First
Eau de Toilette, Van Cleef & Arpels

A huge aldehydic monster in the classical grand manner.
Monsieur Ellena certainly didn't beat about the bush
in this early creation for Van Cleef & Arpels, throwing
a whole lot of rich floral notes into the air all at once and
grinning from ear to ear when they achieved a coherence
perhaps not-quite-planned-for but beautiful none-the-less.

The jasmine stands out head and shoulders above the rest,
together with a honey note which gives the fragrance a rich,
enduring golden glow, even in the eau de toilette iteration.

One for a moonlit evening in Venice, nergroni in hand on the
terrace of the Palazzo Gritti, gazing longingly into your lover's eyes.

A VERY civet heavy fruity floral. Great use of aldehydes, they seem to brighten the scent rather than hit you over the head. This ain't no Chanel No.5. First edt is very feminine and charming. Smells light but lasts a looong time. I wore this to work and my co-worker, a very polite Southern girl, said "It smells very pungent.", which I think was her polite way of saying "Ken you smell like pee." Civet can do that, but no matter, I still adore my vintage can (brown metal) of First edt.