First (1976)
by Van Cleef & Arpels

I've smelled aldehydic florals before but seldom one with as much finesse. To me FIRST opens ostentaciously but it is not the loud jumbled up mess that characterises many of the more contemporary flower bombs but rather a still life portrait of a floral bouquet, brought to living color by Ellena's masterful use of aldehydes. And like the scent of living flowers it projects with great subtlety, neither overwhelmingly floral nor cloyingly sweet but stays potent and well balanced throughout, with an animalic civet note adding a touch of raw sensuality. The drydown is warmer but no less substantial in its complexity: amber, honey, tonka bean, vetiver, oakmoss, sandalwood, civet, vanilla and musk. I find this a bold gender-defying scent from 1976 which guys can wear proudly even today.

Larger than life and grander than most of the rest… First is one of the best of those huge older fragrances that I love to find. I can believe that this is an Jean-Claude Elléna fragrance because of the super-clean, super-clear presentation of the individual notes – I’m guessing that in those days he kept his minimalism centered on the purity of the individual notes. The clarity of the notes and combinations is quite remarkable in a scent with this much complexity and grandeur going for it… First opens with aldehydes, bergamot, blackcurrant, and jasmine, with an occasional soft, silky civet note. I’m so impressed by its balance – it’s hard taking my nose from it. The middle is a floral medley… jasmine, again, lily of the valley, a soft rose, and orris show themselves to my nose: the accord is lovely and soft and clear in spite of its abundance. The drydown is to die for: I get mainly sandalwood, vetiver and amber with a touch of honey and a bit of some kind of roughness that makes it perfect. It doesn’t seem too sweet; it doesn’t seem woody; it simply seems ethereal – if something with this potency can be ethereal.

Kabloom! First launches right in to a huge aldehydic white flower accord the second you spray it on, then proceeds to fill the room with an unseen cloud of jasmine, green muguet, hyacinth, and rose. It’s the same kind of gargantuan bouquet you get with Joy or even Amouage Gold, though it is crisper in texture and greener in hue than either. That this grand, old-fashioned, and unapologetically “perfumey” scent was composed by Jean-Claude Elléna confirms that he’s composing all those bony, gutless scents for Hermès not because he can’t do otherwise, but rather because he wants to, or because the Hermès art directors demand it of him. At any rate, First makes it clear that Elléna is no less capable of building bold, lush, and substantial accords than is Bertrand Duchaufour (who does so more often) or even Dominique Ropion, whose style First closely approaches. First could easily have been part of the Estée Lauder line, right next to Beautiful, Pleasures, and Private Collection.

First grows subtly sweeter as it develops, with soft vanilla and a generous sweet amber accord deep in its foundation. Potency and sillage remain impressive for hours before First drifts off into its warm ambery drydown. A grand scent if you like this sort of thing.

I got this scent in a sampler, and had not heard of it before that. To me it is as wonderfully classic as any perfume I have tried so far (only about 200, including all the classic samplers at the Posh Peasant and the Perfumed Court). First is elegant, womanly, sophisticated and beautiful. I love the way I feel when I wear it, self possessed and capable of taking on the world. There is nothing playful or offhand about this scent, it is very serious about being exquisite! Wonderful.

This is an elegant, sophisticated, and very French fragrance. I first came across it in 1982 on a visit to Paris, when I was given a sample in a shop. I wore it for the few days I was there, and bought a bottle on my return to England. Since then I have been through a couple more bottles, with several years intermission between the two.

First never fails to delight - it's a wonderful fragrance, as one would expect from a master perfumer like Jean-Claude Ellena.

I REMEMBER MY MOTHER USING THIS MASTERPIECE, VERY PLEASANT, EXTREMELY FEMININE, A GREAT CLASSIC