Balmain Ivoire de Balmain

I came across Ivoire de Balmain in one of my local department stores. I understand that this is a relaunch  of the original Ivoire under new licence with InterParfums. 

Now, I never tried the original Ivoire, released in 1980 (or 1979) so I can't compare the original to the current version. What I do know is that I like the current version, which is housed in a very pretty bottle, I might add. Ivoire is soapy, no doubt about it, and fairly green too. I suppose one might class it as a green floral chypre, but to my nose it doesn't really have an oakmoss base, and while the notes list rose, jasmine and ylang-ylang, I am sure I am also detecting some muguet and galbanum. If not, the combined notes certainly created that illusion then. I am not usually a fan of soapy fragrances, but there is something about the way Ivoire presents the soapy note, not too chilly and austere, warmed with a little patchouli and vanilla, that makes it very appealing. 

I have to be honest and say that I think I would struggle to pull off wearing Ivoire as a man, but I certainly like how it smells and would love to smell it on a woman. I'm sure there will be those people who remember the original and no doubt compare it to the current version, and bemoan the state of the perfume industry with reformulation and so on, but at least they've brought back a perfume that could so easily have been assigned to the annals of history.