Piguet Calypso is a relaunch of a perfume of the same name from the 1950’s. I have not tried the vintage. I have no idea what it smells like so my disclaimer with this review is that I have no Calypso baggage. I’m just sniffing a floral amber that comes in a pretty black bottle.
Calypso opens as a citrus rose with depth of patchouli peeking through. It’s a powdery rose and iris with lilac nuances. However, Calypso isn’t just a floral. The patchouli in this reminds me of cocoa powder. The roses are doughy. The iris isn’t earthy but more like a clean, white musk. Most of the wear on me is a powdery iris suede with an earthy sweetness. It eventually dries down to a sweet amber that is like a powder of incense. Yeah, I have a feeling this is nothing like the original but, hey, Calypso is a cool name. I can see why they’d want to reuse it.
I view Calypso as an extremely beefed up Hermes Kelly Caleche at one of those body building competitions slathered in baby oil over her bronzed, spray-tanned skin. It’s a feminine leather-rose but it has more muscles. And when I say “muscles”, I mean patchouli and amber.
Notes listed include mandarin, geranium, Bulgarian rose, orris, rose centifolia, patchouli, amber and suede. Launched in 2010. PERFUMER – Aurelien Guichard.
Give Calypso a try if you like powdery scents or patch-florals. Or if you like perfumes like Juliette Has a Gun Citizen Queen, Histoires de Parfums 1889 Moulin Rouge, Lancôme La Vie est Belle, Guerlain Bois d’Armenie, Chanel Coco Noir and/or Serge Lutens Daim Blonde.
Projection and longevity are average to above average (depending on how much you apply).
The 3.4 oz bottle retails for $150 at Nordstrom. It can sometimes be found at discounters like Perfume.com.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Powdery iris and rose suede. I actually really love wearing this one even if it isn’t ground-breaking. At times it reminds me of a Guerlain-Chanel hybrid (the iris and the sweet notes) and this would explain my interest in it. It smells good. And there’s nothing wrong with just smelling really good.
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wonderful description!