Chloe Narcisse

Don't underestimate the power of our olfactory memory or its emotional impact.

I wore Narcisse, the 1992 release from Chloe, for a few months between 1992 and 1993. It was an extremely tumultuous time in my life in every possible way and I was searching for many things, including a signature scent.  A former friend hijacked my beloved Paloma Picasso, making it impossible for me to wear it again. Nothing in my life back then was quite right. I hated business school and every moment of every class in the Department of Economics, and I'm not even going to start talking about relationships with two very wrong guys, or about the heartbreak that followed me everywhere during those months.

My mother wore the original Chloe and she bought me a bottle of the newly-released Narcisse. I used it exclusively for a short time before passing it on to my sister who wears heavy fruity-florals much better than me. I haven't smelled it in many years but when I saw a bottle of the parfum on eBay for half a song I decided to get it. Just because.

I don't think I was ready. Every time I dabbed a bit on my wrist it was like a brutal ride through a time machine. It made my cozy house, the snow outside and the New Jersey suburb disappear. I felt like I was back in a city by the sea, hanging out with a bunch of my college friends in an outdoor cafe (and probably not wearing sunscreen), my heart heavy with angst, worry and the shame of the scorned. The cloying sweet cloud of big pink flowers and a candied cinnamon-tinged fruit hovering over me as thick as depression. There was anxious about impossible to decipher advanced microeconomics, neverending papers that had to be written and the date on Friday night.

Smelling Narcisse was an instant panic attack. It felt so real.

There's something about this perfume that is just off. The parfum version is just as unbalanced as my old EDT. It screams where it needs to whisper and hits you in the gut with an extra dose of sweetness. There's also an air freshener note, the worst interpretation of frangipani in a perfume that didn't come from the dollar store that even a creamy vanilla-sandalwood base couldn't redeem.

Sometimes I could not be happier to not be 22 ever again.

Narcisse by Chloe in EDT can be online from just about any perfume retailers, usually under $30. I'm pretty sure the parfum has been discontinued, but it makes an occasional eBay appearance.

Assorted ads for Narcisse from 1992-1993: imagesdeparfums.fr

Mother's Day- Chloé

I probably owe my love (not to say obsession) for scents and fragrance to my mother. Lotions, potions, high-end fabric softener, French soaps in my lingerie drawers, lavender sachets in the closet and a certain quirk regarding vanilla sugar that does wonders to the smell of kitchen cabinets.

There, on top of the pyramid of all Things that Smell Good stands perfume, which my mother has taught me to appreciate, love and never leave the house without applying some.

Some time during the late 70s my mother discovered Chloe. Back than it was considered a fine department store fragrance and was a bit hard to find. It came as an EDP in a frosted glass bottle. I was too young to really think about notes and layers, but just like everyone who was lucky enough to get close had no doubt that it smelled wonderful on her.

It became her signature, earned her many compliments and comments from just about everyone. When asked by women what it was, my mom would usually say "Oh, just something French". She always preferred not to smell like everyone else and never gave in to fragrance trends (Giorgio Beverly Hills never entered our house). When someone- a friend or a neighbor tried Chloe it never smelled the same on them. The sparkling, lovely floral formula with a powdery finish was clearly made for my mother.

This was the only scent she would wear, day in and day out for nearly 30 years. I grew up to become the complete opposite. I wear something different every day. For me there is a fragrance for every mood, every weather, every activity. I rarely put on the same perfume two days in a row, unless I have something new that I'm completely in love with. While I was discovering the allures of Calvin, Ralph and Estee my mom was going through bottle after bottle of Chloe. I changed boyfriends, got married, dabbled in Cartier, Tiffany, Jil Sander and Armani while my mother stayed lovely and unique in Chloe.

There's been a change in recent years. The Karl Lagerfeld fragrance has been downgraded to drugstores everywhere, the frosted bottle is no more (replaced with a clear one) and the EDP seems to have been discontinued, though PerfumeMart lets you join a waiting list for it. I've joined over a year ago and have yet to hear back from them.
Some reviews on MakeupAlley.com claim that the original formula has changed and it's not as good as it used to be.

The last year has indeed seen a change: My mom started trying on and using new fragrances. Last autumn we both discovered Dior's Pure Poison (the mix of white florals, orange blossom and my beloved jasmine appeals to both of us). Her most recent purchase was quite surprising: Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker. I'm not a big fan (too floral and flighty for me, or maybe it's the patchouli), but my mother loves it and only complains about its staying power- seems like Lovely needs to be used heavy-handedly to keep even a trace of it for a few hours.

I don't think that this is the end of the Chloe days, but I'm glad to be able to compare fragrance notes with the person responsible for this little hobby of mine.