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!.

I do not think this is a floral fragrance. This is musky and animalistic to me and i love it first when it ́s applied and the drydown, but the in between is not so fascinating for me. Reminds me very much of something but i can ́t remeber what it smells like. The plum and pineapple notes are delicious, i also love the combination of carnation and rose what makes this perfume not too sweet and not too bitter. Very well balanced. If you can get it, then definitly try it. I ́ve heard that the pure parfum is/was much much more better than the EDT version, but it is nowhere to find anymore.

I'm a plum addicted, so every fragrance that contains plum is a must for me. In this case, there is a magic combo between plum, tuberose and carnation. I fell in love immediately. The result is sweet, floral, fruity and spicy at the same time. Longlasting, elegant. Another personal note. The union between tuberose and plum is magic and ideal for whom has some problems with the strength of tuberose. That's a pity it's discontinued. Very similar to Senso by Ungaro. Discontinued too.

Watch the Jayne Kennedy Tab soda commercial on YT, do it, it's a hoot. This is what Clandestine is like to me. Maximum shoulder-pad, angular, neon, stuffed to the gills with opulent, syrupy decadence. A big fat plum, juicy and tart pineapple, a vat of honey, a carnation crack of the whip, drenching fleshy, fecund flowers like tuberose and ylang-ylang. There's an overdose of heliotropin that collides with a civet-amber. It is over the top, and it fascinates me.

Hi Action! It really reminds me in someway of Vendetta. You nailed it! I do not remember how Gio smelled like but Clandestine is a very good fragrance and so sad that this one has been discontinued. I do not understand why Guy Laroche has now only Fidji and Drakkar Noir left in selection.

I love this I love it almost as much as Vendetta and I feel if you own one you dont need to get the other. Also somewhat similar to vancleef. Powdery honeyed plum green and lush naturally sweet unadulterated fruit not saccharine sweet. Poison without the berries.

I've just received a bottle and the scent is still as I remember it, although it may have changed a bit as it's an oldy. For me the 80-ies are about heavier scents, with animal notes added and soap. I love it, but then again, I'm an 80-ies person.

Hi Passionata! I love this perfume very much too!! I would say it goes into the fragrance family of C'Est La Vie, Vendetta and Gio original. I love them all and have them all! Good luck!

Malizia wrote: "What is the Edition Noir of Clandestine? It's a different perfume or just the bottle is different?" Yes, i also would like to know that!

I would really really love to have a large bottle of this.....sigh...

Love at fist sight! The bottle - dark lila monolith - is just adorable and the scent inside blows your mind. It starts with a blast but very soon relaxes into a superb powdery honey and tuberose plus plum scent. The base is a classy patchouli that will keep on lingering for days. The sillage is moderate, it does not take over. And I can't stop sniffing myself, must be a laugh for all the travellers on the morning train with a geek sniffing herself with a broad smile on her face. I don't care, I'm in love. Really, this has to be experienced. I am so happy I blind bought this pearl. The longevity is great, I sprayed it on in the morning and now, 10 hrs later it is still around, in its beautiful feminine and sexy base. #edit july 2016 I just got my hands on a 200 ml bottle of Clandestine. I will _never_ have to be without it anymore!

Clandestine is an 80's fragrance with all that comes with that: It's bombastic, so cluttered with everything: plum, tuberose, carnation, jasmine, civet, pathouli and so on... Beautiful, powerful, sweet and very very animalic. In the end it dries down on so much civet that I can hardly smell anything else. I recommend Clandestine to anyone who loves deep and big floral-animalic 80's fragrances. Five years ago I would have bought a bottle instantly, but now, thinking about how many fragrances I have I wonder when I'm going to wear it? It seems like I have moved on from most vintage fragrances today, some of them are a bit too animalic for my taste and I feel a little uncomfortable wearing them in public. But I will surely enjoy the large sample I have, on my own ;) .

This was the first perfume my husband gave me as a present. I forgot the name but remembered the distinct bottle and the lovely scent - and I combed this site to find the name! I tried every possible search option - the color search is great but yielded no results. Then I remembered when my husband gave it to me - on my birthday in 1988 - and then search was easy. I'm glad I found it and would love to buy it again. This is a perfume for a sophisticated lady. I'm surprised to see it characterized as floral - for me, it resembles Samsara a bit, it has some oriental, warm base to it. It's a winter perfume, a long lasting perfume, black cashmere keeps the scent for ages.

I would just like to come again to this beautiful perfume, I remember the plum that was magic and mysticism that makes this a particularly lovely fragrance. Clandestine was strong, I would compare with that strength of Lou Lou. Today would have been Elixir, so rich and complex. Really strange that a lot of good perfume ended up in a museum!

A delicious plum in the opening followed by a beautiful and well surrounded tuberose and a subtle sweetness in the drydown . I have the Edt version . I find it gorgeous , longlasting and ... sexy !

i am testing from a vintage vial so some notes may have died off (?) this starts with honey, plum and aldehydes, followed by an animalic woody patchouli. next is some carnation, and then i get something almost like anise/black licorice but i'm not sure what it is. overall it's an animalic woody plum with anise. i find it to be unisex and best for cold weather.

I’m testing a vintage edt. It’s a cherry liquor that’s very sweet and a bit sticky and sirupy. It slightly smells like bitter almond too and has a base of beautiful white cedar. I don’t enjoy sweet perfumes, but I appreciate this perfume for its interesting and complex profile that doesn’t even sound dated to me.

Big and bold! My vintage mini still has some of that original essence, though the civet is turning. Lots of florals and powdery soap. A queen of her era.

I have only just polished off a vintage bottle of Clandestine by Guy Laroche. This is one big 80s powerhouse fragrance that I will greatly miss. If Dior Poison and Giorgio by Giorgio Beverley Hills had a love child, Clandestine would be it. Clandestine shares some of the same complex and dense aromas found in both fragrances, yet it smells much smoother than most 80s perfumes. Although dated by today's standards, I received many compliments from both my partner and work colleagues when I wore it and never once felt that I smelt out of place. I detect a strong carnation accord in Clandestine, in addition to syrupy honey, plum, tuberose and amber. It has the slightest hint of civet, however, this fragrance thankfully never becomes too fecal or animalic. A few light spritzes of Clandestine is enough to last the entire day. The price for a vintage bottle has gone up significantly due to its rarity, however, a few decades ago this was a rather inexpensive scent. It was excellent value for money and was most likely a favourite of many. Women my age would probably be hesitant to wear something as bold as Clandestine. It's a stereotypical 80s floral in the best way possible. For those that fondly remember this fragrance and long to re-discover it, Billet Doux by Fragonard does closely resemble it and is worth checking out if you can't track down the real thing.

Dang, this is good stuff. Clandestine EDT is like the less-rebellious, younger cousin of La Nuit by Paco Rabanne to my nose, but unlike La Nuit I can wear Clandestine and not feel like I've just been in a moonlit barnyard romp with a strapping, scruffy farmhand (which is a super-hot situation to project, but only for certain occasions). Clandestine is a fragrance for the person who "brings the party" - that sexy person that you can't stop stealing glances at, who has cool quips and the best laugh; the person that everyone wants to flirt with, talk to, and be seen with. They are personable and outgoing, but you know there's a dark, sensual side to them that you'd die to explore... This fragrance smells like sticky dried plums and dates drizzled with honey. Sweet resins, feminine tuberose and jasmine, and seductive animalic notes add to the density of the fragrance. Clandestine is not as heavy as it sounds, though. Spicy carnation directs the other notes upward and everything seems to be encased in a delicate, luminous shell of beeswax. Clandestine EDT further lightens up as it dries down, and the plum has a "Benjamin Buttons" situation goin' on - it seems to smell more fresh as time goes on. Clandestine is just awesome. They don't make 'em like this anymore...

My mom gave me her box of miniatures and samples because I was in search of an original „red door“. I found a small sample of this one. It’s ancient and I expected it to either have gone bad or only last a few seconds and not to amount to anything at all. I put it on my knee because I was already doused in all kinds of scents but had to try because „clandestine“ is one of my favorite words. I was impatient! And it outperforms every scent I applied. And it’s incredibly beautiful. It’s just so so so beautiful. Sweetness is radiating but absolutely not cloying. It’s mouthwatering and boozy and if you put your nose closer there’s so much earthy darkness. No words to actually describe this. It’s just... it’s stunning I have quite a nice collection of all sorts of types and brands and niche and quite some that are old powerhouses but never ever have I smelled something so beautiful. Edit: Since I wrote this I bought a miniature and am now thinking about buying two sealed 50mls 😶

When I smelled it out of the bottle, I was too afraid to apply it on my skin - the scent was rich, intoxicating, musky.I thought it did not have anything attractive at all! Fortunately, later on I met a person, who`s favorite perfume - and she did not wear anything else - was Clandestine.It was so her. She was a tall, voluptious woman, with dark long hair and heavy look.On her - it was marvelous. Sweet and spicy, it also had some animal-like notes to it, like a collar of a mink coat.It was almost glowing around her!I never dared to try it on myself because I knew it will never "sound" the same way on me and I didn`t want to spoil this feeling of surprise and awe that Clandestine made me feel.

Opposite pyramid. Younger lolita of the 80s when drydown. Like a miss universe 1986. Femme fatale on the top. Plenty middle age woman conscious of her sexuality, mathernity and cruelty all perfume long. 50s style honey classic sweet dirty formula almost animalic. Multi face fragrance. Lux luxurious perfume. Honey dark plum essence Divine divine divine. A superficially understood perfume. I figure Catherine Denevue into a silk or even leather tailleur in "The Hunger" wear this perfume. Or a Grace Kelly dressed for the Opera into a hitchcock movie coming enveloped with clandestine.

Thats a legendary one for sure! Pure pleasure to wear. I feel myself sinking in deep suedy civet polished by wild honey and herbs, with dusty fruity smokiness at the beginning, its mystical, rich, thick well pronounced plum with dark rose, liqueur-ish aftertase, not much of tuberose on me - all to the better, a powerful, memorable, would be loved by amateurs of Krizia Teatro Alla Scala, Balahe Leonard and Gem Van Cleef. Luxury and sensuality of gone epoch. Good for those who can appreciate such beauty

I found a 5ml EDT of this yesterday. Have tried it and can't make out all the notes as there are so many. It smells like a spicy, powder floral, very similar to those scents before the 1970's early 80's. Think I regognise carnation and civet. Would love to know what plum smells like in a perfume. I have dry skin and notice that a lot of scents dont last on me, this was the same but it was only a couple of dabs. Would I like a full bottle: No, I wouldn't wear it enough,but it is lovely.

To my nose I get tuberose, rose, carnation and resins. I get the "vibe" of plum as in a sticky sweet flesh with a sharp bitter skin. This is like a rich deep wine and seeing as this was a bottle of new old stock it's like the wines been maturing in a vault somewhere. Longevity is amazing and although it's a strong perfume the overall silage isn't immense just creates a nice cloud around you. I have to be in the mood for this so I think my bottle will see me good for a while.

This is absolutely rare parfum! Not easy to find anywhere, but if you find it you would have a natural pleasure to use every drop of it! Fresh and rich, deep and light at the same time. Never had one face, every time it change aroma. Try to catch ... Sometime I thought this scent behaves as a capricious young teenage girl.Just like me 30 years ago! Lovely!

This is the kind of perfume some people will hate you for loving (they will; I've been at the receiving end of that hostility). It was part of my collection until they shot it down (why is it that only the good ones die?). If I ever hit the jackpot I will go on a shopping spree for vintage/discontinued scents that will leave whirlwind in my wake. :)

A bouquet of almost every note mentioned above! Carnations, honey, tuberose, plums, slight civet, aldehydes, cassis, ylang, amber, heliotrope, patchouli, and pineapple on a bed of sharp red roses. It's like a rose water with fruit punch. Amusing and very sharp 80s powerhouse kind of fragrance.

Was surprised to see that there is no gardenia note in this perfume,as on me gardenia is even more skanky than tuberose,and this is definitely skanky.Very close to the old Jungle Gardenia by Tuvache,but not quite as strong.I like it quite a bit,but it took a couple tries before I 'got' it.

This was one of my first perfume loves. I remember going into the department stores to smell it. I was totally overwhelmed by it. I never bought it as it was too "big" for me, it didn't really fit my personality. I just ordered a 5ml original sample and I hope and pray it is still usable.