The olfactory story of Calèche by Hermès. What an odd idea to name a perfume Calèche. Indeed, this term refers to a horse-drawn carriage that was very common in the early nineteenth century. Nevertheless, rest assured, Calèche is not a perfume that smells like the horse-drawn vehicle or horses.
In the 1950s, the great fashion houses made their debut in perfumery, and Hermès, a great leather goods house, would be the first to venture into the adventure of fragrances. L’Eau d’Hermès, composed in 1951 by Edmond Roudnitska, would be its first great success, and the magnificent Calèche, released ten years later, would be just as acclaimed by the public. Calèche would be Hermès's very first real perfume and would offer an elegant and modern sobriety that would leave a lasting impression.
Calèche, or the sobriety of such a feminine construction by the talented Guy Robert
While today most of the great luxury brands we know offer perfumes, this phenomenon is relatively recent, since it was Coco Chanel who initiated this trend in the 1930s by daring to launch her N°5. Mademoiselle Coco's approach was widely criticized by “real” perfumers, yet many houses rushed into this new market. Thus, Hermès would be the very first luxury leather goods house to venture into perfume creation with L’Eau d’Hermès in 1951.
L’Eau d’Hermès would immediately win over its audience. It must be said that this Eau has nothing in common with traditional Colognes—quite the opposite: L’Eau d’Hermès exhales an intense freshness contrasted by a leathery, woody sensuality unprecedented in an Eau.
After the success of L’Eau d’Hermès, the house of Hermès chose this time to offer a real perfume, Calèche, which would offer even more than the classic scents of the era. It must be said that with Edmond Roudnitska (creator of Chanel's N°5) for L’Eau d’Hermès, or with the talents of Guy Robert (creator of Madame Rochas) for Calèche, Hermès made judicious choices in terms of perfumers!
The Hermès fragrance has the ambition of quality and simplicity. Something floral, light, persistent, without being insistent, states the original press kit. Madame Le Figaro on Calèche by Hermès.
A fresh and bold perfume that carries us to distant journeys, Calèche by Hermès
With Calèche, the very first perfume of what would become the Comptoir Nouveau de la Parfumerie, Hermès chose to offer a great feminine perfume that could rival Madame Rochas, for example. Madame Rochas, which was moreover composed shortly before by Guy Robert, perfumer of Calèche.
Thus the composition of Calèche aims to be clear, direct, while being extremely high in quality. Calèche also explores olfactory journeys through its raw materials, thanks to rare ingredients coming from lands still little known at the time, such as Egyptian Jasmine or Haitian Vetiver.
Opening on magnificent Bergamots, Calèche bursts with modernity thanks to the presence of Aldehydes. Then Bulgarian Rose, Egyptian Jasmine and Tuscan Iris form the opulent, floral heart of this fragrance, which invites as much delicacy as travel. Finally, the woody notes of Sandalwood, Vetiver, Cedar and Oakmoss become the sensual velvet of this Calèche, decidedly filled with beautiful olfactory surprises.
Upon its creation, Calèche was widely discussed, and the same words keep coming up: “thoroughbred,” “signed Hermès,” “the most Faubourg-Saint-Honoré of Parisian perfumes,” “the birth of a great perfume,” “rich and fresh,” “young and vigorous”… Madame Le Figaro on Calèche, Hermès.