Coco is the drama queen among the powerful orientals of the 80’s. Moving along the spice route (Opium) towards a mellower Mellis accord, Coco is very similar to Teatro that came a year later, but where Krizia went for spices and carnations, Chanel went for plush amber and baroque orientalism. Chanel was never one to fall for excess, but Coco, born with me on the same year, inevitably followed trends; sillage and power. The edp I’m reviewing, a bottle from 1984, is my favorite formulation because it embodies the spirit of the fragrance perfectly. It opens with a strong note of cloves and coriander, that lend a mellow and piquant balsamic spiciness. Subtle, with a candle light glow, along a juicy orange note that simply enhances them instead of taking over. The overripe peach is akin to Femme’s skin sensuality. Instead of fiery spices, you have the heat of the skin. The rose and jasmine in the heart really shine and make me see why Chanel is so famed for them. Jacques Polge shows amazing dexterity. The base further enhances the deep and mellow balsamic quality; a superb sandalwood that 100% feels like Mysore, with its suave and buttery-milky qualities, dances along the resinous labdanum, and the amber wraps itself around the opoponax. A subtle leather smell (castoreum?) dances along the civet, which in the first formulations is natural and extremely potent and sexual. For all it’s class and elegance, Coco never forgets that beneath the surface there’s desire, and Polge balances the beauty with a magnificent and feral civet; it doesn’t enhance the other notes, it shines solo. While many orientals are famed for their spices, Coco embodies the balsamic quality of the genre. It wouldn’t feel out of place decades earlier, even though it’s excesiveness tells us that Coco comes from the mighty 80’s. If you enjoy Diva (Polge’s prototype for Coco, somewhat drier and more chypre in feel, released a year earlier), Teatro Alla Scala, Fendi, Opium and Femme, Coco is a natural progression. Dramatic, opulent, once the fur is off and the haute couture dress on the floor, manners stay out of the room. There’s only room for passion. Stunning on everyone, with a sexually ambiguous personality that refuses genre!