Notes: bergamot, mandarin, galbanum, ylang ylang, jasmine, Bulgarian rose, clove, oakmoss, tobacco, musk, iris, sandalwood, vetiver, leather, castoreum, patchouli, labdanum Cabochard was a fragrance created for Madame Grès, a renowned couturier, who after opening her fashion house in 1942 in Paris became famous for her fluid designs that draped the body like folds on the Greek statues. Bernard Chant was the perfumer responsible for Cabochard, and even though Madame Grès did not personally like it, she felt that Chant created a gem with Cabochard. Cabochard, probably the house's best known perfume, was created by nose Bernard Chant, and launched in 1959. The notes are bergamot, mandarin, aldehydes, galbanum, ylang ylang, jasmine, rose, clove buds, oakmoss, tobacco, musk, iris, sandalwood, vetiver, leather, castoreum, patchouli and labdanum.

Ok, enough daydreaming, now refocus and get on with the numbers part. Oh no, no fragrance will help... So this is my first conscious chypre, or at least chypre-like scent. Of alone I would not have approached him. Aldehydes, patchouli and sage make me already from reading headache. The fact that I feel drawn to perfumes of the 50s is unrelated to having been born into that era. Some of these fragrances feel like aromatic wish fulfillment and/or projection: despite the tyranny of long-line brassières and girdles (or possibly in light of their existence) there has always been a subtext of suppressed eroticism, the controlled sensuality of discipline akin to a warrior preparing for anticipated battle. Clearly defined 1950s gender roles makes this subversive quality all the more fascinating; today Cabochard de Gres reads as perfect for anyone who loves the impossibly dry elegance of a leathery tobacco-laden no-nonsense chypre. I don't really get it all apart at all. It is an interwoven fragrance reminiscent of old times. Slowly the scent settles into something suede-like and powdery-sweet at the same time. Reminds something of make up.OK, my comparison values are AE and Scherrer - both rather durability monsters as well as Sillage monsters ...). I am not especially fond of leather in fragrance, but Cabochard is very soft and smooth once it calms. As Guy Robert explains: Jaye: Have worn Cabochard (mostly vintage EDT or 50th Anniversary EDT) every day for years, ever since I found it oh-so-cheap in TJMaxx…. many years ago…to this day, stopped in grocery store aisles and asked what is that marvelous fragrance you’re wearing…..I am no perfumanista but I do know ” my nose”…..and what smells good “on me”, and apparently lovers, friends and total strangers agree…..OTOH….tried more than once, a sample of Chanel Cuir de Russie, so recommended to me by many because of my love of Cabochard…..OMG….it was a heavy, powdery floral on me that reminded me of being 8yo and my elderly, matronly aunts visiting and enveloping me in their heavy fur coats as they gave me a suffocating “hug”…..save me!…. To me, it smells very classic. Actually, I have no idea about classics, most of them I don't like, as I associate them with old ladies tippling (well strutting) across the Ku-Damm with your fiffi on your arm. It will probably never become my genre but this one is still quite pleasant. The longevity is good, the sillage perceptible, pleasant and not too intrusive. Towards the end, it falls apart a bit. What did others see in myself that I could not? Deep in my DNA, even in 1972 when I first discovered Cabochard, there existed a spirit which wouldn’t be subjugated, sublimated, vanquished: a warrior poised on the brink of never-ending skirmish. Gentle until no recourse remained but the dagger, willing to go to war for a noble cause, follow a leader worthy of the task. I don’t think I actually glimpsed that person until I had resumé photos taken in preparation for an audition with opera impresario Boris Goldovsky – and they frightened me. I avoided the camera. What I’d mistaken for ‘resting bitch face’ was pure resolve in the face of adversity and distrust of the lens’ scrutiny.

I find the fragrance round, gentle and very well cared for. After the many descriptions of the older editions I would have imagined him to be more "adventurous" or "unruly" - but I don't experience that at all: For me he is something for every occasion. Special and rather harsh than sweet, but not pushy; friendly and affectionate. The Eau de Toilette is sharper and more forceful than the parfum in its treatment of the leather notes. In the parfum, the vetiver and iris pairing truly shines, lending an alluring cool touch that provides a stunning counterpoint to the tobacco redolent darkness. A delicate floral touch is sustained against the foil of balsamic and earthy notes, creating an airy sensation that dispels the somber duskiness. The balance of light and shadows is an accomplishment makes Cabochard a particularly unique leather chypre. Mme. Alix Grès launched her design house, Grès, in Paris in 1942, and maintained control of her perfume line until the early 1980s. Parfums Grès has had a complicated ownership history since then. In 2002, it was sold by the Escada Group to Silvio Denz, and as far as I can figure out, his company still owns it. Just this fresh green start alone: Beautiful. Very green, very awake, not unsweet, a little bit herbaceous but nevertheless very well maintained. A bit like tall, ripe grass at the edge of the forest. Recently, I’ve tried an EDT sample of Molinard’s Habinita (recommended for the same reasons)…..yessss…..like it for it’s warm but spicy smell on my skin and it seems to have some lasting power…..bit heavier than my Cabochard….and it is winter…..right now, I think it a lovely warm, fall/winter scent and glad I found it.

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I am trying the Eau de Toilette, and the lasting power is excellent. By today's standards, this is very much a unisex fragrance. It is probably better suited to cold weather, though, and I am going to revisit this in the fall and see if it is something I would wear regularly. But then in the course of the evening the ice breaks. Both at the class reunion and at the approach to an old-fashioned scent I end up in the stage of "Do you still know...?" And "How was that then..." etc. etc. The somewhat awkward time of reuniting, possibly even of false memories, is over and one digs into the treasure trove of experienced treasures one would not want to miss.