Eau de Rochas Rochas 1970 Eau de Toilette

In construction and overall impression very comparable to Annick Goutal's "Les Nuits d'Hadrien" (2003). Both are tart, slightly bitter citrus fragrances with a spicy heart and warm amber-musk-patchouli-sandalwood base. But there is one crucial difference: typical of its time, "Eau de Rochas" contains a floral aspect (rose, carnation, narcissus), while "Hadrian's Nights" - flowerless but with cumin and juniper - has a strong spicy focus. As a result, "Les Nuits d'Hadrien" is gourmand perfume through and through and can no longer be described as fresh or "cologne". Rather, this perfume comes across as deep, intimate and "bodily"; to some, a smell like the T-shirt of someone who has spent hours cooking Iranian stew with limes on a hot day; the citrus peel aspect sits in a dark, aromatic armpit, so to speak. "Eau de Rochas" isn't free of a certain gourmand character either - a sort of lime chutney note - but its spiciness is balanced by a subtle floral counterbalance. It's an easier-to-wear, Daytime-ready perfume - vividly acidic, slightly bitter, herbaceous, spicy, and retains a touch of floral-soapy, traditional chic through it all. It passes for formal, yet is full of fierceness