Caleche Soie de Parfum

I lucked into this into a bottle of this beauty on the FREE table of a scent swap, didn’t even need to swap for it. I can’t imagine how it ended up there. The scent swap was at San Francisco’s Ministry of Scent. I knew the name Caleche and had a vague feeling that it was a well regarded vintage. I sprayed some on paper and in the heavily scented atmosphere could detect only a strong aldehydic opening but with a fascinating green twist. Good enough for me! I’m unsure of the age of my bottle, a 100mL frosted glass tester. Without suggesting that Caleche is conflicted or incoherent, I think its fascination lies in its contrasts. It takes the contrasts inherent in the chypre form and marries them to the feel of an aldehydic floral. On top of this genre bending, the addition of cypress and strong, puckery citrus to the opening accord adds a slightly masculine twist, perfectly on brand for Hermès with its equestrian heritage and concomitant refined, sporty androgyny. The floral heart is lovely and tender after the thunderous, bracing opening. I detect mostly stiff iris and unlisted, shadowy ylang ylang. Despite the listed notes here, I find the rose pretty subtle, and imagine the differences between this 90s reformulation and the original are overstated in the branding. Indeed, Caleche Soie de Parfum is still strongly reminiscent of midcentury perfumes in general and the austere sandalwood-backed woody chypres of the early 60s in particular. Where I do sense a more modern (although in 2025 now bringing its own nostalgic appeal) is the approach to sandalwood. While I haven’t smelled an older version of Caleche, the sandalwood accords of its moment tended to be dry and imposing. While the sandalwood here at times presents such a face, it ultimately melts into the a buttery softness much more in keeping with the 90s. Still, the glaring white character of the opening never really fades, carrying through with the iris, sandalwood, and—yes—touch of chilly frankincense (that prefigured Andy Tauer’s glacial Incense Extreme). Even the mosses here seem to have been whitewashed. And yet the naturalistic cypress, the romantic florals, the supple sandalwood all await to embrace those who dare face down the gorgon that Caleche pretends to be—and is !

I am a big fan of Chanel No.5 and smell the resemblance between Caleche Soie de Parfum and that fragrance with the use of shared notes. But with the extreme use of aldehydes in this fragrance, it is more in line with Chanel No. 22 and EL's White Linen, than No. 5. Yet somehow, I have an easier time dealing with it here than I do with those fragrances. One thing they all share in common though, is that they all smell like they are from the era of great French perfumery yet are still very wearable today. My preference is for the original Caleche, in particular the parfum version, mainly because it's much lighter on the aldehydes and in that way is more similar to Chanel No. 5, though it has a personality of its own. Still, there is no denying this is a beauty. If you love perfumes like No. 22 or White Linen, then you might like this too. Edit - In the winter this wears very musky, but in warmer weather a creamy citron stays throughout the duration of the fragrance, and it is just beautiful with the floral notes. It really elevates this scent. I think I will use this primarily in the warm weather because I love that element.

Calèche Soie de Parfum is a radiant aldehydic floral. I haven't had a chance to try the original Calèche - this modern flanker is all that's on offer at my local Hermès boutique. Elegant and refined, it is subtly glamorous and high-quality. CSP opens with bright aldehydes, the olfactory equivalent to evening sunlight. Tart, fresh citrus notes add to the brightness, more golden that blindingly white. The florals creep in as it develops, and it becomes more soapy. I get lily-of-the-valley and some fruity neroli. As it develops, the rose becomes prominent, dewy and crisp but becoming more powdery as it develops, enhanced by soft iris. The drydown is softly woody and slightly mossy, but it remains soapy and bright with prominent rose. It fades to a powdery, slightly soapy skin scent. Sillage and longevity are moderate. Feminine-leaning in my opinion, it is classic elegance in a bottle, but slightly undone, like an elegant, wealthy woman on holiday. Aptly named, it is as smooth, airy and lightweight as silk. Smells like old money. 4.5/5.

What a beautiful masterpiece, a perfectly balanced chypre! Why I didn’t come across Calèche earlier? I would probably fall short at describing it, but for me ticks all the boxes. Fizzy and bubbly aldehydes in the opening, a bit powdery and tender heart and a beautiful oakmoss and sandalwood dominates passing the 4 hour mark. It’s sharp but not as much as Rive Gauche, evolves into a warm and powdery iris intertwined with oakmoss, creamy sandalwood and it’s demurely sexy. It’s such a balanced creation, all the notes evolve in perfect harmony, they seem to compliment one another in a very natural and precise way. I’m loving this fragrance to the point of wearing it almost everyday without growing bored of it, it’s a very elegant, classy scent that suits any occasion. Aldehydes are not crowd pleasers, some might say it’s a vintage, dated fragrance but Calèche it’s quite modern and versatile, the full concept of the composition is quite upbeat and energising whilst retaining its feminine heart.

Now this is the fizzy-soapy-floral perfume I've been looking for! If you like the aldehydes in Chanel No. 5, this is going to blow your socks off. A sparkling aldehyde melody takes center stage in Calèche Soie de Parfum and harmonizes beautifully with the iris-rose-citrus-moss accord that would by itself be too screechy and cloying. The aldehydes here soften, refract, and magnify the core structure, and the end product smells like something from a more luxurious bygone era. Think skin washed with fine French-milled soap, then powdered and spritzed with a heady floral perfume, then left to sweat under the late afternoon sun for a few hours. Perhaps not the most graceful description, but the closest I can come to the presence and elegance of Calèche. This makes me dream of strolling under sun-baked colonnades next to a mossy, languid pool. I am ageless, neither young nor old, and an endless summer stretches before me.