Mouchoir de Monsieur

9 Reviews

1. 

   humorousBuzzard1

   Reply

   I almost blind bought this, and I’m glad I got a sample. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful scent, but it just isn’t for me. It is very classic and of course has the Jicky DNA, and smells a bit like Shalimar (which was to come later). A true gentleman’s classic! This came out in 1904 and is considered one of the first masculine scents.

2. 

   needfulFlamingo4

   Reply

   I’ve heard it described as a more civet-y Jicky, and there is certainly some truth to that. The civet is present a low level funkiness, but really mostly provides richness and warmth to the floral notes (lavender, rose, jasmine, neroli). There is some citrus that brightens the accord. As it dries down, the vanilla in the base makes it warm and cozy like many Guerlain fragrances. I find that it smells marvelously elegant.

   I know that Jicky really was created as unisex (or even as a masculine, given the lavender), but Mouchoir de Monsieur does project more masculinity (in spite of the florals).

   The official notes from the Guerlain website list:
   Head notes : Lavender, bergamot, verbena;
   Heart notes : Rose, jasmine, neroli;
   Base notes : Fern harmony, patchouli, vanilla, iris.

   Don’t know where the civet went, but it is certainly there!

   This one is definitely harder to find than Jicky, although were I able to get my hands on a bottle, it would become a staple.

3. 

   boredCur7

   Reply

   This started out with a blast and then quickly calmed down to a nice sent with obvious vanilla. I don’t consider it overly animalic.

4. 

   guiltyMeerkat8

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   I really love this fragrance! I managed to get a bottle several years ago, and at the time it wasn’t widely available. It wasn’t even on Guerlain’s website. I don’t know if it is the same since it was re-introduced recently into Guerlain’s mainstream of fragrances, especially considering all of the reformulations that have taken place recently.

   I initially didn’t ‘get’ this fragrance at all. I thought it was good, but nothing special, until one day I experienced the subtle interplay of the ingredients. It has a remarkably warm lavender, that plays wonderfully with civet and vanilla. The citrus notes have the character of an old eau de cologne and the whole thing is just gorgeous.

   The drydown is fascinating. First of all, the lavender comes across as very warm and floral, as opposed to the much cooler lavender in Jicky. The civet is wonderfully sensual, and is nothing short of magical. I get an amazing and complex interplay of many very herbal, woody and light floral aromas as the fragrance develops over its emerging deep base. It is almost like a novel, with distinct chapters that reveal many facets of this beautiful fragrance. In fact, when I put it on, I look forward to certain distinct stages that I am particularly fond of, and it never fails to get me.

   At a later stage it is dominated by a very powdery vanilla that is very like the eau de cologne version of Shalimar. Finally, the enticing civet dominates, although it is very faint.

   This is a rather light fragrance, and many complain that it doesn’t last very long. I like to apply it under a shirt. That way the fabric holds on to enough of the fragrance that it doesn’t entirely disappear too quickly, without trapping it and hiding the development on the skin.

   I don’t think this fragrance will reveal itself if just sprayed on a wrist -it seems to like a bit more skin to reveal its subtle magic.

5. 

   blissfulPaella7

   Reply

   exclusive guerlain private stock. not bad, but you can get the almost indistiguishable jicky much more easily. warm clean & soft. it actually to me does smell like a clean mens handkercheif, which is how the name translates. i suspect this might have been a reference point for the new dior pour homme in creating softer almost more feminine mens fragrance, not note for note, but conceptually & idealistically

6. 

   resolvedDinosaur3

   Reply

   The only Aromatic/Fougere as yet in my collection, I bought this one to learn from. Wrote that I would buy it again, but not sure, it depends on how my collection deepens with time…The opening citrus accord reminds me of both Diorella (and therefore Eau Sauvage) from Dior and Rose d’Homme from Les Parfums de Rosine. Definitely a refined, sophisticated fragrance, a pleasure to experience as it is so spot on in its take on masculinity at the beginning of the last century, fascinating to me where other men’s scents leave me cold. Perhaps a sort of Rudolph Valentino scent, with Brylcremed hair and moustache, it’s actually a lilting fragrance. I do agree with frenchy below who describes the chlorine/bleach undertone in this in the drydown, something about how the vanilla mixes with the other basenotes listed (thank you!) in Dunanda Falls’ review. I would certainly suggest this to fragrance connoisseurs who want to explore the Aromatic/Fougere family of fragrances, one I often personally find a mish mash of the other fabulous families–sort of reminds me of digestion of a fine meal in a both off putting and at the same time seductive way (!), a sort of Dinner by Bobo idea of a meal/scent that is both uplifting and comforting, a skin scent that would work well in most weather, and is actually quite discrete (maybe a bit TOO discrete for my tastes, which normally run towards heavy unusual “feminine” scents)–nevertheless and all said, a fascinating piece of history and IMHO a grand landmark, helping me to appreciate yet another facet of Guerlain. BTW I love the Jicky reference in the review below, must be the lavender and fresh notes, slightly different than Jicky but one could see the element of time and fashion involved in the creation. Strangely enough, this one could have been worn by Salvador Dali, a fabulous perfume supporter in his own right, without a problem. Glorious and worth checking out.

7. 

   enragedMandrill8

   Reply

   This smells very much like Jicky to me – although I didn’t have any Jicky to hand to make a direct comparison.

8. 

   enviousFish4

   Reply

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   Guerlain’s
   Mouchoir
   de Monsieur is a very unique and bewitching
   aromatic fougere that has no comparison. Give it a few minutes to
   settle down before you judge this one. I agree with the word another
   has used to describe this, “aristocratic”. This is the
   snobbiest, most aristocratic “money” fragrance I’ve
   ever smelled and I am in love with each whiff. MdM mixes 3 main
   accords in a very unique way. First, the citrus and floral notes give
   it a distinct, crisp, freshness. Second the cinnamon, tonka, vanilla
   and amber give it an almost musky, ambery warmth. And third, the
   patchouli, sandalwood and oakmoss give it a dark, earthy wood base.
   Put those three parts together and you get MdM, one of the hardest
   fragrances I’ve found to describe accurately. Fresh, spicy,
   somewhat animalistic, warm, musky, slightly earthy and mossy. It can
   smell a little dirty even, but it works for MdM. This one is amazing
   but surely not for the faint of heart. It is very masculine, oozing
   classic sophistication, and is easy to identify as hailing from days
   long gone by. Where to wear this one is a pure judgment call. I
   personally wear it on formal occasions and in the cooler months as an
   evening fragrance. This is one of the best fragrances made if you can
   wear and appreciate classic fragrances, but please be sure to try
   before you buy with MdM.

   • Top
     notes: Bergamot, Lavender, Verbena

   • Middle
     notes: Rose, Jasmine, Neroli, Cinnamon, Tonka Bean, Patchouli

   • Base notes:
     Oakmoss, Vanilla, Iris, Amber, Sandalwood

   
   

9. 

   needfulTuna5

   Reply

   Launched in 1904 and is now available again, although in the UK only at Harrods. I was curious to try this as it is supposed to be the rolls royce of mens’ fragrance etc. On my skin I detected among other things anis in the opening notes – quite Guerlain-ish, but the drydown was odd. I could smell citrus notes, something dry and spicy, something pipe tabacco-ish, but a strange undertone (I would love to know what this is) which smelt like I had recently been swimming; ie chlorine/bleach. Definitely an unusual smell, clearly not a “modern” smell, to me it was very “billiards” and “smoking room” while wearing tails and a wing collar – a serious, masculine fragrance. I had hoped to buy this for BF, but won’t be now…