that time: I had in my mind the reminiscence of 75 ingredients for Clandestine, but I've found that we talk about 95 (!) different flowers into the composition (I do not take any responsability to that declaration). I also read that the name "clandestine" is understood as: the other undercover woman inner to every woman. The one who makes bad things under an apparently trasparent person (I thought it was just a captivating name with a nice ring). That's why the fragrance has been thought to be with lights and shadows. They reach the goal. And I confirm my sensations. "Personals": My uncle, her brother, gave it to my mother as christmas present in the 80s. Was a coffret with a pair of black gloves in lycra with a blue botton. Like an elegant french serial killer sponsorized by Guy Laroche. She hates strong perfumes Mata Hari style. I made the same mistake with Coco, but I was young and ingenuous. So she never weared it. the bottle is there. To me is the perfume of Christmas, well, it officially goes, cause the honey, dried fruits, date palm, gold everywhere, furs, heat need.

Thanks to Fragrantica I at last know the name of this heavenly scent which I adored in the early nineties! My mother gave me her 5ml sample bottle. I remembered the shape of the tiny bottle with the black cap, the bright yellow colour of the perfume and the name Guy Laroche, but for the life of me I couldn't remember the name of the actual perfume. Now I know, and have ordered a vintage 5ml sample bottle online. Although my taste in fragrances has changed over time, I remember the bright fruity sweetness of Clandestine with immense fondness, and I am so hoping that the perfume sample I have ordered arrives safely and is as beautiful as I remember. Edit: I have just received my 5ml sample bottle. Sadly, the fragrance has lost its juicy sweetness, and the colour has changed from bright yellow to amber. Gone are the sweet pineapple and citrusy bergamot top notes, leaving just the soapy aldehydes and powdery florals - to my mind an "old lady" smell. However, I am not disappointed as I was expecting this to be the case, and I am also not the same person that I was thirty-odd years ago! To be fair, I am recovering from the flu and so my sense of smell is not as sharp as it normally is, so I will review again when I am fully recovered. That being said, the scent is still as strong as I remember!

Now that i have both EDT and big bottle of EDP versions i must admit that i like more EDP version of Clandestine since it is firstly more lasting and second it has more intensivity and is more sweeter than EDT. I guess this is because of the alcohol concentration, but the EDP bottle that i have i guess is quite old from those days when they used nautral musks and civet in perfumes, because it even feels little bit like oily (not like oil, but i guess you know what i mean). The scent is fantastic and i am waering it now. I guess i have to buy couple more bottles of this wonderful fragrance. Still looking for the pure parfum concentration that should be really marvellous!.