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Derby by Guerlain, 1985

Derby by Guerlain, 1985
52 reviews
96% Positive Reviews
Rated #85 in Fragrances
Pros:
“Excellently balanced and sophisticated”
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Posted
By drseid
This is a review of the vintage Derby... A beautiful citrus yields very quickly to a floral leather heart with heavy emphasis on a masculine rose. The base is supported by a tremendous moss and patchouli accord mixed with sandalwood and more floral leather found in the scent's heart. I kind of liken vintage Derby as a combination of Sous Le Vent mixed with rosy leather. This is worthy of the high praise it receives. Whether it is worth the extremely high price tag a vintage bottle goes for nowadays is a personal choice, but a strong case can be made in the affirmative. This great composition gets a strong 4 to 4.5 out of 5 rating.
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Posted
By JackTwist

Pros: Excellently balanced and sophisticated

Cons: None

This is a very nice, light summer scent - a green, woody effervescence that coalesces around a light and  refreshing carnation/clove note -odd that neither of these is mentioned in the ingredients list, but are for me the most predominant notes in this creation.

 

Along with Guerlain's Vetiver (spicy and green - the very best available) and their Habit Rouge (dry citrus calming down to a moss), Derby completes the classic trio of their men's scents, stretching from 1959 to 1985. They would be best used in the following order:  Habit Rouge for morning, Derby for early afternoon, Vetiver for evening.

 

Although perfectly nice and subtle, I can see why it failed in 1985. It was a quiet port in a storm of the scents of its time. Though hardly a masterpiece, as Luca Turin claims it to be, nor "one of the ten best masculines of all time," as he asserts, it is perfectly nice and a fine choice for the middle aged to older gentleman.

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Posted
By florestano
the first thing that hits me in the derby (vintage) longevity is not long, too bad because the drydown is very nice. reminds me a little monsieur carven without a rose, you should apply a few drops more and quit after about thirty minutes in order to have a good time, I still have to use it again to understand it furtherfor now, 3.5 / 5 waiting for a new review
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Posted
By rbaker
The Vintage Version: The opening is a gentle mint-and-orange note with bergamot blended in. After a few minutes I get a light and mild leather note that after the first hour takes on a flowery character. After another hour I get a touch of moss with a prominent fine powdery note that is neither sweet nor cloying. The leather is less creamy than Farina's Kölnisch Juchten, and lacks all harshness on me that characterises scents like Knize Ten. This is indeed a scent that did not follow the 1980s trend of heavy power scents, but harked back to the ideal of elegant unobtrusiveness. Whilst indubitably wonderfully blended, on my skin it never develops into anything extraordinary, and certainly is not amongst my favourite leathers. Projection and silage are poor, which makes it a great office fragrance, and the longevity is decent at about three hours on my skin. Just a borderline thumbs up though.
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Posted
By Swanky
A great fragrance. This strikes me as the offspring of Arpege Pour Femme and Knize Ten. It is quite soft and floral but with a smoky tone that is very appealing. This definitely harks back to a more formal time - this is far more appropriate for a tux or suit than for sweats and tank tops to be sure. Sillage is not domineering but it does have 6-plus hours of longevity though muted. It sits close to you like your shadow but you keep catching wafts to remind you it's there. Very nice. This is my all-time favorite and may never be supplanted. Derby is probably the reference masculine chypre.
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Posted
By Scentologist
GUERLAIN DERBY Review: Current formulation Perfumer: Jean Paul Guerlain Notes per Fragrantica: Top notes: bergamot and orange Middle notes: spices, carnation and exotic woods Base notes: leather, birch, patchouli and woody notes. Jean Paul Guerlain was an avid horse admirer and very fond of the derby, which is where he got his inspiration. The vintage formulation might reflect this imagination better and evoke the spirit that focuses from the horse to the dirt. However, this new formulation arrives from the horse up; a classy gentleman poised upon his champion on a day not meant for races, but a casual stroll through the estate where citrus trees are here and there, where mud is not kicked up on the track but rather the essence of carnation and vetiver is disturbed beneath the hoofs. As this essence rises, it mingles with the leathery saddle beneath the rider and together envelops the soft citrus in the air from the trees. From initial spray, this is gorgeous. It begins its ride with fresh and lively citrus; bergamot and lemon seem to dominate more than the orange with brings it some depth. I dont detect much mint, if at all. If so, its treatment was minimal. I do detect the beautiful and ever-present Guerlainade that runs through the creation. Immediately I notice a powdery vibe that is very high quality and balanced; no powder bombs here and this is something I wished lasted longer as this starts to transition into carnation, leather, and dries to a very bright and uplifting vetiver. Vetiver is not listed in the note pyramid above but it is there, and ever it is! Overall longevity and sillage are excellent. One to two sprays is all you need. Comparatives: None. However, this is what I feel Guerlain Vetiver wanted to be. GV is muted, linear, and the vetiver is not uplifting to me. Derby is lively, goes through three distinct phases, and the vetiver is bright and woody. Derby is far superior.
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Posted
By iivanita
this review is for the current version of Derby, it smells very modern, not with so much details as i expect old version holds, and thus lot less refined, still i think it offers some freshenes to the current mail designer offer, with carnation beeing the central of the stage and nice balance between spciy-leathery and sweet woddy notes(patchouly).Carnation hints a bit to retro style, but overal expression is very modern! It has nice projection and longevily, it smells like good designer perfume, and almost unisex!
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Posted
By Smelly Beast
I don't understand how a fragrance like this became a flop and ended up discontinued. Some say it was due to marketing issues other because it didn't belong to the 80's but to me there is no plausible explanation. Derby is a modern leather chypre. It is perfect, from the green herbal opening, to the spicy floral heart and the mossy and resinous base. Perfectly balanced and very well kept if you consider all IFRA restrictions. Unfortunately I never tried the original and cant say if things chagend a lot but I can say that it is still a masterpiece, relevant in the industry and smell like a chypre. At the same time that it holds Guerlains heritage using some classical accords of the brand it represents a departure from the ubiquitous vanilla that some times seem like a cage to their creativity like if everything had to be a new Shalimar or at least be related to it in some way. Guerlain didn't want to make the same marketing mistakes and relaunched it as a paris exclusive maintaining its status as a cult hard to find fragrance. So if you want Derby you have to go to Paris and thats the kind of exclusivity that makes people curious and wanting for more.
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Posted
By WillBell
I do not know why I have failed to review Derby before now, since it is, without question, my favorite of all EdTs. Everytime I wear it I get compliments. I have worn it for decades, and I was lucky enough to buy a dozen or so bottles of it (the old square habit rouge, heritage, vetiver type). I have also tried the re-issued Parisienne line, and have special ordered from Guerlain. Masculine, woodsy, leather, chypre, blended perfectly. A great scent for the office, since it is intimate and not overpowering. The dry down is clean,and not powdery or sweet at all. This is a must have.
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Posted
By Darvant
Boundless victorian class, élite sports, highest french sophistication, rosey indolence, green meadows, conservative complexity,  spicy tobacco, high aristocracy meetings, luxury leatherwears, womanizer gentlemen. This is vintage Derby Guerlain, probably the best leathery chypre of the olfactory universe and the Deus's signature fragrance. The hit of the top. Period.
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Facts and Details

Derby by Guerlain, 1985
By:
Description:

Reissued in 2005 for the renovated flagship Guerlain store on the Champs-Elysees.

Details:
DetailValue
Top NotesBergamot, Lemon, Artemisia, Peppermint
Middle NotesPimento, Rose, Pepper, Mace, Jasmin
Base NotesLeather, Vetiver, Sandal, Patchouli, Moss
Launched Date1985
GenderMen
PerfumerJean Paul Guerlain
AvailabilityIn Production
ByGuerlain
Bottle DesignerRobert Granai
Models:
Model Name/TypeMPNEAN/UPC
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