Chant d'Aròmes (1962)
by Guerlain

I never know what to make of Chant d’Aromes. It seems more of a powdery, aldehydic, lactonic floral than a true chypre. Yet the hint of a chypre base, more vetiver than moss, combined with the remnant of the peachy lactone of equal duration, is the only part of much interest. And this final bit is so faint I have to strain to make it out.

The powdery, indistinct opening used to give me a bit of hope that maybe the diaphanous air might coalesce into something haunting or interesting as Vol de Nuit does with its can’t-put-my-finger-on-it top notes. Unfortunately, the undefined but pleasant opening grows increasingly vague. Chant d’Aromes seems clean in that it’s blandly unadulterated, but not heightened or expansive like the best floral aldehydes. Despite aldehydic perfumes often being considered old-ladyish, there’s just something more girlish than womanly about CdA. Not so much naïve as inexperienced. It’s as if CdA could be any other indistinct designer sweet floral fragrance with a bit of aldehyde added.

CdA has a pretty smile, but not a lot of chat. Equally undemanding and unrewarding.

19th August, 2011.

Wow! What a sleeper this is! I love the Guerlain pre-2000 offerings; each is singular and well conceived. Although I haven't sampled all of "the 194", I've had some acqaintance with many of the pre-WW II fragrances and virtually all of the post-war offerings --- except Chant d'Aromes.

This one got away from me because, frankly, I've never seen it at a retail counter. Last week, I acquired a decant of the (now very rare) parfum extrait. Unlike the traditonal high decibel Guerlain offerings, this one whispers and -- man -- this is more than sweet nothings.

I can see why CdA never took off: It is SO subtle that you can almost miss it. This is not a choice for winter/fall. But in the warmth of the spring sun, this one is singular, remarkably rich, complex and soft at the same time. This fragrance story reminds me of Amie's creation -- Jicky -- and how it first floated like a lead ballon; unfortunately CdA never recovered like Jiky did. But like Jicky, CdA whispers the most intimate messages. I believe Chant d'Aromes is a hidden classic.

In the warmth of the sun, CdA sings arias of plum, honeysuckle and oakmoss. This is a diminutive chypre that has few equals, IMO. I'm glad we found each other; I regret she (the extrait) is no longer resident in the House of Guerlain. I don't imagine that the EDT comes anywhere near it.

29th April, 2011.

No one should ever write a review of Chant d'Aromes until they've smelled the vintage extrait, even if it means you have to order a few drops from the Perfumed Court. I say this because I acquired a bottle of vintage CdA EDC more than a year ago. I splashed it on, but wasn't impressed as it was just mildly interesting and really didn't last long enough to develop in any kind of way that would allow me to grasp the notes in order to to undrestand the scent. Later I nabbed a 7.5 ml decant of the new EDT thinking that it may be a little stronger and last a little longer. Same dissappointing results. I had just about given up on CdA and questioned why those vintage bottles of the extrait that occasionally show up on Ebay were going for astronomical prices. Then I ordered a batch of vintage Guerlain samplers from the Perfumed Court and a 1/4 ml sample of CdA pure parfum was among them. I put it on this morning and was floored by how beautiful, meaty and rich the parfum is compared to the cologne and EDT. Why does Guerlain do this when it comes to their EDT's? Many times it's as if their parfums and EDT's are two different scents altogether. It's like they remove the rich basenotes, leave the the top and middle notes and say "Here...boottle this as the EDT".

Chant d'Aromes extrait starts off with the heavy richness of ripe fruits with underlying floral notes, but it doesn't take long before notes of vetiver and thick oakmoss join in. The drydown os a dry mossy sort of sandalwood/musk. I'm smitten and now I'm sitting here with plenty of Chant d'aromes EDC and EDT needing more...I guess I'll start hunting one of those vintage bottles of the extrait on Ebay...(long sigh here).

28th October, 2010.

Chant d’Aròmes is an assertively pretty peaches-and-cream floral on top, with a clean, green underpinning and a solid dose of aldehydes. Cream eventually overtakes the peaches, so that after a few minutes on the skin Chant d’Aròmes is less a fruity floral than a very soft textured, pale, aldehydic bouquet with a dab of vanilla on top. Bright, chaste, and innocent are words that come to mind as I inhale it. In fact, Chant d’Aròmes is what my young daughter would refer to as a “girly-girl” fragrance.

It doesn’t take too long for the creamy vanilla in Chant d’Aròmes to rise to prominence, and within a hour I find that it dominates the composition. Whatever chypre element there might be buried at the core of Chant d’Aròmes escapes my nose completely. For me what remains is rather dull, and lacking in the complexity and sophistication I expect out of a successful Guerlain composition. Not, in the end, the best that this house has to offer.

16th December, 2009. (Last Edited: 15th February, 2010.)

Goes on light and bright, citrus and aldehydes, transforming quickly into what is, to my nose, EXACTLY Mitsouko's cream/peach undecalactone top, with only the lightest underpinnings of a chypre base. If it stayed there, I would enjoy it as a pleasant, though subtle skin scent. Mitsouko is hard for me to wear, and this gentler version is lovely. Sadly, if fades to nearly nothing very fast (45 minutes) until my skin smells no more distinct or interesting than if I had washed it with a lightly floral soap several hours before. I understand that it's been reformulated a few times -- I'd love to smell a vintage version and see if it had more bones. I'll give it a neutral because there's nothing offensive about it, but at this rate I don't know if I'll even bother to finish the sample.

22nd July, 2009.

Where is the love for Chant d'Aromes?

In my opinion, one of the best Guerlains, alongside Vol de Nuit and L'Heure Bleue, and very under-appreciated.

For me this is the sweet baby daughter of Caron's Infini. Complete with its stupefyingly perfect, unobnoxious, lactonic-fruity chypre personality ( I emphasize this because I find many of the lactonic greats, though delicious, quite confrontational.), and a sour-rose, metallic drydown.

I fantasize about smelling its parfum concentration, since the EDT is so light, but I also find the faintness seductive; It is such a treasure to discover, having to sniff right up on the skin. Like a tiny glimpse of perfection, elusive and fleeting.

I find myself re-spraying a lot on days I wear this, but it's so fun to admire its development! From initial grapefruity bitter citrus, to a plummy lactone that is very rounded out, to its classic, modest finish, which vacillates from a antique, girly floral to a very sophisticated and modest chypre . I find it perfect from start to end.

Like the good Guerlains, it both sings it its purity with natural-seeming, clearly identifiable notes, and presents a totally distinct character as a whole composition.

Oddly, it has incredible sillage, and it is one of the the fragrances that pleasantly catches me by surprise, hours after I think it's gone, with a wonderful warm, elegant redolence wafting up from my skin

23rd February, 2009.