Imprévu Coty 1968 Parfum de Toilette

A lesser known selection from the oeuvre of the great perfumer Bernard Chant, Imprevu displays his penchant for highlighting the emotive qualities in the dry and otherwise seemingly stoic materials in the perfumer's palette. He had much success with then Cabochard with its "take no prisoners" feel (a nod to mentor Germaine Cellier's own iconic Bandit). With Imprevu ("unexpected" in French), Chant turns up the citrus, floral and grassy levels, with a notable presence of vetiver to accompany the massive moss and raw, rooty sharpness of quinolines, albeit their ferocity somewhat contained. A honey glaze and rosy sweetness are also worth mentioning here, so this is by no means a completely acrid and brutalist experience.

We would see this same template once more in Chant's creation the year following, Aramis, this time with the aromatics as the core, then once more with Azuree, with the florals of Imprevu and the aromatics of Aramis resulting in what could be called the paragon of these variations of the Chant theme (by way of Cellier's evident inspiration). However, Imprevu, since it ended production long ago, is sort of the forgotten chapter, not to mention it was released by Coty, whose lustre was a bit tarnished by the mid 60s. So, it isn't spoken with quite the same adulation, but it certainly worthy of a bit more than a footnote in the history of perfume.

Can a perfume be both at the same time? On one hand, quite compact in its variety of notes and on the other, bright and "light" in its projection?
This Coty fragrance from the older school manages this quite well. The floating aldehydes, which frame a "green violet" and warm citrus notes, along with the bright, slightly sharp green of galbanum, elevate the entire scent to a lively, exalted level.
A bright jasmine and fine ylang-ylang give a hint of floral sweetness. Alongside, there are a few fruity-spicy roses and as a "background hum," a touch of clove.
Later, it becomes quite lush in a slightly grassy-woody manner. It turns rather herbaceous now with quite a bit of vetiver and probably some patchouli. Finally, dark vanilla and amberwood join in, adding much depth to the fragrance without really making it "heavier." The beautiful olfactory experience remains centered and conveys this to the wearer. Neither too firm a "grounding" nor too great "flights of fancy" make "Imprévu" a very pleasant and interesting scent impression. A chypre of the "golden mean."