Empreinte (new)

The 2012 Empreinte stays faithful to the original 1970 formula, a chypre built on aldehydes, rose, jasmine, moss, and patchouli. The choice was intentional. The house built its identity on movement, purity, and light, principles that apply as much to scent as to silhouette. Altering the composition would have contradicted the brief before it was written.

The evolution

The opening hits bright and metallic. Aldehydes lift the citrus into something that shimmers, like light catching the edge of a silver thread. This phase lasts thirty minutes before the rose and jasmine arrive, bringing warmth and a powdery softness that feels almost unexpected after the metallic sharpness. The heart deepens into a classic chypre structure. Bulgarian rose asserts itself with a honeyed, slightly spiced quality. Jasmine adds creaminess underneath. This phase lasts a few hours, intimate, confident, not showy. Around the third hour, the base begins to show. Moss and patchouli arrive with an earthy, almost resinous quality. Sandalwood adds warmth and creaminess. Cedar and vetiver bring woody, smoky depth. Leather, unexpected but present, provides structure. The drydown settles into moss, powder, and patchouli. What lingers is close to the skin and distinctly chypre, a fragrance that changes significantly over time.