Calandre (1969)
by Paco Rabanne

Calandre was my signature scent for decades, literally. It warmed beautifully on my skin and had excellent sillage. I could wear it day and night, summer and winter, and it was always luscious and haunting. It smelled like me, and I smelled like Calandre. The fact that it has been discontinued is a source of heartbreak to me, and I am still hunting around for a "me" fragrance.

1st September, 2011.

I get the comparison between Rive Gauche and Calandre, and I love to put one on each wrist just for kicks. It’s fun to watch them both unroll over time. Try the same with Estée Lauder’s White Linen and Calandre. It feels like the same experience as with RG, but the sides have been switched. If RG was on Calandre’s left, then WL sits on its right. Forgetting for the moment who came first, the comparisons of A:B and B:C yield so much similarity, but studying A:C is like comparing apples to aldehydes. There feels like virtually no connection between White Linen and Rive Gauche.

My take on the RG/Calandre comparison is that, contrary to general consensus, Calandre is both ligher in weight and darker in feel that RG. Yes, RG’s rose is darker and Calandre’s chromium shine is brighter than RG’s. And, yes, RG has a dark resinous opening, but the resins grow sweet over time. In the end Calandre has a sharp green chypre facet that RG doesn’t. This is Calandre’s darkness. This chypre aspect is also what makes Calandre seem more tart than WL. Also, the rose in Calandre seems metallic when compared to WL’s sweet rose.

Juxtaposition aside, Calandre stands beautifully on its own and were I to keep one of the three, it would be Calandre.

Has this really been discontinued? What a shame.

25th January, 2011. (Last Edited: 3rd March, 2011.)

Big opening of rose, bergamot, and aldehydes – big and quite perfumy to my nose. I don’t get much green at first, but I do get an awful lot of floral – the green comes later when a green geranium note from the middle forces itself through floral density. The largeness of the opening doesn’t last more than ten or fifteen minutes and then settles down to a quite calm quiet floral strongly supported by metallic geranium(?) green. By the heart notes, Calandre has become a discreet fragrance to my nose – discreet but not transparent. It’s nice but it does seem very special. The drydown I get is primarily sandalwood with a bit of musk… quite pleasant and so soft and smooth that it is perfect for occasions when the fragrance is best to be soft spoken.

Calandre is a classic. It is nicely put together, but has little longevity on my skin. I suspect that at one time there was a richness and uniqueness to the fragrance that has been lost in translations and reformulations. But it is still a pleasant and discreet woody / green / floral well worthy of a testing.

16th July, 2010.

Horribly sharp, soapy and aldehydic. Might be a musty green floral buried underneath somewhere...

3rd May, 2010.

I never liked Calandre, although everybody claims it is a sister of "Rive Gauche" (and I like Rive Gauche). It's one of the great classics I'll never be able to appreciate. And - I can't even give reasons for this. Just find it utterly unpleasant.

26th March, 2010.

Every time I wore this, I got to experience different facets of the fragrance. First time I remember the aldehyde opening and things, how nice a dulled aldehyde. Second time I remember Calandre having a warm woodsy feeling. Third time I got the note of aldehydes connecting with a green floral accord... then it went into the woodsy powdery accord at the base. Took a few tries exploring it but I ended up really enjoying the fragrance.

24th December, 2009.