Caleche

I encountered my first real life WASPs at the age of 16 upon my return to my home state of Maryland right on the edges of Washington D.C. after a near 12 year sojourn in the Central Valley of northern California. Oh, I'd met plenty of rich people by then. California is a bit of a rag tag place, especially the northern portion, so everyone kind of runs into everyone. That being said, California wealthy are miles apart from old money East Coast wealth. With their aged bumper stickers hanging from their respectably aged Volvos and Mercedes station wagons proclaiming political liberal leanings, environmental obsessions, and hopes for world peace the northern California wealthy that I knew back then were more self effacing and even embarrassed by their lot in life than celebratory of their means. New money, old money? In Cali, where exactly was the dividing line? You had old money families who'd owned vineyards or were the lynch pins within other industries that never came off as anything more than... well... thoroughly average. I was therefore not ready for the cool austerity of East Coast wealth nor the profound way that so many of the urban locales in that portion of the country quietly revolve around it. I was also not ready for all of the marked divisions of race and background that create a type of legendary monolithic culture of affluence in certain echelons. Yeah, you have the Beverly Hills 90210 phenomenon to a certain degree I'm sure...somewhere in California. However in general on the West Coast, kids who are rich, poor, and all points between go to school together. You hang out together. In contrast, the East Coast was where I first encountered all of these sharp lines drawn up separating people according not just to income but overall economic culture which then bled into with whom one went to school and hung out and lived near and eventually considered equitable in human value. Eeesh. Quite heavy for a 16 year old. They were girls. Two of them. One of the first things that impressed me was that they were the cleanest girls that I'd ever seen in my life. Heh? What do I mean? I mean that they were so clean that they shone. They were teens like me and while I considered myself to have clear skin, theirs was lucid in the manner of bisque porcelain. Their lack of pores would have made the Noxema girl subconscious. Their makeup was minimal but pleasant. No hair was out of place and it was so neat. Perfectly trimmed, shiny, and topped with a slender pretty ribbon, their hair resembled the effortless pristine brilliance of a 70s Breck girl. This was the 90s when most of my fellow compadres had the studied grimy effect associated with grunge or the baggy non-chalant flash of hip hop. These girls wore pastels---bermuda shorts, starched oxford shirts, and light cotton sweaters tied at their necks. They had pearl studs in their ears. It was like the Eddie Bauer and LL Bean summer catalogs had come to life. Oh, did I mention that it was the height of the humid, muggy Maryland/Washington D.C. summer? Despite the fact that everyone else was melting, these girls were floating in this effervescent cloud of unstudied cool. Hermes Caleche is those girls----light and airy in the midst of whatever atmospheric torment may be affecting the rest of the world. Profoundly rich and comfortably secure with stable woods in the base. Heart notes that are quietly abundant with gracefully feminine and prim florals that edge it away from it's initial almost utilitarian androgyny. Finally, the protestant ethics of just scrubbed cleanliness above all artifice and flashy trends come forth in the judicious aldehydes that grace the opening. This is East Coast old money. This is a Georgetown walk up or a post war on the UES with a Rehobath beach summer house and a cottage in the Hamptons. Today with the egalitarian nature of fast fashion, technology, and a global economy the old WASP has become an endangered creature of sorts. They are an American icon. We must protect them. Who will buy the first bumper sticker? Who will donate to their telethon? Ah well, even if they go by the wayside, we will always have the beauty of Hermes Caleche to remind us of what once was. Sillage is---Dahling, never offensive. Longevity is---by all means appropriate. I like to wear this when I'm wearing all black with a modern hard edge. The juxtaposition has made this a favorite.

Classical and classy. Amongst the aldehydic perfumes it has a very particular character and to me what gives it that character is the scent of lemon and orange - to me this scent is about lemony and orangeish aldehyds. The current reformulation is very close to the original and it still has one of the best drydowns I ever smelled in a perfume. Staying power is very good. Overall, very very good, and to me the best Hermes scent. The EDT does not remind me much of Madame Rochas. The soie de parfum does, right upon application. The scent both remind me most of is Rive Gauche, although the soie de parfum more, because it is stronger on the gardenia and a bit lighter on the lemon. Right after application, it reminds me a lot of Madame Rochas, and in the next half and hour, because of the strong gardenia note, it feels very very close to Rive Gauche. Only in Rive Gauche the aldehyds seeem to be of a different type, in Caleche they are smoother. What makes them quite similar for sometime after application is the combination of lemon and gardenia in Caleche and geranium and gardenia in Rive Gauche, because the scent of geranium is very lemony, only less acidic, floral lemon really. Also, Caléche is not powdery, like Rive Gauche and unlike Madame rochas, which is very very powdery. As time goes by, the scent of gardenia seems to wear off, and the scent gets more and more lemony, now acquiring a character of its own. Although they say lemon is a top note, there must be something in the fragrance base which keeps its scent throught the drydown and actually makes it get even more pronounced as time goes by. It lasts longer, as I said, thean the scent of gardenia. This resilient lemon note is what gives Caleche its particular character amongst aldehydic fragrances. Because of it, it feels much less feminine than Madame Rochas or Rive Gauche and aslo more common. They all have a common feel though, and one must include in the group also Calandre, closest to Madame Rochas and very powdery as well. Although I do admire Caleche and consider it unquestionably one of the most classical scents still out there these days, I do like Madame Rochas and Rive Gauche better, actually Madame Rochas better than Rive Gauche, and I am speaking of the current reformulations. Still, Caléche is in my opinion an absolutely fantastic scent, as are Madame Rochas, Rive Gauche and Calandre. As I said, after four hours or so the drydown is absolutely heavenly and keeps projecting. A really big plesure to wear.

Caleche is a glorious soapy aldehyde floral, which in its glorious vintage form (I own a late 70’s edt) shares similarities to the more joyous Madame Rochas. While Gold is described as Guy Robert’s magnum opus, I see Caleche as a more complete creation. And personally I sense no similarities to either Gold or N°5, perhaps the only link between the 3 being an unsurpassed elegance and style. Caleche opens with sparkling aldehydes, rich florals and mossy greenness. The neroli and lemon have faded a bit in my bottle but the aldehydes are bubbly and rich, and whatever’s left from the citrus oils helps lift them up. The florals that follow change subtly from rich and oily to soapy and powdery, no doubt helped by the Iris. The rooty vetiver soon joins forces with the oakmoss and musk/civet to create a warm sensation that pulsates from the skin, while buttery sandalwood (Mysore) radiates for hours. The general feel is of pristine grooming; skin washed in finely milled French soap, a floral talcum powder applied, and silk underwear. The vetiver/oakmoss/leather combination gives of a ‘wild and free’ out in the open feel; it could very well be a horse ride for the strong and independent woman or a carriage stroll for the more romantic one. Caleche adapts wonderfully to all occasions and it can fit perfectly with anyone, it just needs a strong personality to go with it. While it embodies a very French 70’s style, it also progresses to the 80’s where it feels more American in a way; it fits perfectly with the empowerment of women in the workplace and while Europe was getting high on Opium and Poison and Coco, Americans were embracing the more bossy green scent of Scherrer, the wonderful Lauders, Chloé and Oscar by de la Renta. Two different decades, two different worlds, and one perfume, Caleche, walking amidst. Class and elegance all the way! Inspiration for many scents, Caleche is, to me at least, one of the best aldehyde/floral/chypre gems. Underneath the serious appearance there’s carnality and beauty to be discovered, sensual, not sexual. More than just aldehydes, Caleche embodies the best of the chypre and the floral genre, with woody and leathery facets to create one of Herme’s best creations that, just like Eau d’Hermes before, knows no gender. For the liberated man and woman. They don’t make them like this anymore.

I remember experiencing 'Caleche' for the first time in my early twenties and how very closely she resembled the relatively new Chanel 19, I was unaware then they had both been authored by the great Guy Robert. Sadly many of his earlier creations including Madame Rochas have been altered almost beyond recognition with each reformulation, becoming not only insipidly weaker but also very nearly unrecognizable from the original formulas. Caleche's green/fresh aldehydic opening is similar to many of this floral/chypre genre with that unmistakable heart of rose, hyacinth and ylang-ylang thus setting it apart from others like 'Madame Rochas' by the inclusion of cassis bud & scads of Florentine iris. I also believe the quality of the woody bases are much more synthetic these days considering the rarity of Mysorean sandal, amaranth & Brazilian rosewood. To have worn this in the pure parfum concentration decades ago was absolute luxury, a contentment also found in the original 'First' by Van Cleef & Arpels and of course as mentioned previously the 'au courant' and innovative Chanel 19. My reference to 'First' is to emphasize the perfect connection between the accords of blackcurrant bud (cassis) and the floral absolutes shared by both fragrances. I'm not surprised to see this scion of ~haute-parfumerie~ still in great demand today, another jewel almost lost to the ether of obscurity. The original ~parfum de toilette~ survived for almost two decades before morphing into the thinner & drier ~soie de parfum~ this seemed to be in short supply for a time although recently re re-leased in a more modern presentation package including a price hike that is steadily rising with the eau de toilette even thinner again & harder to find, a possibility of discontinuation perhaps, Vintage 'Caleche', the elixir vitae of white floral fantasies! To the genius of Monsieur Guy Robert !!!

If ever there was an understated scent of a rich bitch who commands the room without uttering a single word, this is the number one, IMHO. Aldehydes rule here and all the rest follows masterfully well blended, clean and complex. Innately elegant, confident, intelligent, charming, persuasive, however shrewd she is always generous; controlled, warm and aloof equally, this woman may be older in age, but her heart and mind are forever young and fresh. She is a real woman, not a girl. My late friend and patron, Regina, used to wear this 24/7/365 and would only ever go into a panic mode if there wasn't a bottle of this jewel at her hand. She caused a riot once at her Brook Street gallery opening of the Erte exhibition when one of her false eyelashes (with genuine diamonds! and custom-made by the exhibiting artist) fell off her eye and was later found on a jacket shoulder of a Scotsman, one well-known James Bond actor, who was one of the guests at the opening: it ended up there as he was drawn close by her scent while discussing the possible art purchase...or something more intimate in nature, who knows. Confidently cheeky and never frivolous, she knows what she wants and she takes it politely, but very firmly while looking straight in your eyes, fearless. Present and not remotely heavy, you would know that she was there even a day after she have left the place. And you could not forget her, not ever... even though she has now gone for good, leaving behind her only a trail of a lingering memory.

I wanted to smell Caleche EdT again. I'm currently revisiting Hermes old and new. I owned a sample of EdT many years ago and loved it. But I don't go for vintage now and just wanted to see if current Caleche is still a worthy one. It was a rainy and chill spring day. I can say: yes! It is worthy! I tested it at Sephora in EdT, so I guess the tester was from the latest issue. It was under warm lamps... what these people think? I was a little worried but there I went. Yes! Caleche is still a good one! Not exactly the same as before, maybe aldeides are calmer, but that beautiful floral woody vibe is still there. A miracle of not destroying perfume by reformulation. Good Hermes! Please, please, you're our hope! Don't ruin them! Caleche exudes class (not necessary an expensive class, very often money doesn't equal with good taste) and it's a complex floral with many woody undertones. Its evolution is classic and perfectly coherent with its nature. No strange joke, no silly variation, it goes smooth from the opening till the end and really last for hours. The drydown is woody in a very lovely classical way, not that annoying strange woodsy base that you smell in every single new perfume once that first stages are gone. It leaves a sensual trace on skin till the end. It's calm, elegant, classy and extremely feminine, but never a frilly one. It just shows that a woman can be happy and serene without playing the candy clown show to express availability, sexyness and good mood. Bottled grace.

If luxury had a sound, Calèche by Hermès would be the rustle of a silk yoke sliding on a handcrafted leather saddle. A masterpiece by Guy Robert launched in 1961, it is not just a perfume: it is the olfactory pillar that defined the elegance of the Parisian maison. Timeless elegance. Calèche belongs to the nobility of the Fioriti Aldeidati, the same family as the legendary Chanel N°5, but with a decidedly more aristocratic and "earthy" personality. The top notes are an explosion of clean and light. The aldehydes here are not dusty, but vibrant, supported by a citrus freshness and the aromatic touch of cypress, which immediately gives that "outdoor" character typical of the equestrian world of Hermès. Once the initial effervescence has faded, an extremely refined flower garden emerges. Iris and rose dominate, giving a velvety and soapy texture, never too sweet, maintaining an almost formal rigor. This is where Calèche reveals his true mastery. Oakmoss and vetiver create a dry, woody base, reminiscent of the smell of leather harnesses and woods after rain. Calèche is the "old school" perfume in the highest sense of the word. If you love modern, sweet and gourmand fragrances (vanilla and caramel style), Calèche might seem too austere to you. However, if you are looking for a perfume that communicates authority, impeccable cleanliness and effortless style, this is an absolute point of reference.

This is very interesting fragrance, but a strange one if you sniff it first time. When tested at store it was almost killing me with Iris and sweet ylang-ylang mixed into strong composition. I was feeling it is not me, far too strong, too sharp - feminine:P And the rose on the end-not for me. I was smelling citruses very weak, killed with other sharpness, but fortunately it was my favourite liily of the Valley and jasmine. Once with some shopping I got small trial size 1 ml of Caleche, left it in old home and forget about it for years. Then when visiting old home I found it with books. It was curiosity /which doesn't kill the cat/ how it will be now on my skin-I had to try. Little touch. Amber make something. This feeling. Something inside. Pulling my nose close to my wrist with Caleche on it, again and again. I touch Caleche on my neck and wrist again. I fell I want it more just after an hour, and this fragrance is calling me. It wasn't so crazy shaking like Rocabar makes me love it at once but it was so interesting. So deeply inside, so good like from old good French School of Parfumes and these irises and jasmine. Don't care they call it is feminine - it is sharp and strong, uncanny. It is just mine- Caleche - I love YOU:) ps. and it stays on skin, I can feel it whole day-whole day of pleasure:)Some fragrances are made for me:)

I've always loved Kelly Calèche, but until recently I've never given the original Calèche a trial run. Well, I guess now I'm glad I did! While the two perfumes are vastly different, Calèche is just as pretty as its much younger sister, but with a classier edge! Woody but not heavy, floral but not overbearing, aldehydic but rich, Calèche is a beautiful collision of seemingly contradictory notes. Its main aura is definitely woody, but not the dry, smoky, heavy kind of woody. It's so comforting, like a pretty wooden cabin in the middle of forest straight out of fairytales. There's something very vintage and very alluring about this perfume, and I'd even say that it's classically beautiful. The drydown is softer and gentler than the opening, which could come off as rather loud, but then again, a perfume as classy as this can never go wrong even when it's loud. I much prefer the drydown compared to the opening, though. The drydown is like...a scent of nostalgia. Old-fashioned. Vintage. Very, very beautiful. I can't get quite enough of it. As for the strength, I prefer the EDP to the EDT; the EDP is much richer and loaded with more woodiness compared to the EDT. If you like something comforting yet classy at the same time, rest assured that Calèche will probably make the top of your list. Rating: 9/10

It opens with the opera glove slap of an aristocrat ́s composed wrath - aldehydes buffing a starchy and contrived powdered-nose iris- receding around the fragrance ́s heart like a crystal lattice enclosing and lifting the floral bosom and setting it over the portruding collarbones of a statuesque chypre base. All of the allotrops of iris, the root and the flower are present, languid and glacial as they should be, entouraged by rose, lily-of-the-valley and jasmine, exulted by the aldehydes and howling light, they stand on the vetiver-moss pedestal, dry, austere, stately. This thing is so upper-crust and well reared old-school, I feel that if left alone enough time I would be coming out in a Rolls-Royce, wearing mink and with an invitation to the Montecarlo Rose Ball slipped under my pillow. Calèche, much like Estée, Rue Cambon (a lot of Chanels for that matter) Madame Rochas and Van Cleef & Arpels First, they portray the regal swan-type beauty described by Richard Avedon when talking about Dovima when he said she stood for an extension of the aristocratic view of women as ideals. And so does Caleche. Wonderful, but I ́m too hoi polloi for it.

It goes very well with Guerlain-Idylle. When I went to the store to try Caleche, I had Idylle on my neck, but nothing on my wrist. I sprayed Caleche on my wrist, then after half an hour went to my car. Idylle's sillage is very high (sometimes disturbs me), and when I smelled Caleche from my wrist, I think what I got was a mixture of the both. A background lilly-of-the-valley & rose followed by the beauty of Caleche took me to Wavel Castle's old and woody atmosphere. So I ordered a bottle of Caleche (EDT) and tried it. Without Idylle, it doesn't take me back to Wavel, but reminds me, this time, of Guerlain-Vetiver :) I like the idylle-caleche mixture more than Caleche only 'cos the mix gives that hint of sour old smell which hit me at first. I also tried one spray from Idylle, and two-three from Caleche on my body, now it's just perfection. I advise it. They mix just too well. Caleche alone is also very very lovely, calming, peaceful. Doesn't take me to a ride on my horse in the woods though. I know of no perfume so far to fit that moment sinceI prefer the smell of the horse only.

At the age of 14 I was gifted with a Caléche pure parfum bottle. I loved it immediately even though I had the feeling of smelling greatly but a little out of tune with respect to what I was used to (Charlie, Babe, O de Lancome, Yendi) and a little more "mature" than I should have. Who cared? I treasured that bottle (I still have it) and a few years later I bought an Eau de Toilette version. Again, years later I bought the Soie de Parfum. All these three versions - albeit different - were sublime. They had in common that beautiful softness you get in the exclusive leather that Hermés calls "doblis" and which is used for expensive gloves and handbags. Flowers, aldehydes, woods melted together combining a beautiful, classy and soft scent. It was the least aggressive scent on earth, I can picture a mother cuddling her baby smelling of Caléche. Reformulation has made Caléche aggressive and sour. Still lovely, but not as great as it used to be. I hope they will work on it to recapture the magic of what's been lost. Then it will return the TENDER MASTERPIECE it used to be

Elegant and romantic. It smells so light and summery. Luxurious, dry, clean smell. EDP - Classic white lux soap, bergamot/citruses bomb, with their flowers, neroli and fragile strawflowers, rounded by velvety sandalwood and iris. EDT - this soap is softer and rounder, like bath oil with flowers. Delicious. Longevity and sillage is almost the same at both. I love these simple Hermes flacons. Caléche EDT is in clear glass bottle, EDP "Soie de Parfum" in sanded glass. Those flacons and a color of liquid says a lot about the slight difference between both concentrations. My testers have caps. I don`t think it`s similar to No. 5 (I owned 3 concentrations), which is kind of old fashioned and it smells strong aldehydic oily and dirty (somebody mentioned a lady leaving her lover in the morning without showering?) Caleche is crispy, dry and surprisingly modern scent. I would have never guessed it was released in 1961. One of the most beautiful soap perfumes. CHIC!

Caleche is one lady-like perfume hard to describe to be honest. The majority will describe it as soapy or powdery/makeup-y, but it's so much more than that. It truly is powdery and reminiscent of makeup-face powder to be exact. I tested Caleche in my research of a perfume that smells exactly like Max Factor Creme Puff Powder. Now Caleche is not completely identical, but it's damn close to the scent of my favorite powder. Subtly woody, chalky even, colored in matte pasty beige-pink, with aldehydes done right, mossy and citrusy too, big on floral; iris is shining, unique, poised and expensive smelling. It's unlike anything in the market right now and honestly has no age absolutely. Young ones are advised to try the scent and discover what a true perfume is. Great job Hermes. I see that a lot do agree on the resemblance with Madame Rochas. Personally I can't confirm, but it makes me eager to check Madame Rochas too. I'm sure I'll love that one as well

Like other reviewers here, this was also my first 'grown up' scent - I found it in the bathroom cabinet of one of my parents' friends, fell in love, and I have never tired of it. The comparisons with Chanel No 5 are spot on, this is definitely No5's equally beautiful sister, but Caleche is dryer, greener, woodier, more complex and less sweet. It has a beautiful subtle heart of creamy white flowers that emerge slowly from a fresh, woody, herbal foreground. It is perfectly balanced: the creaminess is elusive - it always seems to be hovering mysteriously just out of reach. It is difficult to identify ingredients, the best I could come up with would be jasmine, orange-blossom and gardenia wrapped in cedar, sandalwood and something citrussy (bergamot?). Perfect for going out or work, any season, and any age-group.

I was eyeing a scent from the Jardin line but when I tried this, I was taken aback and surprised. While it is a classic fragrance, I don't find it old, dated, or mature at all. It's elegant and timeless, even comforting and inviting. In layman's term, it smells like a soapy baby powder with soft white florals and a tinge of citrus. In my opinion, people of a certain aura and personality can pull this off, no matter the age (those who like to live elegantly, speak eloquently, love to engage in intellectual discussions, and those who like to use "nice/quality" things to elevate their every day experiences). Caleche is an elegant, comforting, and fresh versatile fragrance. A rarity today in an era of candy-and-dessert-smelling perfumes.

If you're not fussed about the bottle your fragrance comes in, there are a number of very inexpensive parfum refills on Ebay at the moment (I snagged mine for $30). As to the fragrance itself, I vastly prefer the stronger concentration over the EDT. There's a much nicer - and more prominent - blend of wood, leather, and florals...with the EDT you get mostly soapy aldehydes before it dries down to a thin woody floral. I doubt this would appeal to *MOST* guys, but if you like the scent of expensive triple-milled soap, then try Caleche out. Even if you're not head over heels, I think you'll find it's a soft, comforting scent that pairs beautifully with a well tailored suit and a new haircut.

I'm a man and this stuff is gorgeous. Very wearable. What radiates from it is a soft, soapy floral - but if you dig your nose in, after a while, a backbone of a sweet nutty vetiver and cypress (both like in Sycamore) is noticeable, along with a hint of the mandarin still. This makes it incredibly wearable as a man. Besides which, the aldehydes and florals are firstly stunning, and secondly it's so well composed it's not a great step between this and a male Eau de Cologne. Yeah, so it might be a little ladylike but she's a slick, sharp, strong woman so that's good enough for me. Nice work Hermes.

Caleche means a horse-drawn carriage. Caleche by Hermes smells utterly noble, much like old palace interiors. The ones with intricate wooden parquet floors that creak under the step, oil paintings, crystal chandeliers and guilded mirrors. And a ghost of burnt-out candles still lingering in the air. Caleche has a golden yellow, even orange, aura to it, due to ylang ylang. Its sparkly aldehydes, clean white flowers, woody cedar and vetiver with leathery undertones create an athmosphere similar to Ysatis and Rive Gauche (though of course not a similar scent).

The smell of ultimate elegance. For me this is a reminder of my summer evenings when I was a student. I think it works really well for summer nights. For me it's a going out on a date perfume/ eau de toilette. If I may say, the people comparing this to Gold by Amouage are confusing Gold with Dia. This smells like Dia by Amouage and although Caleche is expensive, it's better value than Dia. Edit 1st February 25: I take back what I said regarding Gold by Amouage not smelling like this. I just received a bottle today and yes, it also does smell like Calèche.