Chloé (original)
Chloé (1974)

A kind basenoter sent me two versions of original Chloe parfum for comparison: one labelled " made in France", the other "blended in USA". I tried them separately first, starting with the French-made version:

This is a sweet, fruity, soapy white floral blend, with so many notes that it's hard to pick apart. lf pushed, l'd say the most prominent notes for me are lilac, tuberose & carnation, with hints of ylang & coconut lending it a slightly tropical air. The projection is initially quite powerful, & it could be cloying if overapplied, but after two hours it begins to soften. There's little development, although it takes on a more creamy-ambery tone as it dries down, & it lasts a good twelve hours before fading out.

Although it was launched in 1974, this one definitely says "80s" to me, & l do recall smelling it around that time, although l never tried it for myself. l'm not sure if or when l'd wear this as it might be overbearing to some, but it has a cheerful exuberance that makes me smile, & l think it'd work well in springtime as a mood-lifter to bring one out of the winter doldrums.

The US version has the words "essence imported from France, blended in USA" printed on the label, instead of "made in France":

This version seems much more soapy to me, & although aldehydes aren't listed, there's a definite whiff of "snuffed candle" about it. Perhaps because of this, or maybe a higher dose of galbanum, the florals take longer to become apparent, & seem less smooth & rounded to me. When the florals do appear, the tuberose is less dominant, & there's less of the fruity aspect here. lt also takes longer to soften, about four hours, & stays more soapy & clean with less of the creamy aspect in the base. The lasting power is similar though at around twelve hours.

l didn't expect to find much difference between the two versions, but l do wonder now if the formula was indeed adjusted for the US market, whether deliberately or not. l think l have a preference for the French version, & l think Mr teardrop would agree, as he expressed distaste for the US one, while the French version elicited no comment. That's as good as a compliment coming from him!

Trying the two versions side by side, the differences are in fact very subtle. The French version still smells more creamy & fruity to me, while the US version is more soapy. But for any vintage hunters out there, I'd say the differences are not so marked as to make it worth searching out one in preference to the other.

I've had the Lagerfeld version before. It was long ago. I don't remember how it smelled but, this is pretty and acceptable for my taste... Deep, dark, and heavy top notes. That is, as far deep as florals can go. The fruit is buried deep within. Honeysuckle, ylang ylang, and galbanum are the stand-out notes here on top. There is an almost boozy, cognac aspect.

The flowers in the heart are well-mixed. They are "dark" as well with no sugar thrown in for sweetness. They're raw. There is a rich, jammy-like-a-savory-jam vibe. Miss tuberose becomes dominate for the most part. Narcissus and carnation run a close second. This is an old-style floral with no modernity present. Tuberose continues its reign in to the base.

There is an addition of barnyard qualities, as a wet straw note and wet wood note appear. A light, wet earthiness comes into play. Musky, musk, too. I suppose one could wear this year round. I know I used to back in the late 80's - I didn't care about seasonal wearings then. This Chloe runs feminine without being overtly "girly".

A vague, mysterious, thick honey note appears on the skin hours later. It is almost "toasted" or browned somehow.

Very femme and floral.

My high school sweetheart wore Chloe in the 80s and I quite liked it.

This is a great feminine amber. It is about tuberose, but in the end, it smells like a floral-amber. Warm and a tiny bit sweet.

I love this fragrance. Apart from vintage Fracas it is the best Tuberose fragrance ever; nothing compares to it, nothing comes close. It is such a shame that it was discontinued.

It was my mother's favourite fragrance, so I may be a tad biased!

This should properly be listed under Lagerfeld--and how closely it was connected with him back in the day--"A woman does not wear my fragrance, she enters it" was the Karl Lagerfeld quote on the print ads. This was so widely worn in the 70s and 80s that anyone around in that time would have a memory of it. It was the lush, fruity floral of its day, with sandalwood and oakmoss supporting the big florals--tuberose and honeysuckle. Totally feminine, very Parisian (at least to the US market) and beautifully packaged (back in the day when peach was a hot color). The frosted Calla lilies of the stopper to the perfume bottles were brilliantly designed. In its day, this sat proudly alongside Halston and Oscar de la Renta and--along with those perfumes--defined an era.