5
Very helpful Review
The old style timeless elegance
It was my first real scent. I'm afraid can't be objective with Calèche, it is as trying to judge myself with objectivity, just impossible. Many of my memories are strongly attached to it.
As someone who started using the scent in the 80's as a young teenager still with its original formulation, I must say that I've (of course) noticed the reformulation and how it affected both the quality and the original Guy Robert's design making it simpler, sweeter and flatter. However I am completely unable to live without this one so though I will try to buy some vintage bottles to cover the rest of my lifetime, I'm happy Hermes decided to reformulated it instead of opting for discontinuing the scent. The reformulation isn't the original but isn't totally awful, I mean is better than nothing for me. I guess Hermes wouldn't have reformulated Calèche if it wasn't due to actual restrictions over materials. Calèche is probably still the house best seller (at least it is in my country), so I wonder if reformulation comes as an unavoidable consequences of progress? I would gladly take some risks in order to continue smelling some original formulas (not only this one but many others Madame Rochas or Samsara, to give a couple of different examples) but they decide for us. If reformulation is just for cheapening the production then shame on Hermes, they'd rather reduce promotion costs and keep vintage formula.
Coming back to my perfume, I will try to use plain words to describe why I love Calèche so much, why was it able to stand in its central position as my interest on perfumes developed and my collection grew.
As many Hermes scents Calèche has this recognizable dry and woody edge that I find so unisex and which after the bright complex citrus-aldehyde notes opening (remarkable blend of green, yellow, orange citrus with white mediterranean flower notes here) keeps the sweetness of the middle flower bouquet notes under what I consider a perfect control (high quality materials are important here too for the subtle development of the flower notes dance). So as most of the house's scents, Calèche is less sweet while brighter than other perfumes of the same kind though it includes gardenia which is probably quite responsable for its specific soap-powder effect.
I learnt over the years that I like cedar quite a lot and usually prefer tonka bean over vanilla. I guess that together with the absence of civet makes the big difference between Calèche's drydown and Chanel n5's one and what makes Calèche a much luminous versatile scent and therefore likeable and wearable. In general, I find Calèche far more complex, elegant, refined and brighter than Chanel n5 which stands more clearly as a night scent in my opinion.
If Calèche works properly with your skin chemistry and if you are patient enough to let it fully develop all the way, you'd probably become another of its fans.
I use edt for spring- summer seasons daytime, soie for autumn and winter daytime and parfum for night and very special occasions. They all have a good longevity according their concentration, sillage is bigger in the soie version.
As someone who started using the scent in the 80's as a young teenager still with its original formulation, I must say that I've (of course) noticed the reformulation and how it affected both the quality and the original Guy Robert's design making it simpler, sweeter and flatter. However I am completely unable to live without this one so though I will try to buy some vintage bottles to cover the rest of my lifetime, I'm happy Hermes decided to reformulated it instead of opting for discontinuing the scent. The reformulation isn't the original but isn't totally awful, I mean is better than nothing for me. I guess Hermes wouldn't have reformulated Calèche if it wasn't due to actual restrictions over materials. Calèche is probably still the house best seller (at least it is in my country), so I wonder if reformulation comes as an unavoidable consequences of progress? I would gladly take some risks in order to continue smelling some original formulas (not only this one but many others Madame Rochas or Samsara, to give a couple of different examples) but they decide for us. If reformulation is just for cheapening the production then shame on Hermes, they'd rather reduce promotion costs and keep vintage formula.
Coming back to my perfume, I will try to use plain words to describe why I love Calèche so much, why was it able to stand in its central position as my interest on perfumes developed and my collection grew.
As many Hermes scents Calèche has this recognizable dry and woody edge that I find so unisex and which after the bright complex citrus-aldehyde notes opening (remarkable blend of green, yellow, orange citrus with white mediterranean flower notes here) keeps the sweetness of the middle flower bouquet notes under what I consider a perfect control (high quality materials are important here too for the subtle development of the flower notes dance). So as most of the house's scents, Calèche is less sweet while brighter than other perfumes of the same kind though it includes gardenia which is probably quite responsable for its specific soap-powder effect.
I learnt over the years that I like cedar quite a lot and usually prefer tonka bean over vanilla. I guess that together with the absence of civet makes the big difference between Calèche's drydown and Chanel n5's one and what makes Calèche a much luminous versatile scent and therefore likeable and wearable. In general, I find Calèche far more complex, elegant, refined and brighter than Chanel n5 which stands more clearly as a night scent in my opinion.
If Calèche works properly with your skin chemistry and if you are patient enough to let it fully develop all the way, you'd probably become another of its fans.
I use edt for spring- summer seasons daytime, soie for autumn and winter daytime and parfum for night and very special occasions. They all have a good longevity according their concentration, sillage is bigger in the soie version.