Paco Rabanne: Metal & Calandre

[lsp_NY]

Which of the 2 can be worn by a man? Or are both too feminine to work as a man's fragrance?

[sherrie11]

I don't know if this is any help, as it's been years since I've sniffed it, but I believe Metal is the less overtly femme of the two. I owned it a zillion years ago and it was too astringent or something for me at that time. Calandre was a signature for my mom for a while, it was very feminine and lovely on her. On me, it is powdery - aldehydes I guess. Do you think a man could wear White Linen? If so, maybe Calandre would work, too?

[JaimeB]

I have them both, and both can work or a man as evening scents. I love them both, but I think I find Métal the more "different" of the two. It's wonderfully green. Calandre is subtler and more floral, warmer too; I find it quieter and more elegantly understated.

[tvlampboy]

Both are too feminine, with Métal only slightly less so, but why bother in the first place? Paco Rabanne already puts out a gorgeous floral for men -- downright decadent, in fact. It's called Ténéré.

[cacio]

I am resurrecting this ancient thread because I was in Paris and saw that Calandre was relatively widely available, including at Sephora. So they must have expanded distribution. I celebrated by buying another bottle (about EUR 90 for 100 ml). It still smells as glorious as it ever did, and to answer the question of the original thread, it does well on a man.

Sadly, however, my much beloved Metal was nowhere to be found, indicating that the brand has no intention of bringing it back.

cacio

[mdclx]

Hi,

IMO both are wearable by men.

I own and love these Rabanne's masterpieces.

[PerfumePorMoi]

I am resurrecting this ancient thread because I was in Paris and saw that Calandre was relatively widely available, including at Sephora. So they must have expanded distribution. I celebrated by buying another bottle (about EUR 90 for 100 ml). It still smells as glorious as it ever did, and to answer the question of the original thread, it does well on a man.

Sadly, however, my much beloved Metal was nowhere to be found, indicating that the brand has no intention of bringing it back.

cacio

This is great news re Calandre. One of my all-time faves and I thought it was discontinued. Not good on Metal, though. I've never tried it.

[NineInchNell]

Cacio, I think Metal became discontinued shortly after I began wearing it as a teenager. But a I have a friend with a large Ebay perfume store who sells the vintage Metal minis for next to nothing when she gets them. Email me if you want her site name.

[Jardanel]

Metal has a green, cool rose note that I suppose you could consider more feminine. Calandre starts out metallic and crisp and turns surprisingly warm - like sun-heated chrome (remember that the name, Calandre, describes the front grille of a sports car).

I wore both these scents a great deal until they became hard to obtain sometime in the 1990's. A Christmas present one year was a 1/4 ounce bottle of Calandre in pure extrait. I must have been about 19 at the time - with early beginnings like that, is it any wonder I turned to be a 'fume addict?

A word about the Calandre widely circulating right now - I ordered a bottle from a reliable source. I was disappointed. It seems weak, dumbed-down, and not "right" somehow. It was not a fake, as far as I could tell. I think whoever has the rights to the Rabanne fragrance business has just changed it to sell more to the current market.

[cacio]

The stuff I got in Paris smells good to me, an aldehydic creamy rose. Radiant and very long lasting. But I never smelled true vintage (my other bottle is also relatively recent), so I cannot compare - and it is quite possible that it is not as it was - it would be one of the few indeed. The drydown is indeed warm, but it does not really remind me of warm chrome. More of warm cream.

Re: Metal, I have a backup, and I have seen a few stores that still have some. I should probably buy additional backups.

cacio