Reviews of Kelly Calèche (2007)
by Hermès

When I first tried this scent I fell in love with it and bought it immediately in duty free. It felt sooo classy, with citrus and flower notes and it is definitely a high class scent. But after the drydown I started to feel the leather notes which generally makes me sick.. I wish the leather notes would not be so strong in this scent.. This nice feminine perfume turned into a sharp men's cologne on my skin..

I think Wordbird has put it best. To me, Kelly Caleche definitely smells like the inside of a used leather handbag that has picked up the scent of tissues, face powder, fruit gum, lipstick, and other assorted frivolities that may be carried by any woman with a purse! For a lighter, smoother leather fragrance my preference still runs toward Luten's Daim Blond. Worthy of a test spritz for sure!

I agree with the description of "fizzy leather", but for me it comes across as shrill and sweet at the same time. There is a twist to it that is unpleasant to me. Try before buying!

They should have simply called this one Hermèssence Rose Ikebana Intense/Extreme...

The sales lady in the department store where I tried this perfume already warned me; it's a nice perfume, but not for everyone. I agree. Whilst most fragances smell good on my skin, this one first smells spicy and woody, but after wearing it for 1 hour, my wrist smelled of burned plastic. I'm sure it can be nice on other people, but I wouldn't buy a bottle of this one...

Fizzy leather!

This is a leather for a summer's day. It is an exercise in transparency and modernity. I don't have any idea how he has managed to achieve it, but Ellena has stayed true to form and created a sheer, light and effervescent leather that is mesmerisingly beautiful.

If you want full-bodied, animalic, weird, rich or boozy leather, you're better off reaching for something else - there are plenty of fantastic leather fragrances out there. Kelly Caleche has a floral softness that makes it very appealing and wearable, even for non-leatherheads. Well worth a try and a good choice for a gift.

On opening, you immediately get the iris/leather accords contrasted with florals, but then all of a sudden Kelly pauses for an incredibly off-putting smell of rotting flowers, to eventually continue its course into something creamy/suedelike. I really want to like this, but Kelly Caleche somehow at points in its drydown seems to be at war with my body chemistry. Only after two hours or so, it finally settles into something which you could compare to Dior Homme without the cloying sweetness. I just don't think I have the patience to wait for it that long.

I tried this and after one minute it smelt exactly like Terre d' Hermes for men. I then went to resniff it and my eyes started to water like when I peel onions - no wonder they advertise it with a whip! I cannot wear this fragrance no matter how much I would like to

Without referencing (or remembering) the notes for Kelly Caleche, I tried it on my skin and was so relieved to find it NOT another fruity floral, and not sweet at all. It struck me as intelligent and original. After a couple hours I decided I would classified it mentally as a vetiver scent, and although that's not its official designation, I'm going to go on thinking of it that way. You can see the correct note breakdown in other reviews that preceded this one.

It's been a long while since I've smelled the original Caleche, so I won't add it as a reference to this review.

Kelly Caleche from the get-go gives off the impression of a young sophistication with a hit of that classic style of perfumery.

Perfumery notes:
Top note: Green Notes, Lily-of-the-valley, Rose, Narcissus
Middle note: Climbing Rose, Mimosa, Tuberose
Base note:Iris, Woodsy Notes, Leather Accord

You catch a lot of rosy notes in the beginning, with a bitter sweetness giving off the beginning impressions of leather, and thankfully the tuberose adds a fullness without being heady. As the scent progresses, I lose the leather sadly, but left with something ever so familiar, and then it dawns on me. The base smells so reminiscent of Jardin en Mediterranee. Not a bad thing, but I was more hoping for a more definite leather, something like Eau d'Hermes.

This scent is not a scent to excuse though--it's definitely remarkable.