Chloé (Parfums Lagerfeld)

Review of original mid seventies Chloe edt, Parfums Lagerfeld. Vintage original Chloe opens as an innocent white floral bouquet only to evolve in a darker way. Aldehydes, narcissus, honeysuckle, tuberose, slightly peachy, powdery, green... It is a testament to the green florals, with emphasis on florals, of the 70's. Reminiscent of Anaïs Anaïs like many have mentioned, Chloe is decidedly more rich, buttery and narcotic. Tuberose, which is the main player just can't hide, and even though there's a canopy of white flowers, the coconut lends an even more butter rich texture to the already heavy tuberose. The peach doesn't smell like peach; it feels like peach fuzz on alabaster skin. Puberty, hormones raging, sexual desires awakening. Chloe captures the moment of transition from girl to woman in the most innocent way, but at the same time it makes a woman feel more desirable thanks to its raging beauty. Despite its apparent innocence, a tender floral, the wildness of its rich flowers appealed to all women alike. Like tuberose, which starts pristine and virginal, and as the night approaches it becomes a vixen, deadly, narcotic. It is a lush rich floral, which allows you to see what you are ready to see. It captures the image I have of the 70's, and along the way, it seems to show a tender sexual awakening. No wonder it was embraced by many filling the air with its scent. I never experienced Chloe before, but as a lover of tuberose, I found an incredibly well executed rendition, that is rich, elegant, full of force and ready to take over. The emancipation of a flower. As always, no gender label for me. I wear it, I let it take over, and I dream of a time when everything felt possible. Ideal in spring/summer, where the heat makes it come completely alive on skin. Heavy sillage and very good longevity. Side note: from what I've found, the very original release came in pure parfum, the gorgeous bottle with its Cala Lilly stopper, a silver travel atomizer of Parfum, edt splash in clear bottle, edt spray in frosted glass bottle and accompanying body care. Many mention an edp which I believe was released somewhere in the 80's to rival with the powerhouses of the decade. By then it was already Parfums Chloe so I suspect there was already a tweak in the formula.

Sensual, carnal, radiant, womanly, ultra feminine and creamier than most. Old-fashioned? Probably. Out-dated? No! It’s timeless and one of the most well-blended perfumes ever and almost completely seamless. Rumour has it around 180 different notes went into this one and in my humble opinion, there hasn’t been anything quite like it ever since. Smooth, rounded and buttery, Chloe is the ultimate comfort scent. I smell jasmine, honeysuckle, ylang and coconut, but most of all tuberose. It is also one of the most complimented perfumes I’d had the pleasure of wearing and by men and women alike. Even the bottle is the epitome of heavy, rounded smoothness. A memento to an era and even more to the legacy of Karl Lagerfeld and everything he stood for. My own mother wore it in the late 70’ties and early 80’ties and I continued to do so myself way into the 00’s, where other scents grabbed my attention. The original Chloe is pure nostalgia to me. I fell madly in love for the first time wearing this. It was also the first perfume I fell in love with, having only worn cheaper drugstore perfumes and a few classics like Anais Anais before. At the time, Chloe was a rather expensive perfume, but that changed when Coty took over. I own the newer version as well and it’s still lovely, but doesn’t share the same smooth, almost velvety feel and texture of the original from Lagerfeld. Knowing what went missing is difficult, considering the amount of molecules that made up the original, but the newer version lacks the softness and creamyness and is far more soapy in the laundry detergent kind of way. If you have the chance smell them side by side and you’ll experience the difference. Nowadays, I don’t reach for it very often, but it will always hold a special place in my heart and be that beautiful scent that made me be interested in perfumes in the first place. When I do wear it, is it in the extrait version for that ultimate feeling of comforting, sensual warmth.

Dear Fragrantica Editors, If you insist on having two separate pages for Chloé, please make sure to get it right. The perfume on the other page, from Parfums Chloé, is from 1983, when Karl Lagerfeld's contract with Chloé ended, and they simply dropped his name from the label (but actually did not change the fragrance at all at that point.) Although you allude to the switch in the text, you still list the date of the original launch, 1975. Also, all the ads on the other page, with the beautiful frosted glass calla lily stopper clearly show the original Chloé of Parfums Lagerfeld, so they belong on this page. (The flacon and delicate peach and white packaging, btw, were designed by Joe Messina and won the FiFi in 1976.) More to my point, however, is that they are (or were) the same fragrance and never had any sort of reformulation or re-launch when Karl Lagerfeld left Chloé for Chanel, and don't really need to have separate listings, but since it has been reformulated several times since then, you probably felt having another page was necessary. But to be clear, both "versions" of Chloe that come before any serious reformulations or IFF modernizations (which would have happened in the mid to late 90s, and I'm not familiar with them) would be considered vintage and smell, for all intents and purposes, identical. All that said, it's quite confusing when you don't make the correct distinction between the original and its predecessor, and you conflate all the pertinent information. And as it stands, you make the original seem like an afterthought, which is my main beef. Would it be possible to merge the two pages, or at least correct the information? Thanks for your time and attention to this inconsequential but somehow very irritating matter, lol. With love, Evangeline p.s. If this would be more effective or get the appropriate attention elsewhere, I'll count on my kind fellow Fragranticans to direct me there. xo

Simply breath-taking! Chloé and Karl Lagerfeld have really outdone themselves with this fragrance. It's very vintage smelling and yet modern at the same time. Quite timeless, really. It's really sad that it's been discontinued :( Chloé Eau de Toilette by Parfums Lagerfeld is a very unique and earthy smelling white and yellow floral perfume that brims with jubilation from the subtle fizz of the aldehydes and the juicy and sweet slight fruitiness from the peach. I can then smell individually the sweet honeysuckle, the powdery hyacinth, the yellow and joyful narcissus and ylang ylang, a touch of spicy carnation, the indolic jasmine and especially the creamy and carnal tuberose in the heart of this fragrance. The narcissus and the tuberose are definitely the strongest notes in this for me though. This then all gets buoyed up by the soft smell of sandalwood, a slight resinous quality from the amber, an earthiness from the oakmoss, a soft powderiness from the musk and a slight tropical creaminess from the coconut. This perfume is pure womanly elegance and I think that it could be worn anytime both day and night in almost any season, barring the summer where it might get too much. I also think that it could be worn almost anywhere except maybe the office, since this is quite a strong and bold fragrance that some might not appreciate. I got quite a big sillage of around 6 feet from this perfume and it lasted an amazing 11 hours on my skin... this stuff just lasts and lasts! Sure a bottle of this on Ebay is quite pricy, but it's so worth it with how little you need to use of it during the day and how unique it smells. Altogether I'd give this fragrance an 8.5/10... simply beautiful and resinous white and yellow floral perfume that makes me think of spring and the softly and sweetly feminine clothes Karl Lagerfeld used to make for Chloé!

I have no words for this stunningly beautiful perfume other than to say I have been nuzzled several times whilst wearing it and told I smell like candy floss. I’ll end there because this is a family show but needless to say it is VERY seductive, I think that is possibly caused by that monumental tuberose note. Chloe by Lagerfeld is a floral perfume without somehow smelling floral and therein lies the genius of Betty Busse. It’s modern without smelling dated. I’ve had my bottle since I think about 1987 and it hasn’t lost its charm. If anything it has aged gracefully. I’m so pleased it hasn’t turned or gone off. I still have about 40ml left and use it on date nights or special occasions only. It’s a love witch’s potion. Quite sad to hear the younger noses amongst us are calling it old lady because they will never feel its allure. Such a shame it was discontinued, but I’m heartened to hear from @EauDeLa that Tuberosa 1974 smells similar. Coincidentally, 1974 is the year I was born so it’s perfect!

To me this parfum mini is SUUUPER vintage-smelling (this is fine.) Not 70s/80s though--straight back to White Shoulders, 1945. I've seen this in gift sets with Elizabeth Taylor Diamonds and Rubies, Elizabeth Taylor Passion, Chloé Narcisse, and Evyan White Shoulders parfums so I'm not too surprised. I'm sure that's where mine came from, it has a hexagonal bottle with a spherical peach cap, the type that came in those sets. I find the Chloé more wearable--the ylang, honeysuckle, and coconut add sweetness. The parfum is extremely potent, one drop is all you need, so if you want to try this, a tiny and affordable parfum mini will probably satiate your curiosity. This will never be a "love" for me--I find tuberose difficult. But this is nice! I'm glad to have the Lagerfeld version in my collection. (the VINTAGE vintage!) The modern Chloé lacks any distinctive character and is completely sexless. The vintage has sensuality and depth, and still says "moneyed young adult."

One of the most beautiful multi-faceted floral fragrances from the 1970's, lush Top and Heart notes centred around lashings of Tuberose, Lily, Hyacinth, Orange flower, Rose, Jasmine & Ylang. My memories are of the Parfum, a dark plummy amber juice of monumental proportions similar in structure to Balenciaga's 'Quadrille' sans spice notes. (In my opinion) Strong base of Moss, Amber and White musks with the still beating heart of Tuberose. Stunning sillage followed by a seamless drydown of great integrity with a terminal half life of 6-8 hours + in this concentration. The Oakmoss absolute used in the original formulation was of exceptional quality. they just don't make em like this anymore, sounds like a common theme with most re-forms? I do have the newer version of the eau de toilette and it's not too bad, just passable, I am surprised, at least it's still being produced! A Classic to be sure .............

Today is the first real sub-zero day where I live. Perfect conditions for Lagerfeld Chloe. I have had this back up bottle since around 1987 or there abouts. Talk about glorious, even all these years later. I went to Costa for coffee with my husband earlier and got more questions and compliments about what I was wearing which is always lovely to hear when you're wearing an old gal like Chloe. It's fantastic that people still find her so captivating, which of course she is. Hard to come by these days but if you can find a vintage bottle get it. You will not be disappointed, but even if you are or find that she's not for you, you'll find no problems trying to resell her. Much thanks and very big gratz to Betty Busse. What a legend.

This used to be my signature scent starting 1989 when I first started using it. The sad part is that we had no way of knowing it would change , or i would have stocked up! This is old school and perfection! Sure, there are many beautiful fragrances out there, but for me, there’s been nothing to close my eyes and time travel in my mind- I would be so happy to find something that smells just like the OG Chloé! Never was the floral type woman, I was more prone to wear Azzarro , lol - but Chloé was the one exception! Reformulated, it never was quite as beautiful again- imo, they ruined something that was perfect the way it had been for so very long already. Not sure if it was due to legalities, but what a shame!

I found my mini bottle at my favorite secondhand store yesterday afternoon, along with mini bottles of Capricci and L’Air du Temps. This was another scent I hazily remember seeing on my grandmother’s dresser as a young girl. The nostalgia and the fact that I’m nearly out of my Chloè EDT made me buy all three. Today, I have the chance to compare the two side by side: unsurprisingly, they aren’t too different on my skin. This Chloè starts out more animalic than the other one, in a way that reminds me of Halston Classic or 273 Rodeo Drive. It also turns powdery pretty quickly compared to the other one. All in all, I love it! I will be keeping an eye out for it every time I go back to that store 😄

I used to wear this scent on a daily basis when I was 19-20yo. I remember going to the perfume counter, smelling it, and thinking “this smells old, vintage, matronly. And yet I absolutely adore it.” It’s a floral heavy perfume that has a lot of warmth to it. I also find it powdery. It does sort of smell like an “old lady” perfume but there is so much charm to it. I find that it made me nostalgic for memories I don’t think I actually had. I always say “I don’t like florals, especially white florals.” But in reality I love tuberose. This scent manages to be warm, powdery, floral, and just ever so slightly spicy. I love it to this day and will probably make this my signature old lady scent!

Of all my disco queen frags (Halston, Montana Parfum de Peau, Ysatis & Paris) this is my swoon partner. The floral burst was heady enough to counteract all those amyl nitrates blasting above the disco floor. I have scooped the oldies all up again and am reliving the days of being on tour with disco bands. All I need now is an Opium which I never wore as my bestie rocked that and we couldn't bomb the stage with Oriental so I wore Paris.

💗 I absolutely love this fragrance for how it makes me feel. Chloe has many of my favourites notes, which makes it a truly beautiful perfume. I always wear it just for me. I've recieved many compliments and people love to know its name...which I always share. Chloe is a great combination of scent, quality, price and personally is an absolute joy to wear. Thank you so much Karl 💗 🕊 😘💕

I was thrilled to have picked up a full 30 ml bottle of pre bar code Chloe by KL at an auction last weekend for the very cheeky price of $20. I have the current Chloe which is really Chloe manqué but evokes a sense of the original, my new vintage acquisition is so much more, it’s enveloping and syrupy, buttery and mossy. A delight to behold and enjoy, sigh...

This was my signature fragrance when it came out and I wore it on my wedding day. It is far better than the reformulated version, which is a bit harsher when first sprayed on. Largerfeld's Chloe is softer and longer lasting. I was able to track down several factory sealed Lagerfeld Chloe on ebay and I stocked up on it so, I'm good for quite awhile now.

This was the more beautiful version, compared to the oval bottle , which is still sold. I don’t know if it is possible to find this one anymore. But I owned it in my young adulthood, and loved it, being the romantic christmas gift from my husband... sweet memories.

Indoles off the charts. I love this. A floral skank, green and yet plush, permeates the entire wear time. You'll have a hard time finding anything this good in the modern era, unless you go niche/indie. A true delight.

Beautiful, feminine, elegant, delicate, wearable, discreet: all you need of a daytime fragrance to embellish your bright Autumn mornings and afternoons. Not to be found in Uruguay. I miss it.

Perfection... rich and soapy, suited for a princess. Like soaking in a beautiful tub and washing with expensive smelling hotel soap.

This ofc, was the forerunner to the actual Chloe edp, as launched in the 90's - & to me, it's a very, verge of eighties perfume (1975 or not - 74/75, green fumes were more the thing, I've learned,) - but this has the huge sillage, the complex nature, heavy floral/tuberose dominant eighties style - the notes in it are v evocative of those times - & I say this, bc in the v early nineties when I was small, those perfumes were still being worn as signature scents by ladies in their mid thirties, so I know them well - by 94-ish when the 'new' Chloe edp was launched, this was meant to be 'out of fashion' but those ladies didn't let this one go easily - & you can see why - it's v distinct, has a certain character, & isn't anything 'common' - there's a classiness to it - & it's v French - Lagerfield himself wasn't, (he was in fact German,l - but he dealt in French chic, almost forever, & was such a character - he wouldn't hv 'made' perfumes for wallflowers, & this is not. Warm, womanly, romantic, definitely floral, but that warmth infuses from a benzoin spiked, oakmossy base - a complex base - much imitated in current niche perfumes - so if you really are a perfumista - this would be a 'must-test.' This was/is something very definite - you wouldn't mistake this for anything other than what it is. Interestingly, some ppl born in the 90's - they love Chloe edp - but turn their nose up at this - probably the oakmoss,/ylang & aldehyde- not to mention the stronger tuberose - yet Chloe edp was just a diluted version, with less oakmoss, & coconut/ylang - at launch, (I think it was '94-ish, that launch,) & I remember, a few ladies who my mother knew, (coffee shop friends of hers,) they adored this original version - & were not at all impressed at the 'overly diluted' nature of the ahem, 'modernised' '90's version - which also omitted much of the 'dated' aldehydes that abound in this (those can be more noticeable, depending on whether they show up more on your skin or not - the ylang too) - & if your skin amps up the ylang, the perfume can smell more 'old fashioned' to you, or to other ppl - depends on your taste - but I don't think this is unwearable, as something more ylang/aldehyde forward like, (shudder,) Ysatis - which I thought smelled dated, & just awful, as a child. Like all of these 'proper perfumes' though - it's only to be sprayed once or twice, & with a light hand - otherwise it would be stifling - but that is the way to wear it - you don't just spray away with abandon - these were only ever to be worn with 1 or 2 sprays & lightly at that - maybe even a true 'spray into the air & walk through' perfume. You know, the perfume companies must be laughing - that they can put out 100ml of literally water, that contains just a few drops of the actual perfume, (bc otherwise most ppl would dismiss it as "too strong,") - but doing this for the same ppl to spray the v diluted fume - ouf, ten times, & espc on their clothes - & in their hair, bc it 'doesn't last on skin but 'does last on fabric' - & ofc it doesn't - bc it is literally water (in my best Chandler Bing voice ' Oh. My Gosh..' ) Am starting to be surprised the perfume companies are getting away with it - maybe something will change again soon. In their eau de toilette form - as this definitely is - some classic perfumes may hv been, less strong than the then edps - but they still lasted impressively - after 4-5 hours the mids were still there - as you will see, in this - ppl refreshed, only for the top notes - & washed this off bed applying again after their evening bath or shower - this was/is no weak edt. The industry are definitely the winners with the v dilute versions- & some ppl love to buy the 125ml bottles of certain perfumes, to be refreshed every 2/3 hrs - but with this - a 50ml or even 30ml version will be just fine - & even if you wore it as signature, instead of an occasional evening fume, as is more likely, it would/will definitely last a long, long time. This, too - if sprayed on your clothes, would last until it was dry cleaned off them - even then it might linger. It used to be extremely expensive; but then as said 50ml would last all year, even if you wore it as a signature scent, (as many of the ladies of my childhood did) - & they would hunt this down, right through up to '98/'99 - bc the 'new' Chloe edp, (this was an edit though!) had nothing like the sillage or longevity this had - & had much less complexity - it was 'pared back' to be sure - which I preferred - it waa fresher, & cleaner, still 'warm' but more streamlined than this, (less '80's - & like most children of the 90's, I was not into anything that was oh so eighties, as this was - not a fan of the types of perfumes that the mid thirties ladies preferred) - & I think for Chloe, & their edp, they caught that pared back vibe, & repackaged it - in the more streamlined bottle with it's girlish ribbon, making it a huge hit, (even more so than before,) with the younger crowd, who wanted nothing to do with those eighties fumes - yet it wasn't that different to this, sprayed lightly - ppl certainly confuse the two - in the sillage. Even at my tender age then though, I thought the dilution & lasting power of my new samples were a bit cheeky - bc I had occasionally had this sprayed onto myself, by the coffee shop ladies, in the bathroom, when I was with my mother on a Saturday lunchtime - they would chat, & refresh their 'toilette' - the air would be thick with this, & YSL Paris, even C Klein Obsession - this was definitely one of those icons - & ofc, ppl smoked in public then - these were meant to cover up, & cut through, much of that, which lingered on everything. (Not sure it worked, I hate cigarette smoke,) - but certainly 1/2 sprays of this would be applied straight after lunch that had been followed by a cigarette - on the ladies who shopped on a Saturday - it was a signature scent that wasn't exactly 'common' but was worn by a fair few - almost as much as the others I mentioned. I always liked to collect samples from various department stores - & had a few of this - & of the new Chloe - & the new Chloe edp were a bit suspect comparatively, price to wear time was much worse - but exactly what those ladies would think of the current reformulation now - & the v diluted fumes that are being released now, is anybody's guess - those with the need to 'spray on fabric' to make it last more than an hour - which make the 90's Chloe edp they complained about look like a huge beast-mode thing - the coffee shop ladies would be appalled I think. The industry are definitely winning though - it is the customer who has lost out - but as well as these 'designer' types being considered weak - ppl are opting for more expensive 'niche' perfumes, to circumvent those issues - & plenty of them imitate this, in some way- either full on - or in it's rather definite base notes. This, if you can find it at a decent price, works beautifully, as an evening perfume, & is certainly 'niche' in its performance level - & wear it you can - if it suits your skin, these, French perfumes, are dependent on skin chemistry, & smell slightly different, on different ppl - unlike the even more bombastic Calvin Klein Obsession & Giorgio Beverly Hills - which 'wear' you, & were designed to smell the same on everybody. For me, my skin amps up the peach in this, & I cannot bear peach in any perfume - love this - & the 'modernised Chloe edp, even more - on others, but I hv never been able to wear them myself, though I hv purchased them on & off. The 'modern' version has no coconut as this does - but interestingly, I purchased, Jennifer Lopez 'Enduring Glow' for some reason - which I hadn't realised was a Chloe dupe - that is a slightly 'beachier version' with much less peach - & I have worn that a few times (it's one of the few celebrity perfumes I don't mind,) - & to me that has 'more' of this - than the Chloe edp, that is almost more of a diluted dupe of this even than Chloe edp is - & I'm pretty sure, Jennifer, who is about 12 years older than myself, was probably familiar with this, as it was likely sprayed on her female relatives, perhaps even her teenage self - & ofc, her original Glow, was a copy of China Rain, so it wouldn't be that much of a leap. I think, in this, the creamy base, & it's defiant oakmoss is something that has to suit your skin too - a few modern niche fumes I've tested, hv much of a similar base to this - so it doesn't actually smell nearly as dated as some ppl might assume - the top notes don't disappear entirely, I don't think, all the way through, it isn't linear - it changes noticeably, but not hugely - it is something that is so resolutely KL Chloe - you couldn't mistake this fume for anything else - & if you spray it on your clothes it's likely to stain - & it's not a good idea, bc it sticks for so long, that your coat would hv a 'stale perfume' smell, after a while - it would still smell like KL Chloe but slightly stale, so best not. If you like this - & it suits your skin- despite it's warmth, the strong peach & it's resolute tuberose + coconut, there is a definite 'fresh' appeal, in some way still - it's a v impressive composition, well thought out & certainly complex enough, that freshness inspite of the warmth is no easy feat, & is something many modern fumes fail to achieve - often enough - but that is when this is not 'stuck' to your coat sleeve, (beware of that happening,) - in the end, ppl either love it or hate it - most ppl the former, if lightly sprayed. It has some soapiness - but nothing overwhelmingly so. In the sillage, applied lightly, ofc it reminds of the modern Chloe edp - bc that was the real offspring of this - & is obviously so. Price to wear ratio is great - you need to spray so little, & the bottle itself lasts well - whatever was put into it, was v good quality - & goodness knows it wasn't cheap, ever. Some of the bottles on Ebay are hideously expensive, but as said, this has been copied by niche houses, & sevl I've tested quite recently out of sixty something niche samples, a few definitely had a creamy, slightly woodsy + oakmoss base that was so similar to this - even if the top & mids were different - so there's no reason to worry that it smells dated - one M Micallef perfume has a huge similarity to this - the warm, peachy, white florals, oakmoss & coconut in it was unmistakably KL Chloe - it's a classic with magic formulation that is still copied, & if you are a perfume collector it would be remiss not to at least test it, especially if you hv never knowingly smelled it. I don't agree that it's 'indicative' of those 70's fumes though - this is the early 80's bottled - so it must hv been ahead of it's time, every lady I know, who wore this back then describes it as so - certainly in the UK, it didn't become a huge thing until the mid 80's, I'm told - a few were surprised it was actually 1975 - but Lagerfeld was always determined to go where Yves Saint Laurent did not - in fashion & in perfumes - so maybe that's the difference. Something that should be tried, at least once, & another classic to tick off the list - if that's your jam.