Bois des Îles (1926)
by Chanel

For le mouchoir de monsieur...

Current Exclusif EDT review:

Chanel has a history that holds fascination and controversy. Was Coco as she is portrayed to be? I don't have that answer. But through luck, stealth or slyness, she did one thing very, very well. She enlisted Ernest Beaux to create her historical stable of fragrances. And now, we see this continue, in a line that holds true to it's history, and veers only so slightly to modern taste. You will smell the historical references of #5, and really, mostly Cuir de Russie. But this one stands alone, and on it's own.

Bois des Iles, the feminine woody fragrance of past, and surely of current, times. Bearing the Chanel hallmark trilogy of florals - rose, jasmine and ylang ylang - and adding an iris that only Chanel seems able to bring consistently to the front. And the sandalwood. Origin unknown, but has it really lost any of it's magic and smoothness? Sandalwood made lush by the florals, iris added for an additional creamy texture. I dare you to pick out a note. There is always just the fragrance, lifted up, smoothed out, soaring even in this EDT formula - soaring above all other sandalwood fragrances as it whispers to you (and yes, this is soft and close).

History, art, blending, masculine notes made feminine, and then masculine, until you can't tell anymore. You only know what you smell. It can make you dizzy in it's perfection. Or maybe it is just me. This is as close to perfection as I have found. Melding into your skin, becoming how you smell, how you want to smell, how you smell without thought. Only emotion.

I was at a horse show over Christmas, with more than 30 horses in the arena, prancing, heads thrown all over the place. It was warm, and I rolled my sleeves up. Up drifted this iris and sandalwood combination - and I know, from experience, that there was more to this scent, but that is what hit me that day. The music marking time and a beat, 30 horses stepping in unison to a beat, and a fragrance that stepped in unison, blended to heights I had not smelled before. It almost brought me to tears. Trilogy of senses, in beat and in tune. I was waiting for my heart to start beating to the same, but really, I already know that it was. I almost did not recognize this Bois des Iles, as I wear the parfum for the most part now, but I knew immediately that it was my faithful companion, showing me one more facet, and standing on it's own because of it's firm history and backbone.

Perfect, even in EDT, even after all these years, and I'm sure, many changes.

BTW, the current parfum is also holding up just fine. Richer, more floral, less iris, close wearing, but it will knock you out in awe.

13rd January, 2012.

I am speaking of the reissued scent.
It has a GREAT rose opening -- wow, it is warm and inviting, really excellent. That combines well with the other floral notes. It is very attractive. The rose has such depth that it suggests earthy notes. The florals are rich but not excessively sweet. They are handled with panache. The overall effect is round and even a bit creamy. The creamy note is augmented by sandalwood. The vanilla (thankfully) is restrained, and merely adds a further softening note which compliments the sandalwood. I'd say this is lovely for a woman and yet woody and restrained enough for a man. The rose note persists, and makes welcome appearances from time to time. The sandalwood likewise persists, in a fairly dry manner. The scent is subtle, classy -- a real winner sure to appeal to many who appreciate a well-constructed and complex scent.

13rd January, 2012.

Judging from descriptions of Egoiste's short-lived ancestor "Bois Noir," it must have been an attempt at a more "masculine" version of Bois des Iles. Which, speaking of the Extrait, is very wearable for men. The aldehydes and florals are there, but the rich creamy ambery-vanillic sandalwood base takes the limelight and makes this the reference sandalwood perfume among those still in production. It's rich and good, not screechy nouveau-riche, it feels effortless and masterful, not like a half-finished underfunded formula, in other words it's an embodiment of classical perfumery lightyears from what frequently passes as luxury perfume today. And as with any masterpeice, it's complexity is hidden behind perfect harmony. Bois des Iles is one of the handful of perfumes you simply must have smelled, if the culture of fragrance is of any interest to you.

2nd December, 2011.

The first time I smelled Bois des îles, I thought they put No. 5 in the bottle by mistake. No kidding. Even now, I still think this great fragrance is a carbon copy of No. 5. Could it be that Bois des îles was a one of the first attempts at creating No. 5 and Ernest Beaux decided to put it on the market five years later? I may be completely wrong but I truly believe that the two fragrances could be hard to tell apart to the untrained nose (I must admit that I have never tried to smell both fragrances at the same time). I wish the gingerbread note were more noticeable though. Also, since the name of the fragrance is "island woods", a stronger "woody" note would have been nice too. I love No. 5 so much that I just cannot rate Bois des îles with anything else but a Thumbs Up. However, I would have liked it better if the two fragrances were less similar. But then again, maybe I am the only one who feels like this...

15th October, 2011.

Aldehydes, sandalwood and iris on a sweet fruity oriental base. Resinous undertones, dark woods, dry/sweet juxtapositions. Not much to say about such an imponent fragrance but, if you ever wondered how a masterpiece smells like, you have to try this. Men wearing Egoiste on a regular basis may decide to upgrade to Bois Des Iles pretty soon.

One of the 100 best fragrances of all times.

2nd October, 2011.

After all the positive reviews, I was excited to try this fragrance in the Les Exclusifs line.

I found it "nice". The standard Chanel aldehydic thing to start then flowers tempered with a bit of spice. The drydown was alright, but kept the floral notes for quite a bit. Maybe Coco's reserved little sister?

It's pretty and interesting, but not a head turner by any means. Perhaps my nose isn't educated enough to appreciate this one?

22nd September, 2011.