Paddock

Hermes, this needs to be de-limited, asap. It is one of the best perfumes you have created, mostly because it is... umm... not you. I have been an unapologetic fan of the brand despite the commercialism and numerous contrarians. So when I say, hand on heart, that it’s one of the best perfumes they have made, yet unlike them in very many ways, I am being honest to my vast experience of the brand with vintage and new perfumes. What makes Paddock so interesting is that it is a masterclass in textures and temperatures and illusions. The opening is weird. But then so is the entirety of the perfume - but the opening is especially. A rush of hot, cooked carrots in the form of carrot seed and who-knows-what-else gives an impression of the sweet and hot breath of a horse that just ate a big load of hay. Lurking overtop but also a bit in the background is a fecal note that isn’t civet, it isn’t oud either, but perhaps better defined as rotted/digested/composted grass since it has this feeling of being hot, as if it was evacuated out of an animal, and a touch acidic, as if from digestive acids, but it’s still slightly sweet in order to impart a naturalistic greenery feeling in conjunction with the carrot seed. It’s not pushy or difficult by any means, as a lot of these notes can be. Olfactive tricks abound beyond this point. There is something honeyed about it, like a funky and earthy buckwheat honey, something suede and leather-like from some non-descriptive animalics, and a very hay-like accord in a sweet green grass fashion. At no point do I think “oud”, even though the sweet and cooked carrots at the top present a fruity-funkiness and the fecal animalics push it ever so gently over the line into oud territory, Paddock is not woody nor is the fungal-rot aspect present to ever truly convince the nose of oud. Especially here in the heart after the carrot accord at the top dispenses a bit do we clearly perceive Nagel in her very unique style. Part of what gives this perfume its heat, and its sticky and gauzy texture, is Nagel. Her perfumes always manage to have a texture unique to her, something almost elastic like cling-film that is fully transparent and weightless yet feels somehow impenetrable. It works wonders in Paddock, giving this feeling of a truly unique olfactive experience that doesn’t allow you to push through to any notes that act as hidden tricks lying beneath the surface. In particular with the very interesting suede/leather facet, you get an impression of waxed leather - a leather note hiding underneath a slick surface - that is arrived at, again, with one of the most bizarre yet beautiful handlings of honey and animalics I have smelled. Hermes are very tight lipped about this one, and what they want us to smell/see, referring to it as a green amber. That is, in my opinion, overly reductive and doesn’t do justice to the breadth and scope this perfume manages to touch while still being cohesive, legible, utterly fascinating yet easy to wear. Anyone can wear this, anytime, anywhere; it will never off-put someone who smells it for a long period or a short period, but each of those people will have light-bulbs go off in their head and smiles spread across their face. Christine Nagel said that Paddock was daring. I think what’s daring about it is that Hermes wish to limit its release and hope people go for it. Had they launched it like a non-limited edition, it would sell in droves. So that begs the question: since it’s so hard to find and therefore, very obviously, not cheap, is it worth chasing after? Yes. Do not let this come across your path without giving it a sniff. Don’t believe the paper-wonks comparing it to Cuir d’Ange, Eau d’Hermes (very dubiously), or Galop as it’s not like any of them (except for, perhaps, Nagel’s signature texture); spray it on your skin and live with it, and you’ll get the sensation of being in a horse paddock. Just don’t let it convince you that you need to take up equestrianism as a hobby. That would be far more expensive than the perfume. P.S. For those wondering about the state of the rerelease, it smells the exact same. Perhaps Hermes heard me and others calling out.

A beautiful, rich, well-groomed, sophisticated upscale leather. As someone who fits none of those adjectives except the leathery part - it's out of my league in every sense, but a wonderful thing to experience via a generous little decant gifted by a friend. Sweet, almost-waxy almost-soapy leather aura with a VERY smooth, immaculately well-kept wash of greenness - nothing harsh or galbanum-rough, just a sense of of fresh outside air. I definitely get something almost almond/marzipan, verging on iris/orris, as some others pick up, making it a much more engineered and 'perfumey' experience all in than the equally gorgeous but more naturalistic Arabian Horse (which I'm lucky enough to own, and absolutely adore). While AH is a more outdoorsy breath of springtime, with loads more vegetal hay, this presents (to me, an absolute outsider to the equestrian universe) as a far more dressed-up and indoor experience. I get absolutely zero presence of anything oudy-barnyardy - definitely no dung anywhere near its orbit. And despite its clearly very labour-intensive, human touch - this is manicured, lavishly tooled craftsmanship, not an animalic beast - nothing about it rings synthetic or industrial either. Gentle and well-built enough to be unisex because its leatheriness swings male while its sweetness skews female - a perfect androgyne in my view. More interesting (and much stronger) than Cuir d'Ange, but it shares its well-cared-for, no-sharp-edges ambience all the same. Nothing about it is a wild ride, but its performance is assured enough to never be boring either. Classy dressage indeed.

Hermes Paddock Green Animalic Leather Opens with green notes of hay feels a little animalic maybe slightly off putting the first ten minutes or so. Then once the animalics calm down a bit you get a green rough leather. It’s rough and leathery but posh. I would think Antaeus modernized to be worn at an Ivy League school by the intellectual professor or Arabs at Courchevel’s ski slopes this coming winter season. This definitely is one of the least mass appealing Hermes out there in terms of a global audience. However, I believe will develop a mini cult following in the Middle East similar to Chanel’s Le Lion this is an excellent Middle Eastern twist without the cliche oud. Scent 9/10 took off a point for the challenging opening. Sillage Moderate to Strong Value at $420 depends I feel it’s a tad pricey but wouldn’t stop me from pulling the trigger. Between Paddock, Eau Intense Vetiver and Violette Volynka I think CN’s best work could be ahead of her. I need to sample Parfum d’empire’s Ruade since both seem to have gone for the same theme however that has a significant amount of natural oud. Price points are close but Paddock is 100ml and Ruade is a 50ml. In the end, next time you’re in a Hermes store don’t leave before trying this smoldering sexy, chic, rough and rugged fragrance. Forget By The Fireplace and Spicebomb Extreme this is the real deal for cuddling in the cold.

So I was very lucky to get my hands on a sample of this when it was first released and although I can't say I was blown away by it, I appreciated it's craft right away and it only grew on me further after that. I think I got about 3 wears out of my sample and I was craving wearing more when it was done. It's a complex leather perfume basically in essence, it has earthy facets of hay which give it a warnth and then the sweetness of carrot seed and fleshy, tack room leather accord which in this context is actually very nice. I can think of a few comparable leathers or even tobacco (because of that hay) which have similar, modern, sweet notes like that one by Patricia de Nicolai. However, Paddock really does evoke the brief and it's nice to see Nagel have a new project with such a high concept brief which is very close to the core of Hermes, equestrian stuff & leather goods. So apparently this is available in selected Hermes boutiques again (unfortunately not the one I went to the other day) and I would definitely say this is the most notable release from the brand in some time and very much worth seeking out. It' really nice to see not just the same old hat, tropes being wheeled out because Paddock was certainly unlike anything I've smelled before, despite my comparison above I actually like and can wear Paddock unlike the Nicolai.

I purchased a 1ml decant because I wanted to see what the hype was about. If you are an equestrian, I can see how this would appeal to you, especially since Hermes makes very expensive saddles and other gear. I personally enjoy it as a interesting part of my fragrance collection but its not something that I would seek out by any means. The packaging and the design of the bottle are appealing, and the notes in the fragrance are interesting to me but there isn't anything terribly unique or ground breaking about the notes in the fragrance to me beyond being very true to the name - it is an excellently well composed fragrance to my nose, just not something that I get super excited about smelling. I get musky animalic horse hair, sweet carrot, alfalfa and the other green grass notes that horse feed and bedding give along with the slightest touch of barn yard indoles in the opening and middle notes. The dry down is subtle leathers and musty dried hay. Its a unique fragrance but not something that I'd personally wear on a daily basis - it evokes a place and a memory for me. The sillage is definitely close to the skin but a dear friend did report that it was an enjoyable smell several hours after applying a spray or two on my wrist and neck.