Empreinte by Courrèges (1971)

French fashion designer André Courrèges was known for his geometric, streamlined, space-age designs replete with goggles, boots, and dangerously high miniskirts. (He and Mary Quant vied for the title of miniskirt inventor.)

Empreinte ("imprint"), his sultry, chypre/floral-animalic, however, seems to invoke a '40s-era woman of mystery rather than a miniskirt-clad Mod scenester. But nevermind — it's a thing of beauty.

Once the nose-clearing aldehydes get out of the way, Empreinte becomes herby (artemisia, coriander), fruity (melon, peach) and woody-leathery (cedarwood, sandalwood, castoreum). It's one of the most delicate leather scents I've ever smelled — disarming my olfactory expectations with its rich peach/light melon/herbs combined with its chypre/amber-leather base. It reminds me of Femme, with its plummy-suede sexiness. (They share some notes, too: peach, plum, jasmine, rose, amber, patchouli, leather, sandalwood.)

Top notes: Peach, bergamot, artemisia*, aldehyde, coriander

Heart notes: Jasmine, rose, orris, melon

Base notes: Amber, patchouli, cedarwood, sandalwood, oakmoss, castoreum

As it dries down, this peachy leather affair continues to confuse and bewitch with its fresh yet worldy personality. It invites you in with its sweetness and warmth while telling you to keep your distance with its formal chypre/leather structure.

When I look at the fragrance map portion of my Haarman & Reimer fragrance guide and see the chypre/floral-animalic category (including dark and intimidating beauties such as Bandit, Azurée, Cabochard and Miss Balmain), I think of women in the smoking section (i.e. outside) at a grand and elegant gala. Let's just say, for example, the Metropolitan Museum's annual fashion gala. While the wholesome good girls are inside networking and hobnobbing, these sloe-eyed gals are joined by Empreinte, who wants to bum a cigarette and kick off her heels.

Warm, sensual, but a little intimidating, Empreinte is one gorgeous and unusual peachy leather perfume.

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*I keep running into the perfume note artemisia, which is in Bandit, Azurée and Jolie Madame, just to name some classics. Some varieties of artemisia are the familiar sagebrush, tarragon, and wormwood (the ingredient infamous for making boho types hallucinate when drinking old school style Absinthe). I have never smelled it, but I imagine it's dry, bitter and herbal. Whatever it is — it's doing something right for my style of perfume! Update: here's an interesting link about artemisia that discusses wormwood, which I guess in perfumery is synonymous with artemisia.

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Buying vintage minis is one way of experimenting with classics without emptying your bank account. I got my mini in the adorable bottle with metallic round cap from the Miniature Perfume Shoppe.

Comments

[ScentScelf]

Artemisia? I wonder if there is a preferred genus/variety used in perfumery, because you are right, there are a number of types. Depending on which parts you are using, the smell could be quite different (leaves v stems)...hmm.

As for the 'fume itself, I have a soft spot for those scents which combine soft plus distance. (Could this be why I will defend No. 19 vigorously?) Peach always frightens me a bit (it WAY dominates my experience of Mitsouko, for example, turning what by all accounts should be a chypre into a fruit attack), but I know that different treatments lead to different, um, levels of fruit bomb. Would this be peach + leather in the same/similar tone as Jolie Madame is violet + leather?

[Perfumaniac]

ScentScelf: The peach in Empreinte is neck-and-neck with the leather. (My experience of Jolie Madame was that the violet overpowered the leather, which is something I don't see peach doing in Empreinte; it complements the leather.) In the vintage Mitsouko I have smelled, I always thought the peach was quite subtle, but maybe that's because I like peach? In any case, I am very curious about what kind of artemisia is used, too, particularly since I see the ingredient "thujone" (also in Absinthe) in other scents. Experts? Anyone?

[Account Deleted]

Is this perfume still available?

[Perfumaniac]

Hi Nadiachaves. You can find it on eBay and the Miniature Perfume Shoppe.

[anisa]

I would like the old little gold bottle of perfume
EMPRIENTE BY courreges

[Sara]

Serious query from total ignoramus: I am devastated at not being able to find any Empreinte other than in wee form on ebay.fr.

I wondered if anyone could tell me if their is any chemical link between it and the only others I like: Paloma Picasso and (oddly enough?) Yves Rocher's Comme une Evidence (which last 2 minutes on me)...

With thanks,

Pertion

[Perfumaniac]

Hi Sara, I'm not familiar with Comme une Evidence, but Empreinte definitely does not smell like Paloma Picasso, which is much headier and stronger. I see full Empreinte bottles on eBay in the US from time to time, so I would keep looking. It's out there, and not a lot of people know about it, unlike the poor souls obsessed with vintage Mitsouko! Good luck.