Hermes Kelly Caleche

Today amidst an April blizzard I consider a Jean-Claude Ellena creation from 2007, Kelly Caleche. As a steady customer of L'Eau d'Hiver and The Different Company Osmanthus, I got my hands on Kelly Caleche at the earliest chance.

I'm not a leather fetishist like some of my perfumista friends, but I have my favorites. L'Artisan Parfumeur Dzing! and Hermes Eau d'Hermes are at the top of my list. Kelly Caleche distinguishes itself from those two as a floral leather. With notes of leather, iris, lily of the valley, mimosa, tuberose and climbing rose, Kelly Caleche smells of an old fashioned hair tonic. That is to say it smells of animal skin dressed with floral water.

I am reminded of Osmanthe Yunnan by Ellena but even more of L'Artisan Parfumeur Fleur de Narcisse, which I have written reminded me of my little toy cradle made of a caribou jaw, of animal skins and booze scrubbed with ivory soap drifts. Ellena's much discussed minimalism again seems directly descended from the thought of Edmond Roudnitska, who didn't brook synthetic musk and candy coating.

Kelly Caleche is an unsmiling but thoughtful perfume. It's like a storm cloud that follows the wearer around. I don't remember my dreams from last night but the perfume gives the impression that I did have difficult dreams that I will continue to try to reassemble.