Nomade (2018)
by Chloé

I like this, but in a way that's odd for me to describe why. It has a kind of "playing in the dirt" feel to it that to me makes it seem like the only appropriately Chloé fragrance in their fragrance stable (the rest I strike off as commercially-successful generic duds), and though it has this down-to-earth slant, it's not bohemian enough or hippie festival enough that it ever loses its composure and sense of... I almost wanna say sense of calm? (which again, feels appropriately Chloé for me).

Where it's weird for me is that it sits in an odd place in that it's hard to fully visualize who might wear this, because it's something not really here nor there, nor does the play on contrast seem to be the point of it (and granted, none of the contrasts are stark enough or played for enough effect for them to be the point in any effective way). It feels like a fragrance that dips its toes into slightly different territories (pretty(-ish) and strange, free(-ish) and orderly, lively(-ish) and tranquil) and doesn't really want to stake an exclusive claim to any. Ultimately, it's a lot of things with an "-ish" qualifier at the end. It has a distinctive character, yet somehow it's also seemingly sitting strictly in the middle of the road.

It's also weird to me that out of the two designer mainstream "modern chypres" I've reviewed lately (the other being Cartier La Panthère) it seems to be a modern chypre enough, but in a way that I feel makes it less of a chypre? What I mean by this is that there is certainly an oakmoss feel to it overlayed with fruit, and it feels modern (and almost fresh, or even laundry-clean for all its "playing in the dirt" aspect I was talking about), but because it feels like such a modern rendition of a chypre, it feels like less of a chypre to me because I guess that's a fragrance genre I automatically associate with something more vintage, or at least less modern (and less aerated) than what I'm given here. This has too many pockets of air to it to fully register as a proper chypre to me, yet a chypre I do think it is.

The more I think about it, the more glaringly obvious it becomes to me that I'm thinking about it too much. For me Nomade is simply a new kind of chypre, and this means it comes without some of the things I normally associate with scents in this fragrance family: namely a sort of tailored strength, a wit tinged with sensuality, an aloofness and severity, a self-respecting boudoir glamour, a sense of guarding oneself against the world and revealing oneself only gradually, as one who is in command chooses. That's not Nomade, at least not to me. Unlike those complex compositions, Nomade's structure is uneven, yet the fragrance still feels fully completed. I guess it has flesh, but not much in the way of bones.

It's a good scent. Ultimately, I've no idea who this is for, and I suspect it won't sell too well, even if the bottle is made to look like a Chloé purse and has those pink suede tassels coming out of it (how nasty do you think those will end up looking after spending a couple weeks in someone's handbag?). It's not a particularly difficult scent, nor is it an unpleasant one, but its very strangeness might be challenging to some (it was a little to me!). It might find a niche with young women (particularly Parisian ones of a certain "type" come to mind) - or with young men for that matter (I find it perfectly unisex), but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets ditched out of production in a few years or is reformulated into something else entirely (that tassel design alone must've sold them a couple bottles, and is probably too enticing to let go of entirely).

Would I buy it? Maybe in the future, but right now I don't feel any urge. I am glad it's out there, though, and I salute the head honchos at Chloé for putting it out there. And even more, perfumer Quentin Bisch for coming up with it.

Edit: Actually, the longer I think of it, the clearer it becomes to me that no,I actually probably won't be buying it.

A radiant bright floral for a sunny woman!The type of scent every woman should have in her wordrobe.it's stepping out of a steaming fragrant petal bath into a warm plush peach colored towel.
Highly wearable for almost any occasion at any time of year.vibrant in spring,joyful in summer,sexy in autumn and cozy in winter.

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.