The subject came up in class the other day of what kind of people we naturally gravitate towards. Aside my immediate and instinctive answer : ‘those who are themselves’, I admitted that I tend to be drawn to individuals who exhibit a combination of light and dark, a what I perceive to be healthy balance between optimism and realism (pessimism if you like). I veer away intuitively from the miserable and negative because life is too short; at the same time, perpetually Pollyanna-ish Disney types make me just want to kill myself (or them): fake ass hooplah, positivity or die – too much happy glinting in the eye makes me droop like a flower in this punishing, unrelenting (but beautiful) July sunlight.
There is no danger of such beaming Estee Lauder-ish adult Barbie grin-flashing in vintage Chanel Cristalle edt. Strangely, I had been craving the dab version for some reason: everything I need to say about the sparkling crystallinity of the pristine spray editions I have already written in my original review of this beautifully chic and enigmatic creation; somehow, though, I have been wanting just to have the tiniest amount on myself – rather than just admiring it on women – and while usually, vintage non-vaporisateur perfumes can often be too drab and attenuated as the years take their toll, somehow, the very dark, chypre base in this bottle – which D must have telepathically received my desire for, as he came back home from the beach having picked up a small bottle at an old rag bag jumble shop – is perfectly melancholic, the morbid honeysuckles and citric bright jasmines of the still very hopeful main theme so very poignant. While this particular original iteration might not have the famous crispness of the newest Cristalles, what is swirling within this liquid contains so many memories of close friends who have worn it over the years that it is like being taken forcefully down a time tunnel. I almost can’t take it. That perfume can elicit such intense emotion – so much that I can’t even quite articulate it entirely – is something miraculous.
It reminds me of Helen. The smell of it on her felt like unending space and new adventures – a kind of superpower. I still love it.
Yes- precisely.
Vulnerable in a way but also invincibile
How I love this post! I’m a Cristalle addict – – it’s my hands-down desert island frag. I have the EdT splash iteration from ~’74-’76 (with 80° instead of 80% on the original-sealed box), so I know exactly what you’re referring to. I also have bottles from the 80’s, ’90s, aughts, & 20-teens. Last year, I bought a bottle of 1997 Cristalle eau de parfum on ebay. Everyone’s always said how different the EdP is from the EdT, but it was unmistakably Cristalle to me, just deeper and less crystalline. There is nothing else like Cristalle…
I agree !
So lovely – glad it is your soundtrack
Swoon. What a description, Neil. Just got a huge wave of pleasure reading this. Thanks.
How I adore Cristalle, and it is because of the fabulous honeysuckle. I’m going to wear some tomorrow.
Such a moody chevrefeuille; truly atmospheric
Oh, it is, it is.
I definitely could not take it. It would be a very risky emotional manoeuvre. But now I REALLY want it again.