Le Dix Perfume Balenciaga for women

Pretty, old world(hello, 1947!) but comforting and pretty. Definitely got the lilac note. Lilac, aldehydes, ylang, sandalwood, jasmine are what I got before I looked up the notes. In the realm of Chanel No.5 but more old fashioned. People talk about how old fashioned no.5 is but it’s actually very timeless and almost futuristic, there’s a reason it’s still in production 100+ years later. This is like a cousin to No.5. More lilac, giving it a more old school talc/lotion vibe. It’s nice. You have to love vintage. ‘Une Fleur De Cassie’ from Frederic Malle reminds me of this. But this is less skanky. Unfortunately discontinued and hard to find. Don’t judge by the first spray, longevity isn’t great but the dry down is very subdued and not as old fashioned, I’ve thrown that term around, but like Frederic Malle released, Dominique Ropion’s Une Fleur De Cassie, I could definitely see a niche house, like Roja Dove, doing something like this

Le Dix (I recall a Youtuber affectionately, or rather, inadvertently refer to it as "Lay Dicks"—bless his heart) is surely an acquired taste in this current age. I stress, "age," as this is a true oldie but goodie, a bygone era treasure that is testament to the fact that a fragrance connoisseur may wear something to revel in its beauty all by oneself. Any idea of wearing a perfume out to garner attention is dismissed, as it may very well be that an impolitic someone may be so bold as to throw out the "smells like an old lady/old man" offense. This is a "them" problem for a fragrance connoisseur, who's moved beyond caring or trying to impress. If you are this kind of fumehead, then you may very well be enraptured by Le Dix.

It starts with skyrocket aldehydes leaving lilac powder contrails, settling into C. Howard's violets and lily of the valley white glow. There's one facet that reminds me of the scent of certain species of bearded iris, both orris-rooty but also violet-purple-cool. It feels like Apres L'Ondee has suddenly dried its eyes and is dancing in the rain, donned in her nighty. Waltzing around, AL encounters a man in a top hat and cane, wearing a rose boutonniere, waving a civet-scented hanky. "Near You" by Francis Craig starts playing, and they foxtrot into soft and creamy sandalwood sunset. I personally find it all to be simultaneously joyful and hypnotic. Sadly, Le Dix has long ceased production, but if this sounds insatiable to you, it would behoove you to seek it out. I honestly don't think you'll have a ton of competition.

I have a tiny dabber miniature of this I found in a vintage store in Melbourne, Australia. It's an odd bird but so classic. The opening is almost offensive to my nose but holy heck, you need to wait for the drydown because it is incredible.

Strong aldehydes make me think of the 80's and so much hairspray. Very sharp and soapy - If you like Frederic Malle Superstitious, you will like this part.

Middle notes the iris root comes through and it starts to round out and get smoother. The green notes become less astringent. Then the powder comes along and it starts to sweeten. Warm tonka and soft violet - but like a pillowy, creamy violet - not straight off the stem from a garden. And finally vanilla and benzoin for a cozy finish.

Such clear progression is hard to find in modern fragrances. Le Dix takes big turns and what you end up with is very different from the beginning. A fragrance that needs time.

Three pillars of classic: aldehyde, civet, moss. Le Dix has two of those: bright aldehyde and notorious civet with lily of the valley backbone. Beautiful, regal yet young for its time. Smells close to No.5 in the beginning but turns to the other direction from mid to the end. If you happened to have one, congratulation, don't waste this masterpiece. They didn't make something like this anymore these days

Blind bought a used EDT bottle of this and am in love with the scent. Although not listed in the notes, I'm definitely getting violet, vetiver and vintage powder from this. It's done so well and is not at all cloying in high heat and humidity. Not sure how old this bottle is as there isn't a batch code on the bottle but I'm not really picking up on the aldehydes and am not really smelling the similarity to No. 5. I am however oddly reminded of Guerlain's Apres L'Ondee but with less wet earth and with a greater stronger staying power.

Quite outstanding, and in a league of its own. If you want to smell sophisticated & totally fabulous, wear this....if you can still find it...it's been...discontinued! Another great perfume gone to the wall. Why? Who knows? Nothing else comes close. For me, Le Dix has always had a mesmerising, trance-inducing, supernatural, other-worldly, hypnotic quality. Le Dix was created by master perfumer Francis Fabron.

If you possibly can, try & get a bottle of the pure parfum, even if it's only a small 7.5ml bottle. Smells sublime on both women and, even more so, on men. Always puts me in mind of people like Doris Duke, Barbara Hutton, Happy Rockefeller, Porfirio Rubirosa, Montgomery Clift and a bygone Hollywood glamour that no longer exists, except on film...Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr, Lana Turner, Yvonne de Carlo, Mae West, Veronica Lake...

I don't usually like doing reviews for perfumes that are no longer in production, but I'll make an exception for Le Dix. "The master of us all" is how Christian Dior referred to Cristobal Balenciaga. 'Nuff said.

Le Dix was recommended to me as a powdery fragrance with a violet aspect. I don’t get violet, and I get only a bit of powder. What I do get is the scent of my mother’s jewelry box in the late 50’s–one of my earliest memories.

I did not come up with this comparison–I read it in Tessture’s review of this scent on makeupalley–but when I read that review, it brought this forgotten memory vividly to mind. I would paw through my mother’s jewelry as she got ready to go out, struck by the smell of old metal–not exactly pleasant, but certainly intriguing. At this stage in her life, it would have been mostly cheap costume jewelry–my favorite piece was a necklace of some type of seeds dyed bright green, to give you an example.

Le Dix begins with a whoosh of aldehydes, a la Chanel No. 5. I have never been able to wear No. 5–it smells like urine on plastic to me–and LD is blessedly free of that, but it does start out very “perfumey.” (Ironically, this effect, which seems so old-fashioned now, was considered ultra-modern when No. 5 came out in 1921, and was thoroughly mainstream by the time Le Dix came out in 1947.) Then come a few powdery dried-up flowers, then quite a nice sandalwood, which forms the main body of the fragrance. But that tinge of metal persists from start to finish, which makes the scent very evocative to me (the jewel-box effect) but also very dated (all the jewelry in this box is so retro, it could only be worn ironically). So LD is certainly interesting to sniff, but not something I’m interested in wearing.

Another discontinued gem! Le Dix was very close to Chanel no.5! Why Balenciaga discontinued all their classic Fragrances? Such a pity🤔

If this is the smell of an old woman, I can hardly wait to become one. The opening is fresh and clean with the aldehydes bursting into your serotonine chambers like a glass of something fizzy, but dry. The dry down itself, on the other hand, is a luxurious creamy statement of pure satisfaction. Much prefer this over no. 5, a scent that always seemed restrained and cold to me.

This smells so comforting, very vintage but it's so pretty. It's a happy upbeat scent. Powdery rose, sometimes it has a hint of fresh laundry too, but overall maybe because of the lilac or musk, there's a vintage lipstick scent base in this that I absolutely love. Transports you to the 80s or 90s, so Im surprised this was from 1947. I wish I could buy a fresh new bottle of this

One of my top ten favorite French perfumes that I own. Le Dix is French retro-chic in a bottle. It is timeless, classic, yet modern and sophisticated. When I wear it, images of YSL's iconic Le Smoking comes to my mind; very French, very
je-ne-sais-quoi. I get an initial burst of aldehydes, then, I get a "buttery-powdery" scent, the dry down, on my skin anyways, its rounded-out with amber, musk and sandalwood. Very silky and smooth....a masterpiece!!

I have a vintage bottle, a Real gem in my collection and I love it. Retro, dense, stylish, elegant and classy. Big love.

This is what I really would call an old lady, as in a granny, perfume. True to the era. Many gorgeous reviews here from people with clearly a different body chemistry to mine but, on me, this is a chemical powder concoction. I do not get any citrus or light top notes at all, could be the second hand bottle I got so reserving judgement on that, but the base scent should still be the same regardless. Very powdery which I generally like but here the powderiness has a chemically aldehydic edge. I can see that on someone else this could well have been an elegant perfume of its era, the 40s (there is a similarity to Guerlain’s Vega, which I prefer to le Dix, in the architecture of the perfume) but at present its dated, a bit musty, and artificial smelling. Not my cup of tea, at all. I have a big bottle if someone wants to swop vials for testing purposes, pm me! I am studying perfumery and looking for other discontinued classics for educational purposes 😊🙏.

Very powdery. This is not a fluffy timid light powder fragrance. It is a clean citrus sharp first spray that develops into a serious industrial strength baby powder. The violet vanilla scent dominates with a hint of a citrus rose. Its great for day use when you just want to have a clean, sophisticated scent on thats pleasing to most people. I like that it isn't sweet, a retro vibe in its popularity. You'll feel fresh and sophisticated and very feminine wearing this.

This perfume needs at least 3 hours to calm down and really shines after that. Class in a bottle. Please try to pull it off with starched white blouse high hills strictly black and black pants, and oversized sunglasses.

I love this scent. I used to wear it as a teenager in the late eighties, when other girls wore what ever was popular at the time. I remember we used to frequent perfume sections of depatment stores to try out perfumes. Le Dix was my favourite and often I couldn't help constantly sniffing my wrist on the way home, because I was captiveted by the scent that was mature, sweet and intoxicating to a nauseating point but strangely fascinating at the same time. I wanted it as a Christmas present and I remember the saleslady asking wouldn't you like something more suited for yor age, but oh no, my mind was set.

Unfortunately Le Dix was probably discontinued soon after that, because it disappeared from the shelves and I never got another bottle. I was over the moon when I managed to find a used bottle at a reasonable price on line a few months back. Although maybe changed slightly over time, the scent is still perfectly recognizable and every bit as lovely as I remembered. Well constructed, balanced and sopisticated composition of aldehydes, powdery violets and civet on a warm, balsamic base. There's really no other quite like Le Dix that I've come by. It will always have a special place in my heart.

They say this is Chanel No.5 with violets. No. Le Dix is so much different. If you had a chance to try the olden Nina Ricci’s repertoire, then this one shares the same gene.

Clovey, Fruity, Spicy, Aldehydic with just the right amount of woodiness. I feel sad why Balenciaga decided to let go of Quadrille, Les Fuite des Heures and this because to me, they don’t smell dated, they smell like proper vintages.

When you spray it you get an enthusiastic blast of peaches, violets, aldehydes and that spiciness found in L’air du Temps or the vintage Nina. Then it blooms to its beautiful wooden heart, assisted by the fruity violet. I think this is way better than Chanel No. 5 or L’Interdit because it doesn’t only smell floral and powdery.

If you keep reading the reviews, you’ll get that it smells like the inside of a cosmetic bag, or of powdery violets but it’s more than that. These are merely facets and glimpses of this beauty.

If they decide to release this once more, I won’t hesitate to get one.

Bought it (vintage) for my wife, she won't admit that but and I'm sure that I'm more surprised than her :)

Such a futuristic combination of notes, lillac, orris root, with a classical oldschool style notes aldehydes, civet, rose and others. Yes, there is a plenty of notes in this scent.

If we can say for some other oldscool perfumes that they are similar to other from that era, we can't say that for this scent, because it's really unique.

I enjoy it every time my wife wearing it, probably I will steal some spray from her sometimes, I don't mind that scent is pretty feminine :)

The vintage is a floral aldehyde that registers as violet on my skin with sandalwood and musk

Very much a perfume of its time: a classic powdery floral, mainly violet, brightened by a good amount of citrus and aldehydes up top, balanced with a woody-ambery animalic base. Quite mild and not unpleasantly sweet with coriander and vanilla. It smells like many that I encountered as a child while exploring the dozens of 50s-era bottles that covered my great-aunt's vanity. I don't have enough left of it to wear it often, but it always brings back pleasant memories when I do. It makes me think about the history of perfume and how it's changed in formulation and marketing over the past century, how people's expectations have changed, and how much variety there has come to be. Hopefully perfumes like this will always continue to be sold and worn, so we don't forget where we started and how far we've come.

Floral, Aaldehydes.

This one is cute, with that aldehydes, violets, peach, lilac, civet, ylang, and lily of the valley. It's slightly sweet with coriander and iris & i just noticed that this smells almost exactly like "Knize Two" by Knize!

Quite captivating since "Knize Two" is one of my favorites.

In the fall of 1968, I received a set of three Balenciaga samples, Le Dix, Quadrille and a third I must mistakenly remember as Balenciaga. The samples were a promo item to accompany a new leather jacket. I loved Le Dix and always remember it as a beautiful powdery subtle floral accompanied by the leather smell of my jacket. I would love to own Le Dix again. I wasn’t a big Quadrille fan, but this one was lovely. Would love to know if the scent has changed over the years.

Pretty powdery violets grounded by orris and rounded out with basenotes that reaffirm this is a grown woman's perfume. Le Dix is is an elegant and soft spoken lady, but simultaneously carnal and opinionated. She appears to be prim and proper, and she is, yet there's an earthiness to her that's always been there. I don't normally love violets, but this is probably one of my favorites. It smells vintage, not outdated.

Oct 2017: Got this in a mini set with Cristobal about two years ago, plus the two Talismans and Rumba. Le Dix just knocks em all out of the park for me. It screeches in and then hugs ya with a mesmerising cuddly warmth. Like all the notes were vying for attention, then once order is achieved, this baby is holographically sensuous. So many well blended layers I can't pick a dominant note, but am left with the "all is well and you are loved" comfort of violet. Powdery yet powerful pull. This is a dream. Gotta get more without robbing a bank. Am shocked at prices being currently sought.

Review is for Le Dix Parfum (vintage)

It's very calm. Not meditative, not "zen" or soothing. This is a powerhouse of calm, achieved through years of learning to rely on yourself and your judgement. It is womanly and coiffed, with a delicately arched and perfectly groomed brow.

Le Dix has an unusual depth, without a huge sillage. The floral and fruit notes blend almost seamlessly. If I think of peach, I get that. If I focus on rose, I get that too. But it's the lilac or violet that leaves the lasting impression, with a smoky, musky, je ne sais quoi around the edges.

This is not a blowsy spring floral and it's not at all dated, though it is exceptionally refined and classic, very Princess Grace. I'd wear this every day and be inspired to grab the lipstick I'd ordinarily forget.

Le Dix by Balenciaga. Created in 1947 this Aldehyde Floral (some say Chypre Floral) by nose Francis Fabron is a mature yet playful fragrance. Joyful and yet there is a dark sexy undertow to it. It contradicts the expectation one has for an aldehydic perfume by being more grounded and earthy than one would expect. And then there is a vanilla fruity ambiance that meets with the florals to make it into a scrumptious invitation to come in closer, close your eyes and brush your lips next to the ear of the wearer. You almost want to lick the skin when smelling it. If Cecile wore it there most definitely would be a Lotiaesque air about her yet without guile. Like when a little girl puts on her mothers perfume just to smell grown up.

Perfumer Franics Fabron not only created Le Dix (The Ten) but is most famous for creating for Givenchey L'Interdit and for Nina Rici L'Air Du Temps. Three masterpieces of the late 40's and early 50's. Each of them should be rediscovered and enjoyed L'interditi and L'Air du Temps can be found in newer forms but you have to go on a hunt for vintage Le Dix.

It opens with top notes of aldehydes, coriander, peach, bergamot, and lemon. this is the fruity young opening that would capture Cecile's attention. The bubbly sweet champagne cocktail that she might sip on the terrace overlooking the French hills tumbling into the Mediterranean Sea. With the rising heat of the southern afternoon the bubbles subside and the mid notes arrive, Lavender, a dry and very grownup Oris Root, (Lush and rich this adds a dusting of powder to the fragrance) and it mixes in with rose, ylang-ylang, and that very French note of Lily of the Valley. Here the fragrance moves away from the playful and toward a slightly more austere glamour. But his is just foreplay to what comes in the magnificent dry down. Pure dark sensuality and danger are introduced with a dose of Civet. The exotic woods of Peru Balsam, Sandalwood and layered over with a rich thick amber and then the huge vanilla and tonka bean bring in a frothy swirl of delectable deliciousness. Finally, around the 10th hour is settles into a lingering warm skin scent bolstered by white musk and vetiver.

Le Dix is a ten for me, a classic that I feel works as well today, as it did in 1947. If you like a floral bordering on a chypre with a fruity fresh edge then may I recommend it? It will work well for most women from 18 to 81 and in some cases, myself included for men with a daring and delicious sense of fun. Wear Le Dix and you will be brilliant.


(FOR MORE ON THIS FRAGRANCE AND HOW IT TIES INTO THE CLASSIC FILM BONJOUR TRISTESSE CHECK OUT MY BLOG SCENTS MEMORY ON WORD PRESS)

I loved the opening of this, it's dominated by a gorgeous peach with aldehydes and I can definitely detect the civet right from the start. Complex and sensual. But as the flowers begin to come through it becomes cloying. It smells a lot like violet. I cannot for the life of me detect most of the other flowers, I wish they balanced out the bouquet more. If you love purple flowers try this!

I happened to recently purchase a vintage Le Dix. Wow! So powdery, sandalwood and violets. A nice mature, dry scent, not overly sweet like current fragrances. This one screams I'm not afraid to be powder puff glamour puss. Uber feminine and retro in a Zsa Zsa Gabor dahhhling manner. LOVE LOVE LOVE this!

When I was a child a neighbor had a great collection of vintage perfumes from the 20/30/40/50s that she kept in the fridge. This was my favorite, along with Muguet du Bonheur (Caron), Le de Givenchy and Miss Dior. Fabulous , exceptional and long lasting !!!!!!

Not sure why Fragrantica chose "floral chypre" as the category for an old school aldehydic floral that contains no oakmoss, but whatever you call it, Le Dix is a beautiful and utterly well done ultra feminine French classic perfume. Looking at the notes pyramid here, the lack of violet seems like a glaring omission. Maybe it's truly lilac, but it seems more violet than almost anything I've ever encountered. Le Dix is very much about two currently unpopular notes - sparkling, strong aldehydes and powdery violet. Be warned that Le Dix features a ton of both - if those are difficult notes for you, this is one to avoid. Violet is a big part of what makes it both 'Bank of England' to some and more down to earth, approachable and sweet than Chanel No 5. The floral heart is gorgeous and the ambery benzoin sandalwood base is hugely reminiscent of vintage Givenchy L'Interdit. Not a surprise to learn that Francis Fabron was the nose for this as well as for another of my very favorite aldehydics, Piguet's Baghari. All three share a lovely DNA that sets them apart from other similar aldehydic perfumes.
I have worn Le Dix made through the years from the late 40s through the 80s, in both parfum and eau de toilette. It's been 'out of style' or 'dated' since before I was born (which was a very long time ago) and yet when I've worn it out I invariably get at least one "What is that - it's so pretty?" comment. Nope, not what you probably want to wear to the club. But if you're a perfumista you owe it to yourself to spend a little time with it if you ever get a chance, if only to experience a really well made French classic perfume that is not Chanel No. 5. =)

I got hold of a vintage bottle of Le Dix-not sure of the date but the bottle looks very 1970s. I don't get the comparison with Chanel No 5 except that both evoke the same sort of atmosphere to me. This is a gorgeous masterpiece-starting out with a sweet powdery burst of soft violet and drying down to a refined and elegant musk with a hint of underlying animal sensuality. The sweetness isn't sickly, its smokey and earthy, but still lady like and demure because of the floral notes. I absolutely love this-although it has a vintage feel to it its not dated at all. I think this is up there with L'Heure Blue as one of the best.

Classic. From it's fruity/citrus/lilac opening to the soft rose/lily of the valley/iris heart to the warm vanilla/sandalwood drydown it is a combination of the most classic notes. It's like a sweeter, friendlier version of Chanel No 5. Chanel must have a better publicity machine than Balenciaga. There's no other reason why the superior Le Dix has disappeared while the overrated No 5 endures. Very hard to find but worth the search.

To me, this is the classic makeup vibe, but amped up to be more sophisticated than some. It's got a spicy powder puff feeling. I smells like a very soft, elegant pink, if smell could be color. I don't get the association to No 5 that gets mentioned, to me, they have nothing in common. I'd say that if you don't enjoy vintage in general, this is not likely for you. But if you do enjoy that vintage, powerful, elegant style of scent, give it a try. I do find the longevity to be less than I might have expected from a vintage. It wears very close to the skin also.

Classic aldehydic floral in the style of Chanel 5 and Le Gallion Sortilege.

Lovely but very dated. For true vintage lovers only, I feel. Although I like this I don't feel I would ever actually use it if I had a bottle.

I love the bottle, I like the notes and do like the opening therefor it's such a shame I don't like what happens next on my skin. It get's too (vanilla) sweet and 'sweet' is not even listed in the accords!

Balenciaga's Prelude does have 'sweet' as a main accord but it's not nearly as sweet as Le Dix.

How I would love to own a bottle of this again. Sadly, it's rarity and price means all I own now are it's beautiful memories.
sigh

If Heaven was perfumed, it would smell "Le Dix"....
Imagine angels living on a powdered cloud eating violet flavored candies.
Cupidon has an only one aim : your heart girls !!!!

I miss this frag. I got this 1996. It's nice but i think good to wear if go to party.

A sweeter version of Chanel #5!

A Rosy, Parma violets, powdery confection. Really lovely if you're of a certain age. I snagged a vintage bottle and I am not sorry however I may wait 20+ years before I wear its because it does have that old lady with cash in the bank waft. It's like Blue Grass and Chanel 5 mixed with Rochas' Femme. Classy though.

Ode to Le Dix -

Do not fear the nice-girl-demure-image review as unsexy. You will err.
Le Dix is an "I have no idea I'm hot as hell and don't care if I am."
That is precisely what makes this fragrance so innocent and oh so very incredibly classy/sexy.

One of the most divine fragrances ever created; in my top three most fabby of all times, a masterful blend of everything lovely, beautiful, elegant, gracious and refined. I detect the woodsy notes and roses as most dominant, but the lilac and iris are in full bloom also. Le Dix has the old time glamour of days gone by without smelling musty/old in any fashion. I cannot help but think of Grace Kelly (Princess Grace of Monaco) when I smell this amazing fragrance. Hers is the face I see when I inhale this divine elixir. This work of art has a psychology that brings out the best in me, and I am so in love. *smiles*

Le Dix is an actual woman and her kind is rare. Everyone is drawn to Le Dix and she is always the center of attention. Everywhere. All the time. Men are crazy about her. Women want to be her. Some women wish to hate her out of envy but are compelled to love her despite themselves as she is the epitome of “woman” and “lady” in every way. Le Dix is gracious to everyone. She is kind, witty, sharp, soft and unintentionally funny at the same time. She is so genuine no one even thinks of her as phony or insincere because it is nowhere in her. She knows how to work a room and reaches out to others always smiling with eyes aglow; large, shimmering pools reflecting the fine treasure of her true spirit... and she is true. Almost too good to be true.

People naturally flock to Le Dix as she sees the best in everyone and embraces them for who they are. Sitting in on gossip is beneath her. She has no time for such nonsense because Le DIX’... has people to meet and love. Because she is so drawn to others and their beauty, Le Dix is a magnet always surrounded by fans she calls her friends. Never crass yet charming, delightful and fun enough to laugh along with the rest and she does enjoy a good, naughty joke. Le Dix laughs a lot. Her laughter is like jazz music. Just the sound of her laugh gives even the most melancholic a sense everything will be alright, and she always leaves everyone happier than they were. Le Dix would prefer the night in a powder room giving solace to a female stranger in despair over The Event of The Year; grabbing tissues, sharing her lipstick and fragrance. Before long, the disparaged stranger is Le Dix’s new friend in the mood for a great night.

She is no angel or goody-goody nor pretends to be. Most people are aware of her dalliances because everyone wants to know everything about Le Dix. Her private life is hard to hide. She is discreet but word hits the streets and she is unapologetic. She is as sexy as sexy gets; a natural born goddess in every way but she does not view herself that way. Le Dix is loving, lovable, refined, generous, kind, cool, warm, ridiculously gorgeous, demure, tender, forgiving, humble... and that is genuinely who she is. There is nothing to dislike about Le Dix. She is absolutely perfect except for one thing. She has no idea how incredible she really is and feels blushy and undeserving when people tell her. Le Dix... is the most beautiful woman in the world.... and she doesn't even know or care.

Meravigliosa Cristobal Balenciaga Le Dix! *stands and applauds*

I can imagine Simone de Beauvoir when I wear Le Dix. I imagine her to have been the sort of woman who is totally intimidating and aloof, but very warm and generous at the same time. Someone who never laughs just to be nice or to be polite, and especially not at anything that she doesn't genuinely find humorous -- but has a razor sharp wit that can get you addicted to listening in on her conversations.

Difficult to initially get close to, but with a depth of heart and absolute sincerity that makes you value her presence in your life. This is not a flirty voluptuous girl out to seduce anyone. This is an extremely sexy woman who doesn't lose herself easily, who is always absorbed working on interesting projects for herself. Her love life is passionate but is a total mystery.

The very first time I ever was in the presence of Le Dix, by Balenciaga.
I was only in my early teens, and my mum was finishing getting ready in her bedroom.
I walked into the room, as I was ready, to go out with her on some errand.
When she gently sprayed some of Le Dix on her, I had the same sensation as if I was walking into a candy shop, and 1000 bottles of the most magnificent and delicious sweets, were all opened around me.
The intensity of the impact of that fragrance on my senses then, was extraordinary, overwhelming. It felt surreal, dreamy, warm, magical, beautiful.
This is the most memorable and wonderful experience I have ever had with any perfume or fragrance in my entire life.
That was in the late 1970s.
It's never happened again since.
Le Dix. Thank you.

This is one of the most beautiful fragrances ever created. I get the violets, then the lilacs and the most incredibly soft rose.The powder is not overwhelming as some can be. The aldehydes are not harsh. In fact this fragrance seems to have no edges at all,just one continuously evolving rapturous symphony of notes.

Waft after waft of the most gorgeous floral scents caress the air around me. I think that the fragrance of most floral bouquets would pale in comparison to the scents that envelope me.

Oh, the drydown is wonderful, warm,slightly spicy, resinous vanilla. This fragrance makes me feel young, beautiful and sophisticated, but also playful and able to laugh at myself. That's a truly unexpected reaction to such a grand old dame of a scent. This one makes me want to dance!

I've tried a few different bottles of this, all vintage,both EDT and parfum. My parfums are in the old rounded ribbed squat crystal bottles. My EDT's are the ones in the tall oval ribbed bottles,all dabbers. Every one is divine. Sillage is very nice and longevity is at least 5+ hours. Le Dix is really worthy of the search!

I purchased a one-ounce, crystal bottle of vintage parfum in an oval, white, embossed box off eBay for $56.99 US and this is a beautifully formulated fragrance. I have to agree with other reviewers in saying that the strongest note is violet rather than lilac and I am not really picking up any orris root or civet. This fragrance is exceptionally smooth, well crafted and holds the violet scent which many violet fragrances fail to do. As many of you are aware, violet can be fleeting and elusive. I purchased this blind and was influenced by the reviews here on Fragrantica. I want to thank all of you for your exceptional input.

Aldehydic florals are a peculiar genre. They are all remarkably similar in structure - which makes the differences easier to pick out. Once isolated, you can really see the signature of the perfumer in these subtle nuances. Le Dix is no exception, and between the lines one can sense the individual style of the perfumer Francis Fabron (author of L'Interdit, Monsieur de Givenchy, L'Air du Temps, and many other great fragrances that may or may not be attributed to him).

A gorgeous aldehydic burst opens on top with the typical champagne sparkle and French flair of the genre. Almost immediately, an assertive floral bouquet splashes over the scent like whitewash creating a gorgeously ambiguous soapy floral, talc white and almost glowing with radiant feminine intensity. Heaps of powder fall upon the starched white and purple florals and the whole thing is absolutely resplendent!

The whiteness doesn't quite fade; the heart and base notes fade into view like when your eyes adjust to a very dark room. Underneath all that powder and jubilant fluorescence is a sexy, resinous, balsamic sandalwood base - the very same one that L'Interdit was later built entirely upon. An animalic breathy warmth hints of naked bodies under newly laundered sheets as the gorgeous base comes into view. The woody accord is absolutely brilliant. This sexy floral Nag Champa drydown goes on for hours, never quite losing the light starched joy of the florals.

Though it is absolutely dated right to its release date, it's not at all difficult! Quite honestly, this is one of the best floral aldehyde fragrances I've ever tried and by far the most joyous and youthful.

Reviewed is a very vintage "Bath & Skin Essence" concentration.

I am curious why this is listed as a chypre? It does not seem to have the ingredients, but as I am just learning am I mistaken?

This is for the vintage EDT:

Le Dix made makes me smile when I sniff it. Such a lovely scent! First there´s all those gorgeous violets...

Later: Woke up in the middle of night, smelled my wrist, still half asleep. Oh my! A little civet cat has strolled through the violets, sniffed around and decided to leave a mark. Nice, really nice! I do love some naughty cat butt with my violets!

I´m only I tiny bit "blue", not knowing when I´ll be able to find some more of this absolutely stunning juice.

C.Howards Violet Candy... on the nose (no pun intended).

I just received 1 and 3/4 ounces of vintage Le Dix Perfume Essence Bath Oil... oh my. I love violet candy. . . and violets, for that matter. . . but I don't think I can work with this Balenciaga nectar!

The Estonian site also lists civet, amber, Peru balsam, and benzoin as base notes, though I don't get these in any strength. I agree with those who like the violet-like presentation here, and it's certainly fine for men who like florals, IMO (less "feminine" than the opening of vintage Insense, for example). I also agree that the base shares a lot in common with Chanel No. 5, but this scent is not as sharp, which makes it more wearable to me (aldehydes here seem toned down quite a bit). Of course with vintage scents you don't know if it's just because much of the top notes are lost. No matter, I enjoy this one; it does everything right, though I'd guess for some people it has no "wow factor."

I will never thank my mum enough to have made me discover this perfume when i was a little girl.

Balenciaga is the Emperor of the perfumes with "Le Dix" and "Quadrille". Two discontinued (sad) scents in our "boudoir"... ;O)

Oh Le Dix...where have you been all my life? This is the one. The violet I have been searching for...
My sample of vintage EDT just arrived today and it was love at first sniff. Not one that had to grow on me first, or that I really had to think about at all. It is a glorious vintage chypre. I don't get lilacs, I get violets. This has wonderful, powdery rich violet accords.

Le Dix is so romantic to me... It is like a deep purple violet powder sachet tucked away in the drawer of an old vintage vanity along side of some precious love letters turned sepia colored from time. A beautiful old vintage scent that I will wear close to my heart. I just bought a vintage EDP bottle now I can't wait to get in the mail! I'm so excited!
I am discovering that ylang-ylang is a beautiful note in so many of my favorite perfumes

I won a bottle of this on the aeroplane on our way to UK and Europe back in 1976. I loved it and wore it all through these countries, so everytime I smell the fragrance, it takes me back there. Keep hoping someone will give it to me as a gift.

Le Dix is a classic chypre and one of the best of its genre. I've been able to buy it online and thank goodness for that; it's extraordinarily beautiful. My bottle dates to the 70s, I think, and to my nose every note is a luscious treat.

The opening notes are aldehydes (but gently done), a touch of coriander, and the classic chypre elements of bergamot and lemon. A very soft opening for a chypre; all notes are balanced. I think that for those who're just beginning to explore chypres this is a grand place to start; Le Dix doesn't blast the nasal passages with sharpness. All notes are lovely.

The middle notes are also soft and rounded, the lilac is predominant at first. (BIG lilac,the old-fashioned kind, the type that grew in Grandma's yard, not the more delicate white lilac). The sweet accords of jasmine, lily of the valley, ylang-ylang and a touch of soft rose deepens the floral note and continues to develop this lovely theme for a very long time.

Now the basenotes: for a chypre lover, it just doesn't get any better than this! All of the classic elements are there, but none dominates. Besides the above-listed accords, (resins, musk, sandalwood, tonka, and vetiver) I detect civit. That touch of civit is what lifts this fragrance to the level of perfection in my eyes (nose?). Think of an orchestra without a cello. Civit adds that deep note that makes this fragrance so special. Great sillage, great longevity. Apply sparingly, this is a potent fragrances.

Le Dix is the perfect night time scent. Too sensual for daytime, I think.

One of my most treasured finds is a vintage 3 fl.oz flacon of Le Dix Parfum that is still sealed with black silk chord and a waxy membrane surrounding the stopper finial & bottle lip. About one third of this gorgeous 'juice' has been lost due to natural evaporation. Housed in original coffret with the flacon sitting snugly in it's raised presentation dais. Most impressive indeed ! I imagine it's now more 'Extract' than 'Parfum'.
My memory of this fragrance is permanently seared into my olfactory hard-drive as this perfume was worn by my beloved Grandmother for as long as I can recall.
The bottle always fascinated me with it's umbrella shaped stopper & the way light would refract through the highly chiseled & polished panels of the base.

For me this deliciously devine perfume connects me to the past evoking childhood memories of freshly made strawberry sorbet, lemon meringue and my Grandfather's lovingly tended rose gardens hedged by ferns and soft velvety mosses.
The integrity of this liquid gold is perfectly intact as a smudge of evaporated 'jus' from just under the stopper held for a good twelve hours without aberration on my skin.
The dry-down is completely seamless, a symphony of Hesperides, lush Florals incl.rose, lilac, iris & lily of the valley, rare Resins of peru balsalm, tonka & sandalwood and now obselete Nitro-musks.
Magnificent !
The only concentration presently available and in fact almost impossible to find is in the form of the eau de Toilette ?
Le Dix still endures.

Merci' . . Monsieur Fabron !

I am fairly certain my EDT sample has begun to turn, because the opening notes I get are fizzy varnish and soured citrus. The aldehydes must be completely degraded. After that unintended phase passes, the scent feels like a classic chypre floral, a little green and a little citrusy. I couldn't specifically detect the ylang everyone else smells in the composition, but again, my sample has clearly begun to turn. The dry down presents a deep violet note laced with subtle powdery rose, and the warmth of the base emerges, mostly with sandalwood to my nose.

To be honest, this is the first violet-dominant scent that I have been able to wear and enjoy! It feels extremely well balanced, and very sophisticated. What frustrates me is that a scent like this would be discontinued, when it seems like it would easily suit so many women!

Please bring it back!!

I have an old mini-bottle of this, probably dating from the 1980s, but it seems as good as new. I suspect that it’s been reformulated since then, so this is a review of the version produced about 25 years ago. It starts out with a cloud of powdery-leathery violet, some aldehydic citrus notes, a touch of fruitiness, maybe plum or peach, and a little hint of rose.

After a while, an occasional current of ylang-ylang pokes its way through to flirt with my nose, and I can almost detect a lilac note, built around the ylang-ylang. About an hour into the drydown, sandalwood makes an appearance along with the vanilla-tonka base notes and just the slightest hint of something animalic.

Le Dix (at least the one I have) is a complex and classic scent that is still very wearable today. I like the fact that it shape-shifts during the wearing from an aldehydic floral to a warm oriental. I’m glad I revisited this one, which I enjoyed wearing occasionally many years ago. It’s nice to know that it’s just as I remember it.

Another lovely perfume so hard to come by. I wonder why. Its powdery note melts into green in an elegant combination. You can't be wrong with Le Dix, perfect for elegant and sporty occasions. The ideal scent if after working hours you go directly to dine with someone important (either for your business or your heart).

I buy this perfume for my mum. It' s so elegance. Best perfume of ylang ylang olfaction. Long lasting more than 6 hrs. Very feminine and so beautiful perfume. Le Dix is hard to find in my country. So expensive.

I have purchased a bottle of 15ml of vintage pure parfum version (in a bottle like on the last picture above but with a liquid of dark amber colour instead of light golden) hoping it will be something good but it isn´t. At least for my nose. Maybe today i am not in the best mood for trying perfumes or the weather isn´t right??
It smelled quite nice out of the bottle, but then when i have applied it it didn´t turn out so good as it was in the bottle. I smelled strange combination of notes i can´t even desribe. My association with the smell was : the smell of gouache that is used for painting. I remeber when i was a kid, back in USSR we had a gouache that smelled exactly the same, when it was drying down. But there is also an addition of some note i can´t describe to that note. Bergamote maybe?
Now after 3 hours after applying this one is has turned into dusty smell. The smell of powder. I can feel it from a distance, but when i sniff my wrists i surprisingly cannot smell much powder, but some flower note (must be violets). But still the smell of powder is in my throat already, i can feel it there.
I am really not into this type of perfume. I have smelled the vintage "Chanel no5" pure parfum from the 80´s and it has no resemblance to "Le dix", at least to my nose. Maybe the even older Chanel version does, but not the 80´s. To me "Le dix" on the drtdown smells almost the same as Houbigant´s "Chantilly" actually.
Have to try it once again later this fall, since it is not a warmer days fragrance i guess. To me this is definitly an "old" fragrance (well mine is indeed an old one, but i guess you understand what i mean).

Please do not remove this comment, since others might find it useful. Not every review should be positive, so people like me wanted to make a blind buy might find it very informative. Thanks.

Today,a parcel arrived on my doorstep with a bottle of Le Dix. I had a small bottle many years ago in my 20's, along with others such as Cabochard, Caleche and Ivoire. Then after the 70's and 80's, I was into light, airy and citrus fragrances such as Issey Miyake and Annick Goutal's Eau de Sud etc. And Le Dix and others were soon forgotten. In the last year or so, my interest and passion began for niche perfumes such as By Kilian, Parfumerie Generale, Serge Lutens and others. In my manic search of amazing scents, I have to my surprise come back to perfumes by Rochas, Balenciaga, Balmain, and Guerlain amongst others (L'Heure Bleue and Vol de Nuit). Some have been discontinued and some I must admit have been slightly reformulated. My first spray of Le Dix today was magical. She is still as soft and violety and delicate as I remember all those years ago. The hunt for a bottle has been worth it!

This is for the modern edt:

I don't think I've enjoyed another perfume that has moved through such obvious scent stages.

The initial blast of Le Dix is bright, poppy aldehydes and violets. Someone said that Le Dix is truly a LILAC scent but I smell perfumey violets and that's it.

Later on, the violet becomes a bit powdery, very old fashioned. Like a powdery violet satchel.

And then underneath that, a sort of...queer animalic muskiness, unexpected and a bit vanilla-sweet and dirty.

There is just such a great juxtaposition here, between these ladylike violets and this unexpected, raunchy musk.

At last!!!

It is here with me, and I promise I will make it last for a long long time!
First impression: it is good!
Second: it is very good!

A noghty floral aldehide with lots of
fresh crisp lilac.

And for the Chanel 5 ladies.

In my opinion it is not as juicy and sweet as Chanel 5 which I do not like at all, but I love La Dix.

10 out of 10 just like it's Title.

Finally obtained a sample today: I have been looking forward to trying this one for some time.
The opening was much sweeter than i expected or enjoyed and there was indeed a light powdery edge to the fragrance. In the next phase of the development, I registered a distinctly metallic synthetic edge, reminiscent of Chantilly, but lighter and with a spicy edge. From there, the scent faded and did not last very long at all. While it is a nice fragrance, it did not capture my heart or my nose, and it will not be on my purchase list, but I will likely use the sample vial once in a while.

Very reminiscent of chanel No. 5 and Nocturnes by Caron.
Le Dix does have that powdery and spicy heart of No.5 but the powder is sweeter and lighter.

My only complaint is that the EDT fades pretty quickly.

I tested it today and I agree - this is rather aldehyde perfume. I'm in love with chypres, but floral aldehydes are not my cup of tea. The same is with Le Dix but only for about two hours. After that time soap disappears on my skin and all that's left is delightful. I'm going to test it at least once more, Le Dix is so sophisticated and complex that it needs time and respect to understand it better.

To be honest, this masterpiece comes to my nose more in the category Floral Aldehydes. It is in the same category as Chanel N5, Madame Rochas, Arpege. It is a MASTERPIECE!

Balenciaga LE DIX is a magnificent creation: rich and complex with a lengthy development trajectory and extraordinary potency and longevity. The edt wears like perfume on my skin.

I cannot believe that I never tried this 1947 masterpiece before! It reminds me, in waves, of both ARPEGE and BULGARI POUR FEMME, but the drydown is a slightly sweet, smooth oriental which is what I think that I was imagining THE ONE would be. Next to LE DIX, THE ONE is simply insipid.

Although the list of notes looks a bit forbidding, everything, including the aldehydes and the civet, is perfectly measured to produce a luxurious, ambery, woody resinous floral fragrance featuring both rose and ylang, in addition to jasmine and lily of the valley. The tolu balsam and benzoin sustain the whole gorgeous complex, and the light touch of vanilla and tonka makes the drydown slightly sweet. Beautiful!

Bright and sparkly, slightly peppery citrus then soft almost powdery florals, dominated by the iris I think. The aldehydes seem to drift in and out all the way to the drydown which is grassy cool with a touch of sandalwood and vanilla. Lovely.
A confident day scent for the professional woman if used lightly but really would go best with an evening gown and the opera.

After 25 years I still can not get enough of Le Dix , I feel so warm and dreamy, happy, calm and at peace wearing it. we have a very strict budget but this is one thing I will not go with out

The reissue: I find it soft and slightly powdery. I get the bergamot and lilac at the opening. The rose becomes more apparent as the fragrance wears. It's feminine and totally wearable.

It's heady, strong and elegant. Violets? Only in the very beginning; later they transform into lilac reminding me of my homeland in late spring (every lilac lover should visit Latvia end of May-beginning of June; lilac country should be our second name;). Somehow I have a feeling that the key composition for Balenciaga's creations is this civet-vetiver-Tolu balsam compound - it gives to the perfume a slight notion of nastiness. I wonder who the nose was - he must have been a real expert in women's nature;D

Live testing going on on my wrist as we speak!The top feels very up-to-date, in a style similar to kenzo-flower. A lipstick-make-up-bag smell dominates, along with that of aldehydic soap.

Lemon/aldehydes/ylang-ylang are the main players at first.
Then rose and lilac appear blushing the composition.
The base isn't warm and it has a "wax"sensation. It must be the resins than the woods that carry its weight.

Overall,it is classy and distinctive,but I personally found it headache giving like a high-pitched noise.

I first found this scent in a set of mini's at an airport duty-free shop in Canada back in the 1970's. I've had a bottle ever since (not the same one of course). This is another scent that is hard to pin down but the subtle violet is a note I can pick out. I like the fact that it's not worn by many so others seem to pick up on it and ask what I'm wearing. I've yet to find anyone that has even heard of it.

I had forgotten I had this in my mid twenties and so much wish to try it again -it was lovely, the violet was foremost whin I wore it and seemed so right for me.

Yes! This is definitely akin to Chanel No. 5 done with violets...and the execution is much better. The violets are dusky, powdery, and juicy at the same time, with some rose in there to add body.

The base is quiet with gentle and sensual notes of vanilla, sandalwood and musk and a little vetiver.

Strangely despite violet not being mentioned it has a straong smell of them. It is a lasting fragrance on me but gets a bit musty by the end of the day. A classic beauty.

Recently I bought a mini bottle of the parfum. It was a bit of a risk, since I hadn't sniffed it, but it was only a little more expensive than a sample, so I thought it might be worth it.

It's lovely. It does seem like a product of its age -- a classic, aldehydic floral -- but I rather like that. You're certainly not going to be smelling this one all over the mall. (And I'm not surprised that susieqrj didn't like it as a 10-year-old. She's right, it's far too sophisticated for a preteen, or even a teenager, I think. Not because young women aren't sophisticated, but because this one is Classic Perfume Style, and rather out of fashion these days.)

It does begin with aldehydes and some light citrus. I keep reading reviews that mention violet -- but I don't get violet at all. Where's my violet? That would have been preferable, to my nose, to the big ambery Mitsouko-like peach I did get.

Rather quickly Le Dix moved on to its elegant floral heart, in my opinion dominated by rose, jasmine, and ylang. It's very nice, reminiscent in a distant sense of some of Chanel's classic fragrances (No. 5, No. 22). This phase is probably my favorite.

Elsewhere I read that Le Dix's drydown was reminiscent of that of Bois des Iles. I love Bois des Iles, and I was excited to try something similar. Alas, I was disappointed. It's not that the drydown is unpleasant at all, but I didn't think it was much like Bois des Iles' warm, woody base. The vetiver and benzoin seem to come to the front, in my opinion, in Le Dix's drydown. In fact, although it doesn't SMELL like vintage Chanel No. 19's dry leathery vetiver, it is similar in FEEL: dry, cool, competent, professional, succinct.

I should point out that I adore No. 19 and the way it makes me feel in charge of my own destiny. Le Dix, although its heart is soft and florally lovely, reminded me very much of 19 in the way it affected my attitude. It's one of those scents I'll use when I want to be efficient and professional. A true classic.

I don´t have nice impressions about this one. It happens because I got this perfume as a gift when I was 10 years old and it is very strong for a kid. What my aunt was thinking? (lol)