Last Updated on January 30, 2013
Hermès Kelly Calèche is the perfume that resolved my fragrance identity crisis. Ever since I started wearing perfumes, I've constantly been trying to fit into the constraints of pretty fruity florals. You know, the heavily advertised perfumes you can smell in every corner, with description that somehow defines all women. I'm not a pretty fruity floral by nature, so of course it never worked.
I'm quite OCD about perfumes. When I'm trying them on in the store, I always get overwhelmed by the fact there's hundreds of other perfumes still unknown to me, and I worry I'm missing out on something. So it's funny that I discovered Kelly Calèche by randomly spraying it on in the store. Indeed, it was not a recommendation by someone who knew me inside and out, as is often the case with things you like in exorbitant amounts. What are the odds?
Like I said above, Kelly Calèche is not a pretty fruity floral. Its most prominent base note is leather and the way it blends with the rest of the notes is unlike any other perfume I've smelled. I also love its connection with the beginning of the House of Hermès when they made equestrian equipment.
Not every perfume fits every occasion, but generally speaking, Kelly Calèche is the most "me" perfume so far. The only downside to wearing it almost every day is that you run out of the 30 ml bottle fast. My next purchase will be more ambitious - 50 or 100 ml (3.4 oz).
P.S. I've been writing and commenting less because I'm studying for exams. Regular posting schedule will resume in a few days. Thanks for your understanding, I can't wait to be back!
Now you have a more clear future :)
Yours is the second fragrance post I've read today. Must be time to get a new one. I love Idyll by Guerlain and I know what you mean about overwhelm. I tend to buy one and use it for two years before I get another because the practise of finding one is so daunting. I never buy the same one twice, either, because my tastes change as time goes on.
Not buying the same perfume twice because tastes change is something I believed in very, very much until I found Kelly Calèche. Somehow it just makes more sense than all other perfumes. It's not the only one I wear, though, and I'll keep switching the others.
Might have to get this fragrance, I thought it would be floral but I like your description of leather...
It might smell different on you, but on my skin the leather note is the strongest. If you try it, let me know how you liked it!
good luck with the exams!
it's good to read this, i have been going through perfume crisis too, and i thought i resoved it with Bvgari Rose Essentielle, which i adored in a quaint english-rose way, but it turns out I am allergic to the strong essential oil in it. so damn! i have to look elsewhere, grrr
pretty desperate and disappointed actually with the Prada perfume someone recommended to me at the airport shop, seemed like a good idea at the time but it is totally too heavy for me and it makes me depressed.
and it's a good point, perfumes smell different on different skins so it has to be tried first
i just remembered, it was Faberge Imperial perfume that I loved but i can't find it anywhere for years now. that's when i got into perfume crisis, come to think of it
Anne, so glad to see you here! (I read on your blog that you wouldn't be around much) :)
Perfumes are probably the only Prada thing that just doesn't cut it for me. Like you said, it's all so heavy. A lot of them smell divine out of the bottle, but it's a totally different story on the skin.
I've just googled a description of Fabergé Imperial and its notes. It also says "This is pure perfume." Is it like one of those grand perfumes such as old Guerlains?
hey Eva :)) thank you sweetherat, yes, i got a bad flu and have a bit of writing inspiration but i am so tired that i can't concentrate until it gets a bit better (definitely getting better now though)
the Faberge Imperial is simply difficult to describe. it sucks you into a different era,. like in those movies when a girl smells a perfume and instantly gets transported into ancient Egypt or something. actually, it is very much like the best Egyptian perfumes, very pure, rich, fruity and amber and gold and silk all at the same time. but the fruit is juicy and ripe and floral. it is really astonishingly unlike anything i ever tried before.
i used to work in Faberge shop when i was a student and you can only imagine my adoration for their jewellery (which we were allowed to wear at work to promote it) and their eggs and scarves, but the only thing i got to keep for myself was a fragrance and it stuck with me since then. i couldn't buy it because of the cost, and now that i can, i can't find it anywhere ( and i am a bit reluctant to pay £300 over the internet to a site that i have no idea if it's genuine).
but do have a smell if you come across it, i think you might like it. it is challenging, not something you'd expect, but it is at the same time it is absolutely divine (in my opinion) :))
THANK YOU!!! I'm the same way with perfumes; always smelling hundreds, winding up overwhelmed and leaving empty handed, or with a perfume that isn't "me". I'm also not a floral-scented kind of girl, nor am I a citrus-smelling lover, so I'm excited to be able to head into the store with a specific brand in mind to sample and hope it will be as perfect for me as it has been for you!