Replique

Ultimate feminine fragrance. From the last breath of the dying era. The love for femininity is captured in a simple, nice bottle. It's an elixir of silk stockings, powder, and red lipstick clutching the cigarette of your husband. A warrior of your heart. It's simple food, a bottle of wine, red nails and drying lingerie. It's hair spray, hair rollers and sweat of him between your breasts, comploting new war. Giving new warrior. By joining wet soil and blood. It's love for a woman written in the fragrance. Every scent that doesn't contain some interesting carnal capture of the earth notes in the sense of earthly celebration of females is not feminine. Because of the earth. The water. The moonlight. The scream of birth. That is the celebration of a woman. The woman is the embodiment of nature. Lead by nature, loved by nature. Every good perfumer understands that. This is one of the last féminine Perfumes in history. Perfumes like this don't exist anymore. Since 1944 this masterpiece fights the darkness brought upon femininity. It's the shield of vestal virgins. Wonderfully provocative and opposite to today's light apologetic scents. It is opulent and sensual. The dry-down is also a bit dirty, which makes it even more special. Dirty in the sense that "I am your wife. Give me a son." Dirty in the Sparta wives way "My son, come home with a shield or on him." (This means the son is not allowed to lose his shield or should be brought back on the shield as heroes are brought standing on the shields. This means the son can't choose death.) "Replique (1944) was Raphael's first scent. In 15 years, he was to create just over a dozen (14 at my last count), most of which were sold only to European markets. Only his most popular, Replique and Plaisir (the latter a lighter version of the former) made it to the USA. The Raphael factory burned to the ground in 1959, taking with it almost all the formulas. Luckily, Replique and Plaisir (in pure parfum and edt versions) proliferate on eBay, so they are easily enjoyed. [Note that the current re-formulation of Replique bears no resemblance to the original, but is a thoroughly enjoyable scent on its own (Rose de Mai and French wildflowers.] Replique is one of my five favourite scents of all time. It shares with Coty's L'Aimant that indefinable lift and nuttiness that makes these two rather unique in my perfume journey. Replique is a lovely nutty, complex, floral chypre. If you love L'Aimant, you'll no doubt equally love Replique."(JackTwist) Sillage is big, and longevity is insane (20 hours and going strong, what with all the fixatives in the base). Initial drydown retains a good dose of all the ingredients in the top and heart, for a couple of hours. Long-term drydown is Powder over Ambergris. I already wrote my poem to L'Aimant. Review I mean. It's here on Fragnatica if you are interested. But let's talk more about this perfumery art. Top Notes Bergamot, Sicilian Lemon, Cardamom, Neroli, Coriander, Clary Sage, Aldehydes. It opens with that hairspray vintage aldehydes. Saturated with beautiful notes of Sicilian Bergamot, Sicilian Lemon, Neroli's finest notes, my eternal love Sage and spices Cardamom and the freshness od coriander. This itself is my dream soap. Unbelievable opening. I just adore it. Also, it stays till the fragrance lasts on your body. Acting with your skin and body warmth. Heart Notes Ylang Ylang, Lily of the Valley, Egyptian Jasmine, Mimosa, Tuberose, Heliotrope, Coumarin, Rose Go ahead. Imagine all these flowers together tightened by capricious masculine jasmine and Coumarin...Telling to pretending Mimosa "I am a powerful woman but I need a masculine hand to calm me down. To love me. To tight me." Simply the Top Notes with sense. Fitting to the nature of females. Blended to perfection. Spiced while entering Base notes safety. Base Notes Oakmoss, Olibanum, Powdery Notes, Musk, Ambergris, Vetiver, Patchouli. Leatherand Civet. One word. Earth. Connection of the female to earth. To animalism. Replique was housed in various bottles over the years including a lovely crystal flacon created for the parfum (extrait) that resembled a square crystal inkwell complete with a ground glass stopper. The stopper was in the shape of a stylized tulip with an R in the centre cut intaglio for Raphael. The stopper was originally a three-pointed tulip and changed to a two-pointed tulip shape in 1965. If your stopper has a plastic-covered dowel (called plaster), it dates to the mid-1960s and after. The bottles were made by Pochet et du Courval in France. Réplique. Means the answer. YES. This majestic fragrance is the answer to the world of destruction. Femininity.

Raphael Replique vintage parfum My best friend recently had a birthday party with a vintage burlesque theme. It was a black tie event, and everyone dressed the part. I wore a fitted lace fishtail dress by Mandalay that reminded me of the original Barbie from the 1960s. I received so many compliments that night, but the best one was when someone told me that I looked exactly like Rita Hayworth in her iconic pin up photo wearing a black lace dress. He even dug out his iPhone to show me a picture of what he meant. I caught my breath because the resemblance was uncanny. Ever since that day, she’s been one of my idols. She was a lifelong dancer, as I am, so I loved her immediately and since I already look like her, and dress like her, I also wanted to smell like her. I learned that one of her favorite fragrances was Raphael Replique, so naturally, I had to have it, curious to know what “The Love Goddess” smelled like. On a backpacking journey to the rainforests of Costa Rica, I was fortunate to have met a biology professor from the University on vacation with his children. I told him that it was my deepest desire to see a black panther in the rain forest. He laughed, but indulged me. That night, he took us hiking through the rainforest in search of my black panther. I cannot describe the feeling of being in one of the most beautiful rainforests on earth, in the dark of night, surrounded by the thick dense greenery teeming with animal life looking for one of the most dangerous animals on the planet. Raphael has bottled this scene for me. This fragrance is a deep resinous sexy green. The top floral notes in my vintage perfume have probably faded, but what remains is this musky base created by the olibanum, musk, oakmoss, and ambergris, all softened by a well blended heliotrope, mimosa, and jasmine heart with the tiniest touch of clary sage and powder. This is probably the sexiest scent I own. I found my black panther. One blog described it as a cross between vintage Tabu and Bal a Versailles, but that’s not quite the whole story. It’s even deeper, greener, and muskier on me. I would say it’s more of a mix between vintage Tabu, a touch of Piguet Bandit, and a drop of Bal a Versailles with a sharp opening of Irish Spring soap (which I love). All I know is that I feel incredibly sexy and dangerous in this, like a black panther circling her prey ready to pounce. This must have suited the Love Goddess perfectly. With this on, I have a bit of Rita’s swagger in my walk now, and I have my vintage Replique to thank for that.

I have just applied a generous amount of the vintage parfum/extrait to my forearm and the emanating fumes are so strong that my nasal hairs will never be the same lol, I detect lemony aldehydes, clary sage, jasmine, loads of oakmoss, sandalwood, aniseed? and natural ambergris along with a healthy dollop of civet and nitro musks thrown in for good measure, the jus I have used came from a early sixties 3 pronged stoppered 4 fluid ounce flacon, in fact when it arrived the stopper was still sealed and it took me a couple of days to carefully extract it from the bottle neck as it had glued itself tightly inside, I have been collecting vintage fragrance for many years and have several Raphael *Replique* flacons in my collection this being the largest and rarest so I've been told, the bottle is housed and sits in it's own coffret of cream board & satin, truly a sight to behold, many other sealed and full bottles are squirreled away for those inevitable rainy days. This perfume is definitely of it's time, I too note a similarity to Rigauds *Un Air Embaume* as well as Coty's *Emeraude*, it's starting to settle now quite nicely, becoming slightly more floral with a hint of heliotrope plus lashings of patchouli & vetyver and maybe some iso-quinilone, oddly enough I do not detect any rose, jasmin Yes but no rose? this is so very complex, the notes detected are so few as I can only imagine the true extent of it's formula, both unique and most intriguing... To be totally honest I would not be game to wear this out in public, I'm just not that brave tho it's great to wear this from time to time in remembrance of how this grand chypre fragrance was so skillfully authored so many years ago, a total & absolute blast from the past. two thumbs up and a very respectful nod to the legend & memory of Rita Hayworth... & Bette Davis UPDATE: I have been wearing this for 6 hours now and it is utterly divine, gorgeous muted florals of an alien nature/concentration? think datura or rare orchids, perhaps due to the age of the juice, all bolstered by grey ambre, vetyver, oakmoss & musk, softer but still powering away nicely, will decant a small quantity into atomiser for future ease of use, so very different to the initial opening... MMMMMMMMNice, VERY NICE!!!

I have a very tiny bottle, unsure of concentration, with the original "gothic"-style lettering. Unique for a bodily fragrance. Not very warm or sensual, but still intriguing and beautifully refined. On today's terms I find it to be quite unisex, but in a very classic way. Despite having no leather notes, it smells like the perfume of a fine leather satchel, purse, or new car interior. But more like leather grown cold from the air-conditioning. The powdery undertones evoked Rouge by Dita Von Teese at first, but applying it was far from Rouge. It's herbal, soapy, and clear, with a distant, bracing menthol-esque quality in the background - thank the beautiful spice cardamom and clary sage. But don't worry - it fades soon and smells nothing like Bengay muscle rub. Then, weaving in and out is something clean, that briefly smells like... a mixture of lemon oil, Irish Spring and an Axe 3 in 1 soap (this Axe soap specifically). I mostly appreciate that this doesn't rely on any smoky or incense notes - I think adding those would have made this less lovely. Altogether, it doesn't smell like much of a person's fragrance, but rather a place. A breezy, ritzy hotel lobby, with an ornate fountain as its attraction. The smell of fountain water hitting the stone tiles, mixed with leather chairs and a porcelain bowl of lemons. This could be the scent of its little soaps and shampoos. Surely, if some name or niche brand bottled this as a unisex fragrance, it would be hailed as trendy. But this is a snippet of 1944, and apparently a favorite of Rita Hayworth? Very unique for its time, and I guess that's why there is only one Replique. Adding an extra note: drydown is everything. I was pleasantly surprised to see how it became an unexpected skin scent, and perfect for daytime. A wonderful, elegant, sophisticated, and green soap quality, that isn't feminine in the traditional sense. This scent is capable of time-travel. When you'd think it's too old-fashioned for today, the more it proves you wrong.

A small addendum given I was able to secure the Irma Shorell EDP interpretation (bold red box) of this mournfully undersung beauty. To start, it was as if I could sense the remnants of a Réplique skeleton when sprayed in the air - that familiar lemony, musky oakmoss. And I used an original EDT as my control. However, the comparison really ends there. On the skin, instead of evolving into the balmy, lemon-earth soap of the original, IS hearkens straight to a drier, less floral Chantilly. As it continues to wear, it sadly doesn't go into the characteristic depth of Réplique. A brief flash of lemon, then direct to the nose with aldehydes. Yes, the soapy quality is there, but not at the level of the EDT or parfum. Not as clear, warm, and sweet; nearly screechy but never crosses that line. None of the herbal qualities were retained. The drydown is oddly similar to that of Dana's Chantilly too, whatever that can be described as (synthetic oakmoss?). The continuous aldehydes almost seem to steer it a là No. 5, but again, with far less depth. For those who are able to procure the true parfum, there really is no comparison to it. Breezy yet warm, sophisticated yet hard-headed, calculating yet mysterious. Antiheroine to both gaudy glam and tortured fatale. IS unfortunately wasn't able to recapture Réplique's real spirit, now forever trapped in the past. But I can only admire the dedication they had to trying, with what limited resources there were, in preserving its history. I will forever be fascinated and stolen by the story of Réplique...

I was gifted a 1/4 parfum in the 1965 bottle style (2 pointed tulip stopper). It is about two-thirds full of dark juice. Initial application is very much a blast of aldehydes and some citrus - possibly the Sicilian lemon. Definitely a woody fragrance, though very well balanced with spices. The initial dry down to me is all oakmoss and sage, and later, clove comes through (which is not listed in the notes here) and a powdery musk. Replique goes through several stages on my skin, a real chameleon. My first thought was that it was a chypre, but I was quickly dispelled of that notion when all the woods took over. Then it took on an incensy-oriental feel, but there was ambergris hanging around to give it a more animalic presence. I absolutely love this fragrance. It has been on since 8 am and is still going strong at 2:30 in the afternoon and tapering off into a gentle, spicy soap scent. Sillage is moderate, but the lasting power is incredible. This is such a delight, I went ahead and purchased a '70s vintage EDT from ebay so I don't use up all my parfum. They sure don't make 'em like they used to, eh? Edit: quick update - still performing as a powdery, smokey skinscent at 9 pm. An absolute love.

Recently I have been searching for Replique for a good friend who used it as her signature scent. In sampling the product I ask myself why I ever stopped wearing it. In my experience there is no other fragrance quite like it. I can't wear Chanel No 5 EDT at all and see absolutely no similarities thereto. However as another poster mentioned there is something remenicent of Cabochard in Replique. I have both extrait and EDT of Replique. It's my opinion that the EDT has retained it's notes better than the extrait. I have sampled several bottles of both. There is something so incredibly compelling and mysterious about this fragrance. I keep finding myself trying to sniff out the source of this aroma. The smell is wonderful, refreshing and very engaging. For anyone who wants to try a vintage fragrance, this is a good one. There is lots of it around for very reasonable prices. For the most part, even partially used bottles have held their notes well. This scent, even the EDT has great longevity and quite a healthy sillage. Remember this is a fragrance that was around before deodorants. If you adopt this as your fragrance, you surely will be a trendsetter!

It should be classified in the fougere-chypre category. Starting from aldehyde-bergamot, centered on coumarin, waxy ylang-ylang-jasmine envelops the base of civet, musk and patchouli to form the first scent cluster, followed by clove, coriander, The oriental spice coating of cardamom and cinnamon sticks on, the fougere element jumps out, sage is added to it, and the oakmoss blends with vetiver, frankincense, and enhanced ambergris to make the powder of heliotrope evenly Scattered, plus my nose detects strong sandalwood, leather (isoquinoline). It is fragrant and spicy, but very mild and warm. The tone is yellowish, old and dull, especially the feeling of years of precipitation, and the dusty powder has a texture of oakmoss green. If aldehydes represent N°5, the combination of civet and spice is the epitome of Bal a Versailles. Replique also extracted the genes of famous classics such as Charlie (Revlon), Miss Dior (Dior), and Tabu (Dana). It is not difficult to imagine how much influence it had on Youth-Dew (Estée Lauder) more than a decade later. Replique is almost a small version of Youth-Dew.

This was my grandmothers favorite perfume do I bought it for myself - the half ounce beautiful perfume bottle. I noticed strong resinous, woody and earthy scents that morphed into a beautiful, slightly green and sexy thing. Whoa! Grandma had some knowledge that made sense! Let’s just say this first hit me as a true vintage oak moss perfume, and I thought it would be an old-fashioned fragrance that I would only pull out occasionally, but it is a classic sensual beauty that I did not expect to love, but I do. I wear this frequently just for me. This lasted on me for over 12 hours into the next day. 24 hours later I was still enjoying wafts of it. One must try this and give it time to develop. It’s a love for me. It’s just so comforting and the dry down is amazing.

Review is based on test of original Parfum. Replique can proudly stand next to many other classic vintage scents...like...Coty Chypre,Caron Nuit de Noel,and even...Guerlain Parure....ect....This is an underrated gem,IMO. I would like to also try the EDT spray version someday. Replique ,to my nose, is not a big aldehyde bomb..the aldehyde-y part is well blended and not"strong". This scent goes thru a developement on the skin...evolves. Yes, the dry down does go to the soapy/powderiness phase....think "luxury soap"..But the way this is blended..it works. EDIT: I recently received the EDT (the same bottle shown above). I am enjoying the EDT very much...however the Parfum is just more stunning, IMO.

This perfume was a great reminder for me that I have to give these older bottles more than once chance to show me their stuff. First go around, this was disgusting old aldehydes. Putrid White Rain hairspray. And that’s it. I was furious, because I overpaid. But I just tried it again before listing it on eBay — I wanted to make sure it wasn’t turned — and OMG!! The clary sage is there, and gloriously. The Sicilian lemon and the saltiness of the ambergris are STUNNING together. And, of course, the scrumptious oakmoss/vetiver. You couldn’t pry it away from me now. Relatives are vintage Yves Saint Laurent Pour Homme and Antilope by Weil.

im still so in love with this. Pretty sure my bottle is at least 40 years old. I imagine it may have lost a lot of the vibrancy of the top notes but its so perfect just like that. It may have come from a French house but the scent and presentation draw me into the dark heart of a German black forest. Thanks Raphael i want to watch the brothers grimm now @.@ Btw is this one still in any sort of production at all? i saw a bottle in a fragrance outlet and was in disbelief. I plan on going back for it

Like just a few other classic scents, Replique has always reminded me of the scent that wafted up from the inside of my mother's good handbag. . . soft leather, flecks of tobacco, an elegant powder compact, a tube of red lipstick, and the indescribable but instantly recognizable scent of glamour. In reality, Replique is a transparent floral chypre with elegant bone structure and impeccable manners. But in my memories, Replique will always be my mother after "a lovely evening out."

I've had 2 bottles of 30 ml of my dear, dear friend Marie from Panama here on Fragrantica ;) Thanks again marie! The bottles are probably from the 70's and are fantastic! This is heaven: beautifull oakmoss, aldehydes, heliotrope and ambergris...Powdery, woody and fresh. Such a beautiful perfume! Last on me for about 6 hours, projection is moderate.

One of my all time favorites! It’s giving high fashion Irish spring. It’s giving sexy bowl of pho. It’s giving perfect balance of clean and dirty. It’s giving pre-code Hollywood diva. It’s giving daring gentleman. And most importantly it feels meant for a BODY!

Abdrogynous fougere-chypre fun for the whole family. Most judicious use of ylang-ylang of all time. THEE oakmoss bomb (well... alongside Mitsouko).

I would LOVE to try this one. The oakmosss.....wow!!!

happened upon a vintage bottle of this i must say, i am well-pleased it is a classic, woodsy, warm expensive leather scent upon me... the bergamot, sicilian lemon, cardamom open perfectly upon my skin with a bare hint of sweetness and settle into a lovely rich sandlewoodsy italian suede that lasts a long time upon my skin unisex friendly - all i have shared this with like it it is a cozy autumnal scent that makes me want to wear a good sweater, and find a friend to join me sipping chocolate in front of the fire, sharing good conversation long into the night... (i was told jacques guerlain was the nose behind this)

i have an old mini bottle of this that is partially used or evaporated. it starts off very herbal and aldehydic, then i get a lot of citrus. it's bright and dry. after almost an hour it gets more powdery but still retains the herbal and oakmoss scent. green, citrus, woody, a bit powdery. lately, i've been really into trying as many vintages as i can get my hands on. this is a like for me, not a love, but still really lovely and a pleasure to try.

I was fortunate to get a half full bottle of a half ounce pure perfume in the beautiful bottle with the tulip stopper. When I first put it on it was an oak moss blast similar to Halston but within minutes settled into a nice woody, soft floral and balsamic powder similar to Bal a Versaille with a little Chanel 5 in the mix. A nice vintage scent that’s soothing and beautiful.

This is a wonderfully, powdery vintage full of oakmoss, citrus and some heliotrope in the background. It’s so fresh smelling and it stays like this for a couple of hours before it morphs into a fragrant French milled soap, but it is not soapy. Today I wore my vintage parfum in the 80 degree weather and it was just perfect. This is a very classy perfume.

Unfortunately this perfume seems like it smells vastly better in the bottle than on my skin. From the bottle I can smell the base which is deep and rooty, with some sort of fruity smell (not like modern fruity florals, but warmer and darker) and some spice. My skin is amplifying some aspect of it that is very soapy. It almost smells like Irish Spring on me and the lovely base isn't as detectable, except for the civet. I'd like to smell this on a sweaty man. Unfortunately it seems like my chemistry doesn't work well with it! Maybe when it dries down more it will be different. My bottle is a one oz very old extrait that was sealed before I opened it.

My review is for the original. (Notes in the pyramid seem to be missing civet in the base and cinnamon and/or clove.) It does smell dated in that oak moss/civet combo way. It is an oriental chypre due to the Eastern resins in the base and heavy use of oakmoss/patchouli (though it's light patchouli - think more Coca Cola and less Hippie Funk). The quality is verygood, but it's forgettable in today's modern landscapeand what is available. The whopping dose of heliotropin and mimosa gives me a headache. It's okay. Not great, but okay. The sparkle it has is the best part, but fades quickly and is slightly disjointed. If the floral heart didn't contain tuberose, it would be a more fluid design. It feels like a few of the notes compete heavily with one another, but that could be because of the age of my vial (late 50s-60s?). It's the fully glass bottle of EdP with the carved, tri-tip stopper. Overall, worth trying to experience it as the legend of perfume history it is. But sadly it cannot compete with other similar beauties with heavy resin bases. The patchouli and oakmoss are really quite excellent in this. Before IDEA regulations and modern synthetic chemicals neutered the notes.

First of all, this stuff has STAYING. POWER. I got it in the mail this afternoon, and, excited, sprayed a big ol' spray right into the crook of my elbow. Immediately I was assailed with a...I can't really describe it, but the closest I can come to it is industrial strength floor cleaner. I knew I should let it sit, but I panicked and ran around my house looking for something to wipe it off with, and in my haste, I grabbed a Clorox bleach wipe, hahahhaa! Even THAT did not take this off my elbow. And now, as I sit here, periodically sniffing my arm, do I realize that the reviews that say this smells like fancy french milled soap are absolutely SPOT on. This is a BIG. BIG. BIG perfume, omg. I can wear Bal A Versailles, which is a big perfume, like, to bed without being overwhelmed, but this baby is something else. It's out of this world! I really think I'll end up loving this, it's seems like it would be great for spring and summer. I can smell the lemon, right off. The people who said this smells waxy at the middle are totally right. It smells like green, waxy leaves. It's soapy, those are the aldehydes, and I can briefly get some other florals in there. But this is primarily soap right now. I can't wait to see what it dries down to, and am hoping for more of the woody notes, because right now this is a little too green for me, although I want it to work SO bad. We shall see. I do know this - this one ounce bottle is going to last me for the rest of my life because more than one spray of it will clear a room! With Easter coming up, I see this possibly morphing into a beautiful perfume with enough punch to take me through the last few cold weeks of winter and into the first warm days of spring! EDIT: I can't do this one, at all, unfortunately. If somebody wants to swap, I have a full 1oz bottle of it, please let me know!

My much more mature and beautiful best friend all through primary and high school was gifted a bottle of this by her racy city suitor when she was about 16. I was a year younger and one of those gangly horse loving country tomboy kids and a very late developer. But I had a nose on me even back then! I mean how decades later, did I even remember it and hunt it down! It sat like a little pellet of plutonium ignored on her dressing table (with a wild fluffy shag pile stool) and every time I stayed over at her parents' little farm cottage I was drawn to sniffing it like a moth to flame even though it was supposedly untouchable, a bit like I have heard happens in Japan...(by the way, guys, thanks for all that vintage Mitsouko!!) Anyway I remember it as being quite "sharp" compared to my Tabu! Yes, I know - us old ladies... However I've had my huge bottle of Parfum for some years now and am still surprised at how modern it smells. It opens with a glorious fresh bergamot lifted with another sweet citrus and a heart of heliotrope and maybe sandalwood (real). Also a sweet musk, not much oakmoss but maybe galbanum instead giving it a slight cypre vibe but to me it's sort of a soft oriental-woody-maybe chypre. It's more like Shalimar than Miss Dior. It's quite extraordinary really. I've dredged my wrists tonight in reverence to the stonkering Superstitious surely one of the most incredible things to land on we perfumistas since they banned oakmoss. Maybe I had stolen a smear of Replique when I pushed through the overgrown hydrangeas to get to the bush shower under the rainwater tanks after the all day ride to Judy's place and back....

Replique is one of those scents where the quality and character of the scent is closely tied to the vintage. Today, I am lucky enough to be wearing (what I believe to be an early 80s) splash EDT by Parfums Raphael, with little discoloration and oxidation. The bottle is hourglass shaped and the box has an abstracted French flag. The application opens with the a blast of vintage aldehydes, but once upon warm skin, it develops quickly. Replique is a heavy, classic chypre, weighted more with Lemon than Bergamot. In this way it reminds me of Adolfo II. The heart is primarily Lily and Jasmine, almost certainly an absolue. The heart is vegetal and waxy. Spices are perfectly balanced, because without them, the heart would be unbearably sweet, however they do not make a stand of their own. This is like an incredibly rich, honeyed dessert with spices and lemon rinds. Delectable! The base is primarily mossy and resinous, and for sure has authentic musk. Sillage is big, and longevity insane (20 hours and going strong, what with all the fixatives in the base). Initial drydown retains a good dose of all the ingredients in the top and heart, for a couple of hours. Long term drydown is Powder over Ambergris. Really intense stuff! The green, soapy character reminds me a bit of Aromatics Elixir.

Replique opens with a scent that I can only describe as "vintage chypre." Although the opening notes differ, it reminds me of Ma Griffe, or Faberge Flambeau. The opening is sharp--green and aldehydic. Almost harsh, but after a little while, it fades into a lovely, powdery floral that seems out of character with the opening. It honestly took me a few minutes to figure out where it was coming from (oh--me!). The floral phase of this reminds me of Youth Dew. I had a difficult time identifying any individual notes here, it's so well blended. I've heard this compared to Bandit, and at first, I thought the comparisons were crazy. Yes, it has a sharp green opening, but I don't smell any galbanum here, and that's about all I get from Bandit's opening. And then, the flowers? No. But in the drydown, I do see the resemblance. I smell a lot of oakmoss and musk in both. Replique smells much "cleaner" and a little greener to me, with occasional hints of flowers. Bandit, at this stage, is musk, oakmoss, and dirty leather. Replique's leather is cleaner, and laced with tobacco. This review is for the vintage EDT, although I am not sure how old my bottle is. It's a scent that some might find dated, but I like it. I think that if you enjoy vintage chypres, this one is worth trying.

I was incredibly fortunate to find a pristine bottle in a perfect, undamaged box for a very reasonable price; the bottle has the 3 spiked stopper which was discontinued in 1964 and replaced with the 2 spiked one ..... this means my bottle was made between 1944 and 1964. I wear the perfume every few weeks and am wearing it now. I am stunned that perfume this old can smell this exquisite. The bottle itself, the label and the box are all works of art and an absolute joy to handle - the fine workmanship of the box, which opens out to display the bottle on a little bed of white velvet, reminds me of the care that was once taken in the making of such things .... when perfume was made to be a luxury, a joy, a treat, a work of art ..... the perfume itself reminds me a little of Un Air Embaume by Rigaud, it has the gorgeous soft depths of all the old perfumes, it has the dense complexity, it unfolds quietly and nostalgically and you can tell that the very best of the best went into this, developed patiently and seriously by someone intent on creating something beautiful and meant to last. Thank you to the wonderful perfume aficionado who sold this treasure to me.

I now have about 50 ml of the "spray mist" in a bottle that looks like it was made in the 1950s. It is a tall glass cylinder that is transparent with a metal cap (not the bottle pictured above, as the glass is fluted and the cap is more of a gold tone, and where the glass ends toward the top there is red band with the name Replique on it). There is a paper label on the bottom saying it was made by Raphael (1.9 ounce size). Anyone know for sure when this style bottle was marketed? At first it has a dense and aldehydic quality but then I can barely smell anything (2 sprays). My sensitivity has been fairly low recently but I was surprised that it was almost non-existant! Perhaps a bit like vintage Cachet but I don't even want to make a firm statement on that comparison. My plan is to wait until my sensitivity is high and give it another chance.

(1950s Version) Replique reminds me of modern Quelques Fleurs by Houbigant, without the harsh notes that irritate my throat. I have a bottle of Replique that came out of a 1950s gift set. I don't normally like aldehydes, especially vintage ones, because I think something tends to "turn" in them with age, and they end up smelling off. However, to me, Replique smells like something right off the shelf in a modern department store. It has an "estee lauder" vibe to it. I've gotten many complimants while wearing this scent. To give you an idea of the lasting power of the original vintage Replique, I applied some this morning (about 6 dabs), at 8:00 AM, and at 11:00 PM, I'm still surrounded by a cloud of scent.

Up-front disclosure: I am selling off my (large) collection of perfumes in advance of leaving the U.S. permanently. Having said that, I am in two minds about Réplique. I like its classic style which reminds me of the (later) Cabochard and the fact that it is persistent without being aggressive. On the other hand it is definitely redolent of the forties and fifties and to me it seems a bit dated. Just to clarify, I am talking about the original and not the modern formulations. I have two cartons of the perfume in the original glass-stoppered bottles, mostly in 7.5 ml and a smaller number of 15 ml. I may even have some larger sizes. I would rate Réplique at 7 out of 10.

I just bought this blind from ebay and I am very disappointed. Not in the fragrance itself (which is lovely) but in the fact that, to me, it is so similar to Chanel No5 edc, that owning Replique seems utterly redundant. No, they are not identical; Replique has a certain sharpness that I don't find in the Chanel. And also I don't have much of a nose; perhaps someone more experienced and discerning than I would find them to be drastically different. (Also I have no idea how old my bottle is; it has the hourglass shape and looks old.) I am writing this review (my first) because I want to tell others something that I wish I had known prior to my purchase.

My review below was from a Spray-EDT (exactly like the main photo) but now I got a vintage EDT Splash in the hourglass-kind-of-shaped bottle with the beautiful vintage writing style (red label) that reminds me of vampires... lol... (I am an old goth after all). I did a dab on my hand. Lovely, and slightly different that my spray EDT. I get decadent woody-powder-aldehydes that combined give off a "maple syrup" type woodiness. Odd. I also get maple-syrup from Miss Dior, Chantilly, and other vintages. This is creamy and kinda sweet, but def vintage elegance! I love this, and plan on trying an extrait/parfum someday.

My mother wore this in the 50s and elegant as her later perfumes were - Joy and Amarige - nothing has ever entraced me like Replique. I bought a bottle of something new of the same name and burst out laughing at the audacity, it smells like soap. I actually took it around to several women at work and asked what the thought it smelled like and they all said soap! You should not be allowed to reuse and degenerate a great name, this is like like someone with no voice singing Ave Maria. This site says Mystere by Rochas is similar, I will give it a try.....

I don't know what the original version of this perfume smelled like, but this smells like wine and wood on me. I'm sure some people might like this, but it's not my cup of tea. Editing to say I've tried this one again tonight, and it's growing on me a little. I imagine this is what it would smell like if you had a picnic with wine at a lumber mill lol. The first spray goes on very strong of wine and wood, but after a while it settles into a nice warm woody scent. I think this could be a unisex scent. For the price I guess it's alright.

A fellow Fragrantican and vintage lover showed me this entry, and for $10 you can get a 1oz EDT on ebay. OLD FASHIONED. And I love it. There is no way around it, this is old fashioned. It doesn't smell like an old person... but it's def something you don't smell anymore. It's antiques in a gothic Victorian home. Vintage soap, dusty/musty musk/woods, lots of powder, a bit animal/citrus/spicy. More like vintage Chantilly than Shalimar. Powerful juice, but not overwhelming. Not as sweet as Chantilly or Shalimar.

The genuine Replique has not been manufactured for years, so what is available commercially is not the real thing at all. The only way I've found that I can get my hands on this is through eBay, and that's frustrating since it's hard to outbid someone. I've been searching for something like Replique for decades, and haven't found it. It like Youth Dew (the original stuff) but recently discovered that it has almost not notes in common with Replique. Any suggestions?

When I first purchased this I wanted to die after spraying it, but it's growing on me. The first hour is indistrial floor cleaner death but if you can power through, it becomes a soapy, green, clean smell but not lame clean like bath and body works, more like I'm a hot babe with a mansion in Beverly Hills who just stepped out of a 2000 dollar bath. It's fancy french soap and 1950s Capri pants with red lipstick and cat eye sunglasses and I fucking love it now.

Replique can be bought anywhere at most online perfumeries. I LOVE THIS SCENT VERY VERY MUCH!!! I have received many compliments when I ware this scent. It dries down to a very nice powdery scent. Its a crispy powdery scent unlike anything else so I cannot compare it to a scent that is like this. I like to give examples so if anyone who ever wanted to give this a try would have an idea but this one is a lone ranger on the planes of scents.............sorry.

I had a small bottle of Replique given to me by an elderly friend so I'm sure it was the original formulation. I remember it quite clearly, it was an unusual scent for sure. I didn't want to wear it on my skin....it just seemed wrong for me. But I did like to scent a tissue with it and stash it in my closet. It evoked imagery of Gothic European cathedrals .... Funny how scent can bring up such vivid images!

Bought this aeons ago and still have that teeny weeny little vintage bottle. Recently, though, during a house move, the stopper was chipped slightly. It's still such a pretty bottle... Edit. Oops! Neglected to mention the perfume!😂 An evening perfume. A winter perfume. A theatre perfume. An art gallery perfume. A tryst perfume. Has depth and longevity. But don’t overdo it. (The perfume, I mean.😉)

Starts aldehydes oakmoss, and settles aldehydes heliotrope soapy. After settling i keep on sniffing clary sage in a powdery blend with bits of ambergris. Coriander, olibanum, white musk, and neroli are there. Right after around 15 minutes in the settlement gets on clary sage powder at max softened with heliotrope. Nice but expected more as it is mostly soapy musk, or clean must to be specific.

Definitely smells of the 40s. It's one of those elegant, formal blends, complicated but well done. Glittery aldehydes, golden citrus and the classic smooth warm base keep it fresh without making it smell old so much as historic. It's just a bit like a visit to the past on me. I'm pretty sure I'm sampling the new blend. If it smells this nice, I'd love to try the original.

Ditto on the Big G Glamour. Ditto also on the Mom's good leather handbag smell. Replique is part of a group or perfumes that are grown up, classy and sophisticated. To me it is smoother and softer than Chanel No 5, richer than L'Aimant. For anyone partial to 1940's woody aldehydes, this one is on point. The drydown is really lovely.

I can't get no oakmoss, only a slight citric opening, quickly followed by these superpowdery, soapy aldehydes that stay in the dry-down and forever. A very old-fashioned feel. Mmmm, not my taste, I'll just keep the bottle for collection and try not to open it much for preservation. Rita's favourite maybe, but not mine...

A vintage standout in my opinion. It's oakmossy, herbaceous and ever so classy. I found myself reapplying Replique today, not because it had faded but because I wanted to smell the topnotes again. It does remind me a bit of Lentheric Tweed. Like an elegant woman from the 1940s who wears a smart hat and kid gloves.

I love reppique, it is vintage smelling, but in a good way! reminds me so much of the 70's, soft clouds of scent swirling around of beautiful flowers with a powdery bass. I have two 10 ounce bottle (full, one with box) is anyone interested

I have to concur that whoever bought it changed the forumla. It used to stay with you all day and was a very fresh scent. Later versions don't last and smell a bit cheap.

Aldehydic floriental chypre? Imagine No. 5 or Arpége crossed with Intimate with the moss and incense dialed up! This leans towards the oriental side on the drydown.

I should add that another lovely thing about it is that this was the first gift of perfume I ever received from a boyfriend! (-;