Eau Arpege

(Comparison of vintage Arpege extrait of the Lanvin Perfumes era, and Arpege Eau de Lanvin, both prior to 1990) This was going to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in all of my years of perfume collecting and writing. I can sum it up in one sentence if this is an undertaking you wish to do yourself: good luck picking out most of the notes in either one of these. Arpege is a true floral amalgam, the kind that No. 5 only wishes it could be (yes, I know those are fighting words). So, I’m not going to bother with my usual way of going about this, and we’ll look at the forest not the trees. The first thing to note is that the extrait plays around with the fruit and florals a lot more than the eau. The eau pushes the honeysuckle and muguet very far forward, which in tandem with a big clove note gives a honeyed animalic type feeling - also likely thanks to some base materials already playing upwards. Strangely, and rather opposite to what happens with these concentrations, the extrait is brighter than the eau. Richer, sure, obviously, but the eau has dimmer light thanks to more spices and more emphasis on the darker and durable materials in the base. The extrait is compelled to hold on to the brighter fruit and brighter florals for as long as possible, and it does so for a long time before the fruit departs first. The heart of the extrait still keeps the lights on, seeming to focus more on rose, ylang-ylang, and mimosa rather than spices, and keeps the base materials firmly underneath and well covered. It’s no surprise that the eau reaches the base before the extrait, the former going a more convincing chypre direction while the extrait commands a more amberic lean. The eau is classically mossy, and given sparing doses of sandalwood and spices to help it along. The extrait is very sandalwood, vetiver, and spices forward with a touch of leather. Thanks to the slightly green vetiver, the extrait still feels brighter with the eau feeling like a forest walk at dusk. There is a lot more to Arpege than what I have described, but the primary thing to note is the extrait is more amber, the eau is more chypre, the extrait has a sunnier disposition while the eau prefers to play with shadows. Arpege is quite grand and statement making; many will not find it easy to wear, but that’s not because it is loud, ostentatious, or challenging, far from either of those things, it’s because it has one of those profiles or personalities that is so intricate, beautiful, and unique that it will capture the full attention of whatever room it walks into. Whatever the concentration, know that you will get a perfectly seamless composition of exquisite materials that will defy any attempts to break it apart or pigeon-hole it. There you go, folks. That’s the best that I can do, which doesn’t do Arpege justice. It is a perfume to be experienced in its entirety and reveled-in from moment to moment, not a perfume for study or reductive commentary as above - though it certainly tempts study in every perfume nerd that comes across its path. In any and all forms Arpege is a legend, a maverick of modern perfumery, and one of the best ever made.

Unreal, the sillage of this vintage stunner! Around four or five years ago, a sweet friend gave me her late mom's half-full splash bottle of Eau Arpège. I'm not sure how old it is--likely from the 70s or 80s, I think--but the sandalwood is real, and the drydown just about makes me cry. It's such a terrible cliché to say they don't make 'em like they used to, but usually clichés are around because they're true. You can still buy Arpège in the unexpectedly elegant black bottle with the drawing of Jeanne Lanvin and her beloved daughter, but it won't smell like this because the sandalwood won't be Mysore (or even real sandalwood necessarily). Moreover, for some strange reason, most people in this benighted age eschew aldehydes. I think it's why sales of Chanel's flagship perfume, No. 5, are ever more anemic. The tl;dr of it is that people want to smell like gooey desserts, not like a fine old saddle or triple-milled French rose-jasmine soap in a cedar-lined drawer. Eau Arpège smells like the stuff Frank Sinatra must have been singing about smelling in "It Was a Very Good Year," the unnamed perfume in the fetching heiress's hair. My friend's mom was a working woman who lived in rural Missouri, but I have seen photos of her, and she had exquisite taste, sort of coastal-boho. Her daughter adored her, even though she didn't keep this perfume. I'm guessing she thought her mom would want someone who treasures it to have it, and if that's the case, she chose wisely. I keep this in the coldest darkest part of my scent locker, and it remains pristine. I have given some of it away to esteemed friends, but it's rare to find anyone who truly appreciates a vintage floral aldehyde of this caliber.

Shes lovey, heady white flowers almost overripe, cedar-chest. slightly soapy and wafting and powdery. Very beautiful perfume I am grateful to have gotten my mitts on.

Eau Arpege is a much more toned down scaled-down light eau de toilette version of Arpege. That being said, it's very pretty. It has the DNA of Arpege but cut down to size. At the first spray, you pick up on the aldehydes and the warmth of honeysuckle and peach, with wisps of white flowers i.e. jasmine and lily of the valley. A touch of ylang-ylang and a dash of rose. Because it's so light it does not last long and the dry down comes sooner than the EDP and before long you pick up on light amber mixed up with musk. It's refreshing, sweet, soft, powdery, unisex, great for putting on after a shower when you are nice and clean, ready to go out on your day or evening. This can be worn at any time day or night and any season of the year. You don't get the full body and beauty of the Arpege EDP but you get a nice clean little body spray. To bring out the fragrance, you may want to wear it with A veil of Arpege (body wash or skin lotion) or the Arpege Fluff body cream in foam version. Then you can really amplify the Eau Arpege. Eau Arpege is also exactly like Eau Delicieuse. If you love all things Arpege, this is definitely for you.

This is honestly incredible. An unobtrusive vintage scent, surprisingly wearable. It floats and flutters from the wearer like an expensive soap. There are tons of these for cheap on online marketplaces and the one I purchased was perfect. It is the “..a Mist..” version and damn, they don’t make atomizers like that anymore. I was shocked at how fine a mist it releases—very luxe! It’s risky buying vintages, even when they’re still sealed, since you have no idea how they might have been stored. I purchased a boxed Dune from the 90s still wrapped in cellophane and the top notes were rancid... heartbreaking. Anyway, Arpege EDP is beautiful but can come across dated and announces itself very boldly. This eau de Arpege is a great compromise for when you want to enjoy a classic but don’t want to offend anyone around you.