Équipage (1970)
by Hermès

This is some absolutely fantastic and premium top shelf deep woods and floral juice. Equipage has the best vetiver-based drydown i have ever encountered. it is a woodsy/floral drydown with a deep vetiver base all blended together. It is rich and intoxicating. There is also a nice resinous pine note; it adds a faint yet pervasive resinous quality to Equipage after the drydown.

The opening citrus bergamot might confuse you upon first try; it threw me off too, and i remember thinking to myself how underwhelming it seemed. But friends, wait fifteen or twenty minutes for the smell to develop. my feelings changed from being more or less indifferent right after the initial application to thinking it was the greatest fragrance ever made twenty minutes later.

For me, equipage is THE formal wear cologne of choice. Or the cologne to choose when the duties of life call for a no-nonsense approach that day. but it can also be appropriate for casual use too; two sprays keeps it noticeable yet close and unobtrusive for when you feel in the mood for the understated daniel craig/sean connery/george clooney on vacation kind of vibe. I have absolutely no problems whatsoever with duration either. I get a solid six hours before i have to put my nose to my skin to smell it.

27th December, 2011. (Last Edited: 20th January, 2012.)

I don't know what to think of this. I bought it on eBay, partially used. It strikes me as a feminine fragrance - quite sweet. i don't get any of the leather notes others talked about. Now I wonder if the seller drained the bottle and refilled it with something else. Anyhow, it's far from a favorite. But it is not unpleasant.

19th December, 2011.

Unlike so many fragrances, this one seems perfectly named. The scent evokes the leather goods one might associate with old-money livery: the leather seating in a coach, riding boots, horse bridles, gloves.

Perfectly judged, too, is the fragrance within. The subtle floral produced by the carnation and the mildly smoky woods (birch tar?) that produce at least a hologram of leatheriness result in an apotheosis of traditional European masculinity and refinement. This is one of the greats that has the added enticement of being rather unique. If you want a classic, classy men's gift idea, look no further. Sillage is modest but omnipresent and longevity is superb for such a nuanced fragrance.

8th September, 2011.

First wearing of Equipage today in a long time, and what can I say? I sniffed the bottle, and thought, "Whoa, I don't want to wear this!". Too heavy (man), like a right-hander from Hollyfeld, I'll be smelling of the 70's all day, right?

Well, partly due to laziness, plus a desire to find out, I applied generously, and left for work.

Here are my thoughts: Equipage is pungent, rich and complex. It's like staring into a well and never seeing the bottom. Metaphorically, it's like putting on something awkward, like a suit or armour or a Del-boy camel coat. At first you really notice it; it's cumbersome, distinct and foreign. You feel a little silly, perhaps. Gene Hunt might wear this, not exactly a ladykiller.

But slowly you get used to it, catching the odd waft of deep bass (think Barry White in aroma form) and before long you're mentally giving it the nod, the quiet "Yeah" of approval growing to, "What's that smell? Oh yeah, it's ME. Man, I am the NUTS! Cooool...".

That's how I see it, anyway.

She's pungent, I'm getting curry leaf. She's a timewarp - I'm seeing hideous orange wallpaper and carpet combos. She's complex too, downright hallucinogen for the nose. Wow man.

Above all, she's a landmark, which any student, aficionado or follower must pass on their journey to olfactory enlightenment. Glad I didn't pass her by this morning. Will be visiting again soon for sure.

26th July, 2011. (Last Edited: 11th August, 2011.)

The superlatives are so many. What more can be said? This is the highest level of elegance and refinement you can find in the world of fragrances. Few words are enough to describe this timeless fragrance: A TRUE MASTERPIECE.

24th April, 2011.

One of the best ever created. This fragrance, with its exoticism ( i mean its capacity to evoke on the olfactory level a creative and brillant era) talks about huge residences, cozy ambients, about fascinating host people, woody lounges full of leather chairs, regal stairs, boxes of cigars, large pictures, bar corners, and rare crockery. It's woodsy, mild, resinous and smoky. It sails on the waters between the aromatic fougere and the leathery chypre'. A touch of citrus lavender is placed among the top notes. The peculiar type of mildness (that one of the aromatic tobacco) is brought by rosewood and by a bouquet of muguet, jasmine and carnation. The combination of delicate flowers, citrus and rosewood determines indeed the particular kind of aromatic boise' mildness  that places itself on a woodsy, a bit rooty but definitely smooth base. A pine note in the middle enhances the sensation of being caressed by a breeze of forest while some spices in this phase (may be a touch of cinnamon) impress an hint of prickly dust to the concoction. The accord between smoky tonka, may be a touch of tarry coniferous resin, spices and earthy-rooty patchouli-vetiver reminds  me that one of Santos but in here delicate moss, a touch of amber and may be some hint of labdanum imprint to dry down a substantial dose of smoothness and delicacy that is a peculiar trait of the Equipage dry down. The addition of a touch of leather creates a perfect link with the silky temperament of balsams and resins and with the smoke of woodsy tonka. The outcome is a superb work of balance and class where the green masculinity and the roughness of the spices, roots and woods  hugs the smoothness of the leathery and creamy balsams. A wonderful creation epitome of style and nostalgic charme. The longevity, as usual for Hermes, is not the top.

3rd April, 2011. (Last Edited: 7th January, 2012.)