Calandre Paco Rabanne for women

I get the comparison between Rive Gauche and Calandre, and I love to put one on each wrist just for kicks. It’s fun to watch them both unroll over time. Try the same with Estée Lauder’s White Linen and Calandre. It feels like the same experience as with RG, but the sides have been switched. If RG was on Calandre’s left, then WL sits on its right. Forgetting for the moment who came first, the comparisons of A:B and B:C yield so much similarity, but studying A:C is like comparing apples to aldehydes. There feels like virtually no connection between White Linen and Rive Gauche.

My take on the RG/Calandre comparison is that, contrary to general consensus, Calandre is both ligher in weight and darker in feel that RG. Yes, RG’s rose is darker and Calandre’s chromium shine is brighter than RG’s. And, yes, RG has a dark resinous opening, but the resins grow sweet over time. In the end Calandre has a sharp green chypre facet that RG doesn’t. This is Calandre’s darkness. This chypre aspect is also what makes Calandre seem more tart than WL. Also, the rose in Calandre seems metallic when compared to WL’s sweet rose.

Juxtaposition aside, Calandre stands beautifully on its own and were I to keep one of the three, it would be Calandre.

Has this really been discontinued? What a shame.

Calandre was post modern, ultra chic and now too good to be true. Its was very stylish in 1969. Indeed, its aldyde-floral mastery could easily fit onto the 2001 Pan Clipper. It was futuristic glamour ready for the perfume world. Frosty roses mingled with other flowers that commanded attention.

It was never really popular in the USA-usurped by it follow-up Rive Gauche in a few years. However it had an audience that held on until its removal from the market in 2000. We all lament this never to be forgotten glimpse into tomorrow...

My ALL TIME favorite fragrance. That's the one I want to be doused with when I'm in the casket on the way to nether land! Need to add that to my WILL! I absolutely LOVE Calandre and HATE they DISCONTINUED it! A travesty and tragedy!!!

I love Calandre and started wearing it in my 30's. Before then I ad had brief affairs with other scents: Tigress, Blue Grass, Miss Dior and my mother's favorite, Chantilly; even Jungle Gardenia. But Calandre to me was the "Essence of Advertising Woman"-- feminine but not too sexy, professional, not someone who was trying too hard to be 'one of the guys.' In short, a woman who knew her feminine strengths but could play with the big boys without compromising herself.
I can't believe that Paco Rabanne would discontinue such a classic fragrance. But since Fracas (a much less feminine scent in my opinion) was discontinued and then brought back, I have hope that Calandre will not be off the market forever. In the meantime I will just have to hope that there will always be a few bottles left in out of the way places. I refuse to hoard since I believe that if you love it, you should wear it. I don't think of Calandre as a fragrance of any particular time (unlike Poison eg which I think of as from the 80's-90's-- same with Opium). But maybe I' just misinformed. I really do wish that they'd bring back some of the "lady smells" of my childhood. Arpege by Lanvin comes the closest to what I remember. I'm finally old enough to wear them!

What will it take to induce Paco Rabanne to start manufacturing Calandre again? The few bottles that can be found here and there on the net are prohibitively costly and one can't always be sure it's the real thing. There will be NO other fragrance quite like this one, ever! (Same goes for Metal, unique in its own place.) Why did Paco Rabanne give up making such exquisite, unique scents only to resort to populist cheap-smelling -- though not cheap -- stenches?

Calandre of Paco Rabanne is a unique scent: it has a very large bouquet, the flowers and the rose on all stand out as a sort of skyline through the fragrance notes of bergamot and refreshed by the aldehyde, the fund is sumptuous and seductive woody ,musky encyclopedia is a perfume in my opinion, as it is ever evolving and can almost hear the notes separately.This fragrance deserves a lot of respect because it is a masterpiece if it had not already been created to be invented, the woman carrying it, with man always starts in the lead. Among the noises of summer evenings, also come from my window pleasures brought by the breeze, she dressed in white just around the corner ...... but its scent is left the air like a soft sigh.
It was the early discovery of the wheel.
Middle Ages invention of printing.
1492 discovery of America.
1969 moon landing.
1969 ... Creating a Calandre
Chanson d'amour...

I have old stock that I still use and love. I do I agree with Cyndyava. The fragrance does not "morph", it is always Calandre but I don't mind that. When I wear it (not very often) I feel like I'm putting on a fragrance "costume" from the 1970's. Its fun to dress up in an old scent but not something I would want to do everyday.

I wear it...still love it...you can buy it on Amazon

I began wearing Calandre in the 80s. Sophisticated, crisp and left a subtle sensual note whenever you passed someone. Just loved it, now it's either off the market, too pricey or out of stock if some sites have it. The only cologne close to it was Woman by Jovan. Subtle but oh so sensuous! Both colognes made heads turn and smiles appear, perhaps an eyebrow raised as well. True, it's not for everyone. If your body chemistry works well with it, wear it! I've worn YSL RG as well as Blue Grass, Tweed [another classic though heavier]but Calandre will always be my favorite.

For the love of all that is holy, why did they tamper with the original formula?! Calandre is definitely a cherished memory for me from childhood, it was so beautiful and stylish. I hadn't been able to find it for years, but a couple of years ago I located a bottle and bought it immediately for my grand"mother", she had always adored it so. We got it and.... well, wow. It was NOTHING like the original, it smelled like a nursing home.... that mixture of bodily smells combined with industrial cleaning materials. That was my grand"mother"'s assessment, and she was 92 at the time! I can see why it's now discontinued, but in its prime.... simply fabulous!

Dominated by ALDEHYDES. As Sherapop said, if you're not a fan, stay away.

This was my first grown-up perfume when I was a teenager. I loved it then. Until I discovered Chanel No. 19 . . .

I recently sampled Calandre because I couldn't remember what it smelt like. I'm surprised now that I loved it so much back then, because of that aldehyde domination. My, my how our tastes can change over the years.

Objectively speaking, however, I do think it's one of the good ones.

As a big fan of floral aldehydes (CALECHE, FIRST, WHITE LINEN...) I've been wanting to try Paco Rabanne CALANDRE for some time, especially after seeing the thread mournfully titled "Calandre-less world". Thankfully, BronxBeauty came to my rescue.

CALANDRE is slightly more oakmossy, or perhaps it's just less everything else than CALECHE and FIRST. In a side-by-side comparison, I find that the narcissus and civet in FIRST really leap out, and the florals bloom brightly in CALECHE after a few minutes of a vetiver-rich opening. The floral midstage of CALECHE eventually gives way to a glorious soapy drydown. CALANDRE, by comparison, seems pretty tame. I find it closer to WHITE LINEN edp, not the parfum, which is my favorite form of that composition and has a crystalline beauty all its own. I certainly like CALANDRE more than the reformulated JE REVIENS--which passed through my hands pretty fast--but it doesn't really compete with the floral aldehydes already in my collection.

No one who dislikes aldehydes is going to like CALANDRE--that's a guarantee. I think that it is a fine representative of its class, but I definitely prefer CALECHE, all things considered, so I'll survive quite well in a CALANDRE-less universe. Phew!

Feeling slightly disappointed but that's my fault. I spent £14 on a perfume that I didn't really have a gap for in my wardrobe. I should have known.
OK, to me this is a cross between Rive Gauche and Ma Griffe, actually Ma Griffe was my overriding first impression and I've already got that so feels like a bit of a replication. Nice enough, a cool, prim green.
Mine is now up for sale or swap, PMs welcome!

Noooooooo! I've been wondering why Calandre had (1) shot up in price and then (2) disappeared completely from onlne retaiers. Now that I've read Cubby's review, I know why. Argh! This is (er...was) one of the loveliest summer scents ever...green, slightly powdery, very clean. Of all my perfumes, this one holds the record for the one I am most often asked about, "what is that you're wearing? It's wonderful!" (most often by men...)

I must be getting better at this because after trying this I guessed: old school (aldehydic) rose talcum powder.

It is an exceedingly feminine and delicate perfume, akin to silky lingerie, yet it is firmly vintage in its expression.

In the interests of unbiased reporting, I have a gorgeous talcum powder that smells very similar to this but it holds up better and the rose doesn't turn sour on my skin like it does here. I like to wear my talc to bed and pretend I am in a Jane Austen novel and that my bedside table lamp is really candlelight. A wholesome night's sleep ensues.

I had it some 15 years ago - my whole room smelled - on me it mostly smelled of sandalwood mixed with lily of the valley - very romantic. Unfortunatelly, I only was able enjoy it for 2-2.5 years, now I can find it anywhere. Pity, very interesting perfume - went extremely well with my suede and leather jackets...

(vintage review)

This sample came by way of a fellow perfume lover (and like you, Nebraska, Minnesotans love scent too!)

As soon as I sniffed this I knew it could only be sent by a true connesouir. Wow, what a lovely scent! I can't pick out any one note as it is all blended so well. What I like, and this is my personal preference, is that the aldehyds don't smack you over the head with their presence. This is very, very smooth. It wears like crystal, actually, so pure and clear.

I've worn this three times before reviewing, and each time the scent lingers for an hour and disappears. i suspect this is due to the vintage, or the EDT aspect.

highly recommend trying if you can!

I love Calandre. Unfortunately, I was introduced to this scent in early 2010. Finding it harder and harder to locate, I wrote Paco Rabanne. They responded that it has indeed been discontinued. I felt it was closer to the original Rive Gauche, which is why I loved it so much. I cannot stomach the current formulation of RG. And I'm so sorry PR decided to stop making Calandre.

Sharp green bergamot over sweet sweet florals sort of mucks up on me. This is heavy and aggressive on my skin and therefore a certain no-no. Pass.

This smells like a Grandma when she didn't want to shower anymore and started to cover her funk with powder - a lots of it.

YIKES!

I can admit that this is a masterpiece, but I have a problem with soapy fragrances and Calandre is very, very soapy at the opening and heart, therefore I will never be able to enjoy the amazing drydown this fragrance offers.

I used to wear Calandre back in the seventies, and even today's formulations bring me back to those heady times. I also wore Rive Gauche when it came out, and there is a line of influence. Of the two - neither of which I currently wear - I preferred Calandre because I found it lasted longer on my skin, and somehow had a more upbeat "feel" to me. (Plus, I was always SO disappointed with the RG spray - it seemed very "downmarket" to me, and I am one of those who truly loves a beautiful presentation, from the outer packaging to the container - it's part of the romance of scent for me. At any rate, I'm happy to see so many people still remarking on Calandre. It's a cherished memory for me!

Thanks NathalieZ for the sample!

So delicate! Impossible to find offensive. I love florals (usually most aldehydes) and this one is a classic. To me, it is not a harsh modern scent, but has a vintage feel to it; soft and powdery. This is the scent that is left behind on scarves, gloves and inside purses!

Distinctive - wouldn't pass the corporate mentality of perfume houses today, as "not for everybody ".This is not a marketer's dream. It is strange, metallic,and stark. If you are past big American florals, you will be fascinated by this. Not for little girls.

Liked it a lot more in the 70's when I was a kid. Reminds me of the days of disco and nyc nightlife. I bought a bottle of this thinking it would be great and although it is a gorgeous scent, I just did not enjoy wearing it anymore. The smell is too much "itself" and does not really morph or blend with your own chemistry. It just seems to sit on my skin and not move...very strong, too. So, I donated this bottle.

Thank you weegee for the generous sample! :)

Calandre's similarities to Rive Gauche are very very striking. Props to glitteralex for identifying the shared nose that created both!

If you've smelled Rive Gauche, recall the metallic zing of the cold aldehydes in the begining, with all the fiery crystalline character of a sword. Then imagine a cloud of powdery orris root smoothing out the sharp edges, with lily of the valley blooming upwards to fill out the skeleton of the composition. Where Rive Gauche was iris and geranium to my nose, Calandre is much more flowering with white petals of lily and the pink whisper of a rose. Further and further into the drydown, Calandre departs from Rive Gauche and becomes softer and greener.

If you haven't smelled Rive Gauche, get to a tester. There's no way to describe that category of aldehydes in words.

I find it ironic that I describe Calandre in terms of Rive Gauche, when Rive Gauche came afterwards. But there you go - if you appreciate Rive Gauche's distinctive character, but want something less metallic for springtime, give Calandre a go.

Dewy fresh roses, a pinch of powder and musk after an intitial cold metallic blast. Calandre is an adorable, modern and timeless fragrance similar to vintage YSL RG (eventhough i remember vintage RG even more aldehydic fresh). Very wearable 24 hours a day. Its inoffensive but rare enough to receive attention from surrounders. Calandre is something I won't recommend to my friends as I want to keep it for myself :)

edit: I forgot to say that the drydown is amazing, and it lasts for hours and hours...

This one makes me remember a King Diamond's song:
"Grandma welcome home
You have been gone for far too long
Is this a dream? Are you really back?"

My favourite perfume & so hard to find in shops.I've worn it for the last 20 years & haven't found any other comparable perfume.It smells so good,not too floral with musky undertones.I like the powdery aftertones once I've worn it for several hours.I've been stopped by strangers wanting to know what fragrance I'm wearing & I think that speaks volumes.

A fresh burst of roses, the white ones. So fresh and drenched with early morning dew.
Beautiful combination of the sweet lush scent of delicate roses with crisp green leaves. I think it one of the best green-floral I’ve ever tried. Very modern and easy to wear. The floral notes when dried down is still as powerful as its opening, just more rounded and rather powdery.

Calandre is the scent of my twenties, but I still pull it out now and again thirty years later. It is an arid scent, and perfect on a humid summer day as it simply will not wilt. A classic.

Calandre '69 was the inspiration for YSL's Rive Gauche '70, and created by the same perfumer. I find RG much brassier and intensely aldehydic, especially in the top notes. I adore both of them, but find that most Calandre fans do not like the domineering floral qualities of RG.

My grandmother had it, she had bought it in france,And when she died I bought one for me, It´s a classic, but I never wear it.I think it goes well with 50year-old women or more

This is a very classy fragrance. My real estate agent uses it and it's no wonder people like being around her - she smells so good. Not for everyone, though.