Chamade pour Homme (1999)
by Guerlain

Side-by-side comparison confirmed for me what others have attested: that Chamade pour Homme is more or less the same scent as the defunct Coriolan and the limited distribution L’Ame d’un Héros. If Chamade pour Homme differs at all from L’Ame d’un Héros (besides in color), it’s in the drydown, which might be slightly less refined, less powdery, and less animalic. The very subtle difference may just as well be due to batch variation in ingredients or sample age as to any difference in composition, and I see no reason for anyone to own both of these scents.

I have to agree with The-odor – it does smell VERY similar to Coriolan / L'Âme d'un Héros. For most, distinguishing between these two Guerlain creations would be the olfactory equivalent of splitting hairs…

A leathery chypre that's well blended. The scent seems to appear all at once like Bulgari Black. The leather is a dominant player here and it's not a dirty leather nor a sexy leather, just a fine rich leather that teeters on herbs on florals. Good longevity on me.

Chamade pour Homme was composed by Jean-Paul Guerlain in 1999 as a masculine version of Chamade from 1969 and originally sold as a romantic pair for Valentine's Day. Given that Guerlain is famous for the oriental scents, also for men, it's surprising that he with Chamade pour Homme chose to completely abandon the vanilla that is such a decisive characteristic of Chamade. He kept the central hyacinth theme but added bergamot, pepper, nutmeg and leather to end up with a spicy, leathery and almost bitter chypre. Not unlike the warmer part of the almost concurrent Coriolan, but far away from Chamade's sweet hay and blackcurrant. In short, this pair is an example of how very differently one can interpret hyacinth. It's said that women and men live on different planets – maybe this was what Jean-Paul Guerlain had in mind while creating Chamade pour Homme. It's more likely, however, that he simply wanted to stress the difference between man and woman to let them unite in a so much more exciting love affair. Now Chamade pour Homme is made part of the collection 'Les Parisiennes'.

recently relaunched in Paris, in the same collection as Derby
it's worth trying it
maybe a little bit too 80's fashioned but magistrally crafted

I love it, and can't really find a connection with Coriolan. Takes everything wonderful about Chamade, tempers it, and adds a bit more wood. A winter scent to be sure. Imagine Heritage without the black pepper or vanilla combined with a little Yatagan!