40 days and 40 Nights of Fragrance Notes: Oakmoss

Fragrance Note of the Day: Oakmoss
by Patti F

If there is any fragrance note that is a connecting thread among most of my perfumes, it's oakmoss. I know it immediately, as if recognizing
something familiar and welcome. Oakmoss appeared in my first grown-up perfumes when I was a teen, and oakmoss anchors the base of some
of my most beloved perfumes over the years, to this very day.

My parents took a trip to Monte Carlo when I was in college. Mom and the ladies took a day trip to the perfumeries of Grasse, while the menfolk hung out in the casinos. Mom brought back a set of five golden aluminum perfumers bottles for me. I had no idea what they were. She gave me a piece of yellow paper, on which her sales associate wrote down the names of the perfumes in those five bottles. The bottles had names, of course, but these were not the real names of what was inside. Five one-ounce bottles of pure parfum. I had perfume history in my hands. The lady had told my Mom that the perfumery store was not permitted to sell the perfumes by their real names, but she assured my Mom that these were the real thing. The names on that piece of paper are the names of the great legends of perfumery. Le Rendez-Vous was Miss Dior. It was my first chypre.

So much of my collection of perfumes have a base of oakmoss, and you probably know most of them, so I won't go on and on about the fabulousness of Mitsouko, or Paloma Picasso, or Cabochard, or Chanel #19. What I'd like to do is Show And Tell of some of the oakmoss fragrances that I have loved over the years, and still love, some unusual fragrances, chypres that have come and gone, some which remain.

Home from a second trip to Grasse, my Mom brought more perfumes. This time, Jolie Madame, Miss Balmain, Diorissimo, and a bottle labeled "Banjo" which was Bandit. I knew very little about Bandit, pre-internet of course, and could find little information about Piguet. I have found out that there is now a reformulation. How often we hear that word now, especially with the European Union ban on natural oakmoss.

I came home from college one Christmas to find a bottle of Cachet by Prince Matchabelli under the tree. This beautiful and sophisticated chypre in its graceful, twisted bottle, was my signature scent for the remainder of that year in school. Until, back from another trip, Mom brought me a bottle of Caleche. She had some European currency to use up before they came home, and in the Shannon Duty Free shop, she used her last currency to buy Caleche for me. We found out shortly after that, that Elizabeth Taylor wore Caleche. Good enough for both Mom and me! I still love its modern attitude, even though it is now 50 years old. Guy Robert, the perfumer, added rose for richness and jasmine for utter femininity. I always feel very womanly when I wear it.

A little apothecary in a nearby town was the source for my Crepe De Chine. The store was going out of business and all the perfumes were on sale. I think this had to be in the mid 70s. I knew by then that those bottles of Crepe De Chine were old and rare. I bought the remainder of the supply in that store, for an embarrassing low price. I used plenty of them. And this is what remains, two parfums and a sweet, old fashioned eau de toilette. Millot created Crepe De Chine in 1925 and my Mom wore it as a young woman. Jasmine, lilac, and ylang ylang are the flowers that sit between the top notes of bergamot and the exquisitely balanced base of oakmoss, patchouli, and vetiver.

Years before computers became commonplace in our homes and the internet would provide almost limitless information, we used to read magazines! Well, I still do! I can't even remember the magazine, but in the mid 80's it could have been Town & Country, or Mademoiselle. I noticed an ad in the back of the magazine, for a new perfume called Deneuve, and of course having no way to smell it before buying, I called the number and made the purchase. I remember distinctly that the company's address was 9 West 57th Street in New York. And to this day, every time I see that big red 9 on the sidewalk in front of the building, I think of my lucky moment when I saw the ad and made the purchase. Without a doubt, Deneuve is the most beautiful perfume I've ever smelled or worn. I have gone through so many bottles, large and small, I can't even count. I lavished it on and garnered the compliments over and over throughout the years. I never thought to hoard. But now, I do. What you see is what remains. To be honest, Long Lost Perfumes makes a pretty decent dupe, called Cannes. Buy yourself some Cannes, and put the bottle away for a few months before you try it. The longer it sits, the closer it gets to the original.
Deneuve is a masterpiece, a balance of beauty and charm. Sparkling with a touch of aldehyde in the initial notes, the floral blend includes lily of the valley, iris, rose, jasmine, violet, and orris. In the base, oakmoss, sandalwood, musk, and some reviews say there's civet in here too. I've never loved a fragrance more than I love Deneuve. I still wear it on special occasions and it still takes my breath away.

It took me three trips to the Guerlain counter at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City to decide on my very first Guerlain. I can't remember them all, but I had narrowed it down to three. On the third trip I chose Parure. Now I know I chose perfectly. Parure is my favorite Guerlain, a fruity chypre with luscious plum and bergamot, white flowers, and the classic chypre base with a touch of amber and leather. It is similar to the more famous Mitsouko, without the peach, more rounded, greener, softer. It's a beauty. Grab it before it's gone forever, which may be very soon if not already.

The floral cannister you see holds a refill bottle of Guerlain Chant d'Aromes, another pretty chypre in an even prettier presentation. Armani For Women is a legend among perfume lovers, here and gone too soon. Spearmint is the green note in Armani, with white florals and narcissus. When I think of some of the other Armani scents that have been launched over the years, I want to yell at the King Of Greige, "Stop this stuff! Just bring back your first scent, Armani!"

Gianni Versace For Women is an intoxicating blend of florals and spices. I think I detect cinnamon and clove. This is another beautiful chypre that is no longer available but still very cherished by its fans. I recently was able to obtain a bottle for Ms. Blogdorf. I wanted to mark a very special birthday with a very special fragrance. She has loved it on me for years, and now she has her own bottle.

Champagne by Yves Saint Laurent is the only fragrance that my husband has ever asked me never to wear again. My bottle resides at my Mom's house. One day I came home from spending the day with her. She was wearing the Champagne (after all, we mustn't let it go to waste!) and the husband said to me, "I thought I asked you not to wear that perfume again!" Champagne is now called Yvresse. The champagne industry in France did not allow YSL to use the name, and bottles that bear the original name are very hard to come by. Mine is in good hands and quite safe.

I bought Apercu by Houbigant without even knowing what it smelled like, let alone knowing it was a chypre. I found it in a Neiman Marcus catalog. I called and had it sent to me, mainly because I like Houbigant's Quelques Fleurs, and I thought the bottle was so pretty. Little did I know I'd fall madly in love. With notes of cinnamon and clove, it resembles Gianni Versace, but it's more voluptuous and deep.

The husband has his own stash of oakmoss scents, including the best men's scent that Bond No. 9 has ever created, Great Jones. His bottle is signed by the owner of the company, to him, and is punctuated with her signature Swarovski jewel. He also wears Guerlain Vetiver, Chanel Egoiste (so appropriate, for those who know him) Platinum, and the newest in his collection, Marc Jacobs Bang! It is rapidly becoming one of my favorites on him. And how fun is that punched bottle!

I could go on and on about oakmoss. Its earthy, lusty scent reminds me of roasted chestnuts, a nutty quality that is indescribable but instantly recognizable. Some "modern chypres" are actually scents that are constructed without oakmoss, like Bond No. 9's masterful Chinatown, Agent Provocateur Eau Emotionelle, and Chanel's 31 Rue Cambon. I'm eager to try more modern chypres. But I am always eager to find oakmoss scents. My next purchase is already decided, Le Labo Chant De Bois, created for the Anthropologie fashion and home decor stores. Soon.

Do you love oakmoss in fragrances? Which one is your favorite? Tell us!

Reviewer: Patti F aka Cavewoman
Photos by Patti aka Cavewoman
Disclosure: All fragrances were either purchased by the author or given to her by her mother.
Graphic Credit: Melanie Parker