Jean Guichard

Parfum de Peau by Jean Guichard for Montana 1986

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

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Post by Portia

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Heya Fabulous Fumies,

For years I thought Montana’s DNA spiral perfume bottle was too silly for words. Nothing’s changed, I still think it’s silly. OK, something has changed, now I own a bottle. It was on such deep discount recently that I could not resist. My mate Scott has waxed lyrical about the fragrance and having spent a small amount of time with a vintage mini that Gino gave me I felt it was time to forget silly and go buy the frag. My new acquisition is the modern incarnation and is quite different in the base to the original, that does change the way the fragrance wears but…..

Parfum de Peau by Montana 1986

Parfum de Peau by Jean Guichard

Parfum de Peau Montana FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Blackberry, ginger, orange blossom, pepper, marigold, black currant
Heart: Patchouli, jasmine, rose, narcissus
Base: Leather, amber, musk, incense

First spritz opens up sharp, bittersweet, tangy, pissy and rich. The metalic/oily twang of aldehydes and screechy super sonic blackberry and black currant are further amplified by pepper and ginger which give uber sting. Eau de Paeu is big, strong, overbearing and in control, even now in its modern form. What is different for me is that the base used to ground the opening a little, give it depth and tonality, make it lush and opulent. Nowadays not so much so I end up with all this crazy treble fragrance that seems slightly artless, all the arch grandeur has made way for trashy, loud, uneducated and poorly outfitted sluttery. How the mighty have fallen.

Montana Claude Montana for Lanvin FlickrFlickr

Yet, I still love Parfum de Peau. The huge, shoulder padded, bravado does still lurk within the heart which is muted by comparison to the remarkable opening. Within 15 minutes the whole fragrance has quietened to a dull roar, only seeming less enormous because you’ve just survived a barrage, a wall of fragrance. The heart gives me the dry, raspiness of freshly ground black pepper, narcissus but a sweeter, softer, more friendly narcissus than the absolue. Also Parfum de Peau’s patchouli and leather make their appearance tempered by the flowers and vanilla. The animal which growled and howled through the original Montana has been tamed, caged, bathed and toilet trained, the tramp has become a lady in a bizarre twist of irony.

Montana Anime_Girl WikiMediaWikiMedia

Still naughty and outrageous compared to most of the 21st centuries mainstream and designer offerings and it lasts well at a lower level of hum for hours & hours. Once it hits the heart/dry down crossover there isn’t much change but merely fade.

Further reading: Now Smell This and I Smell Therefore I Am
FragranceX has AUD$66/100ml

Do you have a fave that has been reformulated but you still love it?
Portia xxx

Calvin Klein Obsession Woman & Man

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 27 Comments

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Post by Azar

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Hello APJ,

This summer the Pacific Northwest USA has been uncharacteristically hot and dry. To make matters worse, less than 30% of the homes have central air-conditioning. Ours is one of the hot ones! I have yet to acclimate to the 95-100 degree F temperatures that continue to blister the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

In an attempt to deal with the sweltering heat I pulled out my big, refrigerated bottles of Italian colognes. Sadly, these refreshing fragrances have done little to alleviate the effects of the breathtaking temperatures. The alcohol evaporates too quickly to be effective, leaving not a trace of comforting scent on my skin.

Calvin Klein Obsession

Calvin Klein Obsession for Woman by Jean Guichard 1985

Obsession Calvin Klein women FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top:  Green notes, mandarin orange, vanilla, peach, basil, bergamot, lemon
Heart:  Spices, coriander, sandalwood, orange blossom, jasmine, oakmoss, cedar, rose
Base:  Amber, musk, civet, vetiver, incense

Sweating over a solution, I recalled a recent comment by Cookie Queen suggesting the use of big orientals in hot climates.  Her timely advice and Anne-Marie’s recent post inspired me to dig out the squat, kidney shaped bottle of the original Calvin Klein Obsession for Women from its cool, dark tomb in the lower floor storage.  Even though I had a vague recollection of Calvin Klein Obsession for Women as nothing more than a spicy cliché typical of many 80s bombastic orientals, I was desperate enough to give it another try.  I resurrected Calvin Klein Obsession for Women from the nether regions and carried her up into the bright and toasty upstairs living area.  I gave myself a quick splash and WHAMMO…!  The power of Obsession was so uplifting and distracting that I totally forgot the scorching heat.  The juice in the old bottle had aged to perfection and provided me with a much-needed respite from the stagnant summer air.  The overheated atmosphere of the house also revealed the beauty and complexity of Obsession.  After 30 years of neglect I was finally enjoying fragrance notes I had never detected before, including almost everything on Fragrantica’s list. I fell madly for my old cologne and hurried to purchase more vintage Obsession for Women. 

Male_Underwear_Model_John_Quinlan_in_Calvin_KleinPhoto Stolen WikiMedia

Calvin Klein Obsession for Men by Bob Slattery 1986

Obsession for Men Calvin Klein FrsagranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top:  Tangerine/mandarin, grapefruit, lime, bergamot, coriander, lavender, cinnamon
Heart:  Nutmeg, carnation, jasmine, sage, Brazilian rosewood, pine, myrrh, red berries
Base:  Amber, sandalwood, patchouli, musk, vanilla, vetiver

I was even able to find the original 1986 Calvin Klein Obsession for Men and imagine that almost every element of CK Obsession for Men (and for Women) is synthetic. The jasmine in my vintage version is probably hedione (methyl dihydrojasmonate) and the musk is most likely civetone. For me Obsession for Men packs the distracting punch of the distaff version and is refreshing as well.  I also find CK Obsession for Men to be incredibly sexy!  My reaction is probably related to hedione.  Recent research suggests that this old aroma-chemical activates a specific region of the hypothalamus associated with the release of sex hormones, especially in women.  In other words, hedione might actually turn women on!

Amanda_Bach,_a_sexy_fashion_model_iconPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

But there is MORE:

Animal behaviorists in South America routinely use Calvin Klein Obsession for Men to lure jaguars to camera traps in the jungle and zookeepers keep their feline charges active and entertained with CK Obsession for Men.

Further reading: Now Smell This and I Smell Therefore I Am
Fragrance Shop has $26/110ml
My Perfume Samples has $2/ml to $7/5ml

I’m wondering if YOU love or hate the various Obsessions? Do you ever wear heavy orientals in the summer heat? Have you tried the Sex Panther fragrance referred to above?

In closing – some like it hot…so be cool!

Azar xx

Obsession by Jean Guichard for Calvin Klein 1985

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Post by Anne-Marie

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“When one makes love, there is a certain scent we that give off. I think it’s very sensual – that’s the scent of Obsession.”
– Calvin Klein

Obsession was released in 1985 and by any measure is a mighty fragrance. It is so much more than the sum of its notes….

Obsession by Jean Guichard for Calvin Klein 1985

“Oh, the smell of it!”

Obsession Calvin Klein FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Green notes, mandarin, peach, basil, bergamot, lemon
Heart: Spices, coriander, sandalwood, orange blossom, jasmine, oakmoss, cedar, rose
Base: Amber, musk, civet, vanilla, vetiver, incense.

It’s the damp herbal first blast of Obsession that I adore. Yes, there are softer, easier things to come, but that dark, slightly bitter opening is for me, addictive. After that I get spices of course, although not the florals.

The base for me is mostly amber and vanilla, with incense keeping things cool and dry. The vanilla is far from being sweet and foodie – which is just how I like it. I wear the modern EDT, the stuff you can get for a song just about anywhere perfume is sold.

Obsession is usually classified as an oriental, but through its marketing, Obsession rejects conventional oriental fantasies and metaphors. We get no lacquered spice jars, no souks, no Buddhas or Indian princesses etc. Obsession does not weave sentimental fairy tales; it is about nothing but sex.

The early TV ads were directed by Richard Avedon and make you feel as if you have wandered on to the set of some weird modernist play. Everything is in monochrome, but clearly the scene is vibrant with sexual obsession. In one, an older man laments a young woman (played by South African model José Borain) who has left him (“Was it me? Did I somehow driver her away?”).

In another, that woman is the object of obsession for a beautiful teenage boy (“ … the whispers at my bedside … her arms … her mouth … her amber hair … and oh, the smell of it.”).

calvinklein-obsession

The early print ads were shot in Puerto Villata, Mexico, by Bruce Weber and feature, in blue sepia, two (or three) naked, entwined bodies.

Famously, Kate Moss also modelled for Obsession, but that came later, in 1993 when she was 17. Shot by Mario Sorrenti and still in monochrome, the location was a shack on the beach: “Just me and him and loads of film,” Moss later recalled. The ads speak to the photographer’s obsession with his model. Moss was his girlfriend at the time but the relationship did not survive.

All of these ads are edgy. “You walk a fine line, especially in advertising,” Calvin Klein admitted, “if you try and do something sensual.” Sometimes I find them more disturbing than, say, Tom Ford’s quite sexually explicit ads for his perfumes.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Non Blonde
FragranceNet has $10/15ml before Coupon
My Perfume Samples has $2/ml

A lot of people have memories of Obsession, good and bad. What are yours?

‘Til next time, have fun!

Anne-Marie xx