Even as the flowers join the party Cabochard remains a bitter brew. Already, through the heart the leather, birch, oakmoss and vetiver speak of a dangerous, exciting course. Flowers are trodden into the darkness. This modern EdT is bloody excellent, I’m enjoying it immensely. Cabochard (meaning “stubborn” in French), was orchestrated in 1959 by Madame Gres herself, along with a little help from Nose Bernard Chant of Aramis and the iconic Aromatics Elixir fame, to name but a few of his prolific creations.

I don't really get it all apart at all. It is an interwoven fragrance reminiscent of old times. Slowly the scent settles into something suede-like and powdery-sweet at the same time. Reminds something of make up. Hey Posse. I do love a leather and up till my meeting of Le Galion Aesthete and Bottega Veneta EdP I thought Bernard Chant was the undisputed king of leather. Seeing that he did a few fragrances with much the same story but each a refined version of the original. Cabochard was the original in 1959. Recently I bought a brand new EdT tester in the renovated bottle. In one of my purges I sold all my Cabochard except a parfum and was reminiscing about layering the EdT over the extrait. The extrait is rich and gorgeous but the EdT adds so much throw and sizzle. Grès ballgown. Silk taffeta. Shenkar Archive. Draped jersey evening gown by Madame Grès, c.1981. ( PMA) [1] But then in the course of the evening the ice breaks. Both at the class reunion and at the approach to an old-fashioned scent I end up in the stage of "Do you still know...?" And "How was that then..." etc. etc. The somewhat awkward time of reuniting, possibly even of false memories, is over and one digs into the treasure trove of experienced treasures one would not want to miss. Recently, I’ve tried an EDT sample of Molinard’s Habinita (recommended for the same reasons)…..yessss…..like it for it’s warm but spicy smell on my skin and it seems to have some lasting power…..bit heavier than my Cabochard….and it is winter…..right now, I think it a lovely warm, fall/winter scent and glad I found it.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor. I find the fragrance round, gentle and very well cared for. After the many descriptions of the older editions I would have imagined him to be more "adventurous" or "unruly" - but I don't experience that at all: For me he is something for every occasion. Special and rather harsh than sweet, but not pushy; friendly and affectionate. Interestingly, as we reach the dry down Cabochard 2019 takes a left turn towards comfort. The leather is now a very expensive, supple suede and is joined by amber, sandalwood and a dry tobacco note. The note list says coconut but I get none of it. This final stage stays linear but fades to nothing in the coming hours.

Not only was Cabochard very successful at the time of its release in 1959, its leather chypre composition inspired many subsequent fragrances. Therefore, its inclusion among the legends of French perfumery by Michael Edwards is only to be expected. …

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So this is my first conscious chypre, or at least chypre-like scent. Of alone I would not have approached him. Aldehydes, patchouli and sage make me already from reading headache. Little by little he becomes softer, almost a bit resinous, cuddly, peaceful like a purring (wild or forest) cat. Slowly - much too fast - it fades away. OK, my comparison values are AE and Scherrer - both rather durability monsters as well as Sillage monsters ...). Slowly the smell leads me deeper into the forest and closer to the ground. It becomes more woodsy, heavier, sweeter, warmly spicy and a little bit earthy, but never musty or stuffy; I always feel the scent as somehow "fresh", as if a mild wind is blowing in the forest landscape.

Chevalier, Michel (2012). Luxury Brand Management. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-17176-9. The Eau de Toilette is sharper and more forceful than the parfum in its treatment of the leather notes. In the parfum, the vetiver and iris pairing truly shines, lending an alluring cool touch that provides a stunning counterpoint to the tobacco redolent darkness. A delicate floral touch is sustained against the foil of balsamic and earthy notes, creating an airy sensation that dispels the somber duskiness. The balance of light and shadows is an accomplishment makes Cabochard a particularly unique leather chypre. Mme. Alix Grès launched her design house, Grès, in Paris in 1942, and maintained control of her perfume line until the early 1980s. Parfums Grès has had a complicated ownership history since then. In 2002, it was sold by the Escada Group to Silvio Denz, and as far as I can figure out, his company still owns it.Jaye: Have worn Cabochard (mostly vintage EDT or 50th Anniversary EDT) every day for years, ever since I found it oh-so-cheap in TJMaxx…. many years ago…to this day, stopped in grocery store aisles and asked what is that marvelous fragrance you’re wearing…..I am no perfumanista but I do know ” my nose”…..and what smells good “on me”, and apparently lovers, friends and total strangers agree…..OTOH….tried more than once, a sample of Chanel Cuir de Russie, so recommended to me by many because of my love of Cabochard…..OMG….it was a heavy, powdery floral on me that reminded me of being 8yo and my elderly, matronly aunts visiting and enveloping me in their heavy fur coats as they gave me a suffocating “hug”…..save me!…. What did others see in myself that I could not? Deep in my DNA, even in 1972 when I first discovered Cabochard, there existed a spirit which wouldn’t be subjugated, sublimated, vanquished: a warrior poised on the brink of never-ending skirmish. Gentle until no recourse remained but the dagger, willing to go to war for a noble cause, follow a leader worthy of the task. I don’t think I actually glimpsed that person until I had resumé photos taken in preparation for an audition with opera impresario Boris Goldovsky – and they frightened me. I avoided the camera. What I’d mistaken for ‘resting bitch face’ was pure resolve in the face of adversity and distrust of the lens’ scrutiny. Do you know the situation at a class reunion, when you are confronted by someone you used to know well, you have had good times with him, you also find familiar facial expressions and language and yet you are still a stranger? Pierre Guillaume Bois Blond (now d/ced) – an all the time/any time favorite. Hay, woods, amber, musk The fact that I feel drawn to perfumes of the 50s is unrelated to having been born into that era. Some of these fragrances feel like aromatic wish fulfillment and/or projection: despite the tyranny of long-line brassières and girdles (or possibly in light of their existence) there has always been a subtext of suppressed eroticism, the controlled sensuality of discipline akin to a warrior preparing for anticipated battle. Clearly defined 1950s gender roles makes this subversive quality all the more fascinating; today Cabochard de Gres reads as perfect for anyone who loves the impossibly dry elegance of a leathery tobacco-laden no-nonsense chypre.