Mouchoir de Monsieur (1904)
by Guerlain

After sampling the acclaimed MdM, I have a few thoughts about its composition. It is crafted no doubt from top quality ingredients and lots of them. First off, I found the opening gusto of civet and lavender to be far too animalic at even the most conservative application and detected a quite fecal or rotting vegetation note of some form. After resisting washing it off for thirty minutes, it did progress fantastically though. The original blast of civet dried down to a creamy, waxy floral that was a tad sweet and a quite deep. It did not last long, but overall I find the benefits of the wonderful drydown not worth the torture of the opening.

Meh. Yep.....I said it and I'll say it again.....Meh.

I enjoy the Guerlains I own and have tried. I also am a fan of most civet frags, but this scent does nothing for me at all. It's not bad, just unremarkable.

Poor longevity and sillage as well. I am glad I never bought a blind bottle of this. It would be on the trading blocks.

Guerlain Mouchoir de Monsieur

I love weaing the old classic Guerlains and while I feel they are timeless I also feel they hearken back to a slightly different era, too. I've also heard that this 1904 creation of Jacques Guerlain is supposed to be the EdT version of Jicky. I don't think I'm ready to go that far as I think the similarities have more to do with being Guerlain than trying to be a different version of an earlier creation. From the top it is lemon and lavender with a little bergamot and this is one of the deepest lavenders I've come to wear. I certainly find it deeper than Jicky's start on me. The floral heart of this is gorgeous as a light rose replaces the lavender and this is done in stages and when the lavender and rose are in balance at the interface of the top and heart, my heart like the Grinch's grows two sizes. The base is where the civet note which I think is what everyone seizes on to make the comaprison to Jicky appears. Here I find the civet to be more prominent, than in Jicky, and in perfect balance with the classic Guerlinade finish. Mouchoir de Monsieur translates to "gentleman's handkerchief" and it does remind you of a time and place where gentlemen carried and wore a handkerchief. What I find so amazing is it still feels relevant over a 100 years after its creation.

I really love Mouchoir de Monsieur. It might seem old fashioned, but it is magical. When I wear it, it reveals different facets over time, and this is what makes it a very special perfume. Initially it is like an eau de cologne, but it has a very unusual sweet animalistic edge, but after a while it resembles Jicky with the combination of lavender and civet. However both fragrances seem to have very different personalities. In Mouchoir de Monsieur the lavender is always part of a sweet sumptuous accord, whereas in Jicky it can sometimes seem exposed like an essential oil. On the surface I also think that this fragrance is more complex than Jicky -as if extra ingredients were added to the mix. The drydown of both frarances is absolutely heavenly, with moments of beautiful perfection, as different notes pop up and combine with each other in countless different ways.

I have three bottles of this from different eras, and they are all different from each other, but my favourite bottle seems to be slightly off in the top notes for the first few minutes, but is absolutely stunning after that. Still, the current version is excellent, with the major difference being that the sumptuous animalic side seems to be a little less vivid. Regardless of vintage, this is my favourite masculine Guerlain, and it is good to be able to stockpile the current version in case it ever gets pulled.

Nothing much to add; smells good (not as rich as Jicky, to my nose), the civet smells less powerful than, say, that in Kouros (which for me is the benchmark), but longevity is really dreadful -- I don't even get the two hours that other reviewers seem to. Not sure if this is due to the concentration of the perfume or because it's light on synthetics? At any rate, worth a try, but don't feel devastated if you can't track this down.

Boy, could they ever make them back in the day! When I received my tester, I smelled absolutely nothing, until I applied it to my wrist. Then Kapow! To me, this smelled like a chypre and the citrus blossomed powerfully on me for the first 30 minutes or so, then the other notes made their presence known. Very classy, refined understated and sadly shortlived. Two hours later, I can only smell it if I press my wrist forecefully to my nose. Still I think it is worth having in your fragrance wardrobe (man or woman) for the time when you want to know beyond a doubt that what you are wearing is the epitome of taste and understated elegance. Dreadfully hard to find, but still in production. I got my tester from the Perfumed Court and am debating a decant. I also love Jicky which is worth checking out.