Wheat Field with Reaper (1889) by Vincent Van Gogh
Created by : Jean-Claude Ellena
Date : 2012
Genre : Green floral
Concentration : eau de parfum
Does anyone not absolutely love Jour d’Hermés? You don’t? Well then, I don’t believe you! I’m not a great, big fan of Ellena’s recent, simple works but this one is sublime!
While researching this post, I found two very interesting comments in Ellena’s “Journal d’un parfumeur”…
“Mes parfums sont des parfums achevés mais non finis” and
“Ainsi je laisse volontairement des vides, des «blancs», dans les parfums afin que chacun puisse y ajouter son propre imaginaire ; ce sont des «vides d’appropriation»”.
Loosely translated, his perfumes are completed but unfinished and he likes to leave “holes” or “blank spaces” in his perfumes so that people can fill them in themselves. Now that certainly rings true for the whole Jardin series and Terre d’Hermès. But it doesn’t ring true for this beautiful and, dare I say, impressionistic Jour d’Hermès which recalls a field of wild flowers at sunrise.
Contrary to earlier works, Jour d’Hermès is completely polished, rounded and, well, finished. I’ve worn it now for almost two weeks straight and whenever I get a whiff of it, like in the middle of the long workday, it reminds me of field flowers… not hothouse flowers, not roses, not jasmine, not orange blossoms… wild field flowers about to open with the early morning sun coaxing them along. And green! Just when you thought green was out of fashion, this one has a green tinge throughout… right to the end of the day so longevity is excellent!
And, am I the only one that thinks that Jour d’Hermès reminds a little of Guerlain’s Chamade? It’s kind of like a greener, more citrusy but very much lighter Chamade, isn’t it? It’s like a daytime Chamade… or an eau de toilette to Chamade’s eau de parfum.
I think Jour d’Hermès has the potential to become a classic one day but not so much because of what it is but because of what it isn’t. Jour d’Hermès is counterpoint to the intense florals of the day. When tuberose, orange blossom and heady vanilla rule the landscape, in addition to all those fruity concoctions, I think Jour d’Hermès by Jean-Claude Ellena might be remembered as a singular masterpiece that bucked the trend and gave us an alternative… and that shows courage… and vision!
Who can wear Jour d’Hermès? Everyone… young women, middle-aged and others “of a certain age”. And men! Jour d’Hermès would smell great on a man.
If you haven’t tried it, then by all means, go to the store and try it out. If you have tried it… then you know what I’m talking about.
Enjoy!
