Cabochard starts with citrus and deep green notes. It is a dark fragrance right from the start, and the leather is apparent almost immediately. The floral notes are muted: when smelled from a distance they are barely noticeable, from up close, the jasmine is more obvious but still seems to weave in and out. It dries down to an animalic leathery chypre with woods, moss, and a touch of smoke. It stays very dry for the first hour, then starts to take on a hint of sweetness from the patchouli. Cabochard was a fragrance created for Madame Grès, a renowned couturier, who after opening her fashion house in 1942 in Paris became famous for her fluid designs that draped the body like folds on the Greek statues. Bernard Chant was the perfumer responsible for Cabochard, and even though Madame Grès did not personally like it, she felt that Chant created a gem with Cabochard.

Cabochard is often described as a softer take on the animalic darkness of Bandit. Indeed, if Bandit were to be polished to remove its rough edges, to soften its aggressive nature, and to mute its smoky leather, the result would be Cabochard, a leather chypre that is as assertive as it is graceful. A mélange of rich green notes, which is reminiscent of sliced green peppers and succulent leaves, creates an elegant transparent layer, under which an accord dominated by smoky leather is evident from the start. The leather reminiscent of a similar note in Chanel Cuir de Russie is subtle at first, hinting gently as to what might be present underneath the verdant radiance. Its strength grows over time, and as the hesperidic effervescence fades, calm darkness overtakes the composition. 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. 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. 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.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. Notes: bergamot, mandarin, galbanum, ylang ylang, jasmine, Bulgarian rose, clove, oakmoss, tobacco, musk, iris, sandalwood, vetiver, leather, castoreum, patchouli, labdanum

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. … Just this fresh green start alone: Beautiful. Very green, very awake, not unsweet, a little bit herbaceous but nevertheless very well maintained. A bit like tall, ripe grass at the edge of the forest. 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?

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. To me, it smells very classic. Actually, I have no idea about classics, most of them I don't like, as I associate them with old ladies tippling (well strutting) across the Ku-Damm with your fiffi on your arm. It will probably never become my genre but this one is still quite pleasant. The longevity is good, the sillage perceptible, pleasant and not too intrusive. Towards the end, it falls apart a bit. 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!….