Calèche

This simply refers to the house of Hermès's love for the world of perfumery. It was conceived in 1961 and thus reached us as a kind of olfactory testament to the heavy heritage of the Hermès house.

The house of Hermès and the world of equestrianism

The Hermès brand has always been close to the equestrian world. This is because it was established in the nineteenth century, in Paris, as a saddle and harness maker. Likewise, Hermès still associates itself today with numerous equestrian competitions. It is therefore a nod to this fascination with this animal as well as to its history that the perfume Calèche offers us. Moreover, when the calèche was introduced in France, in the nineteenth century, it very quickly became the carriage of all elegance. Both slender, light and refined, it had the reputation of enhancing the natural elegance of women. It was then indispensable for city outings for society ladies. In this sense, Calèche appears as a sign of unrivaled refinement. Furthermore, let us note that it is the first major fragrance marketed by Hermès. Indeed, the house had already launched a few perfumes before it but their success was only mixed. Moreover, at that time, only couturiers and perfumers issued fragrances. Hermès was the first house not to come from these worlds and to venture into the olfactory world. In this sense, Calèche is a perfume endowed today with a very strong symbolism.

The contrasting character of Calèche

It was the talented perfumer Guy Robert who created the perfume Calèche. It opens with a fresh, orangey accord based on citrus. Calèche blends Bergamot, Mandarin and Orange blossom. Then, it very quickly takes on a multitude of floral notes. Furthermore, it combines Egyptian Jasmine, Bulgarian Rose and Lily of the valley. In the background also unfolds Gardenia, Iris and Ylang-ylang. Thus, Calèche appears as a very elegant and feminine fragrance, filled with sun-kissed and powdery accents. The whole nonetheless darkens at the base level. Calèche finally releases a chypre and woody accent emanating from Oakmoss, Cedar, Sandalwood, Cypress and Haitian Vetiver. The whole is contained in Hermès's iconic case. This first appeared in 1951. It then very quickly became the emblem of the house's perfumes. Recognizable today among all others, it forms a thick block of glass with contours inspired by a carriage lamp. The whole is also adorned with an oval label bearing the Hermès house logo. This is directly inspired by a lithograph by the painter Alfred de Dreux. To be more precise, this label depicts a coachman standing at the foot of his horse… Decidedly, Hermès introduces the world of equestrianism into every one of its details!