Collection Heritage Chaldée

Another update I wanted to add on a perfume I have grown to know better over time, and since first trying it my appreciation has grown with familiarity. When I initially tried this, almost 3 years ago now, it was from a sample. I'd thought longevity wasn't very good, but actually, I have found that I was completely wrong in this regard - the difference between the amount you get from a sample compared to a full bottle doesn't always give a 100% accurate result. I ended up draining that first sample fairly quickly, and then a second, and by the time I was on my third sample I thought maybe I should go for the full bottle here! Chaldee, as with the other scents from the Heritage Collection, is not cheap, full retail price in the UK being £150/100ml. Thus it is fairly in line with the price tag of other high end/private collection or exclusives/niche offerings but still a bit of a budget buster. It doesn't crop up very often for much less to be honest, I guess a combination of relatively tight control over distribution and being less well known than some of the other brands offering scents in this price bracket (eg Chanel, Guerlain, Dior, Tom Ford etc) reduces the odds of scoring a bargain, however occasionally they do crop up, so if you're like me and lusting after a bottle it is a case of keeping an eye out; I eventually managed to pick up a bottle from the continent before the £ took a nosedive, so although not cheap it was less painful than it might have been! What I can tell you though is that although pricey, it was so worth it! I really didn't give enough credit for how beautiful this perfume actually is. As with so many fragrances my mild synaesthesia kicks in, adding another dimension to my enjoyment of a scent. So for me this smell of Chaldee is a light, pale golden colour, like rays of sunlight streaming through clear blue sky on a crisp late spring/early summer morning in these parts. I'm thinking maybe around May time, when you might still have an overnight frost before the day warms up. One of those simple pleasures in life, where if you are up and about early enough, even in the city, you can walk along a main road and see no other people or traffic, and revel in the fresh, sparkling clean feel of newness and potential. As though the new day was made entirely for you alone. The cool, crisp air, unseen birds singing in the budding trees, hidden from view by new leaf cover, brilliantly clear pale blue skies, and that strange delight that comes from seeing the city before the city is awake. Of course, with this comes the knowledge that this is a brief, transient beauty, that fleeting moment of tranquility and stillness when the new day balances precariously like a carriage on a roller-coaster, suspended momentarily on the apex of the track, where time slows for a heartbeat before plunging headlong into the chaos of the day. In mere minutes the road will be filled with traffic, people will be hurrying to catch their bus, and the day will be in full swing, but for this brief moment you have the day to yourself, and so you pause for a moment to watch the rays of sunshine dance sparkling over frosted ground. That is how Chaldee smells to me, that picture, that palette of colours. Beautiful. Since writing my first review, I have also had the pleasure of trying out the 1980s version of this scent, from the "Ma Collection" series. I don't know how that version compares to the original 1920s Huile de Chaldee, created as a tanning product, and later Chaldee perfume based upon the same scent, but I can see that this new version remains somewhat faithful to it's immediate predecessor. Both have that crisp, aldehydic feeling, and the freshness, underscored by clean florals (narcissus, jasmine, orange blossom, and the dewiness of a soft rose) and resins (opoponax and something slightly sweet). The older version I tried was a little battered and bruised by age and had that vintage feeling that is so hard to describe, and the two were by no means identical, but there was a clear link between one and the other, in my opinion, particularly in the soft aldehydes I'm convinced I could smell, althogh not mentioned in the notes list. I actually did experiment with mixing 1:1 the vintage and the modern versions of this scent, and the result sat somewhere right between the 2 versions, demonstrating their similarities. The current Chaldee is beautiful to wear. It wafts and circles around the person, moving with you. It leaves a delicate but definite gentle sillage trail, and surprises you with occasional wisps of beautiful scent that will bring a smile to your face. Contrary to my previous review, I would say this lasts about 6-7 hours for me, if sprayed onto skin and clothing. It projects roughly within arms length as far as I can tell. I highly recommend giving this one a go, because it is beautiful! TL:DR - I was wrong before, this actually lasts pretty well, it smells great, bit pricey but well worth it.

Ahh, Chaldee. The OG sun tan lotion perfume. For this review I am strictly talking about the Collection Heritage version. I have once smelled the original Jean Kerleo EdT on a blotter, but I do not own a bottle, a hole I hope to fill someday. I’ve worn Chaldee to pool parties several times, dousing myself in it as you can and should do, and I always get asked what is that amazing smelling suntan lotion I’m wearing lol. Chaldee is a lot more than that though. While most perfumes of this genre overdose you with sweet coconut as the focal point, plus fake florals and cloying tropical fruit, the genius of Jean Kerleo (vis-a-vis Thomas Fontaine with Collection Heritage), gave us facets of coconut without really knowing that he did: fleshy, sort of sweet, oily and fatty in a nutty way like macadamias, and a bit tropical floral. What’s most striking about Chaldee, that anyone familiar with Jean Patou will instantly notice, is that it is basically a more light-hearted version of Joy. I know this statement is going to cause a lot of consternation, but I’m going to go with it. The jasmine and rose heart of Chaldee is what was the entire purpose of Joy. No one has yet to do a jasmine and rose combination better than Jean Patou, and if Joy wasn’t enough to convince you (how dare you) then let Chaldee try. That’s not quite it though: part of the reason Chaldee is able to make the jasmine and rose combo more light-hearted is, if you pay attention very closely, occasionally you’ll get a wisp of what I believe is lilac, which, for such a small voice adds a lot to the overall effect. The orange blossom at the top, dry citrusy juicy and fresh, and the floral heart combined with a very light amber base summarily smell recognizably to us 21st century folks as a floral not-quite-coconut suntan lotion, but without any of the super sticky, sickly sweet, and harsh tones, which just puts a big smile on your face. Chaldee is a big boat-load of fun. Joy means to take you on a magic carpet ride of jasmine and rose, to thrill and mesmerize you. Chaldee just wants to be your friend and have a good time, and it achieves both while also being an incredibly easy-going companion. What’s not to love.

This is a really beautiful scent, I have not smelled the original version of this to compare, only the current release which is apparently "based upon" the earlier fragrance with very similar name - this is heritage collection Chaldee with an accent over the e (don't know how to do it on my keyboard!) Anyway, the perfume - this is the 4th I have tried from Jean Patou, the others being Sublime, current edp (which is sublime!)Joy, current edp (not for me)and 1000 current edp (love it, its sitting pretty near the top of my wish list)and Chaldee definitely has the "patou-nade"(?!), that base that goes under all the scents from this house I have smelled, making it smell rich, expensive, classy. This opens quite light then develops a pleasing highly feminine full bodied scent with rich resins and amber, with a very soft warm spice overlaid with a delicate fuzz of cool floral notes (not sure exactly what florals, it just smells like light fluffy florals!) The heart of this perfume is simply beautiful, I kept getting the most wonderful wafts of florals underscored with sweet resin as I moved around, and smelled up close the resins were more noticeable. But then...3 hours later it is all but gone, vanished with barely a trace left, a mere whisper of scent. Where'd it go?! It was so lovely and it just vanished. I feel this really needed some moss or musk to give it a little more depth and longevity. While it lasts it is beautiful and elegant but it is all heart and no bottom!! I think some oakmoss would smell divine in this and make it last, such a shame it goes so quick. So for the scent itself, while it lasts, beautiful, a good 8/10. Sillage was reasonable, this leaves a very delicate scent trail. But longevity, is virtually zero, maybe 2-3 hours, tops. Now if this only cost a tenner, I'd go for it, no doubt, and just keep topping up. But for this price no chance! I will enjoy my sample while it lasts but with such poor longevity it is a no buy despite the beautiful scent. TL:DR version - smells good, fades fast.

The original was arguably a MASTERPIECE, although I never had the pleasure of smelling such a vintage formula myself. I just read about it in various books and sites. Many reformulations are getting a lot of flack and criticism, but I think this one here we should give it some slack as it is a great performing scent. I bought it in a previous sale in a top London destination and it was a real bargain (we love those). The opening is real sharp and medicinal, even a bit unpleasant, if I am honest. It reminds me a lot of Penhaligon's now sadly discontinued "Ostara" in its opening. But there is something oddly pleasant in this medicinal opening, as I am being reminded of a countryside pharmacy; the old worldly kind, when everything was wrapped in brown paper and everyone knew you by your first name. Chaldeé is the oriental relative to the English botanic sibling (Ostara). The former has plenty of development from medicinal to floral-faecal to floral indolic (narcissus and jasmin) to floral-vanilla to resinous-ambery warm. There is an ever so slight undertone of that sandalwood accord reminiscent of 'Opium' by YSL. If this scent was a colour, it would be a yellow-to-amberglow brownish orange. An absolute delight to wear, even for a man, in late winter, early spring, when the daffodils break through the ice and end winter. It oozes an old-wordly aura of refinement, style, class, with a certain 'joie de vivre' seen in those movies with Fred Astaire, Doris Day and Marylin Monroe. It's like a vintage car from the 40ies. I adore this and if this reformulated version is already impressive enough, I am dying to know what the original must have been like. Verdict: Truly amazing and interesting. 9/10 only because I read about the original formula being a Masterpiece.

I have worn this for 3 hours and its utterly delicious. A grown-up fragrance with confidence and character. On first whiff I get a potent wash of bergamot, rose absolute (not the scent you get when smelling the rose itself) and something unusual which I think is the myrhh; a slightly bitter background for the softer florals. After a few minutes the orange blossom rises and the incense strengthens, while the bergamot and rose decrease in strength. In about 10 minutes Jasmine appears with heady flowers - lilac? hyacinth? - twined, while the myrhh and bergamot provide a character-filled depth to the florals. This is a rich, ambery perfume; aware, considered and with great depth. After 30 minutes a beautifully rich blossoming of Jasmine, orange blossom, lilac, rose absolute with vanilla and myrhh combine to delicious effect; I'm entranced, but busy for the next 2.5 hours, keenly aware of this lovely cloud emanating from my skin (none sprayed on my clothes). After 3 hours the perfume is easy to smell on my wrists and wonderfully mellow; dusky florals - jasmine, hyacinth, lilac, Jonquil perhaps - shot through and supported by vanilla and incense. I don't yet know how to detect Tonka Bean or Amber but if I were to give this perfume a colour it would be amber, although it verges into violet territory in the headiness of its florals. I love this and will wear it often. Today's haiku: perfume for grownups deep florals caught in amber infused with incense