Y

Bought myself my first bottle of "Y" in the current EDT this month. Classic Green/Floral/Chypre. Nose: Jean Amic, 1964. Y sails in on a cloud of nose-prickling aldehydes; whispers of dry nostalgic peach and gardenia follow. The peach actually takes my nose not into the mod-1960's, but rather into the 1930's, when that winsome note was often used in the head of fine perfumes. The gardenia adds a smooth floral roundness to the head, which is well-supplied with a bitter green galbanum. That Y is a chypre is evident from the first sniff; one never wonders whether it might morph into a fruity, woody, spicy or oriental. The base is a true chypre of the old-school, and surprisingly substantial, chunky for a women's number of Midcentury. If you've ever mixed together the building blocks of a chypre with your own essential oils--- bergamot, tonka, patchouly, oakmoss, civet, vetiver--- you know that the result is surprisingly chunky... thick and dark and earthy; something of that solid nature is kept present in Y, not merely intimated, as it is, say, in CRISTALLE or DIORELLA. Without elements such as cade and Russian birchtar (or isobutyl quinine), I cannot call Y a leather per se; no, it is a true chypre in every way. The heart seems to me strong in bulb-flowers: narcissus, hyacinth, jonquil, iris, tuberose, muguet, with only intimations of other "colored" flowers like rose. With the galbanum head, the flowers always retain an air of sharp, early-spring greenness, even into far drydown. Like many great old fragrances, Y does not have just a single "stamp" or idea that it projects; as others have stated here, it is a free-formed shapeshifter, revealing its components differently depending upon skin tone, warmth and weather; there was a time that this malleable, indefinable character was seen as the mark of a truly fine perfume. Refined, very "French", Y combines an airy, bitter-"haute chic" head with a surprisingly earthy/mossy base. Though I am using the modern EDT, nothing suggests that it has been "dumbed-down", "freshened" or made linear to please modern noses; the moss within is probably tree-moss instead of the IFRA-banned oakmoss, yet it sure smells like oakmoss to me. A subtle civet, here not in a foecal capacity, but rather imparting a wash of some classic ("old lady-ish" ?) indoles, imparting lushness to both floralcy and base. Grand and uber-stylish, Y is not a scent for cheerleaders and sorority sisters; it probably wears best on a woman over 35 who can rock its sophisticated swank. Were it not for its subtly frilly muguet hint, it could be easily worn by men, too. The sillage at first is aldehydic-bright, sharp and profuse, yet it quickly dies down into a rooty greenish-yellow stamp that will last many hours. Its closest perfume neighbor would be, not CRISTALLE, CREPE-DE-CHINE or DIORELLA, but rather 1947's BANDIT in its finer EDP quality; Y looks more to the past than it does to the 1960's future. I may be laughed at by saying that Y's floral heart reminds me of the vernal, green, bulb/rooty blend found in GREY FLANNEL. I picture blonde women wearing Y, somehow--- Grace Kelly or Ingrid Bergman. Y is highly recommended for the person who appreciates fine, classic French perfumery, and with an especial love for green notes.

I have a 3.5 ml bottle of the parfum. Not one of the ancient parfum bottles with the glass stops from the 60s, it's one of the more recent parfum bottles with the plastic stop. An artful showcase of texture distended across time. I think this has unlisted violet, otherwise I'm unsure how it imparts a watery top note. Some trick with the aldehydes? The lactonic peach certainly smooths it out. Refreshingly crisp hyacinth & white flowers at the heart of this otherwise edgeless, dewy, green chypre. The rose is subtle but it does a lot to keep Y smelling clean and smooth late into the drydown. The base has a bit of warmth, but is moreso earthy, muted, powdery. I'm impressed by the sophistication of this perfume. Imagine how hard it must be for perfumers to get galbanum, hyacinth, and oakmoss to play nicely. Y prevails at every stop along the journey. This is the vintage chypre for those who prefer green notes to fruits and florals. Undeniably one of the more prim, staid chypres, and nowhere near as popular as Rive Gauche, but it's well made and it smells fantastic. One of those perfectly chiseled pieces that belongs in a museum. It might be my favorite fume from this designer, and I've been consistently impressed with all of their older offerings. With how immaculate and ladylike it feels, I think it could make for a good bridal scent. Perfect for the warmer months, Margiela take note~ this is the authentic "Springtime in a Park" experience.

It seems as if I have found my perfumed Holy Grail:Gosh, what a achingly beautiful scent!!!I From a singular search for a scent my mother wore in the 1960's(one being Nostalgia by Monteil; practically impossible to find at a price I can afford) my journey has led to the discovery and realization that the chypre family of fragrances have become my passionate favorite, ousting the spicy orientals I have favored for years. I have become enamoured with the perfect creation that is Y, balanced, elegant and warm.On my skin the scent is a warm chypre that builds around a tender sweet rose that seems to mix beautifully with my chemistry, creating a earthy, woodsy yet soft and very gentle feminine veil. I would so much like to find Y in a eau de parfum, but I led to believe that it is not being manufactured any more. However, will continue to look. I was also curious if YSL is only selling Y under its spa collection series-and if it is the same fragrance.It would be horrible if they decided to discontinue it now that I have discovered it. They just can't seem to stop tampering with the greats. Y makes me realize that owning a vast array of fragrances that smell amazing is very nice but to focus on those to which I have an emotional connection is priceless.

Thank you Namida, for the generous decant! No bite, no sharpness for me here. Y is all about smooth thick flowers on a bed of slightly damp oakmoss. Never heavy. The scent of a spring forest at dusk where fairies live and play. There are no aldehydes for me here. At least not the aldehydes I smell in N°5. But there is a certain airyness to the perfume. A sense of light shining through the new, green spring foliage. So maybe that's what the aldehydes do, without being to prominent as a scent itself. The hiacynth is quite prominent on my skin, but never once does it turn plasticky, as this wonderful blue flower often does. The gentle yet heady scent of honeysuckle transports me to my childhood and the honeysuckle in my mother's garden that gave off its scent most strongly at dusk. There's a slight sweetness from the fruits, ripe and dripping. And then there's the wonderful bitter, foresty oakmoss. It binds the whole thing together without ever being austere or cold. No, in Y the oakmoss is light, airy, happy. Y is a perfume of pure joy. It represents spring and summer without ever being citrussy or overly green. It's a portrait of spring in pastel shades. Soft and slightly chilly, but never cold and always inviting.

My bottle was pushed behind 20 other bottles; I know that it's been at least 2 years since I wore it. I'm savoring the drydown, it's a tiny vintage extrait bottle. I wish I knew how old it is. Currently, the biggest presence is flowers- galbanum, hyacinth and rose. When I huff my wrists, I do smell oakmoss and civet. pushing their way through (it's been about 15 minutes since I dabbed it on). I'll update in another 20 minutes. Right now the patch and benzoin are stepping forward and mixing with the oakmoss and civet. The flowers are just a whisper at this moment. Candidly, I prefer the opening, but the beauty of the whole composition is exquisite. I'll update in the next 30 minutes. I hope that perhaps a few flowers will reemerge. In this final stage of drydown, the flowers are almost nonexistent to my nose. On second huff I get a hint of hyacinth; but it's clearly unfolded to an old-school classic chypre IMO. I'm fortunate to have a few classics in my stash.. Vtg Coty Chypre, Vtg Crepe de Chine and Grossmith Golden Chypre. If your tastes are similar to mine, try to find the Vintage Y extrait and savor this beauty. It will not disappoint.