Replique (1944)
by Long Lost Perfume

My mother was given a large bottle of Replique, by Raphael himself, in 1951, when she was in Paris and buying some clothes at the House of Raphael...
I have loved the fragrance and wore it into adulthood ...but, by the very early sixties, it had disappeard and I've found nothing like it since. Revlon came out with a perfume of the same name in the 1970's..but it bore no resemblence whatsoever to the original. I would pay anything to have it again... There are so many fragrances available now ...too many... and all too much alike. I don't see why the formula cannot be duplicated. I'd be willing to bet it would sell at over $500 an ounce!

15th December, 2010.

This review is for the Long Lost Perfumes version of Replique. It's a very unique, leathery-mossy-green. It could easily be a contemporary niche scent from one of the quirkier houses. I absolutely love it, though I have a strong penchant for all perfumes green. I highly recommend this for fellow green-freaks!

2nd August, 2010.

During my childhood, I remember so many women (icluding my mom) wearing Replique. In 1959, my mom's friend, then a top Dior model in Paris, came to visit us in Milano. I was just a kid of 10 yrs old but I could remember my mom commenting on how much she liked her perfume. Well, she took a small piece of cloth and sprayed it with Replique. Mom immediately went to a profumeria to purchase it! She wore it for many years to follow. I can still smell the lovely fragrance in my mind to this very day. Too bad that fragrances follow the "present day trends" because original Replique was so lovely and sexy, too. I wish these beautiful "classics" can be relaunched in their original form. Today, designers and perfume houses don't have the creativity that existed years ago. It is the "end of an era".

4th September, 2009.

Wow. What a surprise. I had never heard about this frag but saw a vintage bottle, still wrapped in cellophane, online and purchased it. When it arrived, i could see that the cellophane was quite old and brown but still amazingly intact. It was exciting to think that I was the first person to open this bottle and sniff. From the look of the graphics on the box I would guess it might be from the 50's. The scent began as I expected, dated but classic, very few modern scents open with this kind of drama. It is a bit pungent, but the citrus herb mix is balanced and provocative. Edwards calls this a mossy wood, and the wood appears in the drydown but very softly, cushioned by the other ingredients. The drydown is rich but subtle and somehow powerful. A very wonderful scent from beginning to end. I might recommend this for a man or a woman. I plan on dousing myself in it this evening and just enjoying.

8th May, 2009.

Thanks to Moondeva for the notes list of Replique. I have a vintage version as well- by Raphael. My bottle has round shoulders and a cute pressed glass stopper w/ an R carved in it. The dark silky remnants in my bottle are stunning. The scent is spicy and creamy, nutty resiny, almost pine-ish and very smooth. The clary sage and coriander are perfectly blended here and give the perfume a mild herbal aspect, like a finely milled French soap... the orris and moss cushion the ylang... the amber and civet and musk... the vanilla...leather... yes, it's all there. I think this must have been a very popular perfume when it came out. Every nose is different though, and there is so much to smell here... My husband proclaimed it smells just like church incense to him (the good kind, he said). I think the newer versions probalby smell pretty grreat, too. Check around online and at little second hand or antique shops in your area, and you might find a bottle, too.

12nd September, 2008.

This is for the vintage Replique by Raphael.
The scent has a certain sourness to it, a refreshing sourness like a lemon is sour. More citrusy than green. The base is warmer an spicier and perhaps a hint animalic. I might detect some floral sweetness too, but very understated. It smells pretty chic, but the citrus is a little artificial, it doesn't have the freshness of modern citrus scents.

26th February, 2007.