Versailles Pour Homme by Jean Desprez, 1980

Versailles pour Homme opens with a sharp citric herbal combination of lemon and pimento with an underlying floral carnation accord before moving to its heart phase. In the early heart the herbal lemon accord turns bitter as it joins a powerful mossy leather accord rising from the base that is quite harsh, with only the remnants of the carnation and a very subtle underlying cinnamon spice addition to temper its assault. As the fragrance enters the late dry-down the carnation disappears and the aggressive oakmoss laced leather finally moderates as mild amber and patchouli tandem is unveiled to considerably soften the overall accord. Projection is very good and longevity is excellent at 11-12 hours on skin.

 

Versailles pour Homme is a very complex scent to be sure. There are a lot of notes and accords, and my description of the scent's development does not nearly include all of them. That said, the open and the late dry-down are the most appealing aspects of the scent's development to this reviewer. The initial herbal lemon, carnation and peppery pimento meshes extremely well together and while others have found it unappealing, I love it. My problem with the fragrance profile is in the heart accord, as the oakmoss laced leather just becomes overpowering and way more rugged than I would have liked. Once you get to the late dry-down all is well again and the scent softens considerably to turn into a highly enjoyable composition. I really have a hard time assigning an overall rating for the fragrance as it is kind of a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde kind of ride from start to finish. When things are going good (which is about 70% of the time) the composition smells truly great; and when things aren't, the composition is extremely challenging, somewhat dated and quite difficult to wear. At the end of the day Versailles pour Homme has its issues but it manages to overcome them on the whole, earning a "very good" 3.5 stars out of 5.

Most masculine scents conjure up oppressive notiions of leather, lavender, sandalwood, or a watered down unisex version of the ocean for the latest generation. Versailles Homme is truly in a category by itself, elegant, gorgeous sillage, a symphony of notes... think Rachmaninoff... romantic, passionate, unreserved and confident yet somewhat quiet and deeply personal It's a refined scent that takes some understanding. The initial explosion of top notes is blindingly bright, overly green, terribly intense. A previous reviewer described it as potentially off-putting to the modern man. I would agree (for the first five minutes). There is such a distinct smell to it's green notes, something unforgetable-- perhaps cypress, moss, and sage. The real magic is in the dry down. Seriously, this one needs heat to amplify and soften the general fragrance... but not too much heat. This is a perfect spring and early summer fragrance. it would never reach it's potential in truly cool weather, and in hot weather I think it would burn off and lose the orchestration of the complex and divers notes. Spices quietly reveal themselves, clever and quietly. I swear I smell saffron, jonquils, earth, woody moss, orange blossoms, geranium, and coriander, basl, and cilantro moving into cloves or carnations, patchoulli, lavender, amber, and woods like sandalwood, maybe even rosewood or cocobolo. It gets somewhat of that old-tyme barbershop powdery smell to it.. which I find pleasant... and then it slowly vanishes (10 hour duration??) without a trace on the skin, and somewhat longer duration on clothing. Again the fragrance spells pure luxury.... confidence, elegance without trying, savoir-faire, true gentlemen, sophistication without pretense. It a coimplicated amalgam of beautiful classic notes arranged in a very unexpected but pleasant score. There is a longing to it that I enjoy as it travels the hours... from green, to spicy, to warm, to lost. I wore this fragrance for years in the 80's as my go-to fragrance. Santos de Cartier, Van Cleef et Aprel, and Ted Lapidus carried me through the winter months... but Versailles was the only fragrance for me in the sprng and summer. it is unusual, provocative, alluring.... very romantic. When it fell off the market, I was very disappointed and hoarded all that I could. I recently was able to obtain some vintage EDT bottles and I must admit.... it smells exactly like it did back in the 80's. I was expecting the old stock to have deteriorated or become rancid yet it was still stable and utterly gorgeous. Gentlemen.... if you ever have the opportunity to sample this masterpiece, take a moment to consider it's personality, and give it plenty of time to introduce itself to you. Again, it is surprising, unexpected, and friendly. This fragrance is a novel.. not a poem, sit back and enjoy it's depth, it's character, it's untold story. I think any member on here who has worn or possesses this fragrance would agree... unlike today's modern fragrances.. Versailles is something YOU wear, and not something that wears you. Thanks for your consideration.