Eau de Monsieur (1980)
by Annick Goutal

The idea of a house ‘geneology’ fascinates me: seeing the interrelationships of fragrances developed and whether the ideas of earlier fragrances influenced later development. For example, when I first tried Eau de Monsieur, I was struck by the prominent Eau d’Hadrien type citrus note, but also in its development with a sweetness that suggested Sables. My initial speculation (without referencing dates) is that Eau de Monsieur was created with Eau d’Hadrien and Sables in view. Not so! In fact, per the Basenotes directory Eau De Monsieur dates from 1980 and is the oldest Goutal creation. Eau d’Hadrien was released in 1981 and Sables came out in 1985. So my current thinking is that Eau de Monsieur is the parent of Eau d’Hadrien and perhaps suggested Sables as well.

Perhaps I should have described the fragrance first. Initially I get the same bitter citrus blast that Eau d’Hadrien provides. No, I do not like it. Then in the middle notes, a sweetness emerges on top of the tart (in my view harsh) citrus. At this point I find the fragrance to be interesting. At first, I could not pinpoint the sweetness, but looking at the review of Tania Sanchez in “Perfumes”, she makes note of immortelle and yes, that is what it reminds me of as well: the immortelle of Sables. At any rate, there is just a touch of this sweetness in Eau de Monsieur and the drydown becomes bitter again. While the midnotes are interesting, overall I dislike this fragrance.

This is pretty bad. The opening made me gag so I can't go any further than that. There is some note in there that smells to me like an elderly person smothered in moth balls. Maybe the oakmoss listed? Not really sure. It literally took my breath away. I hate to give such a negative review and perhaps I got an old sample. Who knows? I can only go by what I smell, and it aint good.

Interesting lemon cologne with a bitter caramely amber added. Very interesting but seems unwearable at times.

I myself prefer bitter scents, though I dont think that bitter is the over all note to this. I get a strong smell of Tonka Bean which I generally like. In small amounts this perfume does not shine but when worn a little on the strong side then it can be fully appreciated. Extra points for it remaining a very natural smell.

Eau de Monsieur is a distinct, refined fragrance with many facets. I have found that all the way through its composition, there is a citrus note not unlike that in Eau d'Hadrien or Mandragore, there are elegant woods and just that hint of freshness to make it suitable for a summer day. I don't find it particularly bitter, more aromatic and spicy but much smoother in the drydown. Definitely a unique offering that sadly seems to have been discontinued.

I love all things earthy, dank and bitter, and this was exactly why I bought Monsieur. However, it turned out to be primarily a citrus scent, albeit with an old-school twist and a moderately bitter, burnt-sugar drydown, not unlike Goutal's own Sables. To add insult to injury, Monsieur is short-lived and somewhat shallow overall. That said, it's not a bad everday scent, just don't expect another Eau de Fier or Vetiver.