![]() ![]() #HERMES COLOGNE SKIN#Flanked with patchouli and the more-earthen aspects of vetiver, this oakmoss is touched by a kiss of vanilla before becoming skin scent left behind late in the wear. A hint of very dry cinnamon comes towards the dry down into the base, with muguet and jasmine indoles adding some floral funk alongside the emerging foundation of oakmoss. Since sage is nowhere near the sweetness of lavender, Équipage dodges the bullet of being a dandy scent but things do get more like a fougère once rosewood, nutmeg, geranium, and carnation enter the heart. The opening has sour bergamot and aldehydes mixed with orange and a little isobutyl quinoline, conjuring that varnish-like quality I mentioned, but unlike something such as Piguet Bandit (1944) or Grès Cabochard (1959), that tannery leather doesn't stick around much and is soon buried under clary sage which acts in the capacity of lavender to add a familiar barbershop aroma. Modern bottles have been streamlined into a collection of classics using the same homogeneous bottles as the eau de cologne range, so be on the lookout at Hermès counters. A lot of men still swear by this, and it's earned a latecoming flanker to boot, so Hermès must have gotten something right. Guy would develop a penchant for heavy indolic fragrances with varnish-like leather notes or animalic musks in their bases (sometimes both), and much of that style shows up here in Équipage, which outside that trait goes on to become a kitchen sink of things in the typical complex baroque style of late 60's through late 70's perfume. Chanel had Henri Robert on retainer as house perfumer whilst Dior had almost exclusive use of Edmond Roudnitska (who had once also worked with Hermès previously), so without a preeminent perfumer to call their very own, Hermès did the next best thing and tapped Henri's son Guy Robert to create Équipage. In similar fashion, Hermès Équipage (1970) was a little less accessible and pricier than it's peers Chanel Pour Monsieur (1955) and Dior Eau Sauvage (1966), tying in a horseback riding leather theme into both the initial packaging and smell. In fact, they still are mostly right behind Chanel and Dior to this very day, perhaps because Hermès is just a bit more expensive and less universally-appealing thanks to their dedicated theme (whereas the other two are somewhat more amorphous stylistically), so you have to be the type to go looking for them rather than stumbling across their wares. ![]() Hermès was a big player in designer fragrances at the time, right behind Chanel and Dior. ![]() The debut masculine fragrance from Hermès is no small matter. On my page, there are six favorites (including my signature) if there was room for a seventh, it would be Equipage. The base is musky, mossy, and mildly vanillic, seemingly wrapped in a wispy cellophane of carnation and the other florals, just gorgeous. They are evident here and synergize wonderfully with the floral notes in the heart. Liatris (or liatrix) is dry, warm, powdery, hay-like, and reminiscent of tobacco (hence the tobacco note detected by many). Hyssop is herbaceous and camphoraceous while having a warm, spicy undertone (crushing the leaves is a delight). Being familiar with both the scent of hyssop and liatris through their respective essential oil and solvent-extracted absolute, I'd vote these notes up (I feel like they are much lower simply because few folks know exactly what these two smell like). Perhaps because the first time I smelled it was in Colonial Drug when it was at its first location in the square, many years ago.Įquipage opens with a stunning rosewood, clary sage and nutmeg that soon yields to the centerpiece of carnation supported with pine and cinnamon, all warm and inviting. Somehow, it also evokes walking in Harvard Sq in Cambridge on a cool day, dressed impeccably, meeting a good friend for lunch, wandering through the epicurean treasures of Cardullo's, getting lost in Harvard Book Store. However, today I wear it with relish whilst donned in a t-shirt and pajama bottoms, much like most other other scents these days. I would wear this with a tux, but just as well would wear this with tweed or jeans and a sport coat. A men's carnation, it is an olfactory boutonniere for the debonair. ![]()
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