Nomade (2018)
by Chloé

Chloé Nomade opens with juicy succulence of Mirabelle plum, sweeter, sunnier and less astringent than regular purple plums. I previously encountered this note in Givenchy Dahlia Divin, in which it tends to be ripen and stewed, quite heavy and opaque, while in Nomade, this Mirabelle plum feels more breezy and fresher, thanks to the powerful current of clean musk and dewy, aquatic freesia blowing from the heart. However, while the fruity and floral notes feel overall quite airy during the first 3 hours, the fragrance has an oddly irritating, scratchy texture especially in its moderate sillage.

Thankfully, Nomade turns smoother in the dry down. With the screechy sillage gone, now the fragrance sits close to skin, revealing a soft musky mossy cushion on which lay a few plums, a combined effect of fruity notes and patchouli. The longevity I got is around 8 hours.

To me, Nomade is a quintessential neo fruity chypre of our modern era. The basic stone fruit + musky mossy base is there, but it's designed as eager to please, sterilised and deprived of any earthy, vegetal or animalic warmth, and with certain aromachemicals to boost its sillage while bringing a grating texture as a sid-effect. However, even though it's not my cup of tea, I appreciate its relative lack of caramel sweetness compared to most gourmand fruitchouli in today's market, and its relative smooth mossy musky dry down. Nomade might be an option to consider for those who are graduating from sweet fruitchouli fragrances but aren't yet ready to step too much out of comfort zone.

If Nomade piques your interest, and it should if you are a chypre-fan, check out Blackglama's Epic, which is a virtual unknown that can be had for much, much less than Chloe.

I try not to get triggered when I encounter "similarities" in fragrances, but Nomade treats oakmoss & patchouli in a manner that is so similar it feels like a copy. The only difference I can detect is that one front-loads with fruits, the other with aromatics. Sweet or dry, take your pick.

It is nice to see this classic style sneaking back into the mainstream.

Stardate 20180627:

A floral in the mold of vintage Leau Issey. Freesia and florals.
The top has a guava accord which I really like.
Develops very well into a spicy woody skin scent.
Great longevity.
Best release this year imo.

Japanese Lanterns by Luther Emerson Van Gorder