Nomade fragrance notes

  • Head

    • freesia
  • Heart

    • mirabelle plum liquor
  • Base

    • oakmoss

Where to buy Nomade by Chloé

Latest Reviews of Nomade

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I had initially thought that there was something wrong with me because I smell something boozy in this fragrance, but it’s not the same “boozy” that I’ve smelled in other popular boozy fragrances. But I did not think this had anything of the sort in it but I see here that the notes say that there is a liquor note… so now that all makes sense to me. The strongest scents in this to my nose are a somewhat sweet boozy, and a mossy, slightly grassy note peaking up from underneath. I don’t really detect anything overtly floral, or at least not a flower that I recognize. I do enjoy this fragrance, and from what I can tell without having anyone near me to confirm… it seems like it’s more of a skin scent, or one with a very soft and subtle projection. I think it’s kinda unique in my collection, I can’t really think of anything else I have that smells remotely close to this, which is kind of cool for a modern fragrance as a lot of them sorta smell the same or strikingly similar to one another. My son bought this for me for my birthday and was quite proud of himself for picking it out. So I have to give it to him, he did a pretty good job.
7th July 2022
261424
Over the sublime vintage "massively chyprè" Chloè Narcisse (1992), the soapy rosey Chloè Eau de parfum intense (2009), the mossy green (powerful on galbanum) Eau de Fleurs Capucine (2010) and the less interesting rosey-citric L' Eau de Chloè (2012) here we have another hyper feminine creation from the "ethereal" french house. Nomade, with its "gypsy" name, is a fruity-floral chyprè with a mossy soul and a fresh, radiant, joyful note of freesia (A feminine note? What else?). The latter provides a crisp, green-leafy, kind of botanical, spacious and vaguely "aquatic" sparkling vibe to the whole composition which is in its complex more than temperamental and "presenceful". There is no doubt that mirabelle plum characterizes significantly the creation with its mild exotic carnal taste of red fruit, strawberries and partially mamao papaya. There is a sort of medicinal spark throughout which is never overbearing anyway. Freesia projects a vaguely citric, dry, fizzy spark all around while mirabelle plum softens and balances the general floral tartness. Perfect scent for a sultry tropical weather. The aroma is never overly synthetic under my vulgar nose. The general experiece is more than pleasant and the fragrance could be perfect for a modern dynamic young woman with her own projects and dreams.
15th May 2021
242984

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I like this, but in a way that's odd for me to describe why. It has a kind of "playing in the dirt" feel to it that to me makes it seem like the only appropriately Chloé fragrance in their fragrance stable (the rest I strike off as commercially-successful generic duds), and though it has this down-to-earth slant, it's not bohemian enough or hippie festival enough that it ever loses its composure and sense of... I almost wanna say sense of calm? (which again, feels appropriately Chloé for me).

Where it's weird for me is that it sits in an odd place in that it's hard to fully visualize who might wear this, because it's something not really here nor there, nor does the play on contrast seem to be the point of it (and granted, none of the contrasts are stark enough or played for enough effect for them to be the point in any effective way). It feels like a fragrance that dips its toes into slightly different territories (pretty(-ish) and strange, free(-ish) and orderly, lively(-ish) and tranquil) and doesn't really want to stake an exclusive claim to any. Ultimately, it's a lot of things with an "-ish" qualifier at the end. It has a distinctive character, yet somehow it's also seemingly sitting strictly in the middle of the road.

It's also weird to me that out of the two designer mainstream "modern chypres" I've reviewed lately (the other being Cartier La Panthère) it seems to be a modern chypre enough, but in a way that I feel makes it less of a chypre? What I mean by this is that there is certainly an oakmoss feel to it overlayed with fruit, and it feels modern (and almost fresh, or even laundry-clean for all its "playing in the dirt" aspect I was talking about), but because it feels like such a modern rendition of a chypre, it feels like less of a chypre to me because I guess that's a fragrance genre I automatically associate with something more vintage, or at least less modern (and less aerated) than what I'm given here. This has too many pockets of air to it to fully register as a proper chypre to me, yet a chypre I do think it is.

The more I think about it, the more glaringly obvious it becomes to me that I'm thinking about it too much. For me Nomade is simply a new kind of chypre, and this means it comes without some of the things I normally associate with scents in this fragrance family: namely a sort of tailored strength, a wit tinged with sensuality, an aloofness and severity, a self-respecting boudoir glamour, a sense of guarding oneself against the world and revealing oneself only gradually, as one who is in command chooses. That's not Nomade, at least not to me. Unlike those complex compositions, Nomade's structure is uneven, yet the fragrance still feels fully completed. I guess it has flesh, but not much in the way of bones.

It's a good scent. Ultimately, I've no idea who this is for, and I suspect it won't sell too well, even if the bottle is made to look like a Chloé purse and has those pink suede tassels coming out of it (how nasty do you think those will end up looking after spending a couple weeks in someone's handbag?). It's not a particularly difficult scent, nor is it an unpleasant one, but its very strangeness might be challenging to some (it was a little to me!). It might find a niche with young women (particularly Parisian ones of a certain "type" come to mind) - or with young men for that matter (I find it perfectly unisex), but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets ditched out of production in a few years or is reformulated into something else entirely (that tassel design alone must've sold them a couple bottles, and is probably too enticing to let go of entirely).

Would I buy it? Maybe in the future, but right now I don't feel any urge. I am glad it's out there, though, and I salute the head honchos at Chloé for putting it out there. And even more, perfumer Quentin Bisch for coming up with it.

Edit: Actually, the longer I think of it, the clearer it becomes to me that no,I actually probably won't be buying it.
6th April 2021
241131
Chloé Nomade opens with juicy succulence of Mirabelle plum, sweeter, sunnier and less astringent than regular purple plums. I previously encountered this note in Givenchy Dahlia Divin, in which it tends to be ripen and stewed, quite heavy and opaque, while in Nomade, this Mirabelle plum feels more breezy and fresher, thanks to the powerful current of clean musk and dewy, aquatic freesia blowing from the heart. However, while the fruity and floral notes feel overall quite airy during the first 3 hours, the fragrance has an oddly irritating, scratchy texture especially in its moderate sillage.

Thankfully, Nomade turns smoother in the dry down. With the screechy sillage gone, now the fragrance sits close to skin, revealing a soft musky mossy cushion on which lay a few plums, a combined effect of fruity notes and patchouli. The longevity I got is around 8 hours.

To me, Nomade is a quintessential neo fruity chypre of our modern era. The basic stone fruit + musky mossy base is there, but it's designed as eager to please, sterilised and deprived of any earthy, vegetal or animalic warmth, and with certain aromachemicals to boost its sillage while bringing a grating texture as a sid-effect. However, even though it's not my cup of tea, I appreciate its relative lack of caramel sweetness compared to most gourmand fruitchouli in today's market, and its relative smooth mossy musky dry down. Nomade might be an option to consider for those who are graduating from sweet fruitchouli fragrances but aren't yet ready to step too much out of comfort zone.
28th September 2018
207306
If Nomade piques your interest, and it should if you are a chypre-fan, check out Blackglama's Epic, which is a virtual unknown that can be had for much, much less than Chloe.

I try not to get triggered when I encounter "similarities" in fragrances, but Nomade treats oakmoss & patchouli in a manner that is so similar it feels like a copy. The only difference I can detect is that one front-loads with fruits, the other with aromatics. Sweet or dry, take your pick.

It is nice to see this classic style sneaking back into the mainstream.
6th September 2018
206484
Stardate 20180627:

A floral in the mold of vintage Leau Issey. Freesia and florals.
The top has a guava accord which I really like.
Develops very well into a spicy woody skin scent.
Great longevity.
Best release this year imo.
27th June 2018
203451
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