Alpona (1939)
by Caron

Definitely bursts on to the scene with a full bodied orage oakmoss note.

I seemed to bypass the middle notes and quite early in the drydown

the musk with its spicyness emerged.

This is indeed androgynous in a edgy way.

I use it anytime.

I got a sample from an older bottle. This Alpona is amazing. It predates O de Lancome by three decades, and now I see how the later fragrance owes a debt of gratitude to its predecessor. Both are remarkable members of an old-school Chypre genre featuring citrus and herbs.
Both start with a tangy citrus, closely accompanied by a sweet heart note, before dropping gradually into a drier herbal finish. In Alpona, the landing is cusioned by the signature Caron powdery soft base, while O de Lancome has a clear base. Thyme is the featured herb in Alpona, while rosemary is predominant in O de Lancome.
My favorite aspect of Alpona is the candied-lemon-and-grapefruit-peel scent coupled with the powdery background, which creates an aroma like sifted flour during the making of holiday cake. The herbal ending is too dry for my liking. If it had a long-lasting sweet base, it would approach Holy Grail territory.

Grass, vetiver, oakmoss, herbs and citrus. Very green and astringent but not as "dark" or "rich" as I expected. I get no candied fruit either, no sweetness. To me it smells mostly like a classic men's cologne. Nice enough.

This is one Caron parfum that a guy - at least this guy - would wear with no problem. It is slightly reminiscent of Bernard Chant's chypre duo: Aramis and Gres' Cabochard. This scent is more refined than either and develops into a smooth and delicious melange with lots of sillage. Very androgynous - as are Caron's Poivre and Tabac Blond

This is one of the stranger scents I have tried. The opening is not really unisex, but more like androgynous, or even extra-terrestrial. I find it to be very bright and incredibly intense in the opening notes. It calls to mind an exploding star, the word "supernova" pops into my head when I smell these topnotes. They seem to be a mix of hesperides, bright and sharp. The chypre feel is already present at the beginning. As it dries, it softens of course, and becomes more ordinary and unisex than extra-terrestrial. The middle seems to be a soft, floral, unisex chypre smell, and the base is all oakmoss and musk. It's well blended, as everything comes together in a harmonious whole, but probably not something I would wear often. Like Poivre, this is a good "women's" Caron scent for men to check out.

I agree with donna225. Had a chance to try a sample of the parfum, and it is exquisite -- deep and full from the start. I get fruit, but more of a rich floral chypre feel, with woods, moss, and spices prominent. It does have the classic Caron accord, but is still very distinctive within that line.