Hermès Terre d’Hermès, Eau d’Hermès, and “The One In the Green Bottle”

Well my inbox and facebook feed were bombarded over this past week with the notice that there was a new mens Hermès fragrance, available at Nordstrom, called H24. Despite the fact that there is a Norstrom right down the street in Century City, I failed to get over there in time to grab a whiff. Hey,the LA marathon was in town. And I had a personal “Buffy” marathon going on, The dog ate my homework. Sue me.

However by happenstance a friend dropped over and gave me a sample of Terre d’Hermès, which I had tried before but never bought. Since I do own bottles of Eau and Eau d’Orange Vert (mine so old that it’s just “The One In the Green Bottle” or OGB from here on in.)

I sort of group these three as being on one or the other side of a definite timeline: around the time perhaps the green bottle got a name Hermès started making more and more perfumes that were more and more mainstream. Not that they were bad, not at all. It’s the perfume version of Jane Birkin carrying all of her crap in the bag designed for her and Jane Doe (or more accurately “Dough”) carrying ones sized from petite to garganto in everything from leather to latex to lynx to licorice. The appearance of exclusivity without being truly exclusive.

But I digress..

Eau d’Hermès and OGB came before that time.

Eau d’Hermès came out in 1951 apparently and according to my own review on this very website was quite the funk-fest: so much so that at the Hermès boutique a less than tactful friend exclaimed in tones loud enough to be heard in France “EEEEWW!! Old Man Funk!!” Which was of course what I liked about it. It was cumin heavy leather- like a hot guy just in from a ride on a cold day. Lady Chatterly’s Lover in a bottle. I ended up years later buying a bottle (off Amazon, not at Hermès) and it was far less, shall we say pungent? than I remembered. Which was too bad. Rumors were for a while that it was discontinued, but it’s still available at Hermès online and other e-tailers.

OGB has been around forever, although online sources read that it’s a 2009 concoction. March says 1979, so we will go with that. I know it’s been one of my go-tos for a long time: in that 4711 vein, it’s very cooling on a hot day. It has the usual suspects of citrus but add is a bit of tropical fruits that, while they don’t scare the horses (or ride them into your boudoir, grrr…) do add a little bit of a tropical, big sunglasses with sarong (or Hermès scarf worn as a wrap) vibe that is very welcome on even an arid, Santa Ana- blown LA day. I do have a bottle that was purchased after it was named, but still refer to it as OGB, So there.

Terre d’ Hermès definitely comes after the time when Hermès was starting to become more Chanel-like in releasing new scents. New, more Sephora friendly ones. Not that there’s anything wrong with that: after all it’s a business in the business of selling, and while we all applaud the outré it can help the bottom line to have a hit, and Terre d’Hermès was a hit. Certainly with Patty who loved it as did others. I liked the citrus/woody/spicy thing it did and really liked the unexpectedly cool and earthy drydown with it’s almost flinty aspects, like soil not easily tilled nor easily farmed. For some reason it did not however make my credit card raise out of my pocket the way so many others have. Still doesn’t.

So have any of you sniffed H24? Is it all that or does it lack the bag of chips? Let us know in the comments and in the mean time maybe I will get my lazy a$$ over to Nordstrom and find out..

Eau d’Hermès is $150 while Orange Vert is from $97 to $179 depending upon size at Hermès boutiques. Terre d’Hermès starts at $95 or so at Nordstrom and others, and of course all are available on the interwebs for less. World’s laziest picture is from m iPhone.

 

  • Darryl says:

    I own…yikes…a LOT of Hermès. Both EdT and EdP versions of Terre and Kelly Calèche. H24. Twilly and Twilly Eau Poivrée (damn these accent characters). Eau, Eau Bleue, and L’Ombre des Merveilles. Un Jardin sur la Lagune (the only Jardin that’s moved me enough to buy). A decant of Galop that I’m hoarding like Gollum and his precious. And, most recently and perhaps most blissfully, Eau d’Hermès. I tore through a decant and had a bottle ordered posthaste…and then a backup, because I am a crazy person (in my defense, the stuff isn’t always in stock).

    I might have a problem.

    Anyway, H24. I like it. Imagine the drydown of one of the softer ’70s fougéres like Paco Rabanne. Now add a layer of steam and a freshly sliced pear. Strange on paper, weirdly comforting and satisfying in practice. It’s a bit of a throwback to the nostalgic freshies of the ’90s and ’00s, with a wittier perfumer at the helm.

  • March says:

    I really loved the sweaty one (I found it rather shocking tbh) but only own a decant. I love going in their store when I’m in a major city, but I suspect I have the “she ain’t gonna buy anything” sign around my neck, visible only to SAs. At my job in DC there was a Hermes (? an Hermes?) boutique a block away, they got tired of seeing my buy-nothing self haha but they were always polite! Their scarves are so beautiful. If I’m going to p!ss away money on something useless in Hermes, it’s gonna be a scarf.

    • Tom says:

      They are always polite- at least in LA. They never know if the person in sweats is a nobody (me) or is the president of a network or the sig other of the president of the network or what. Today’s lookiloo could be tomorrows award-nominated screenwriter or movie star. You can’t judge by jewelry either, especially right now when everybody has the Patek in the vault and is sporting an Apple Watch on the highest end..

  • taxi says:

    I don’t like Terre (or Twilly) but love and wear OGB, Gentiane Blanc, & Mediterranee.

  • Valerie says:

    Tom, love your fantastic prose and hilarity! I tried Terre d’Hermes from a sample once & it was definitely not for me. But I wanna make a public service announcement: Dear old Costco is offering a Terre d’Hermes Pure Parfume 3-piece set, plus Terre d’Hermes Eau Intense Vetiver EdP 6.7 oz right now. Costco prices are generally half of retail or sometimes even less, but a membership is required. They also just posted the vile (*to me) Hermes Un Jardin Sur La Lagune EdT, 1.6 fl oz. Too bad it’s not Méditerranée, sur le Nil or Monsieur Li instead. (Note: I do not work for Costco, nor do I know anyone who does.)
    Hugs from VA! ???

    • Tom says:

      Thanks Val! I have been thisclose to getting a CostCo membership but they aren’t really conveniently located. It just doesn’t seem to make sense to drive all the way to Van Nuys to fill the gas tank (which holds, like, three cups) on my car or invest in a gallon of mayo. Need a couple of CostCo buddies..

      • Valerie says:

        I do shop at the warehouse, because it’s convenient to where I do my other shopping. But honestly if I wasn’t anywhere close to a Costco warehouse, I’d still have a membership because I order a ton online for delivery. (That said, having the warehouse nearby comes in handy for returns.) They’re very generous with their return policy. As long as the fume isn’t half-gone, they’ll take it back no questions asked. I’ll bet if you ask around, someone in your circle has a Costco membership & would be glad to order for a charming fellow like you. ???You’d just have to mail any returns back (not sure if returns are free – I’ve never done it via mail).

      • Valerie says:

        Important! The warehouses don’t carry any fragrances. They’re only offered online, but they have a really impressive selection & it changes all the time. (My emojis are turning into question marks! ??? K, I’ll stop the costco-gushing now…)

  • Musette says:

    I like OGB ! I was JUST in N-M a few weeks ago – wonder if the new H24 is there? hmmm…

    As with Dina C’s stepdad, I butcher Hermes – but not the actual name. No, I butcher Hermessence, always calling it ‘Hermanessence’ which brings to mind Herman Munster and then my skittery brain goes into the strangest scenarios (M. Munster stomping into the Hermes boutique… and not one SA batting an eye. Because Hermes SA.

    okay – I’ll stop now.

    xoxoxo

    • Dina C. says:

      I’m laughing out loud at your Herman Munster image! I have further imaginings of Herman squiring himself in the eye by mistake with a sample bottle and then trying to buy Lily a Hermes scarf, but they’re all too brightly colorful! Haha Don’t stop on my account, Anita! xoxo

    • March says:

      The HERMANESSENCES. We called it that for so long I can’t even come up with the right name any more. My brain still calls it that.

    • Tom says:

      I think I like “Hermanessence” better anyway! I would love to see the Munster line of Hermes home goods..

  • Dina C. says:

    I’m a fan of Terre d’Hermes and have bought the after shave balm for my step dad at Bloomingdale’s (his favorite self care product). Love the way he calls it Hermmies! ?? My hubby has a sample size of it, and I love the way it smells on him, too. It has those mineral, earthy aspects that I find really appealing, and a blessed relief from the calone type men’s scents like Cool Water. I don’t remember sniffing the other men’s scents in the Hermes line recently. I know I used to have a sample of the Rhubarb one. I’ll have to go hunting it down later, and maybe I’ll run across OGB!

  • cinnamon says:

    I’m sure I’ve smelled all of these but have no memory of any of them. Not sure what that says. My Hermes was Caleche, but not sufficient love there to ever buy a full bottle.

    • Tom says:

      I don’t think it means much- we all smell so many things. Caleche was very pretty. Is? It wasn’t one that my friends ever grabbed onto..

  • Tara C says:

    I thought it was dreadful and boring, but YMMV. Still prefer Terre d’Hermès.