Terre Haute

Hermès’ new scent is equal parts earthy and elegant

March 3, 2006—Does the world really need another flavor of men's cologne? Hermès apparently thought so, and after sampling the goods, we're glad they did. To ensure that their new scent stood out, the family-owned firm hired top perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, former head nose of Van Cleef & Arpels and Bulgari. He proceeded to winnow more than 200 distillations down to what he calls "a vertical smell," consisting of fewer than 30 elements (the typical cologne has more than 100). The result, called Terre d'Hermès, is built literally from the ground up—it incorporates only mineral and vegetal ingredients—and is dominated by citrus notes and, according to official literature, the "smell of bodies after lovemaking." Dubious publicity claims aside, it's the most distinctive cologne we've come across in a while. The women we tried it on at a recent dinner seemed to agree. "Peppercorns and brandy—steak au poivre," said one. "Citrus, but manly citrus!" (Okay, she might've been a bit hungry.) Another was more succinct: "If a man was wearing this cologne, I'd want to smell more of it." In other words, worthy of the "H" (which, incidentally, is elegantly carved into the base of the Philippe Mouquet-designed bottle.)
Terre d'Hermès, $90, available March 10 at Hermès, 691 Madison Ave., NYC, (800) 441-4488, and Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Ave., NYC, (212) 753-4000, www.saks.com.