Hubert de Givenchy via Ermano Picco via Instagram @magnificent

As the fashion industry mourns the recent loss of French couturier Hubert de Givenchy on March 10, 2018, I, like many perfume collectors, have been revisiting some of Givenchy’s fragrances in my collection. Some of my favourites have personal stories attached to them.

Vintage Givenchy Insensé ad 1990s

Smelling Givenchy Insensé takes me back to a summer in the 1990s when I was still a teenager. With its watery floral note, Insensé ushered me away from the aromatic fougeres of the 1980s, towards a new forming era in men’s fragrances. A few years later when the aquatic fragrance trend was peaking, I discovered Xeryus Rouge; a Givenchy fragrance that worked against the trend.

Clayton’s bottles of Xeryus Rouge, Givenchy Insensé and Givenchy III©

 I had recently returned home from a backpacking trip through Northern India when a guy came into work wearing 1995’s Givenchy Xeryus Rouge. I had to ask what cologne he was wearing. It was exotic, woody, smoky and floral. His scent transported me back to the dusty streets of Paharganj in Central Delhi where each morning, all chaos and noise momentarily subsided while locals stopped to pray and offer incense to their deities.

Oakmoss photo apped by MC

Later on I explored the rest of Givenchy’s fragrances out of chronological order. As many collectors do, I reached a point some years ago where I realised I needed to learn about the history of fragrances. Armed with Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez’ Perfumes The Guide book and other books by Michael Edwards and various authors, I spent many nights and weekends on EBay in bidding wars with other collectors. I collected vintage fragrances that were no longer in production, most of which were launched before my birth and some were even older than my parents. The classic chypres were particularly popular at the time. From Chypre de Coty to Guerlain’s Mitsouko and Christian Dior’s Diorama, all the vintage chypres were selling on EBay for five to ten times their original prices. One of the reasons for this was the industry’s regulating of an ingredient: oakmoss absolute. Modern studies revealed the lichen contained a potential allergen. Despite being used in commercial perfumery for decades, fragrances that contained more than the newly set allowance of the offending ingredient needed to be reformulated. Fans of Mitsouko were willing to pay more for an old bottle on EBay than a new, reformulated bottle from retailers.

 

 Givenchy on 3 Avenue Georges V, Paris via Wikipedia

This small obsession with oakmoss, a key ingredient in the chypre accord, led me to buy an old bottle of Givenchy III, which Hubert de Givenchy launched in 1970 when he opened his new boutique at 3, Avenue George V in Paris. Givenchy re-released a reformulated version that was allergen free but I wanted a bottle of the original formula. Givenchy III didn’t disappoint. Beyond the golden chypre accord, which dries down to smell like humid foliage and dank forest moss, the fragrance offers a classic mid 20th century floral bouquet of rose, jasmine and lily of the valley.

Clayton’s bottle of Vintage Givenchy III©

A hallmark of 1970s perfumery, Givenchy III also features a watery green effect with hyacinth and galbanum. Supporting the woody notes of oakmoss, patchouli and sandalwood is a warm and sweet musky accord. Maybe my nose is already sensitive to the smell of oakmoss because the ingredient is no longer used in the quantity it once was but Givenchy III has a mossy effect stands out to me and adds a masculine sentiment to a fragrance designed for refined and elegant women.

The floral notes and musk have a more feminine effect and overall it is interesting to experience the way femininity has been communicated in perfumery through different decades as trends change and creators are shaped by the changing world around them. Although it was a success, Givenchy III wasn’t a revelation within the industry. Perfumers Jean-Francois Latty, Raymond Chaillan and Yolande Jerrold created a perfume for Hubert de Givenchy that was of its time and paid homage to some of the classics that had come before.

Vintage ad featuring Audrey Hepburn for Givenchy L’Interdit 1957

The perfumers captured the spirit of Givenchy; a Parisian couture house built on a reputation for refined French luxury, which became the first fashion house to use a celebrity in fragrance advertising. Hubert de Givenchy cast Audrey Hepburn as the face of L’Interdit in 1957. Even with Hubert de Givenchy’s departure, the legacy of his perfumes continues and his stories continue to be told.

-–Clayton Ilolahia, Guest Contributor and Editor of What Men Should Smell Like

Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief

Thanks to our friends at the Perfumed Court we have a Vintage EDT samples of Le De, L'Interdit and Givenchy III sampler  OR a 8ml spray decant of the original Givenchy III for a registered reader worldwide WITH THE EXCEPTION OF NEW YORKTHEY CANNOT SHIP IN NEW YORK. You MUST register or your comment will not qualify. To be eligible, please tell us what appeals to you about Givenchy III based on Clayton’s review, your favourite  Givenchy fragrance, which you would like to win and where you live. Pleased Log on to here and subscribe to The Perfumed Court monthly newsletter.Draw closes 3/21/2018

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