My favorite book of all time, Simon Doonan’s Eccentric Glamour, begins: “Why the hell wouldn’t you want to be one of the fabulous people, the life enhancers, the people who look interesting and smell luscious and dare to be gorgeously more fascinating than their neighbors?” Spray on a bit of Jicky, and you’ll find yourself instantly transformed into one of those luscious-smelling life enhancers. People will smile and laugh spontaneously as they pass you on the street (in a good way, I swear).
Jicky has been worn by the eccentrically glamorous since 1889, beloved by everyone from Sarah Bernhart to Sean Connery to the High Priestess of Divahood, Joan Collins. Not only is Joan Collins still as hot as all hell at age 77,
No, seriously, what unholy force is she in leagues with and HOW CAN I GET IN ON IT
but she’s also one of a select group of truly glamorous women (including Nichelle Nichols, Iman, Kim Catrall, and Vanessa Williams) who had cameos in Star Trek. Oh, Joan, why did your pacifist values have to contribute to American isolationism in World War II, contributing to German victory and ultimately condemning you to death??
BEST COUPLE EVER. Too bad you’re about to get hit by a car.
ANYWAY, Jicky opens with sparkling, vivacious topnotes of lemon and bergamot, and then deepens into a beautiful combination of lavender and that gorgeous, smoky Guerlain vanilla. Bergdorf Goodman lists the notes as: Lavender, rosemary, bergamot, rose, fern harmony, tonka bean, woody notes, vanilla, and opoponax. I loved Jicky from the moment I put it on. Despite being the oldest fragrance in continuous production in the world, Jicky feels shockingly modern. It could have been released just last week, if companies were still producing anything even vaguely resembling Jicky’s quality.
Jicky embodies both the joyful innocence of a child and the full-grown sensuality of a woman. Do not wear Jicky around those “men” (more like perpetual frat boys) who believe that a woman “goes downhill” after age 23; its charms will be lost on them. Jicky is for those who appreciate the Joan Collins of the world, who understand that a woman’s sex appeal only grows stronger with the passing of time. After all, Jicky just turned 121, and she’s still putting those nubile Escadas and Aquolinas to shame.
Disclaimer: I tested the EDT formulation of Jicky at Neiman Marcus. Jicky is available at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Guerlain boutiques.
SCENTS OF SELF 
Joan. Is. Glamour. That is all.
Except that Bill Shatner used to be All that and a bag o’ chips himself.
But Jicky edt scared the pants off me. Eek. (It’s the lavender. Me and lavender are never going to be BFF, and that’s the way it is. Of course, the edt may play a part in that – the only classic Guerlain I can wear in edt is Apres l’Ondee. Everything else is great in parfum, icky in edt… so perhaps I am maligning Jicky unnecessarily, but perhaps not. Parfum is said to be tres civetty, and in any case there’s LAVENDER. And CITRUS. We don’t get on.)
Another Shatner fan!!! He was so very handsome. And she is freaking FABULOUS. I pray every night that I can look as good now as she does at 77!
I am sorry the lavender gave you a hard time! I just tried Apres l’Ondee this weekend at Bergdorf’s. The first time I applied it, it was the most beautiful violet scent I’d ever smelled. I went back to buy it, and sprayed it on one more time just in case. I never got that beautiful violet smell again 😦 I am devastated!
Ari, this smells pure fine leather to me! -that means in a pretty way, of course- Brilliantly sunny! 🙂
I don’t catch Chanel’s Cuir de Russie, either. It smells simply SOUR, decadent in a bad way, with a very strong dirty animalic musc note at the end towards generic fecal musks, really unpleasant (on my skin).
I love gentle/pleasant/unoffensive leathers (perfectly unisex, bordering on feminine), as Coeur Plein Fleur by Heeley with its lovely violet/mimosa note, elegant Bandit’s Robert Piguet… and the vibrant Jicky!
Joan Collins is pinned up as hell at 77. I’ll bet her ears meet at the back of her head.
I just tried Jicky and I am in love! I am even considering a full bottle, which for me is a big deal, having been on a serious sampling adventure.
I feel your pain over the Après l’Ondee. I had a similar thing happen to me at Krigler with Lovey Patchouli #55. The first time I tried it I was sure I’d found my holy grail scent, but just to be safe I ordered a pricey $12.00 sample. I was so sad. The initial spritz is still awesome to me, but the dry down is just thin and uninspired.