Cardin
Pierre Cardin (1975)

Today, I saw a brutalist building in Wellesley, MA that I have long admired, with its exposed concrete painted over in white. It seemed like such a disgrace in its attempt to appear more modern and inviting. I felt a pang of sadness that yet another aesthetic casualty was witnessed. It felt like a metaphor, much in the way that old videotape that hours of programming contained would be taped over and over, whole records of 20th century culture erased for newness and progress. We can apply this to the melancholy many of us fragrance enthusiasts might feel when pondering all the perfumes that sit languishing after decades have passed; trends change, and the past is ever rendered irrelevant by youth. The only glimmer of hope comes from some renaissance in an obscure corner of the newer generation, a rediscovery and veneration. In the meantime, even when there is so much rehashing of previous motifs, new is "in" more than it ever has seemed to be in the past.

Cardin de Cardin is also what comes to mind when regarding these time passages. To most, this would thoroughly read as "of it's time," their noses wrinkling with disdain. Its beauty cannot be appreciated when laid against the contemporary. Those aldehydes intimidate; those spiced flowers are just too...spicy and floral; and the leathery labdanum, oakmoss and civet is, you know, "old lady" (in a whispered voice). It neither smells clean nor does it smell sweet. It feels so pleated and buttoned and rust-orange and beige. It's as offensive as a Boomer's opinions. Yet to me, someone who may have a gift or a curse, depending upon how you look at it, I smell such a time-honored beauty that is as sophisticated as a Bergman film, a Calder mobile, and yes, that "lowly" brutalist building. It's a musky nugget of elegance that, as long as there are passionate lovers of perfume, shall never be painted over in time's oblivion white.

Lovely,very of its time, stunning original somewhat space age packaging, I have shower gel,EDT and tiny EDP. To me,its closest cousin is vintage Ivoire de Balmain (not the horrible modern version. Some similarities with Knowing by Estee Lauder also.
Ivoire has more grassy vetiver,Cardin is more balsamic.Gorgeous.

A floral heart but a musk and civet dry down with a warm honeyed amber.

I did not experience the "green, sweet, fruity opening" that Barbara Herman did. Perhaps my vintage mini had lost those top notes.

What's left is a serious chypre - warm and dark and slightly spicy. Anachronistic for 1976, but it must have been welcome at the time. It's perfectly nice, but nothing unusual, just a nice basic chypre, thus my neutral review.

Top notes: Raspberry, Bergamot
Heart notes: Jasmine, Rose, Carnation, Ylang, Orris, Honey, Lily
Base notes: Sandalwood, Musk, Civet, Oakmoss, Amber

Worth picking up cheaply if you can find it on Ebay.

I guess I'll have to tread a line between the preceeding reviews. Cardin is floral, but its also spicey. And it is animalic in a way that shows that it is from another place and time (the 1970's). Other than that, it's not terribly unusual, from what I can tell.For this review, my sample was a 1/2 oz splash bottle with glass stopper + plastic insert. The juice looks looks thick, dark and potent, so maybe I have the edp version? Overall, the package is somewhat 'above average'.Anyway, it's big stuff. Anyone who likes Paloma Picasso or First will probably enjoy it.

Hmmm. I'm wondering what the first two reviewers are smelling? I wore this since it first came out. I was a newlywed, silly, young, romantic, and this just smelled like the most heavenly light floral, but unfortunately never seemed to last very long. As the years went by, I had used up my stash, then found it was long discontinued. Ebay and other resources have allowed me to fall in love with this all over again. It still smells exactly the same to me now as it did when I was in my early 20s and received loads of compliments. I think the jasmine notes are especially attractive here. I still call this a lovely floral floral.

This is one of those fabulously dirty, animalic, deep 70's type of scents. Not for the faint hearted, but if you find yourself smelling a fragrance and thinking "Mmm, I wish I had a nice side of animalic notes to add to this, just to give it some 'oomph'. " than this is the scent for you. If one is familiar with the fashion designs of M Cardin, then you will know what to expect of this fragrance. Highly recommended, even if just for the 'time-capsule' like glimpse into what 70's fragrance had to offer.