Germaine Émilie Krebs (1903–1993), known as Alix Barton and later as " Madame Grès", relaunched her design house under the name Grès in Paris in 1942. Prior to this, she worked as "Alix" or "Alix Grès" during the 1930s. [2] [3] Formally trained as a sculptor, she produced haute couture designs for an array of fashionable women, including the Duchess of Windsor, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Dolores del Río. [4] Her signature was cut-outs on gowns that made exposed skin part of the design, yet still had a classical, sophisticated feel. She was renowned for being the last of the haute couture houses to establish a ready-to-wear line, which she called a "prostitution". [5] Cabochard starts with citrus and deep green notes. It is a dark fragrance right from the start, and the leather is apparent almost immediately. The floral notes are muted: when smelled from a distance they are barely noticeable, from up close, the jasmine is more obvious but still seems to weave in and out. It dries down to an animalic leathery chypre with woods, moss, and a touch of smoke. It stays very dry for the first hour, then starts to take on a hint of sweetness from the patchouli. Cabochard was a fragrance created for Madame Grès, a renowned couturier, who after opening her fashion house in 1942 in Paris became famous for her fluid designs that draped the body like folds on the Greek statues. Bernard Chant was the perfumer responsible for Cabochard, and even though Madame Grès did not personally like it, she felt that Chant created a gem with Cabochard.

Interestingly, as we reach the dry down Cabochard 2019 takes a left turn towards comfort. The leather is now a very expensive, supple suede and is joined by amber, sandalwood and a dry tobacco note. The note list says coconut but I get none of it. This final stage stays linear but fades to nothing in the coming hours. Cabochard, probably the house's best known perfume, was created by nose Bernard Chant, and launched in 1959. The notes are bergamot, mandarin, aldehydes, galbanum, ylang ylang, jasmine, rose, clove buds, oakmoss, tobacco, musk, iris, sandalwood, vetiver, leather, castoreum, patchouli and labdanum. So this is my first conscious chypre, or at least chypre-like scent. Of alone I would not have approached him. Aldehydes, patchouli and sage make me already from reading headache. This is one of those interesting fragrances that I smelt out of context and initially disliked. By that I mean I smelt it away from its natural environment, which is of course alongside other Leathers and Tobaccos. Having smelled a few mainstream modern florals that day. Cabochard smelled old fashioned, and very powdery in a talcum powder way that was not good. In fact, I was missing the point first time round.

I am not especially fond of leather in fragrance, but Cabochard is very soft and smooth once it calms. As Guy Robert explains:

He starts green and herbaceous and yes the aldehydes are noticeable there but at least not as strong and unpleasant as first assumed. I’d love to find some more vintage – I have a little vintage Fendi and Coco. Would like to find vintage Mitsouko and believe it or not, Old Spice.

I love the spicy green opening. It’s not a pretty start. Dark, mysterious and portentous in the early few minutes, Cabochard opens up as a witches brew. It’s transportive. Every fairy tale seems to have a wood full of dark magic, this is what it would smell like. I don't really get it all apart at all. It is an interwoven fragrance reminiscent of old times. Slowly the scent settles into something suede-like and powdery-sweet at the same time. Reminds something of make up. Just this fresh green start alone: Beautiful. Very green, very awake, not unsweet, a little bit herbaceous but nevertheless very well maintained. A bit like tall, ripe grass at the edge of the forest. Not only was Cabochard very successful at the time of its release in 1959, its leather chypre composition inspired many subsequent fragrances. Therefore, its inclusion among the legends of French perfumery by Michael Edwards is only to be expected. …