Cristalle - Edt - Henri Robert & Edmond Roudnitska Vintage early 80’s or possibly late 70’s bottle. Bergamot, Petigrain, Galbanum, Lemon, Cumin, Basil, Hyacinth, Honeysuckle, Peach Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Narcissus, Cyclamen Oakmoss, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Musk, Patchouli, Civet, Ambergris Official notes for the original vintage edt. Taken from syllektikaaromata.gr, a veritable encyclopedia for anyone who speaks Greek. A crystal echo… Cristalle is (or was?) the bitchy ice queen Chanel, a title usually given to N°19 unjustly. But underneath the cold façade, there are hints of darkness and grit which may be undetectable most times, but give the fragrance its beauty. They anchor it -vintage Cristalle has a good tenacity- and at the same time they serve as a backbone and counterweight for the rest of the notes to shine. Not every animalic note has to be front and center all the time! I love them and can’t get enough of them, but let’s remember that half a century ago, they were also fixatives. And any proper perfume that was proud of its worth had them. Cristalle is a member of the fresh Eaux family that reigned supreme in the late 60’s to late 70’s. Every house had them, all displaying various commonalities and more differences. I don’t find Cristalle icy cold, but cool. Grey with specks of emerald green. There’s raspiness but also gentility. The greenness is offset by a gentle floral embrace to soften the edges. The freshness of the citrus is not tart or bright, but slightly fermented. Every fresh Eau of the time made allusion to freshness, drops of carefree youth…a burst of invigorating vitality that none the less was a prelude to a perfume underneath it. It’s not about a light and ephemeral sensation. It’s about a fragrance that sparkles because of its jovial opening. The icy bitch side, for me, it’s the reveal of its tease. Under the green canopy of galbanum and moss and vetiver, under the gentle nectar of honeysuckle and the raspy woody base…that’s were you find a spicy cumin tease not too dissimilar to the heftier Eau d’Hermès and a gentle salty naughtiness that like a good salad dressing, enhances the explosion of flavor. This young Mademoiselle Chanel has the naïveté and the fresh sparkle of an endless spring day, the grey of an early sky before the sun comes out, the bloom of a Parisian garden…but she also has a reservedness, a distance. A slightly dark mind perhaps, when said distance becomes close distance. A Chanel rigidness that never becomes frailty, but familiarity. She’s not the carefree laughter of Diorella, Eau Folle, Y, Eau Vivre..she’s not the Ô de Lancôme or Eau de Roche (and Rochas) tomboy. She’s the serious and intelectual one, the one that makes you wonder what happens when the glasses go and the jacket falls…what’s underneath??
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8 months ago
Cristalle Eau de Toilette, from Chanel was released in 1974. The perfumer behind this creation is Henri Robert. It has the top notes of Bergamot and Lemon, middle notes of Brazilian Rosewood, Honeysuckle, Hyacinth, and Jasmine, and base notes of Oakmoss and Vetiver.
Cristalle - Edt - Henri Robert & Edmond Roudnitska Vintage early 80’s or possibly late 70’s bottle. Bergamot, Petigrain, Galbanum, Lemon, Cumin, Basil, Hyacinth, Honeysuckle, Peach Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Narcissus, Cyclamen Oakmoss, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Musk, Patchouli, Civet, Ambergris Official notes for the original vintage edt. Taken from syllektikaaromata.gr, a veritable encyclopedia for anyone who speaks Greek. A crystal echo… Cristalle is (or was?) the bitchy ice queen Chanel, a title usually given to N°19 unjustly. But underneath the cold façade, there are hints of darkness and grit which may be undetectable most times, but give the fragrance its beauty. They anchor it -vintage Cristalle has a good tenacity- and at the same time they serve as a backbone and counterweight for the rest of the notes to shine. Not every animalic note has to be front and center all the time! I love them and can’t get enough of them, but let’s remember that half a century ago, they were also fixatives. And any proper perfume that was proud of its worth had them. Cristalle is a member of the fresh Eaux family that reigned supreme in the late 60’s to late 70’s. Every house had them, all displaying various commonalities and more differences. I don’t find Cristalle icy cold, but cool. Grey with specks of emerald green. There’s raspiness but also gentility. The greenness is offset by a gentle floral embrace to soften the edges. The freshness of the citrus is not tart or bright, but slightly fermented. Every fresh Eau of the time made allusion to freshness, drops of carefree youth…a burst of invigorating vitality that none the less was a prelude to a perfume underneath it. It’s not about a light and ephemeral sensation. It’s about a fragrance that sparkles because of its jovial opening. The icy bitch side, for me, it’s the reveal of its tease. Under the green canopy of galbanum and moss and vetiver, under the gentle nectar of honeysuckle and the raspy woody base…that’s were you find a spicy cumin tease not too dissimilar to the heftier Eau d’Hermès and a gentle salty naughtiness that like a good salad dressing, enhances the explosion of flavor. This young Mademoiselle Chanel has the naïveté and the fresh sparkle of an endless spring day, the grey of an early sky before the sun comes out, the bloom of a Parisian garden…but she also has a reservedness, a distance. A slightly dark mind perhaps, when said distance becomes close distance. A Chanel rigidness that never becomes frailty, but familiarity. She’s not the carefree laughter of Diorella, Eau Folle, Y, Eau Vivre..she’s not the Ô de Lancôme or Eau de Roche (and Rochas) tomboy. She’s the serious and intelectual one, the one that makes you wonder what happens when the glasses go and the jacket falls…what’s underneath??