Vintage Hermès Amazone Parfum 1974 review

Hermès Amazone Parfum 1974 Ida’s bottle ©

Aristotle asserts that “Art imitates nature” – while Oscar Wilde contends that “Life imitates art”.

Whenever I review a vintage fragrance, I find it illuminating to reflect upon that year the specific vintage fragrance was released: it helps me put things into perspective, scan for any particular trends, and glean an overall perception of the global events which affected society during that time period. Few of us live in a vacuum, and we are each shaped by the histories which precede us. This week, I’ve chosen the House of Hermès’ passionate Amazone parfum – which was penned conjointly by master perfumers Jean-Claude Ellena and Maurice Maurin. Let us take a brief bird’s-eye overview of that year.

hp prints poster 1981

It is always a challenge to attempt to encapsulate any year – and 1974 was certainly not devoid of volatility, uncertainty, and unrest. We were to experience the aftermath of events from 1973 which came to light: the OPEC oil crisis; the infamous Watergate scandal and subsequent resignation of then-President Richard Nixon; Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir’s resignation in response to the Yom Kippur War and its high casualties. Europe was besieged with its own concerns: the Turkish invasion and occupation of northern Cyprus; the Carnation Revolution in Portugal; the collapse of the Greek junta; the resignation of West Germany Chancellor Willy Brandt following an espionage scandal. Sports news was dominated by the Rumble in the Jungle – the boxing event in Zaire during which a 32 year old Muhammed Ali dethroned 25 year old two-time world heavyweight champion boxer George Foreman.

When we ponder the fragrances which surfaced in 1974, their scant number is shocking in comparison with today’s prodigious output. There were somewhere in the vicinity of less than 150 new scents – and, well…currently, we have a devil of a time attempting to keep track of the scores of brand new perfumes released each year.  What does this indicate? Interpretation is a skittish mistress, and this is a thorny subject at best. Was the general public more loyal to a favored brand? Did we cling more fervently to the concept of signature fragrance? Ironically, during post-war eras, there were a great many more new perfumes created than in the early 70s.

iStock woman spraying perfume by Evgeniy Ivanov

If I were to scrutinize which varieties of fragrance were popular in 1974, they would likely fall into the following categories: ebulliently floral aldehydic; crisply verdant chypres; woody chypres; and the spicy/powdery/ambery perfumes. Some of the more famous fragrances introduced that year were Chanel Cristalle, Guerlain Eau de Guerlain, Eau de Courrèges,  Gucci No.1 (all green floral chypres), Givenchy Gentleman (amber/patchouli/powdery), and Love’s Baby Soft (powdery/floral/musky). As implied previously, during the early 1970s perfume lovers were frequently fiercely loyal to signature scents as a matter of association and personal identity. Hermès Amazone may have enjoyed a fairly short run, but it was revived in 2017 by perfumer Maurice Maurin – and continues to be included in Hermès’ fragrance collection today as an eau de toilette. It may be said that 1974’s Amazone helped pave the way for several great fragrances which followed: 1978’s Silences de Jacomo (Yves Tanguy), 1979’s Molinard de Molinard, 1980’s Murasaki by Shiseido, and Diptyque L’Ombre Dans L’Eau in 1983. Each of these classics echo the beautiful bone structure of Hermès Amazone.

Hermès Amazone Parfum Ida’s bottle©

I don’t recall having smelled Hermès’ 2017 version of Amazone, so I don’t feel comfortable comparing the two; I can only speak to the discordant elegance of my well-preserved ¼ ounce of the parfum. I find it timeless and disarming: it encompasses a wide selection aromatic element which beguile by surprise. Amazone’s diffusive aldehydes are not the variety which blind with their brilliance; they create space and lift the many fragrant components which can be perceived as weighty – such as the indolic nature of muguet, jonquil, hyacinth, narcissus, neroli, jasmine, cassie, and ylang-ylang. Mandarin orange and bergamot float alongside these aldehydes before we become aware of the intense potency of the florals, resinous galbanum’s greenness, and the sophisticated (and controversial) black currant, aka cassis. Cassis is one of those absolutes which blossom in dilution; if you have experienced it in concentrated form, you’ll notice how sulfuric it smells, and how redolent of cat urine it is. One can be put off when sampling raw materials if they are not open to the realities of dilution and application. Diptyque L’Ombre Dans L’Eau and Molinard de Molinard illustrate this same characteristic; their lovely angular bite can be attributed to these sharp, tangy berries. Amazone counterbalances this acidic aspect with an accompanying raspberry note; the companionable, obliging personality of orris and rose; limpidly verdant violet leaf, and one of the most exquisite chypre bases – comprised of rosewood, cedarwood, and sandalwood. These are married to a commanding oakmoss facet, vetiver, amber, and a judicious dose of cinnamon. I have noticed that the original eau de toilette is a bit flightier than the extrait, which is a veritable powerhouse of refined ferocity, perhaps described as an aristocratic wildness. It doesn’t shock by current standards; it is fascinating on its own merits.

Hermès Amazone Parfum Ida’s bottle©

I fear that 1974’s Amazone was eclipsed by the étincelant green/floral/herbalcy of Chanel Cristalle that year, the audacious Givenchy Gentleman, and Gucci No.1’s ineffable perfection (which was composed by Guy Robert…need I say more?). I suspect that it was edgier than the fragrances to which the public was accustomed – yet so many perfumes which followed in its wake were widely admired. Amazone may have been ahead of its time.

Notes: aldehydes, bergamot, mandarin orange, cassis, raspberry, geranium, cassie, hyacinth, muguet, galbanum, narcissus, jonquil, neroli, violet leaf, orris, rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang,  rosewood,  cedarwood, oakmoss, vetiver, amber, sandalwood, cinnamon

Amazone parfum is from my own collection. My nose is my own.

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

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