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Moriarti – :
I’m very new to Fragrantica and fragrances in general. So a newbie. I’ve recently bought some vintage scents from Ebay and Crepe de Chine was one of them. I thought it would be lovely as others seemed to think so. Could it have gone “off” and become rank? I hope that’s the problem and that it really is a wonder, but the juice in the little bottle I purchased, and it’s just like the one pictured, is wildly overpowering and I can’t figure out what exactly it expresses. It just knocks your socks off and not in a good way.
Maybe I need to learn something about applying perfume? Maybe this stuff is such a powerhouse I simply put on too much. I will try again in a week or so. I am enjoying experimenting!
KilopaMitern – :
As a vintage enthusiast, you read a lot about “classic French perfumery” Yet in 2018 its hard to get an idea what that encompassed unless you start diving back into the vintage fragrances of that era. For those looking for the classic Chypre, I think vintage Crepe de Chine needs to be your first stop for a couple of reasons:
1. Coty Chypre is difficult to locate. Crepe de Chine is more accessible and held up well. My cologne bottle is still the spring green emerald color. The parfum also holds up well.
2. It displays the hallmarks of a classical chypre as well as French perfumery aesthetic. Incredibly balanced, transitions seamless and a graceful refined way about the scent. Theres nothing jarring or out of place. The sum total is… you smell amazing.
Ive come to learn that in the early days there seemed to be a herbal spiky galbanum opening vs the Iranian 1960-70s type Im more familliar with. Jasmine, lilac, carnation all start to bloom under a mossy musky dark base. A slight bitterness from the vetiver adds to the mystique that is Chine. I can see why it was widely popular for many decades. The configuration is timeless. I wouldnt have a problem at all wearing this out and about in 2018.
Desprez studied with Givaudan himself, and one thing is for certain about this perfumer..every one of his creations have withstood the test of time, elegantly put together and Im convinced we lost some incredibly important knowledge in construction with his passing. I have a 1930-40 bottle of Jardanel that its citrus leather opening smells as fresh as the day it was made. Bal a versailles has grown richer over the years and now with Chine, his first creation…you see the start of something wonderful as a perfumer to come. Just splendid. A must have in any vintage enthusiasts collection.
kamsputnik – :
AT LAAAAAST i had the chance to sniff this blend… Pheww
There is something infatuating in here! something sticky like a tree Arab glue blended in with oakmoss, glabanum, lime, aldehydes, and iris. It goes kind of leathery like “Cuir De Russie” by Chanel (the vintage formula). the neroli, and the orange blossoms are there.
Later it goes like a sour soap blend.
It is quite interesting and captivating for a vintage.
ucijs21 – :
I’m wearing this today. A proper vintage EDT. Starts off full of aldehydes then settles into a complex sophisticated scent which is subtle on me, maybe because it’s an EDT or it’s because it’s vintage. I feel like I’m bathing in a rich history of perfume. It has the notes and depth so many modern perfumes don’t have.
neaniimitte – :
As a vintage lover of almost everything, I purchased the vintage (1960s) Crepe de Chine and it’s now one of my very favourites. Deep, rich, mysterious and spicy, it lasts all day until I wash it off. Love.
Sport999 – :
This masterpiece was the first scent chosen for recreation at the Osmotheque.
Rich, lush and hypnotic, i have heard this was discontinued because the formula was very expensive to make.
The vintage parfum, edc and edt age very well so if you find a decent looking juice – wrap it around you.
evilken13 – :
Finally, a spot for real F. Millot Crepe de Chine instead of the Long Lost abomination. Mossy, herbal, musky, dark beauty; CdC is vintage chypre at it’s best. It would no doubt be considered too masculine for a female by those who follow the current fruity ‘floral’ feminine standard, but there’s no reason CdC can’t be worn by any gender. It works with jeans or a little black dress equally well. Though I’ve worn it for decades, I didn’t know it was created by Jean Desprez until I read it here, but I’m not surprised to hear it. Two of my favorite fragrances, Bal a Versailles and Sheherazade, are Desprez creations too, and all three are similarly well composed in classic old school french perfume style. If you like true oakmoss, it’s a star here, smoothly blended with an all star supporting cast: bergamot, resins, sandalwood, carnation, heather, musk, patchouli. I have both cologne and perfume (have had the tall bottles and the shortys, both are good.) The perfume is often available in good condition for decent prices and I would recommend going for it over the cologne, if you have to choose. Crepe de Chine is one that seems to have held up through the years very well. If it’s sealed and boxed, my experience is that even the top notes will be intact when it’s opened – even in bottles a little older than me, which is old.
The term chypre gets thrown around mercilessly these days, very often applied to fragrances that just don’t meet the requirements of the term. Crepe de Chine is a real chypre.
And I have to second Grayspoole: Millot Crepe de Chine is anything but a clean, fresh out of the shower scent. It’s neither soapy nor noticeably rosy. Not even close.
melo_manka – :
“It smells like a bold red rose”
“It develops into a purely sweet heady rose”
“It’s a confident, sexy, provocative red rose”
“It’s a clean, fresh out of the shower scent.”
…then it’s not vintage Crepe de Chine.
SADAAM – :
Fragrance Review For Crepe De Chine
Felix Millot
Top Notes
Aldehydes Neroli Bergamot Lemon Orange
Middle Notes
Rose Carnation Lilac Ylang Ylang Jasmine Orange Blossom Iris Elemi
Base Notes
Heather Sandalwood Cedar Amber Oak Moss Galbanum Vetiver Patchouli Benzoin Leather Musk
*This fragrance has been catalogued before on Fragrantica as Long Lost Perfume Crepe de Chine. Because it didn’t mention F. Millot but bore the same name I assumed it was the same Millot fragrance. The picture on this page matches up with the same bottle from eBay I purchased about a year ago except it’s more rectangular and it’s a miniature dab on.
Felix Millot is the grandfather of Jean Desprez who created Bal a Versailles. Back in 1925, he launched Crêpe de Chine at the Paris Art Deco Exposition on June 6, 1925. It was a night of eternal fragrance classics. That same night, Jacques Guerlain introduced the world to Shalimar and Jean Patou introduced not one but three frags: Amour Amour, Que Sais-Je, and Adieu Sagesse Crêpe de Chine was reportedly the first perfume to be assembled under argon gas, away from light, and under controlled temperature for consistency and fidelity. It was revolutionary and very modern for 1925. However, it comes out of the same fragrance family as Chanel No. 5 and from many years prior back in 1917, Francois Coty Chypre, but with the addition of never before heard of notes like hazelnut and authentic jasmine flowers from Grasse where modern French perfume was born.
This fragrance exists today as a vintage classic of two kinds: the original 1925 which is shockingly expensive because of the Grasse jasmine, and the re-release in the 1960’s. I have a vintage splash bottle 1960’s edition that comes in a white box with a rose logo (F. Millot) and comes with a stand for the perfume bottle. This is an aldehyde floral chypre. To me it’s really more about roses than woods, as the wood notes, musk, vetiver, oak moss and patchouli give it a solid foundation for the headier feminine red rose scent. It smells like a bold red rose. This is a lady in red, a glamorous, sophisticated and mature confident woman in a drop dead gorgeous red dress making an entrance and smelling of red roses. Attar rose petal essential oil in perfume, once finished, has the power to change itself and turn into different familiar domestic scents: soap, powder, lipstick, nail polish, you’re usual feminine cosmetics smell. This is where it has something in common with Francois Coty’s La Rose Jacqueminot, launched back in 1904. It smells like a rose that has two lives: masculine and feminine. Where as La Rose was masculine and strong on my clothes and soft and delicately feminine on my skin, Crepe de Chine is feminine on my clothes and masculine on my skin. Applied to the skin (neck, forearms, chest) it becomes a man’s cologne.
This is totally unisex. It is a masculine rose but that’s because it has been layered in a foundation of the woodsy notes of sandalwood, oak, vetiver and patchouli. The patchouli is never that strong and the woods give it a nice lift, but it develops into a purely sweet heady rose. Yeah it can smell like fancy rose soap and it is very old fashioned and old timey but that’s why I adore it. It’s recommended for evening wear and formal dress. Crepe is a fragrance to be worn with suits and ties, and beautiful evening gowns. This is a night out at the opera, theater, or a dinner party or gala. It smells of the night, and has a distinctly scarlet red color. This could have been a perfume worn by Gloria Swanson or Rudolph Valentino, at the same event.
Crepe is very beautiful and for a lover of old perfumes like me, this is a real treat. They still sell discontinued and vintage editions on ebay and in specialty stores in Europe (I found one in Paris one time) and in South America (Buenos Aires Argentina). But they should re-release and relaunch the fragrance with the same original formula. Smells great, it’s a confident, sexy, provocative red rose and also because of the soapiness it’s a clean, fresh out of the shower scent that would totally sell today. I’m very grateful to the world rummage sale that is eBay where one can pick up a bottle of a perfume that time would have otherwise forgotten. Crepe is a gorgeous absolutely gorgeous fragrance and should be experienced by fans of the Golden Age of Perfume. As the preview review attests this is one of the unsung classics, as good as Shalimar and No 5. So yes check it out for yourself. Get the word out there. Crepe is a winner.
do0244asdf – :
Thank you grayspoole for the review!!
USALeks – :
Hooray! Vintage Crepe de Chine finally has its own proper listing in the database! Along with the more glamorous Shalimar, the quietly elegant Crepe de Chine was launched to great acclaim at the 1925 Art Deco exhibition in Paris, and it remained a popular perfume until the late 1960’s. I am commenting on the parfum formulation from my well-preserved bottle from the 1950’s or earlier. Vintage CdC is a smooth, gracefully composed chypre that leans slightly green and herbal at its opening, but it also has glorious floral notes, a rich mossiness, and refined musks. It is perfectly balanced among floral, green, woody, balsamic, and animalic elements–CdC has all of these aspects but none of them is forced to stand out in an obvious way. The classic chypre trio of bergamot-labdanum-oakmoss plays beautifully within this scent, and I also get clear and lively notes of jasmine and carnation. CdC lasts for many hours, but it stays close to the skin. It’s like wearing a silky crepe de chine camisole under your clothes. Jean Desprez’ composition is defined by its subtlety, complexity, and restraint, and Crepe de Chine is my reference for how beautiful a vintage chypre can be.