Eau d’Hermès is a scent that although I enjoyed heartily, I don’t think I ever owned a full bottle. That is until now. Unfortunately, I think it’s been reformulated and rather neutered. The version I remember is a cumin heavy (at least at first) skank-fest. So much so that when I smelled it with a friend at the Rodeo Drive Hermès store, my friend, who at least 50% of the time manages tact. upon smelling it blurted loudly enough to be heard in Pacoima “EEEEEWWWW! Old man funk!!” The SA looked like he’d been slapped and I wanted to drop down into the floor (it’s to be hoped covering myself in a nice soft Hermès throw as camouflage.
The thing is, my friend was correct- it was Funk. That’s what I liked about it. It was surprisingly funky especially coming from a house who’s other fragrance was the one that used to have no name that came in the green bottle, which was so light and airy it should be served poolside on hot days in a bed of shaved ice.
I did decide to go ahead and get a bottle, not from the boutique where it was about $150, but at Amazon where it was about $80. I don’t know if it’s my imperfect memory or that it really has been reformulated: I know that my threshold for skank has always been much higher than most and that bar has only been raised. Real Civet? Oud? Musk? Cumin? All of the above, where do I sign up?
Not to say that this is terrible; it’s very nice, actually. Dialing the spices back lets the sunshiny flowers shine and the fine leather handbag aspect come through more. It’s now far more Birkin than Biriani. I will be keeping mine, but if you know a cumin-fest I should be trying let me know in the comments.
Image: Amazon. My bottle was purchased at Amazon.com.
Ah, Rochas Femme! So lovely and so hard to get.
Tom, I’m with you. I enjoy skanky fragrances which somehow I can wear and they smell good. My sister screams “cat pee” when she samples them. My fave is Papillon Salome and Auphorie Mayura. The most cumin-y fragrance I own is Rochas Femme.
Spring pants- it’s Eau d’orange vert. I don’t think it had a name on the bottle back in the day.
GD Atocorrect! That should read SpringPansy!
You and me Tom! Love skank fests! Load on the woods, civet, and general animalic goatiness and I’m in heaven. This post reminds me though of when my lab-chow mix found a deceased salmon on the river banks. We didn’t see his joyful rolling in the remains–but we sure smelled him. For a YEAR! I couldn’t understand why he wanted to smell like something so nauseatingly foul. I have to remind myself of that when I’m spraying Oud Picante. Salome or the like on a little too liberally. Heaven for me–asphyixiation by “cat pee” or “poo” or “panties” to those around. Sigh.
Ahhh, cat bee- what I get with just one too many spritzes of Miel de Bois..
Hi Tom, Thanks for a fun post. So, what’s the other Hermes fragrance you mention that used to have no name and comes in a green bottle? Is it still around? Trying to think what it might be. “should be served poolside on hot days in a bed of shaved ice” sounds very appealing for the upcoming summer…