hermes: 48 posts

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

I finally had to admit to myself that Hermès Kelly Calèche disappointed me. It did not deliver on the promise to evoke the prized soft leather of Hermès bags, which naturally possess a subtle floral accent; nor was the signature of genius perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena fully obvious in the final result. The fragrance in my mind was glorious, the scent on my skin turned out but a pale shadow of 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.

The new Hermès fragrance Un Jardin Après La Mousson (Garden After Monsoon) was among my most anticipated launches this spring, simply because Jean-Claude Ellena, Hermès’ in-house perfumer, drew inspiration from Kerala, my favorite region in India. And my first stay in India coincided with the long-awaited beginning of the monsoon. As the first few drops of rain fell on the dusty streets of New Delhi, the stifling dryness of the air was cleared, the dust settled and the stone facades of the grand Mogul mausoleums took on a mesmerizing sheen. I sat in the courtyard of my friend’s apartment building surrounded by the smell of wet jasmine and ate the most luscious mangoes I’ve tried. It was pure bliss.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Although I enjoy the airy softness of Osmanthe Yunnan and the smoldering sensation of Ambre Narguilé, the only fragrance from the Hermès’s Hermessence collection for which I truly feel strong affection is Vétiver Tonka. Created by Jean-Claude Ellena, this composition is a startling tender vetiver melody. The pungent and woody root is often made even richer and smokier as in Frédéric Malle Vétiver Extraordinaire or the original version of Guerlain Vétiver. Or, in another extreme, it can be rendered as weightless and fresh as in The Different Company Sel de Vétiver. Either treatment can accent the fascinating tonalities of this amazing material, yet it is rare to discover vetiver transformed into a velvety, enveloping veil. This is exactly what Vétiver Tonka succeeds in achieving. …

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

The trend of bespoke perfumery which has been growing steadily over the past few years has never interested me much. After all, almost the entire classical Guerlain line feels as if it were custom made to reflect my taste, from the bittersweet beauty of Après l’Ondée to the windswept elegance of Sous Le Vent. Yet, if I were to name my ideal fragrance, it would be Hermès Doblis. Its soft and gilded presence is always perfect, notwithstanding my mood or the occasion for which it can be worn. The harmony of the composition is almost mesmerizing. From the camomile accented aldehydic top notes that brush like warm sand against the skin to the supple leather base, Doblis never loses its luminousity. If it were music, Doblis would be Beethoven’s Cello Suites. If it were a painting, Doblis would be Raphael’s Fornarina. …

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Inspired by the introduction of oriental and American spices to Europe, Hermès Paprika Brasil lost me before it even managed to set its sail. The watery and cold effect of the top note was rather anticlimactic, if one expected the vibrancy of spices and the richness of paprika. Instead of searing heat, at most Paprika Brasil conjures a damp morning mist of an autumnal day, a character it retains as the composition develops.

The dominant presence in the composition is that of iris. Its dove grey outlines are noticeable under the transparence of the vegetal top note. However, the iris is pale and sheer, a ghostly shadow of its rooty sumptuousness that one can glimpse in Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist. …

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