Clandestine 1986 Eau de Toilette

Clandestine (Eau de Toilette) by Guy Laroche
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8.0 / 10 78 Ratings
A popular perfume by Guy Laroche for women, released in 1986. The scent is floral-fruity. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Floral
Fruity
Spicy
Sweet
Animal

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
AldehydesAldehydes BergamotBergamot PlumPlum PineapplePineapple ApricotApricot
Heart Notes Heart Notes
HoneyHoney HeliotropeHeliotrope IrisIris TuberoseTuberose Ylang-ylangYlang-ylang CarnationCarnation Damask roseDamask rose JasmineJasmine
Base Notes Base Notes
MuskMusk VanillaVanilla CedarCedar AmberAmber BenzoinBenzoin CivetCivet PatchouliPatchouli

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
8.078 Ratings
Longevity
8.568 Ratings
Sillage
7.765 Ratings
Bottle
7.475 Ratings
Value for money
8.011 Ratings
Submitted by Lissy, last update on 08/03/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Clandestine (Parfum) by Guy Laroche
Clandestine Parfum
Clandestine (Eau de Parfum) by Guy Laroche
Clandestine Eau de Parfum
Red Door (Eau de Toilette) by Elizabeth Arden
Red Door Eau de Toilette
Vendetta (Eau de Toilette) by Valentino
Vendetta Eau de Toilette

Reviews

6 in-depth fragrance descriptions
5
Bottle
10
Sillage
10
Longevity
9
Scent
GothicHeart

85 Reviews
GothicHeart
GothicHeart
Very helpful Review 6  
Lurking in the shadows...
Clandestine was the clincher that put Guy Laroche in my top five perfume houses once and for all, because, according to my personal taste of course, every fragrance that the house launched until Guy Laroche's death in 1989 was a perfect ten, and has earned a more or less legendary or even cult status over time. I mean, think about it for a while. Fidji, Eau Folle, Drakkar, J'ai Ose, Drakkar Noir and finally Clandestine.
Of course it comes as no surprise that after Monsieur Laroche's departure for perfume heaven, and with the brief flash of Horizon in 1993 (probably due to momentum), good ol' L'Oreal thought it was a good time to start joking.
Drakkar Dynamik, Drakkar Essence, J'ai Ose Baby and J'ai Ose Aqua. I personally didn't laugh at all. I just pray there's not any Fidji Urban Chic or Clandestine So Cute in the making...
And now that the eulogy is over, let's get to the point.
We all know that there's always a good chance for something very interesting and possibly dangerous to be happening behind these huge metal waste containers that are usually found in dimly lit and occasionally wet dark alleys. I mean, come on, we've seen it in a thousand movies, so it's got to be true.
Well, the interesting and surely dangerous thing that is happening behind this particular one that stands before us, is Clandestine. With her trashy but flashy dress raised, her panties lowered, and happily peeing behind it. Moments after she has left one of these thunderous '80s clubs, where she was dancing like crazy all night long.
What's more interesting is that upon getting caught in the act, she doesn't bother to cover herself. Not in the slightest. On the contrary, she looks at you at full defiance, utters "What?" and goes on with her business.
And she goes from Clandestine to in-your-face in an instant. And this instant is enough to make you fall desperately in love with her!
Because the smell of this stupendous and intoxicating aura engulfing her, is speaking of pure, unrestrained woomanhood and it will make you stagger and swoon every single time. For it's not possible to escape this musty, dirty but in the same time sweet and guile attack unscathed. Because you stand the same chances as if you were under full frontal assault (pun intended) by a crazed battalion of civet cats, with Company A ferociously gnawing on (tube)roses and Company B looking to gnaw anything on you that resembles plums. Ferociously as well. With their CO smiling from the shadows of her hiding place...
But don't worry about any connotations between her and the contents of her hiding place being more than concrete. Cause it may be that no matter how hard she tries to sell her lady self, the tramp within her will always show, but who doesn't like this kind of tramps? And who wouldn't be ready to die for her after seeing her audacious poise despite being that exposed? OK, maybe not die, but at least watch over her until she finishes relieving herself. And perhaps follow her obediently afterwards, drawn by the invisible leash that Clandestine has tighten around your neck. For it may be gallant and noble to defend a queen, but it's always the plain rabble girls that will pay you back with everything they've got.
And this one has got it all...
2 Comments
7
Pricing
3
Bottle
10
Sillage
8
Longevity
7
Scent
MrsGuerlain

463 Reviews
MrsGuerlain
MrsGuerlain
3  
A true 80s icon
My personal Laroche favourite is Fidji (review is in the making) but I do remember getting Clandestine in the late 80s, because at that time Fidji was my mum’s thing. Clandestine was for me so that I would not go unnoticed. The scent matched the harsh coloured sweater, enormous hair and huge earrings. I wore LouLou, Clandestine, Poison and Ysatis - all loud and recognisable.
I suppose that today Clandestine would be too strong and heavy. It is a true bouquet of lovely flowers - well, actually I see it as a huge decoration on a table at a formal event. Made to impress, not necessarily to please. It is a scent that arrives before the one who wears it. But sometimes I put it on and wear it at home. It is a ride down memory lane to me. It stays on my skin for many hours - lovely!
I am not a huge fan of the bottle, but I really like the box. The blue/black pattern has a true 80s vibe to it.
7/365
0 Comments
Krmarich

139 Reviews
Krmarich
Krmarich
1  
Your calling card.
Clandestine means business. It packs a punch. Its an iron fist in a velvet glove. Today it would scare innocent noses who have no clue what the BIG 80s classics were.

I have winced when it comes to tuberose since Poison sent it "over the falls". This is a little like Poison that is more wearable. There was so many other to compare it to, yet it hold its own. Its an angular, quirky lady of the night. Its not unisex by any means. As a man wearing it, I feel dominated by its power. It definitely "wears you".

It has so many notes that its impossible to pick it apart. The civet is prominent like so many other 80s offerings. The fruits and honey would make you think of gourmand. Its anything but that. The fruit is bitter and the honey is almost rancid. She's a femme fatale dripping in diamond and fur. Black fishnet veils the entire production.

Its big, decadent, expensive glamour that doesn't exist anymore. I remember seeing the Guy Laroche boutique on the Rue St Honore in Paris in 1987 with this featured inside. I gazed in the window and thought one of these days I have to try it. I guess its better late than never. Time seems to fly...
0 Comments
BrianBuchanan

351 Reviews
BrianBuchanan
BrianBuchanan
1  
Illicit lollipop
A glassy lollipop of rose hip syrup and patchouli. Very sweet - and
piquant - a 'take it or leave it' scent like Parfum de Peau, its mid eighties contemporary.
Great stuff, it kicks the ass of many modern fru-chouli's but it's probably
too challenging - and too dated - to get much interest these days.
0 Comments
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
8
Scent
Pollita

252 Reviews
Translated Show original Show translation
Pollita
Pollita
Top Review 36  
Back to the eighties
In the eighties and early nineties, fruits still gave a perfume a sensual appeal. Here a little plum, there a little pineapple and the whole combined with a lush floral heart and a velvety, soft and provided with a teeny bit of schmutzel base.

Such a one is also Clandestine by Guy Laroche, which sends me on the first sniff back to the hair salon that my entire family, from grandma to me, had visited in the eighties. The salon had two owners, I. and I. My grandma and my mom loved going there. For me, it took a little while to appreciate those visits because as a kid, due to my super thin baby hair, like so many other kids in the eighties, I got the typical boil cut. It was cruel! Only when I was finally allowed to grow my hair, despite great protests from my mother, I also began to enjoy going to the hairdresser.

Exactly such a scent hung there in the air. Probably a combination of the hair care products, perhaps also the signature scent of one or both owners or - what was then also common - they sold fragrance plus matching care series in the store. I seem to recall that they actually sold perfume.

Clandestine, like many fragrances from that era, manages to make the fruit shine in a wonderful way. There is nothing sticky or too sweet here. The scent is somewhat reminiscent of the forbidden fruit in the Bible. Sinful and yet so enticing. Add to that florals at their very best. A powdery, dry iris that reminds me of the opulently perfumed hairspray sprayed back in the day. Heliotrope and jasmine bring a fine sweetness, as does ylang-ylang, and even the roses and tuberoses, which are not always my very best friends, are tucked in here in a wonderfully noble way.

The base is dominated by musk, together with fine balsamic amber. The civet note is so discreet and refined integrated that I could even with it.

As soon as I have Clandestine in my nose, I'm back in the hair salon. I'm a little older though and starting to enjoy it. My first hair color in dark, rich red-purple, hach yes, that had something. Thank you Clandestine. And thank you, dear MrsCherry, for the testing opportunity.
26 Comments
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Statements

1 short view on the fragrance
OdeurnicheOdeurniche 1 year ago
8
Bottle
9
Sillage
9
Longevity
9
Scent
If you love La Nuit by PR, try it; as a Prin lover, here I can smell something that might have inspired some of his works. Masterpiece IMO !
0 Comments

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