Reviews of Fracas (1948)
by Robert Piguet

Fracas is the epitome of 80's perfumes to me. Nancy Reagan having lunch with Betsy Bloomingdale, that ladies who lunch kind of scent. I wore it for a while back then, but no longer.

Stunning, surprising, and utterly feminine. I bought the EDP, and am somewhat disappointed with it's longevity. My m-i-l has a sample from who knows when that I must assume has aged well or is the parfum-it lasts for eons on me and is more decadent and sensuous. A must-have for a seductress.

An iconic classic, which has become the supreme tuberose fragrance, by which all other tuberose fragrances are compared. It's confident, lush, and daring; a heady pungent tuberose with a strange woody-mossy drydown. It seems like a happy scent when first sprayed, with bright citrus, and orange blossom notes. This is deceptive, though, because Fracas quickly becomes a bolder, dark fragrance, that can be downright disturbing. It's like the DeChirico painting, Melancholy and Mystery of a Street, where the carefree girl is unaware of the dark shadow that is about to cover her. Don't expect Fracas to be pleasing to others at work, and when wearing it, don't expect to be stopped in the street and complimented for how clean and fresh you smell. It's not going to happen. But do expect Fracas to add drama to your life, and make your moments wearing it, into adventures. Everything is intensified within the bizarre and hypnotic atmosphere created by Fracas!

Yes please!! Not for everyone, as it's no shrinking violet (or tuberose) but there's a reason it has stuck around for so long. It's a decadent classic, a la Francaise. Unless you happen to be in Paris, I'd save it for evening. The body cream (which I got from Sephora, not sure it's available more widely?) is lovely.

It's about 11am on a hot, humid day somewhere in India. There is a beautiful woman going about her business. She has already bathed that morning and is dressed in a traditional sari so her skin is clean but she's already beginning to perspire lightly from the heat. She did a deep oiling of her hair with ghee(clarified butter), put it into a long rope braid that reaches her hips, and has decorated it with some blossoms of Jasmine and Gardenia. This is *exactly* what Fracas smells like to me. ON me, it is not nearly as strong as so many comment on. Nothing is strong on me. But it is lovely, exotic, unique, and long lasting.

To me this smells a bit tropical. It has the most beautiful creamy floral drydown. I use the roll-on edp and just put a small amount on, so I see no problem with it being too much.

This is Robert Piguet's true masterpiece.

I feel the need to praise it after my somewhat unchivalrous comments towards Bandit, which I still maintain--er, never mind. Suffice it to say Bandit enthusiasts should try Caron's Tabac Blond, and the men's Dunhill '34 among others--

Fracas does the magic T to near perfection. Yes, I'm a tuberose freak, so it's difficult to remain objective.

But consider that Fracas is a floral which is so well balanced that it's never irritatingly 'floral' nor 'fresh'

Perhaps Luca Turin was smoking something he could not spell when he praised Tommy Girl to the sky; a juice that suffers greatly from both sins.

What kind of woman should wear Fracas?

I think it would help if she were drop dead gorgeous, or have a sense of casual style that would have put Jackie O. to shame.

It's a 'young woman's' frag only in the sense that it's upbeat and optimistic-- for someone who anticipates something wonderful and unexpected around the corner.

( Allegedly characteristics of youth, if memory serves. )

Now, having mentioned Dunhill '34 instead of Bandit for women, I must ask myself--can men can wear this?

Absolutely, if you're an androgynous rock star; otherwise you may be pushing the envelope too much.

Mind you, as usual, this is all simply my subjective, personal and infallible opinion.

For me, Fracas is "The Garden of Eden".
Tuberose & gardenia, lily of the valley - just a touch, creamy white florals, a rich bouquet well put together. Superb balance! Intoxicating! Tempting! Naughty, but in the most innocent sort of way! Ultimately, irresistable!

I bought Fracas several years ago for my Mom as a gift. I just tried it on my skin for the first time today and all I can say is WOW! I am in love with the way I smell right now. First I got the white floral and green note and thought it was likeable but the middle notes lured me in. I don't get any buttery smell at all it is just fresh dewey Tuberose and jamine with ripe peach drizzled on top. I am now smelling a hint of sandlewood and slight mossyness. As I sit here and type this I am plotting the abduction of my Moms bottlew which she never uses.

I really love tuberose, but this smells like burning rubber on me. The florals don't last, but the burnt rubber does. Yuck with a hefty price tag...
However, on a friend on mine, the florals stand out - she's getting my bottle.

Just today reconnected with this long-time favorite of mine and I have to say that I am with Foetidus on this one. Fracas, (I never could understand this name a "fracas" is usually thought of as a brawl - and this frag is a voluptuous "grande dame" if ever there was one)on me, is a beautifully composed, complex floral with no dominant note. There are hints of gardenia and muguet and tuberose but they are a bouquet - and the overall impression is at once fresh and full bodied.

I wore Fracas a lot in the sixties when my body chemistry was different (I am in my seventies - an "antique"!!??) and she was therefore a lot "louder" than now. It is so wonderful for me to read all these varying impressions - wish we could be in a room together sharing the wonder!!

I wore this in the early 70s. It is sweet, but there is something about it. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a flowery perfume.

Oh, this is a nice one—I suppose the name had something to do with my expectations—I thought it would be somewhat like Bandit—aggressively edgy and pushing the envelope way past the mail box. But on my skin, Fracas is a lovely presentation of the tuberose and orange blossom and I am amazed at its delicacy and purity: A complex 1948 fragrance providing such a clear, creamy floral tuberose / orange blossom. It is fully presented in such a way that it doesn’t become cloying or sour—a hard thing to accomplish with tuberose IMHO. It is truly a sensitively beautiful accord. I can’t separate out most of the listed notes in the fragrance; what I get is an almost linear tuberose and orange blossom (carefully supported, I suppose, by the other notes) that’s as pristine as any floral accord that I’ve encountered. It smells incredibly like the garden right outside my window when the orange trees and the tuberoses are blooming.

I read some of the other reviews with a bit of surprise—the ones that speak of the aggressiveness of Fracas being a “weapon of mass destruction”; of its “grossly over sweetened ferocious bite and bad attitude.” I have to agree with them up to a point: I DO get many of those negative characteristics from this fragrance when I smell it on paper. But on my skin Fracas is not like that at all—it sends off a sillage that several women I know would envy: delicate, feminine, pure, lovely, and truly tuberose-and-orange-blossom. What a waste…floral—particularly tuberose—is not my thing at all...

I want to love Fracas. I believe it's a wonderful creation. Had a friend who wore it better than anybody else. It's a feminine and sexy masterpiece on the right person. I don't think I'm one of them.

Fracas has recently become an obsession for me. It is extremely feminine, floral, with deeper resinous notes on the dry down. It calls images in my mind of purple violet flowers growing on a sunny hill. Pure magic. It is a deep floral - Nothing superficial about this scent, but still manages to convey the innocence of fresh flowers. There is a sweet roundness to the blend of essences, no jagged edges, no sharp bursts of scent that may assault your nose, however the scent is very strong. A little of the perfume goes a long way...A must have in any perfume lovers collection.

Lately, I have been on a floral-fragrance hunting spree, trying out various florals and training my nose. A crash-course, so to speak. Recently, a little known fragrance by the name of Fracas crash-ed on my table, and I had a chance to give it a test drive.

Fracas is widely regarded as one of the finest tuberose fragranes ever. I am wary of how cloying many florals can be. However, I had heard enough positive comments about Fracas so as not to have any preconceived negative notions about it before I had tried it. Didnt want any dashed and crashed hopes. Fracas greets you with a cordial accord - the hyacinth lends a fresh sweet smell to the opening, while the "green notes" (no they dont smell like money) afford a green grassy scent. I love this opening accord. Its Fracas-tic! The main guest of the evening is introduced during the unraveling of the middle notes. No, the guest isnt here to crash the party, but rather to be the life of the party...the party animal, loud and boisterous and drawing attention. Sort of like that drunk annoying school jock at a frat party, except that this time hes a straight A student too. Its the "Tuberose". Fracas probably has one of the longest middle note ingredient listings! Look at the middle notes list at the top...it scrolls over to the second line! It looks overly flowery, but Tuberose (and Coriander, to a lesser extent)clearly dominate - I observed that Fracas's evolution and note prominence depends on the weather. In cooler weather, its all tuberose. In moderate to warmer weather, the coriander is more evident, and imparts a spicy tinge to the floral goodness of the tuberose. Eitherways, the tuberose note here on display is excellent. It extends deep in to the drydown as well - I dont smell much of the woods and vetiver mentioned in the basenotes. Longevity is HIGH...8 hours easily. While it doesnt feel heavy, it creates killer sillage which might lead to bumps and crashes in closed constricted environments. Fracas-tic!

Fracas will probably be close to a holy grail if tuberose is your thing. And even if it isnt, its worth trying if only to experience what many regard as one of the finest tuberose fragrances in existence.

Oh, and Fracas = "Crash" in english...

Toxic, Sexy, Mysterious scent. On my skin, the tuberose note takes center stage, and I don't get to enjoy all the other layers. Very strong. If you are the type of person who likes smelling your perfume throughout the day, this perfume should strongly be considered. You must love Tuberose. Strongest note!!Although it may not be for me, I respect it and the woman who wears it. This is a timeless scent meant for a real woman, antique and ultra classy.

wonderful-outstanding-perfect-timeless-eternal-unique!Okay?Not for everyone....but for the one!!!!!!!!!

Ultrafeminine, pure, white floral, a little spicy. Not spicy in the way that for example, cinnamon is spicy, but a natural floral spicyness. When overdone or if it's not agreeing with you that day, it can be thick, choking and headache inducing. But when conditions are right, it dries down to something so utterly beautiful and gentle. It doesn't smell like rose, but it gives me the feeling of being caressed by smooth, cool, pale pink rose petals.

A constant, I will always have a bottle of this. It's something I wear for myself, men usually don't go "Ah-woo-woo-woo" when I wear it- it's too ladylike. Very Nina Foch.

I only recently discovered Fracas. I was expecting loud, over the top, obnoxious. To me, it is an exquisitely beautiful floral, nothing frightening here, though overapplication might cause headaches. I don't understand the big, bad reputation. I do admit that one spray is almost more than enough, and the scent seems almost sentient, with the sillage reaching out to caress people of its' own choosing. Lasts forever. I intend to get a bottle.

I recently bought the EDP. I always thought of it as OLP-"Old-lady perfume!" But it's like many things in life, you can grow into it. It's not for everyone. The time to try it is when you have an open mind, yet really know what you like. I smelled it with my husband, and we both had the same reaction: a singular, heavy tuberose top note, so-so. Then, boom! This exquisite garden of jasmine almost magically appeared. I (and he) couldn't stop smelling it on my wrist after that. The drydown was wonderful. The staying power is super-long.

This is the kind of perfume that I'd respect, even if I didn't like it. I happen to really like it, so I'm happy I gave it another try. Time to smell some other OLP's!

Fracas is one of my top ten favorites. It's not bombshell at all on me, not siren, not diva, not any of that, though I do find it intoxicating and breathtaking. Of the tuberoses I've tried, this one is my favorite so far. The notes all hang together nicely on me, is the only way I can explain it. It dries down quite fresh and clean on my skin. I receive compliments when I wear it - and from close up, not from across the room, lol! :-) It works well with my chemistry.

Very heady, almost narcotic fragrance. I happen to adore tuberose, so for me it's lucious. The touches of peach ring through, and since I happen to also love peach, this works well for me. The herbal, green notes in the beginning are like a bracing sip of iced peppermint tea before lying down to doze in a hammock on a warm, drowsy summer day in the garden. A tiny zap of bright, then off to dreamland. I would wear this in late winter, when I'm pining for flowers, because even in the drier, colder months it is a powerful scent that stays around. In summer it's too much and can give me a bit of a headache from the intensity.

Camus wrote, "Every act of rebellion expresses a nostalgia for innocence and an appeal to the essence of being"... and so we have Fracas, a creamy, dreamy tuberose that assaults and charms. Fracas is a kitten with a whip scent that wastes no time with introspective reverie when life, glorious jingly-jangly life, is waiting to be explored. This is the scent of a woman who can make a shy child feel sparkly and golden, who sometimes eats two desserts, and who will ride into the night on the back of a motorcycle with a man she barely knows.

I didn't "get" Fracas at first. Initially it hit me (more a fan of chypres and sophisticated orientals) like a truckload of white flowers. Then I began to discern the different notes -- like hearing an arpeggio instead of a tone cluster. I can understand why this is a cult fragrance. It is voluptuous and euphoric, a bundle of sparkling, almost narcotic florals on a bed of soft woods and moss. It now has a permanent place among my fragrance staples.

Fracas actually reminds me of Caron's Yatagan. It has that same ferocious bite and bad attitude, herbal, green and woody. As this was intended for women upon release, I strongly suspect the fairer sex was no joke in the 40's... Great, but wear with extreme moderation.

I'll admit at first I didn't understand. Then, after one more reluctant try, I became smitten.

Seriously, you have to worship tuberose and tuberose has to worship you. It is a clear, white floral medley touched with peachy accents and not a hint of powder. The wonderful dryout focuses around sandalwood, cedar, and gentle musk.

On me it's soft, light, clean and uber-fem. It's the one I get the most positive comments on. The parfum has a slightly more animalic cast, but eventually dries the way the EdP does. I find it sensual and provocative and while I have heard others say how loud and brash it is, it doesn’t behave that way on my skin at all.

There are definitely two camps for this one- love it or hate it. Try it more than once. Eventually you’ll know which camp you belong in.