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Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
01/04/2021
Elysium
815 Reviews
Elysium
Helpful Review
5
Just Little Bits of History Repeating
I am beginning to appreciate more and more perfumes directly marketed as feminine or perhaps mean femininity, which does not refer to masculinity. I had been looking for this jewel for a long time; I had heard it about a friend who had given it to me after having used it only once. She too "old aunt," she said. I like old school scents, decadent and opulent. And Cabochard is very intense, dark, ponderous, even in his current wording, and as mentioned in a few other comments, he could also be disrespectful and headache-provoking if overused. It doesn't feel like a typical feminine fragrance, although it is soft. It is essentially a smooth skin with flowers, very delicate but beautiful in its particular way.
Parfum Grès Cabochard is an example of how a chypre fragrance can play on the genre's austere and dry qualities. She doesn't lavish her favors lightly, hiding her delicate floral heart beneath the dark layers of smoked leather and green notes. The flat bottle with a ground glass bow (EDT, current version) is sharp and robust in treating the leather notes. The vetiver and iris pairing shines, lending a fresh and seductive touch that provides a stunning counterpoint to the smoky, scented darkness. A delicate floral touch is contrasted with balsamic and earthy notes, creating an airy feeling that dispels the somber gloom. The balance of light and shadow is a result that makes Cabochard an incredibly unique leather chypre. Many consider Cabochard to be a softer brother to Piguet's Bandit, who broke gender barriers in 1944, sporting his extravagant dosage of isobutyl quinoline, which adds undertones of powerful hard, green, rubbery, and leathery notes in powdery, leather compositions. And woody. It is widely used in male colonies where its vibrant and intense skin character can be used to great advantage. And Cabochard doesn't lack anything to be a manly fragrance!
In the beginning, the composition acquires a fresh citrus atmosphere, which amplifies the notes of mandarin. Translucent green notes unfold quickly, revealing a leather accord. Although the dark animal element is substantially reduced, the fragrance would appeal to green chypre lovers. Cabochard begins with citrus and deep green notes. The aldehydes scream, dusty and sparkling, and greet me in a very barber-like, uplifting, and masculine atmosphere. It is not a dark fragrance from the start, although the leather tinge is evident almost immediately. It's pretty skanky, pungent, and strong, with a strange mix of flowers and skin creating this tart yet strangely cute fragrance in your face. I'm getting some androgynous galbanum, and there's a hint of spiciness.
The floral notes are muted: when smelled from a distance, they are barely perceptible; up close, the jasmine is more evident but still seems to intertwine with the other flowers. I can certainly pick up the sweetness of the bright rose, which mixes with a lot of jasmine blossoms, the powder of the iris in a subdued form, and the languid, intoxicating and charming ylang-ylang that I feel immediately after the aldehyde explosion. The geranium leaf's right touch keeps the central part away from being too cloying or floral and gives Cabochard its classic flair.
It dries to an animalic powder with driftwood, moss, and a touch of smoke. This is rather tarry, like the bottom of a dirty ashtray. And it is as if the flowers are coming out of the tar, as if they are reaching out using the tar as a base like a potted plant. The tar is not dense; but instead, it is sharp and inexorable. Perhaps both castoreum and oakmoss are replaced here with modern synthetic molecules. However, the resulting earthy, animal, mossy, smoky, and most importantly, the leather base is fabulous. It stays very dry for the first hour, then begins to take on a hint of sweetness from the patchouli. I love the leather in the fragrance, and Cabochard is very soft and smooth once it calms down.
Cabochard smells like a worn-out biker jacket, cigarette tobacco dusted with flowers, rolled in moss, and dangling in sandalwood. Yes, Cabochard is for warriors. Wow, this rare gem took me by surprise. Cabochard is as masculine as a fragrance meant for a woman there, which means this is exceptionally unisex, and I intend to wear it a lot. For my taste, I recommend it during the late autumn, during the winter evenings and nights. Reformulated, again and again, it remains an unusual scent for a mainstream brand, so don't overlook it if you're looking for something different from what everyone is wearing right now. Although the reformulations may have made Cabochard more docile now, his complex transformation can still be glimpsed.
This review is based on a 100ml bottle (3.4 fl. Oz, batch code 9b17, 2019-02) that I have owned since March 2020.
-Elysium
Parfum Grès Cabochard is an example of how a chypre fragrance can play on the genre's austere and dry qualities. She doesn't lavish her favors lightly, hiding her delicate floral heart beneath the dark layers of smoked leather and green notes. The flat bottle with a ground glass bow (EDT, current version) is sharp and robust in treating the leather notes. The vetiver and iris pairing shines, lending a fresh and seductive touch that provides a stunning counterpoint to the smoky, scented darkness. A delicate floral touch is contrasted with balsamic and earthy notes, creating an airy feeling that dispels the somber gloom. The balance of light and shadow is a result that makes Cabochard an incredibly unique leather chypre. Many consider Cabochard to be a softer brother to Piguet's Bandit, who broke gender barriers in 1944, sporting his extravagant dosage of isobutyl quinoline, which adds undertones of powerful hard, green, rubbery, and leathery notes in powdery, leather compositions. And woody. It is widely used in male colonies where its vibrant and intense skin character can be used to great advantage. And Cabochard doesn't lack anything to be a manly fragrance!
In the beginning, the composition acquires a fresh citrus atmosphere, which amplifies the notes of mandarin. Translucent green notes unfold quickly, revealing a leather accord. Although the dark animal element is substantially reduced, the fragrance would appeal to green chypre lovers. Cabochard begins with citrus and deep green notes. The aldehydes scream, dusty and sparkling, and greet me in a very barber-like, uplifting, and masculine atmosphere. It is not a dark fragrance from the start, although the leather tinge is evident almost immediately. It's pretty skanky, pungent, and strong, with a strange mix of flowers and skin creating this tart yet strangely cute fragrance in your face. I'm getting some androgynous galbanum, and there's a hint of spiciness.
The floral notes are muted: when smelled from a distance, they are barely perceptible; up close, the jasmine is more evident but still seems to intertwine with the other flowers. I can certainly pick up the sweetness of the bright rose, which mixes with a lot of jasmine blossoms, the powder of the iris in a subdued form, and the languid, intoxicating and charming ylang-ylang that I feel immediately after the aldehyde explosion. The geranium leaf's right touch keeps the central part away from being too cloying or floral and gives Cabochard its classic flair.
It dries to an animalic powder with driftwood, moss, and a touch of smoke. This is rather tarry, like the bottom of a dirty ashtray. And it is as if the flowers are coming out of the tar, as if they are reaching out using the tar as a base like a potted plant. The tar is not dense; but instead, it is sharp and inexorable. Perhaps both castoreum and oakmoss are replaced here with modern synthetic molecules. However, the resulting earthy, animal, mossy, smoky, and most importantly, the leather base is fabulous. It stays very dry for the first hour, then begins to take on a hint of sweetness from the patchouli. I love the leather in the fragrance, and Cabochard is very soft and smooth once it calms down.
Cabochard smells like a worn-out biker jacket, cigarette tobacco dusted with flowers, rolled in moss, and dangling in sandalwood. Yes, Cabochard is for warriors. Wow, this rare gem took me by surprise. Cabochard is as masculine as a fragrance meant for a woman there, which means this is exceptionally unisex, and I intend to wear it a lot. For my taste, I recommend it during the late autumn, during the winter evenings and nights. Reformulated, again and again, it remains an unusual scent for a mainstream brand, so don't overlook it if you're looking for something different from what everyone is wearing right now. Although the reformulations may have made Cabochard more docile now, his complex transformation can still be glimpsed.
This review is based on a 100ml bottle (3.4 fl. Oz, batch code 9b17, 2019-02) that I have owned since March 2020.
-Elysium
2 Comments
Charilaos77
