Etiquette Bleue (1908)
by D'Orsay

Powdery balsam with citrus topnotes. It's stunning in its EdT form but smells like a Glade candle when you get down to it. And old-school smelling perfume.

What a beautiful fragrance. Truly an extraordinary experience. There’s a gentleness and proportion about it that can only come from a less frantic time. The opening presents as refined, translucent, and beautiful a citrus accord as I’ve experienced, and yet, as subtle as it is, it has real presence and does not abandon its masculinity; it contains a balanced citrus — lemon and orange, with strong support from neroli and petitgrain. The same praise can be given to the middle accord — a subtle rosewood, orange blossom combination — simple and yet breath taking in its subtlety. In the base, the balsam predominates. In fact, the balsamic note is a strong element of the total fragrance and is really the soul of Etiquette Bleue. This is a fragrance that is about artistry rather than marketing — about wispyness rather than minimalism. It’s an incredible blend that I wish would last longer but is totally awesome every second it does last.

This is a very simple composition. Bright, yet sweet hesperidics on top, supported by light white flowers and precious woods, plus a touch of moss in the drydown to provide an earthy countermelody. In its sheer transparency and clean structure Etiquette Bleu looks forward nearly a century to modern niche perfumery trends. I imagine that in its day the combination of moss and typical eau de Cologne elements was revolutionary, but it doesn't excite me in a contemporary context.

Limited in sillage and projection and with a lifespan of about two hours, Etiquette Bleu makes a nice hot weather office scent, though I suspect it’s most important now for its role in fragrance history.

The balsam predominates, and I don't find it that appealing. I also found the longevity to be terrible.

With its strong hesperidic overture melting into one of the finest neroli notes ever and its general lightness this is a cousin of the great French Eau de Colognes by the likes of Roger & Gallet or Berdoues. While R&G has a more pungent citrus opening and fades quickly in direct comparison, Berdoues puts a stronger aspect on the orange blossom, but betrays quite some similarities, before Bleue’s gentle balsamic basenotes take over and it shows its greater fullness and roundedness. A classic Cologne promoted to Eau de Toilette, subtle, ethereal, brilliantly assembled. To me it is a scent of the South, conjuring up memories of strolling through the dusky streets of Cadiz, lined with orange trees releasing their beautiful fragrance as if to suggest the nights in Andalucia are not for sleeping.

Utterly unique and beautiful. Feels almost airy - like a breath of fresh air. The balsam really comes through for me, that and the powdery vanilla base. The whole thing is just so unique. Lyman is spot-on: it's effortlessly exotic. Exotic in the way tropical flowers are exotic, not a heavy, dark exotic. Longevity was not a big problem for me.