Cardin

Today, I saw a brutalist building in Wellesley, MA that I have long admired, with its exposed concrete painted over in white. It seemed like such a disgrace in its attempt to appear more modern and inviting. I felt a pang of sadness that yet another aesthetic casualty was witnessed. It felt like a metaphor, much in the way that old videotape that hours of programming contained would be taped over and over, whole records of 20th century culture erased for newness and progress. We can apply this to the melancholy many of us fragrance enthusiasts might feel when pondering all the perfumes that sit languishing after decades have passed; trends change, and the past is ever rendered irrelevant by youth. The only glimmer of hope comes from some renaissance in an obscure corner of the newer generation, a rediscovery and veneration. In the meantime, even when there is so much rehashing of previous motifs, new is "in" more than it ever has seemed to be in the past. Cardin de Cardin is also what comes to mind when regarding these time passages. To most, this would thoroughly read as "of it's time," their noses wrinkling with disdain. Its beauty cannot be appreciated when laid against the contemporary. Those aldehydes intimidate; those spiced flowers are just too...spicy and floral; and the leathery labdanum, oakmoss and civet is, you know, "old lady" (in a whispered voice). It neither smells clean nor does it smell sweet. It feels so pleated and buttoned and rust-orange and beige. It's as offensive as a Boomer's opinions. Yet to me, someone who may have a gift or a curse, depending upon how you look at it, I smell such a time-honored beauty that is as sophisticated as a Bergman film, a Calder mobile, and yes, that "lowly" brutalist building. It's a musky nugget of elegance that, as long as there are passionate lovers of perfume, shall never be painted over in time's oblivion white.

I'm puzzled by the notes listed here, as they don't at all comport with my experiences of this perfume. I have worn this since it came out in the 1970s, and it was always a soft, beautiful, floral scent, somewhat jasmine-y, and not really a chypre, and certainly no sharp edges. I'm wondering if the description here belongs to a later perfume from Pierre Cardin. Here is the fragrance profile provided by the H & R Fragrance Guide: Top notes: Green note, raspberry, bergamot, aldehyde (fruity, aldehydic and flowery) Middle notes: JASMINE, ROSE, carnation, ylang-ylang, orris, honey, lily (floral, sweet) Base notes: Sandalwood, musk, oakmoss, amber, civet (powdery, sensual) I have no idea where Fragrantica get its weird description, but definitely don't try this looking for cedar, caraway, or cloves--just not there.

I have the EdT vapo - spray and it's lovely. I read the notes and I'm a bit skeptical though. I can detect the aldehydes and the floral notes and yes, I see how the labdanum affects the whole composition although I would like it to be the main note. But civet? If there is an animalic note in the entire perfume world that I'm crazy for, this is civet and sadly I cannot smell it in this perfume. On the other hand I admit that this juice is well made and can please easily the green floral chypre lovers. I agree with the reviewers who find it similar to Ivoire (especially for the drydown) but I would also add that it bears a resemblance to original Nina, Nina Ricci which launched 11 years later. Anyway it's a great chypre, creamy, rich and definitely romantic which is the reason I don't wear it at work.

Yeah this one is lovely. It is a rich floriental to me. Floral and spice notes interplay, giving it the carnation aspect. But it is also smoky and animalish too. Drying down now into a soft powder, but not overly sweet. this may not be so widely known, but as others have noted, it speaks of quality and old world perfumes.

I found a teeny, tiny bottle of Cardin de Pierre Cardin at a local thrift shop. Mint condition and absolutely, perfectly lovely - for $Aus.2.00!! Very sophisticated - a woman-of-the-world, femme fatale perfume; smokey and sexy!! (What you might expect someone like Anita Pallenberg to wear.)

I think this is liquid gold, tears of an angel... Lovely, strong and so natural in the middle, i write for the vintage formula, better than niche fragrances, try iy and enjoy this Masterpiece by Cardin... 10-10

very strong, it gives me power!

This is a review for vintage EDT. First i have smelled it from the lid and get a nice chypre wih moderatly sweet and a little bit creamy notes. Mmmm, seems to be really nice... Then i spray it onto myself. First impression: OMG, this is a pure soap! Really harsh and soapy smell that almost scared me off. Then it begins to develope after approx.10 minutes. Firstly it is still quite harsh with a lot of alhegydes and really strong vetyver note. Vetyver is quite dominanting here but it is softened by woody notes, which gives it a bit bitter side. I can ́t smell flowers, maybe a light hint of ylang-ylang, but no rose so far. It appears much later... Ah, yes! Then there is a labdanum! Really nice. At the end it becomes that nice scent that i have smelled from the lid but still quite strong on vetyver accord. Stunning! Sadly the staying power of EDT is quite poor, only a couple of hours on my skin, but much longer on my clothes and i canstill smell it on my hair the next day i wake up. Sillage/projection is also quite moderate. So sad, since the drydown is really my favorite part of this fragrance and i would like to smell it not only close to my skin but also on a longer distance. This is quite classic fragrance which is really nice and comforting. The longer it stays on your skin the better it becomes. But this is not a masculine scent, just a really strict chypre without nothing too extreme. Really keeping you calm, balanced and warm. Great for autumn and spring, also will be nice for winter. Now i am longing for pure parfum, i guess it will be even more better than the EDT bottle i have.

This was my scent in the seventies, I wore nothing else. (I wasn't as fickle then, perhaps?) I loved, loved, loved it. I haven't even found a reference to it until now, it is very memorable for me. When I read the notes, I see that I haven't strayed far in my tastes, I would love to find some again. UPDATE: I did find some for a reasonable price. $198.00 on eBay? Puh-lease! It didn't take me down memory lane as quickly as I thought it would, but it did come back to me as the same scent. Obviously, I have developed in my preferences, and it may have lost some of the complexity, though I don't really think so. I would not choose it today, but I am glad to have it, as it does still smell pleasant and it is fun to have a scent from my youth.

If C. were released now it would be labeled a men's fragrance. Free of sweet notes but rich in woods and spices, C. is an unusual women's scent, and it's very beautiful. Definitely worth a try! Average sillage and lasting power and work safe.

I have the vintage parfum and wow is it potent! It launches out a brash, heady florals with a piercing bright element. I'm not sure if that part is the citrus and aldehydes mix. At this point it's a loud dated scent but that being said, it doesn't come off a necessarily synthetic. There's a richness/quality to it that's difficult to convey. It begins to settle in about 20 minutes and that's when the transformation happens. Warmth via spice and amber, with maybe a touch of wood, temper the florals. It settles with a still slightly green (more like vetiver/fresh) very much chypre with the florals hovering just close enough to give a breath, while the darker elements (sandalwood/oakmoss/civet?) ground it. Overall it is a beautiful, classy but still mysterious vintage with a depth you're not likely to encounter from more recent formulations. It should be noted that on non-pulse points it retains more of a sweet floral (leaning towards rose), with the spice element still intact. Whereas on the pulse points, it really amps up the vetiver, oakmoss, cedar, and civet. It's a powerhouse for sure, not easily worn or in casual situations. A confident person could pull it off with ease in spring, fall, and winter. Those a bit more subtle, I would suggest early spring.

What do I actually smell here? brandy in oak(moss), amber-honeyed, spiced with santal and cloves. The sweet florality is so evident, but difficult to define. The ylang-ylang, rose, and jasmine musth have fully merged together into a seamless new olfactory species. The civet must be there, providing its sharp urgency, but it is blended in, as it should be. In truth, it is more difficult to pull out the notes in older scents such as this. Everything was more subtly done, and the ability to armchair-analyze parfum was actively discouraged. Marketing mystique and trade secrets declared it so. So do I like this Cardin? Yes, quite a lot actually, though as it with so many (now) strange scents, I only want to smell it in a reverie, not wear it out in the busy world where it would hardly be properly appreciated by anyone, including myself!

Absolutely gorgeous fragrance, see below.I have just received a vintage 30ml eau de toilette "vapo-spray" Its a different experience, lavishly spraying this on rather than dabbing from a tiny bottle. Its much more voluptuous and yes, sexy! I don't know where this scent has been all my life but I love,love,love it! I don't personally get citrus in the opening but sparkling aldehydic notes, jasmine, smokey spices,then expensive soapy lushness, ending up mossy and woody. It reminds me of other favourites, Balmain de Balmain, Ivoire, Estee Lauder Knowing , but is still very much of itself I have also acquired a Bain Moussant, in a lovely 190 ml Pale blue bottle, can't wait to immerse myself in this LUSH!!

Recently bought a sweet little coffret of 5 tiny vintage mini's which include an EDP of this fragrance.I am a chypre lover but was not familiar with this one.(bought the coffret for Cabochard and Ivoire de Balmain). Tried it properly today and I love it!! Have had it one for about 10 hours and its now soft,woody and musky on my skin. The opening is bright with aldehydes and a bit spicy then, on me, like expensive soap after about 10 minutes, then the jasmine and other floral notes come in but its never too sweet or cloying. Have been conscious of it all day, think the sillage is good. Will try to find a bigger bottle!

Lovely perfume, it is like the original Armani perfume at first. Then it smells floral array of fresh chypre which is high quality and represents class. It lingers over 12 hours on the skin. Then there is a romantic floral sweet has comforting aromatic smells that reminds me a little Armani Sensi to me. The fragrance is lovely on the skin. It is soft and subtle. I am glad I bought the edt. This perfume is a treasure for collectors. I give it a 9/10. I wish the last part of the fragrance was stronger on the skin.

Aldehyde heavy fragrances generally aren't my cup of tea, but I found a vintage Cardin parfum for a steal and bought it for my collection. The aldehyde note dominates, but underneath it is a spicy rose fragrance. Very potent, and long lasting. It really takes me back to the 70s. It's a very familiar fragrance, and I wonder if one of my mother's friends, or perhaps a teacher of mine wore it?

Another important thing is : Cardin was created and produced in times of honesty.It's made of highest quality components and bcs of this ,even the edt or pdt are extremly persistant and behave more like an extrait. Many parfums could only dream of such high quality. So , no need to spend the big money on extraits ,bcs any of the other concentrations will do !

Scored a great deal on a 4-oz vintage EDT (Jacqueline Cochran). Smoky, spicy, woody, bracingly bitter yet slightly sweet, comfortably unisex. Both the scent and the color of the juice actually remind me a bit of vintage Lagerfeld Classic for men. Great stuff!

This was the 1st perfume that I bought and loved when I was in highschool. I still love the same types of notes except for cloves. I think that it's a good and balanced perfume year round.

I get a vintage carnation French soap scent. It's clean smelling and pretty, but is definitely a floral oriental of it's time. Great for lovers of vintage scent

This darling is twin brother of Armani ,the classic. Simply gorgeous. Love , love ,love !

Is in some store nowadays ... or Duty Free???