Ho Hang Balenciaga 1971 Eau de Toilette

Most of the time, I hardly shed a tear for discontinued perfumes. Many are merely short-term products for the mass market, quickly composed, quickly marketed, and quickly forgotten. Others belong to the overly praised, expensive niche fragrances and luxury lines from well-known manufacturers, which are not really worth their price. I predict a similarly short lifespan for this one, as its market must constantly be fueled by olfactory replenishment, which can only happen if a scent from the previous year (or years) is pushed out of the perfume shelves. Of course, there are exceptions, for example, when fragrances are heavily reformulated due to allergenic ingredients or completely removed from the market, even though they had and still have a right to exist.

Ho Hang is one of those exceptions. When I first purchased and used the fragrance, it was (seemingly) an impulse buy. A small, unassuming perfumery in my relatively large city had it in stock. I had previously seen it in a duty-free advertisement on the plane, and I liked the simple design of the bottle and the originality of the packaging. The saleswoman in this perfumery, who is also the owner and still stands behind the sales counters despite being of retirement age, has long attained cult status in my city. It is said that she can accurately name a customer's fragrance preferences based on their appearance and a brief sales conversation, providing targeted advice accordingly. I’ll leave it open whether that always happens legitimately, but one is certainly well advised there. And so, many years ago, I purchased my first bottle of Balenciaga Ho Hang. The citrusy opening perfectly blends with the strong woody notes and the soft base. Somehow, everything is connected, as if it were made for each other. The sillage is pleasant, not intrusive, and the longevity for a rather lighter fragrance is very good.

Since that memorable day in the little perfumery, I have felt that I cannot be without this scent. Although I wear it rather rarely, it is there, relatively far back in my closet, so I can always pull it out and apply it when needed.

One can imagine how horrified I was when I eventually realized that the fragrance was a discontinued model. It appeared less and less frequently in stores, and eventually also online or in the offerings of the relevant auction website. The prices also began to rise.

Now I have pushed my last bottle even further back in the closet. It is darker there (perhaps, yes hopefully also cooler), and I cannot access it as often. So it will probably last a very, very long time. I push the terrible end out of my mind...