Versailles pour Homme (Eau de Toilette) by Jean Desprez
Bottle Design:
Pierre Dinand
We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Versailles pour Homme 1980 Eau de Toilette

8.6 / 10 31 Ratings
A popular perfume by Jean Desprez for men, released in 1980. The scent is spicy-leathery. The longevity is above-average. The production was apparently discontinued.
Compare
Similar fragrances
We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Main accords

Spicy
Leathery
Resinous
Woody
Citrus

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
Clary sageClary sage Green notesGreen notes LemonLemon BergamotBergamot PimentoPimento
Heart Notes Heart Notes
SandalwoodSandalwood GeraniumGeranium PatchouliPatchouli CedarwoodCedarwood JasmineJasmine Stone pineStone pine CarnationCarnation CinnamonCinnamon Fruity notesFruity notes
Base Notes Base Notes
FrankincenseFrankincense MossMoss MuskMusk AmberAmber LeatherLeather VanillaVanilla LabdanumLabdanum StyraxStyrax
Ratings
Scent
8.631 Ratings
Longevity
8.125 Ratings
Sillage
7.224 Ratings
Bottle
7.931 Ratings
Submitted by Undsoweiter, last update on 10/02/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Versailles pour Homme (Eau de Cologne) by Jean Desprez
Versailles pour Homme Eau de Cologne
Arsène Lupin / Arsène Lupin Dandy by Guerlain
Arsène Lupin

Reviews

5 in-depth fragrance descriptions
Drseid

828 Reviews
Drseid
Drseid
Helpful Review 3  
Dr. Jeckyll Or Mr. Hyde...
Versailles pour Homme opens with a sharp citric herbal combination of lemon and pimento with an underlying floral carnation accord before moving to its heart phase. In the early heart the herbal lemon accord turns bitter as it joins a powerful mossy leather accord rising from the base that is quite harsh, with only the remnants of the carnation and a very subtle underlying cinnamon spice addition to temper its assault. As the fragrance enters the late dry-down the carnation disappears and the aggressive oakmoss laced leather finally moderates as mild amber and patchouli tandem is unveiled to considerably soften the overall accord. Projection is very good and longevity is excellent at 11-12 hours on skin.

Versailles pour Homme is a very complex scent to be sure. There are a lot of notes and accords, and my description of the scent's development does not nearly include all of them. That said, the open and the late dry-down are the most appealing aspects of the scent's development to this reviewer. The initial herbal lemon, carnation and peppery pimento meshes extremely well together and while others have found it unappealing, I love it. My problem with the fragrance profile is in the heart accord, as the oakmoss laced leather just becomes overpowering and way more rugged than I would have liked. Once you get to the late dry-down all is well again and the scent softens considerably to turn into a highly enjoyable composition. I really have a hard time assigning an overall rating for the fragrance as it is kind of a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde kind of ride from start to finish. When things are going good (which is about 70% of the time) the composition smells truly great; and when things aren't, the composition is extremely challenging, somewhat dated and quite difficult to wear. At the end of the day Versailles pour Homme has its issues but it manages to overcome them on the whole, earning a "very good" 3.5 stars out of 5.
0 Comments
Gentilhomme

120 Reviews
Translated · Show originalShow translation
Gentilhomme
Gentilhomme
Top Review 10  
1000 +1 Nights in Versailles
Jean Desprez' fragrance creations all had one thing in common, they were very opulent and long-lasting. Finding Versailles pour Homme today in a flawless condition is almost impossible, having been released in 1980, it was not granted a long life.

Versailles pour Homme is a true oriental, with a strong-spicy-floral note that is dominated in the heart by clove, patchouli, and cinnamon. The fragrance concludes with a mossy-balsamic scent and a slightly animalistic leather accord. It is difficult to find something comparable. Personally, it reminds me in certain sequences of Patou Pour Homme, which was released around the same time; there are also parallels to the classic Versace L'Homme... yes, you can also find a bit of this wonderful little water in Diptyque's L'Eau.

If I ever find it again somewhere... yes, then it will be mine again :-)
2 Comments
Cappellusman

358 Reviews
Translated · Show originalShow translation
Cappellusman
Cappellusman
Very helpful Review 9  
What treasures one discovers...
when acquiring mini collections in the bay. This scent, for example. I fully share the enthusiasm of the esteemed colleague Gentilhomme and even award a well-deserved 100 % for this jewel.

Indeed, "Versailles pour Homme" is extraordinarily well-made, multi-layered, and long-lasting with a very interesting development. I would not classify it as an oriental, as it is not opulent enough for that. Rather, it gradually adds one ingredient after another with a very fine touch, especially in the heart note, in the style of a true Guerlinade. Really, it could also be a product from "Derby" and the divine "Arsene Lupin".

I am truly thrilled by this quality. I found an OF in the bay, and I fear it will have to be sacrificed...
4 Comments
Leimbacher

2869 Reviews
Translated · Show originalShow translation
Leimbacher
Leimbacher
Very helpful Review 9  
An Ode to Hidden Beauty
So splendid & magnificent, and yet so hidden,
this rare mini has captured all my interest.

A thanks to the donor, otherwise never discovered,
I would have been licking my wounds for a long time.

Versailles Pour Homme crowns the 80s, it is all in one,
truly hated, it will surely be by none.

Everything & nothing, explosion & pure,
an open spirit, sometimes wild & sometimes sure.

The name fits, the scent of a king of the sun,
sometimes green, sometimes oriental, but always with joy.

A fragrance like liquid Chypre gold, unimaginable today,
the scent shows the direction, it cannot be swayed.

Men who smell like this scare today's women,
like when you really reach into the macho pot.

Recognizing fragrance notes is impossible to hard,
but let it be said, the scent makes a mark!

A gem that hardly anyone knows,
if someone is looking for old-school secret tips, you know who to propose!

Before one searches for notes that are contained here,
one rather looks for scent materials that are not found near.

Stuffed & overflowing with ideas,
I am impressed, I must confess.

Maybe slightly tilted at the beginning, but that's not bad,
it will knock you out later, like a bottle of fizz.

Versailles - expect what the name promises,
a scent that deserves a poem!
1 Comment
FabianO

1008 Reviews
Translated · Show originalShow translation
FabianO
FabianO
3  
Very unwelcoming, cool, and quite harsh sandalwood/incense colossus
Another fragrance from Cappellusman's blind sample series, where we both apparently - which is rare - are very much at odds.

"Versailles pour homme" fires on all cylinders. Explosive animalistic primal force at the start, plenty of musk (also feels like civet), a lot is mixed up in the battle, with incense playing a rather early sacred, cool role.

What at least has some appeal (especially the animalistic aspect) is unfortunately soon overshadowed by a scratchy, brutal, domineering sandalwood that shifts the fragrance, in my opinion, far too violently towards an old wooden chest that has stood for too many years against the cool walls of a Catholic church.

Somehow, the sandalwood/incense mix comes across in its dryness as almost somewhat sour in a decidedly unsympathetic way.

I am far from the above-mentioned 8.7 points, which do not align with my feelings at all.
1 Comment

Statements

7 short views on the fragrance
1
Masculine as masculine can be
0 Comments
53
51
Dear cousin, let Lully play!
Sprinkle the sandalwood floor in the mirror hall with cinnamon.
Gift favorites with labdanum.
Add a touch of jasmine.*
Translated · Show originalShow translation
51 Comments
41
60
Late Baroque
While the ladies at the ball night don't hold back on allure,
powdered,
aloof gentlemen
wear cumbersome Rococo wigs
Translated · Show originalShow translation
60 Comments
20
12
That was great and what surprises me is that the frankincense comes through clearly without the scent becoming sacred. The rest rounds off the fragrance.
Translated · Show originalShow translation
12 Comments
6
4
Through the cold smoke and the cool cellar, you have to get through first. Then, gradually, the most beautiful warm wood unfolds and…
Translated · Show originalShow translation
4 Comments
2
I'm quite young, but this one is amazing.
Spicy, leathery perfection. A comforting scent that reminds me of cold days in a cozy warm sauna.
Translated · Show originalShow translation
0 Comments
1
A child of the 80s. A spritz applied. Every time I re-enter the office, the scent greets me. Great sillage. True art!
Translated · Show originalShow translation
0 Comments
More statements

Charts

This is how the community classifies the fragrance.
Pie Chart Radar Chart

Images

5 fragrance photos of the community
More images

Popular by Jean Desprez

Versailles pour Homme (Eau de Cologne) by Jean Desprez Jardanel (1972) (Parfum de Toilette) by Jean Desprez Bal à Versailles (Parfum de Toilette) by Jean Desprez Bal à Versailles (Parfum) by Jean Desprez Étourdissant by Jean Desprez Sheherazade (Parfum) by Jean Desprez Revolution à Versailles by Jean Desprez Jardanel (1942) by Jean Desprez Escarmouche by Jean Desprez Grande Dame by Jean Desprez 40 Love pour Homme by Jean Desprez Votre Main by Jean Desprez Bal à Versailles - Janusette by Jean Desprez Sheherazade (Parfum de Toilette) by Jean Desprez Bal à Versailles (Eau de Cologne) by Jean Desprez Jardanel (1972) (Parfum) by Jean Desprez Sheherazade (Eau de Toilette) by Jean Desprez Bal à Versailles (Eau de Toilette) by Jean Desprez