Fidji Eau de Toilette Guy Laroche for women

This was the first fragrance I purchased for myself as a teen in High School. I worked part time at Eaton's dept. store and saved up to buy a bottle. All my friends wore either Andrade by Lise Watier (long discontinued) or some kind of Avon stolen from their mom. I stopped wearing it when I started working after finishing College, and went straight for the Disco club frags of the era, Opium, Cinnabar, for night time, and daytime I wore Chanel 19, and in later 80s, I got hooked on Pierre Cardin CHOC in the daytime, and KL Karl Lagerfeld, gosh I sure miss that one...
I just bought a small 50 ml edt of Fidji from Shoppers drug mart for $21.99 cdn, I haven't seen it in years and so I couldn't pass it up. I find it quite pleasant upon applying 2 sprays each arm, and very much the same as I remember it, floral but greenish/sharp. Naturally, as with all other reformulations of this kind, it does not last and becomes a skin scent within an hour. But, it is lovely, unique, and I will use it this summer, liberally, in rotation with my Chanel 19 and PR Calandre. It was my signature for my 20's. Now in my early 60's, I am having a sort of re-birth, now that my children are grown and away, I am blessed to have found a new life with a new (younger) man, a new job, and I have the financial freedom to splurge on myself once in a while. Everything is good, and I smell great, thanks to Fidji edt.

My mother wore Fidji when I were a child and I already loved it. And when I smell it now, nothing has changed; I still love it. It's true that it is vintage and aldehydic but, as already said below, a bit like L'Air du Temps; very gently, kindly, pleasantly.

I think its name is perfect because that's exactly what it evokes; an island at the end of the world. But be careful, not as most might imagine (sand, sea, exotic fruits, etc.), more like a tropical forest with all that implies; the woody, earthy and mossy side included. The flowers nevertheless dominate this perfume and bring sweetness to the whole. It is the ylang-ylang which will give you this hoped-for exotic facet.

A pretty floral scent, at a modest price.

It smells like a bouquet of hyacinth. Monotone. Wearable but outdated in my opinion. It sure gathered a fanbase who associate people and memories with it and that makes it 10x better for them.

After months, it is safe for me to say that this fragrance is incredibly underrated. Proper sillage and longevity and very very lovely scent. This will be a scent I will rely on.

A mid-range classic French scent, in a very similar vein to the Lancome range - "Climat" etc. This reminds me very much of Cacharel's Anais Anais..and has certain elements of Nina Ricci's L'Air du Temps...something a young woman might wear, although it would suit absolutely anyone really, of any age...inoffensive, discreet, a pretty safe blind buy, you could certainly wear this as an everyday scent, and probably works even better on a (very masculine) man.

I saw this today (28 April 2024) on "Allbeauty.com" for £18.50 for 50mls eau de toilette, which I think, for such a fool-proof scent, is a bargain...I'm certain this scent would be even better - if you can still find it - in its pure parfum version.

If one were to encounter a fragrance named "Fidji" they'd likely imagine tropical exoticism, crystal blue beaches and warm sands, and the scent profile would reflect this. However, perfumer Josephine Catapano and Guy Laroche seemed to have other Fijian topography in mind: earthy tropical green vegetation and mossy, wet mountains. In a way, this may be more the traveler than the tourist.

It opens with aldehydes, galbanum, and hyacinths and could just as much evoke an English garden, but the mid-stage does bring forth an ylang-ylang and tuberose, feeling a bit more hothouse floral, and perhaps even a bit jungle-like if they were to push their imagination. However, the overwhelming impression is that of a forest in the fond: plenty of oakmoss, vetiver, and patchouli to render any sunny cabana irrelevant as its all moist rainforest, and there is actually more of that to explore on the island than that of the resort paradise. Dense, wet, tall canopies, and much flora and fauna to explore.

Name and concept aside, Fidji is iconic, if not entirely reflective of its time, and deserves a spot in the perfume hall of fame.

Review is for the most recent EDT, not vintage:

Fidji smells like a mentor. It smells like someone who knows what you want to learn, and smiles when you ask them questions. It smells familiar to me. I think one of my teachers wore this.

The first notes I get from this are well-mannered, borderline sterile florals--mainly hyacinth and tuberose and ylang all mixed to create a lovely accord of cleanliness, with a backdrop of clove and iris that combines to smell like sparkling drops of rain water on a carnation. I think that is what people are smelling and it's reminding them of L'air du Temps, but the overall character of Fidji is completely different, and much more prim. I'd say the florals rule about 30% of this perfume. I think the majority of Fidji's composition is green notes, especially galbanum and oakmoss, giving it a mossy, retro feel. The green of Fidji is similar to the bitter, soapy, plant-like accords of Chanel No.19 or Scherrer perfume.

So how is this related to a beach? If you look up pictures of Fiji on google images, it shows you mainly pictures of vibrant, moss-covered mountains, along with palm trees. There appears to be a fuzzy green layer on everything as seen in aerial photos, and if you wear Fidji, there will be a layer of fresh, floral greenness on you.

Fidji opens with very green notes, sort of crushed herbs when you walk through the rain forest. Then some subtle flowers appear, I can smell mostly ylang-ylang, some jasmine, hyacinths and a timid carnation in the background. That stage is very short lived. Then you get moss, some sandalwood and spices.
Very classic and charming.
It made me travel back to the 70’s when we used to go to the beach in summer.
Nostalgic but joyful.
Excellent price by the way.
It’s good we still have it around.

I live in a land where we have three springs, it seems. Snow gives way to a few warm days of sunshine and warmer temps with the faint hint of the end of winter, then the rains come followed by more snow. This morning we have rain. I am wearing Fidji, and it is perfect. Greenish mossy earth with a whisper of florals and aldehydes. It feels natural and at the same time clean. I am loving it.

I have a glass bottle (huge!) that looks exactly like the photo in this page on Fragrantica. It was a gift from a now deceased schoolteacher whom I kept in touch with in my adult years. I think of her when I smell this scent, but I am very pleased with the perfume in and of itself. You gotta get your hands on a vintage fragrance that looks just like this glass bottle in the EDT concentration to really get the best version. This starts with aldehydes. Fresh and bathy, and with citrus notes that also sort of smell like grapefruit. The opening is very perfumy-perfume in a classic sense with aldehydes into citrus and then florals. But something about this leans unisex and not feminine. It has an intensely soapy quality. And soap is not for just men or just women but both. The soap bar here is both herbal-green and floral. The galbanum is truly kicking in and the vetiver. It's mossy but subtle and yet earthy. The spices are also present and the cloves. To me the only florals that are making their way to my nasal detection are the rose, the jasmine, the hyacinth, the ylang ylang possibly a carnation. The florals are aquatic, as if the flowers and their bloom/petals were washed up by sea water. Because it's a toilet water, it really does feel like you should scent your bath with this. It's not super floral as it is herbal with some floral notes and smells so fresh and clean. The dryer stages turns powdery. I'm smelling amber, some notes of wood, vetiver and patchouli. If you like green florals and soapy scents, plus patchouli this is heaven for such notes in a fragrance. I highly recommend this for any time of the year. It's a very casual bathy scent so good for wearing right after your shower. It's also office friendly and not offensive. A beautiful simple perfume. Unisex.

God this is a Classic. Believe it or not bought a huge bottle of this when I was on vacation at only 13 years old. I don't know if it was a fake or not, all I can remember is a light greenish smell. It was actually perfect for me since I was a child after all. Did not wear it much of course so it ended up on my mom's dresser. I still remember the bottle and the shopkeeper who sold it to me vividly after all these years. I had never heard of this 'FIDJI' perfume at the time but bought it anyway for the sake of the exotic name. That was a LIFETIME ago. Different perfumes evoke so many lost memories for us all I suppose.

I loved Fidji whan I was a teenager. Is the version of nowadays the same or has it changed? Maybe I buy a bottle, because of that ask you ...

My mum had the parfum with the black string to secure the dabber lid and I just loved smelling it. It smelled exotic, elegant and so grown up to me. There were three perfumes on my mum's dressing table, Fidji, Climat by Lancome and O de Lancome. They bring back so many memories of happier days with my whole life ahead of me and not a care in the world. I have the EDT and EDP of Fidji in my collection along with O de Lancome. Sadly Climat has long been discontinued. I just hope they never stop making this beautiful fragrance. Its a masterpiece!

As I approach my 70th birthday next week--I find myself on a scent nostalgia trip that the universe seems to be enabling me to take!. I discovered Fidji when I was a college student living in Pittsburgh. Along with Charlie--Avon's Field Flowers, Ricci's L'air du Temps, and Schulton's long vanished "Wild Meadow"--this scent was one of my go to's at that time--in fact I still have a tiny squirt or so of my original EDT spray in my ridiculous collection of perfumes! My college roommate also fell in love with it and used up half my bottle before I hid it from her! Well--this week I ordered a new bottle from Zulilly and it arrived today. I can do a comparison with my old EDT and this new re-launch ( Box says "Guy Laroche Paris" and made in France--distributed through Canada. ) It's still the scent I remember--green--fresh--floral and very dreamy--but it does fade off the skin faster--( Maybe because my skin is almost 70 and not 20 anymore?) In any case--I will save it for spring and summer and be thrilled to feel like I'm in my 20's again--if only in my head!!

Vintage mini edt - LOVE. When you're wanting that slap in the face from the old days of real perfume.. this will do it. I must be in the mood, and I am today.
I'd love to try the newer one, in a spray bottle I'm sure would be more kind as a light "mist" would likely be all one needs of this power house on a regular day, but that is not how I'm wearing it today, having dropped big splashes layered over more big splashes of vintage Magie Noire edt (another vintage mini).. today I mean business. Not the kind of business where I'll be out exposed to other humans, today I need to get things done at home and wearing this all for me with no one to offend and nobody else in mind. Only me.
I so wish these were edp.
Even as it is, neighbours may smell me from next door. If I get a bang at the door I'll let yas know.
Incase they don't, I will top up with both these gems in the next few hours to be sure. Not that I'll need it, but for good measure. When diving head first into deep cleaning/packing/organizing, one must arm herself first with a strong woman scent, and today I am double armed with Fidgi & Magie Noire. Talk about powerful!
EDIT: before heading off into the kitchen, I've also layered on Cacherel's Anais Anais edt (another vintage mini) - for good measure. Because why the heck not?!

No tropical vibe at all, I see many people being fooled by the name. Old school elegant floral scent. Too much galbanum and aldehydes that unfortunately cover the beautiful floral mix.

This is what I call a sophisticated Sexy scent! Absolutely love it!

Scent profile- I can scent most of the notes described (unlike most Perfumes released since 2000 which usually contain nothing but mostly 100% aroma chemicals leaving no resemblance to the hyacinth or bergamot or any scent usually described).
Fidgi in contrast contains a high percentage of natural plant extracts & some aroma ingredients hence the scent profile is more clean,vivid & a cut above many designer Perfumers.

Notes- on first application I get a clean, fresh, green note, followed swiftly with hints of hyacinth,bergamot,galbanum,there is a sense of creamy musky note that underpins the top note ,could be from the sandalwood & musk. Various stages I can detect hints of tuberose & spicy undercurrent. Then I get hints of soft white florals mixed with something green like Jasmine with hints of oakmoss- simply the best .
No one makes perfumes like this anymore,literally oozing in elegance, clean, complex,sensual scent.
Love it! My teen daughter loves it too.

Good, solid scent.
Smells like L'air du Temp without the Magic.
(I love L'air du Temp).
✨

Sunset, Pacific Ocean, tropical island, monsoon kiss.
Brands open up the market and lay the foundation, relying on fidji.
Since its birth, fidji has undergone a total of five formula revisions. My EDT should be 1970~1980, no later than 1990.
One of the early classical woody greens, fidji inspired a group of top chypres including Chanel N°19.
It didn't perform as well as I predicted.
The white rosin with metallic luster stays on the body for half an hour, and then slowly disperses, releasing the fragrance of jasmine.
I still don't like it very much at this stage.
The green with the slightest touch, vivid the old-fashioned rigid aldehyde.
From the green astringency to the light pink taste of orris root, there is an oily feeling similar to balsam.
The presence of aldehyde decreased, and green waves came, one after another, and shot on the white sandy beach.
The strength is soothing and the overall scent becomes softer.
Budding tuberose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, a little hyacinth, and vetiver add to the mood of a Fiji night.
Although the fidji technique is still in the era of black-and-white movies, and its essence is not innovative enough, it already has a prototype for future generations to follow.
It is a freehand brushstroke of traditional style, an excellent reproduction.
There is a classic that lasts forever.
Because it has mastered the core of beauty, it is timeless.
And another classic, which once amazed an era, but, under the torrent of time, gradually dimmed and lost its original glory.
In the end, it only exists in the memory of people at that time.

I was intrigued by the L'air du Temps on holiday in the tropics description.
I have the perfume & it shares similarities to Hibiscus Palm.

I've been looking for a specific scent from the early 80s that I don't know the name of, so this was part of that search. Well, it's not that specific scent, but it is a floral chypre of its era. The aldehydes are very polite in this current version (I believe this is the modern blend, no earlier than 2018). It’s florals, green notes, some light citrus. It smells very vintage in style while lacking the depth and heaviness it probably once carried. Overall pleasant and nice, but it truly smells its age and isn’t my kind of thing. Glad to have sampled, don’t need more.

Vintage EDT very nice. Fresh, rich, floral with soapy aldehydes. Similar sort of feel to Givenchy Amarige, but more fresh and delicate, where Amarige is quite a beast, but the aldehydes are loosely similar. Lovely summery perfume.

Modern edt very faint, more green, less aldehydes, much less sillage, much less strong. Not worth even the £25 I paid.

Vintage version. A bit disappointing because I was expecting something tropical and got a soapy, aldehydic floral instead. It's all hyacinth, galbanum and aldehydes at first. If you can get past the harsh opening, it does improve about an hour in when the jasmine and ylang-ylang appear. Still very green and rather thin at this point but gets sweeter as it dries down. This progression from sharp into floral is also present in Catapano's Zen, although it smells much differently. May try a parfum for more depth to see if I like that better, as I like the dry down.

It is a beautiful fragrance, no doubt. But very ephemeral. It fades in a few minutes and leaves you wanting. Much better fragrances that last longer are Madame Rochas and Coriandre if you're looking for a delicious Chypre. I can't see the point in buying this fragrance, and not sure how it scored a 4.16.

This is my favorite perfume. I first smelled it in 1997 (when I was 12), when mum bought some miniature perfumes in a duty free store, and I didn't grow tired of it ever since. For a long time, I kept the empty tiny bottle just to smell it every now and then, until I travelled to Europe again in 2010 and found a big 100ml bottle... In a duty free shop. Of course I bought it and my love and wonder was renewed. This perfume smells of perfection to me, it's flawless, beautiful and makes me feel like everything is gonna be alright. I believe I will always wear it and I dread it might be discontinued one day.

It was a blind buy based on my foggy memories 30 years ago. Total disappointment, but my guilt I had not seen ylang-ylang in the middle notes of the description. I just cannot stand its smell, reminds me of soapy dampy laundry. Today I can still smell it on my dress, and still it makes me nausea.

In this new version of Fidji EDT, it's as if the current version of (the still-classic) Wind Song went to finishing school.

The soapy/spicy carnation (ghost note here) is still the star, but there are moves now - gone is the linear and static goodness. There are lithe and subtle undulations with the spices, brought out by upscale ingredients and deft blending.

Wind Song's twin sister went to finishing school. Her name is Fidji. And like her twin, she's unisex.

Just popped back to see how the reviews of fidji are going,I always have a bottle as my go to perfume.I. enjoy lots of different perfumes.and I also love to layer different fragrances .I especially like to mix fidgi with coconut body creams and perfumes.I still think you need to have used a perfume quite a while before you review it.im not interested in the long rambling essays of those who have just used a tester,and still on same tester a year later ..

I bought a mini of this years ago because I remember my friend's mum wearing it back in the day.

I picked it out tonight as I couldn't remember what it smelled like.

I sprayed it a good 15 minutes ago and right now it's death by hyacinth, definitely not my favourite flower. Looking forward to how it dries down.

I love this scent

SMELS LIKE 80'S. like mom :)

I loved this perfume in the 80's and have discovered again and I still love it .it stands up against the more expensive perfumes and is long lasting .I like to layer it with beachy perfumes ..tahiti monoi ..I really get annoyed with people who write long reviews after wearing a free sample .you need to wear it alot before you can review it .

Somehow Fidji smells to me very similar to Nina Ricci L'air du temps: fresh and retro. I tried the modern EdP and a mini splash bottle.

Fidji can be described as soft,sheer, harsh, green, white and woody all at once. There is a richness of natural florals in the heart, jasmine prevails. The opening blast of galbanum and aldehydes keep it smelling clean and green for the most part. The light soapiness comes through with the bitter spring freshness of hyacinth.It's a classic with more richness and comfort than Chanel No 5. It just reminds me of it because of the strength of the aldehydes, but this gets warmer and creamier as the galbanum softens. Not a sweet floral, and not a powdery one. Nice.

Fidji has frustrated me for decades. And this is why: when I asked a girl in school what the name of her wonderful perfume was, she said Fidji. It was so sweet and intense, I had to buy a bottle. Now everyone who's experienced vintage F. knows something's up - because Fidji isn't sweet.
It's intense and green with woody notes, has good sillage and lasting power. It's an unusual take of a tropical theme - more chypre than oriental. And ever since then I've wondered why this perfume won't perform on me as it did on her? Has it been reformulated in the short time from when she told me the name until I bought it?
Looking at the listing above I notice that the current version of F. is nearly colorless. The nearly 20 year old contents of my bottle are a pale yellow. The perfume smells like it did when it was brand new, I'm sure it's not turned.

So that's my Fidji story. There's nothing wrong with F., it's just not what I'd hoped for, which is why I haven't rated it. I may have to find this one a good home ...
Edited: I sold it and entered a rating. F. was a lost cause.

Wore this one in the 1970s. I saw actress Connie Stevens on a talk show (Johnny Carson, I think), and she said that's what she was wearing. Of course, I had to run right out and buy it. (Although I bet she had the perfume.) Anyway, I rather liked it and the bottle, too. If I could find some again at a good price, I would probably buy for nostalgia reasons. Would be hard-pressed to describe it at this point, except to say that it made me feel oh-so-sophisticated knowing that Connie also wore it!

Picked this one up at a perfume kiosk, while passing through a Delaware travel stop on my way back to the Northeast.. Having heard so many good things about this fragrance via the Fragrantica community, I bought a bottle, "sight un-smelt". Fortunately, this is a WIN!!!

Love, love, love!

But hold on -- though Fidji is a different fragrance altogether, I am reminded of both Chanel No. 5 (and its flankers) AND "A Scent by Issey Miyake".. Has anyone else come to find such a similarity?

I just got it today. I bought it because the note breakdown seems so interesting! However, the scent itself smells so similar I am trying to remember where I have smelt this. It is a very clean scent that is powdery like not old lady but it's definitely detergent powder-like or foundation powder. Maybe it smells like nappies or maybe it reminds me of my mum's cosmetics that I found underneath her vanity when I was a little one.
This sure is a blind buy and I really don't know how I feel about it. I feel like my older brother could pull this off but I won't be able to because this scent doesn't fit my personality. It's a bit too clean and I don't think that's me. Why did I buy this even though I knew based on the comments here this wouldn't suit me? I really wasn't thinking. Gosh.
Saying all that, I do think it's a unique scent. Like it's a clean scent that has some special tones to it. I feel like it's a great bedtime scent.

Fidji - the scent of paradise. Vintage, 70’s edt splash.

Created by the late Josephine Catapano (of Norell, Youth Dew etc), Fidji embodied a new style in perfumery, a green fresh spirit, inspired in part by L’Air du Temps, and later on inspiring the mythical Anaïs Anaïs. It was a dreamscape, faraway islands, exotic beaches and the magic of the orient. But not in a heavy oriental manner; Fidji was the daytime version, a more hip hippie fragrance giving its emphasis on patchouli and sandalwood, and bitter green notes.
Back then, when tropical didn’t mean fruity pink drinks and coconut suntan lotion, Fidji was seen as a breath of fresh air. And righty so; galbanum in abundance, aldehydes, hyacinth, jasmine, ylang ylang, cloves, orris, ambergris, oakmoss, sandalwood... a fresh but sensual fragrance that read in its first ads ‘a woman is an island, Fidji is her fragrance’. Review of early 70’s edt splash.

And indeed it was. Seen through the lens of a gauzy dreamscape, Fidji startles with its soapy aldehydes and bitter herbal opening. Fresh, savonneux, the cool touch of skin freshly showered. Lemon and bergamot add further sparkle without making the opening citrusy, instead enhancing the galbanum, and making way for the florals. Flowers that are caressed by the Pacific breeze. Rich but never demure, the flowers are enhanced by the spicy cloves, with a slight carnation feel, hence the association with the more serious and mature L’Air du Temps; Fidji was younger, carefree, emancipating. Exploring new lands, breaking new boundaries. But even though there’s an innate breath of fresh air running through, Fidji still manages to smell sensual at the same time. The ambery base with ambergris for its lick of salty skin, sandalwood from Mysore that conjures the exotic and faraway India, sensual musks, oakmoss... notes that anchor Fidji on skin for hours, developing and mesmerizing, enveloping the fragrance in sensuality and transitioning it to the night.

Fidji was seen as a perfect scent for young ladies. The allure of the exotic was becoming a reality, Woodstock was about to take place, and the hippie movement was in auge. But while a young lady could perfectly wear it, a green fresh floral, so could a more rogue one. Deep basenotes, rich patchouli and sandalwood, animalic beauty running through. Fidji was the dream of a generation, a perfume that made a reality the new world and the breaking of boundaries. A still frame of a generation that was breaking free of restrictions and embracing opportunities. Fidji is and was for everyone, and today it feels more unisex than ever. In its early 70’s formula, which is the one I own, it positively sings on skin for hours on end. The version sold today, while thinner and flatter, still manages to convey the smell of exotic islands and faraway lands.
A woman is an island, but Fidji can be worn by anybody. Green, fresh, sparkling; timeless and elegant. A true masterpiece and what exotic fragrances should smell like!

Sweet, potent and gorgeous. A lovely woman's perfume.

Another fragrance from my youth- made me feel grown-up and glam - I will always love it

A fragrance from my youth. Soft, woody and flowery... and a LOT like L´air du temps as other reviews also says. Silage and longevity are moderate. The scent is descrete, feminine and fragile. Fidji I have loved you for many years ... I think we` ll never grow apart.

One of my youth fragrances: Ma Griffe in Winter and Fidji in Summer. Simple, magnificent.

I got a sample of vintage Fidji from theperfumedcourt. Fidji starts off as a soapy aldehyde. It then becomes more powdery as the iris comes out, but without the dirty diaper vibe that is often with powdery scents. After several hours, the sandalwood starts to show as most of the top mid notes fades away. It’s well balanced and soft. It’s unlike other soapy or powdery perfumes of our time, but doesn’t feel outdated either.

This is my sultrier version of L'air du temps. I love this scent initial blast is like savlon disinfectant but once it melds into my skin it is gorgeous. A spicy fruity aldehydic scent which gives a melancholic end of summer vibe as opposed to a pina colada tropical feel. Stunning wearable for any occasion and timeless.

Don't remember where, don't remember how... but growing up there was a mini of this in my parents' bedroom, and when I tested it, I was like "Pieew!!"

Now I'm older, I might try it again... maybe with a different reaction?

This is one of my mom's favorite fragrances. She really loves it.

I have vintage version now. It smells lemon, galbanum, hyacinth, iris, vetiver, oakmoss and sandalwood. Kinda retro. But I'm feeling myself like on the tropical island.

I love this fragrance!!!

I am wearing the vintage. This is a lovely soapy floral aldehyde that is not a chypre with the sharp oakmoss. This is clean and bright like aldehydes of the era and is one of the best.

Just when I thought that there wasn't an iris perfume for me (as I am finding the more contemporary iris notes somewhat synthetic and redolent of plastic dolls), I encounter a sample of Fidji amongst my stash and am enthusiastically enlivened.

Fidji opens with the most heavenly elixir of flowers, magnificently evocative of a tropical sunset: the perfume of a stunning spectrum of flowers warmed by balmy rays throughout the day and beginning to cool as the sun hits the horizon. It's hard to summarize the breathtaking beauty of this magical introduction.

As the wonderful nectar dries, iris and violet make a soft, hazy showing and release a miasm of powder, tinted with green and slightly indolic. Woody with a delicate aroma of clove, a little soapy like a golden bar of bitter, ambery soap.

Fidji is gently narcotic and has a way of simmering your soul.

I am BLESSED as I was born in Fiji!! In the capital of Suva. My parents immigrated to Canada when I was 8.

My boyfriend bought me a bottle of Chanel No.5 when I was 15. He was slightly older and had very good taste (and a little assistance from his mother, I'm sure).

On my Sweet 16th birthday, my Aunt gifted me wih a bottle of FIDJI Eau de toilette. I loved the name, associating it with my birthplace ~ the romantic islands of the South Pacific. ..and thus grew my love of perfumes. (My love of scent began as a child in Fiji ~ where gardenia, franigipani/plumeria and tiare blossoms grew in abundance)!

I am now at the wonderful age of Sweet 60!!..and have been bequeathed a full bottle of the Original VINTAGE blend of FIDJI Eau de Parfum (by a complete stranger! A woman from my church who passed away last month and left many items to be "given away" as mementos to the ladies of my church. As I looked over the items, I couldn't believe my eyes! There was a FULL bottle of FIDJI!! Didn't these women know a good thing when they saw it?! I picked it up and cherished it. I've let it sit on my dresser for a week without wearing it. Until today. Palm Sunday. I went to church today, and thought of this dear benefactor who not only bequeathed me perfumes (Tresor and Madame Rochas as well) plus a 14K Jerusalem Cross pendant!

This VINTAGE scent is reminiscent of my 16th year but it has matured.

Feeling VERY BLESSED INDEED!

I love my perfumes and I seem to be gifted with many ~ and I gift myself many as well!

That's an example of wonderful marketing strategy.

Beautiful name, slogan "a woman is an island etc", escapism, even the letters' style on the packaging are gorgeous. All things exotic and oceanic, matched with a minimal, very basic b&w bottle design, a *contrast* that created an *instant classic feel*.

But have you noticed I haven't said a word about the smell yet? That's because it is nothing you would truly adore if it wasn't for its ad campaign. Yes it is somewhere between L'Air du Temps and Anais-Anais, quickly evaporating, nice but not exactly memorable. Would I own it and wear it, even for the dreamy marketing? YES, OFCOURSE:)

Fidji Eau De Toilette Splash Bottle

I wore this in the 1960's and it always brings me back to a time in my life when I was young, idealistic and smelled of this stuff! It was and still is a perfume for day wear. This smells of soap and clean, very easy to pull off. Nothing complex about it. It would pass for Ivoire de Balmain the new formula in today's fragrance market.

This was Guy Laroche debut fragrance. It was marketed for women but by today's context this is a unisex fragrance. Men folk you can wear this too. Fidji opens with a blast of aldehydes which is terribly old fashioned but fresh, refreshing and revitalizing. I was thinking it sort of smelled like sailing out on a fast moving motor boat and the wind and ocean breeze is in your face. The aldehydes wear off and the citrus scent is that of lemon but not at all sharp or sour. It's sweet and soft. In fact, sometimes I don't detect any citrus or fruit at all. However there is a fruity vibe to this perfume, perhaps fruited with additional notes of grapefruit or mandarin.

The floral notes are composed of rose, jasmine, hyacinth, iris and violet. Each of these flowers are completely discernable. This is a gorgeous iris based perfume; an iris which turns powdery like dust, flower dust. The rose is also quite a dusty rose. I wish the flowers had been more aquatic but this is long before the aquatic fragrances were in vogue. Instead this turns into the powdery floral scent, or soap. It's clean and very smooth, almost like a vanilla flower that has been made into body cream.

There is an Oriental base body of cloves, patchouli, galbanum, sandalwood and musk. It's woodsy, green and musky, aromatic and very beautiful. Spicy. The dry down is quite masculine in fact. I never thought of it as masculine back in the 60's but then again women were wearing what could pass as men's musk scents today - i.e. Bal a Versailles even Chanel No. 5. This is nowhere near Chanel No 5 because the moss and the florals, the soapiness, is quite a day wear fragrance which is quite casual and relaxed. It's a perfume of clean simplicity and at the time matched up with those baby doll dresses, Mary Quant fashions from London, micro mini skirts and so forth. It's a perfume for a young girl to wear throughout her day as she works at an office - i.e. dentist, hospital, business office, etc. Just a straight no nonsense perfume of fruit, florals, powder, soap, moss and musk.

I don't think this fragrance evokes Fidji the island and nor is it exotic or even that much of an Oriental. It's hard to classify it but I suppose it's aromatic and green-floral. Gorgeous too.

A gorgeous, classic green floral chypre. I'm lucky enough to have found a vintage mini which still smells as fresh as the day it was made.

The first impression is of a huge dose of galbanum - very green and resinous. Hyacinth, iris and tuberose then come to the fore. It's not so much powdery as it is soapy. There's a subtle spiciness to Fidji that sets it apart from the aloof, icy green chypres of its era. It's surprisingly creamy, thanks to smooth sandalwood and amber, in perfect accord with the earthy vetiver and moss. It's also warmer than other galbanum-heavy contemporaries like Chanel No 19, thanks to the lighter touch of aldehydes and the woody-resinous base. There's a deft touch of sweetness that staves off the gloom of darker green scents like Piguet's Futur.

I live in the Pacific, and I don't find Fidji to be a particularly tropical scent. The name seems oddly mismatched. It is, however, cool and clean, like the feeling of waxy petals against skin. Some may find it soapy and old-fashioned, but for those who love lighter greens, it's pure bliss.

I brought this home on a blotter today and waved it under the husband's nose. "Horrid in a granny way!" he shrieked, entirely unprompted, throwing the blotter away from himself with some force. Oh dear. Don't shoot the messenger just because he said the G word. I know what he means and so do you! This is of a certain time. For me this conjurs my gran's friends all sat round the table at xmas, playing cards and smoking, through an added veil of this, or something very similar. (First by Van Cleef & Arpels is quite similar, or at least the vintage is, but First is much better, Fidji smell cheaper) I actually quite like this, but it is going to come across spectacularly old fashioned so you have been warned. I get aldehydes, galbanum, oakmoss and spices mostly I suppose, but nothing stands out on it's own, this is as just PERFUMEY as they come, it's oh I can't wait for the upset this is going to cause, but this is GENERIC GRANNY PERFUME. A fresh island breeze IS NOT HERE. Unless your concept of that is being on a cruise ship with the over sixties. Oh please, I'm old too, I can face it :D

"Take me away to Fidji." Never been there, but if its breezes are scented anywhere close to my just purchased 2011 formulation, I'll have many wonderful days arm chair traveling to Fidji this winter. Still, I want to buy a vintage, just so I can delight in this floral with real oakmoss. Why did I wait so long?

Such a disappointment! I have a sample of vintage and it smells like LD Temp at the start and then dries down to alluring notes of resins - an evening worthy kind. I bought a new bottle(reformulated version) hoping for the same heart notes at least. But these two are completely different scents. The reformulated opens like watered down version of LD Temp with citrus notes. Then it starts to smell like watered down men's cologne and then it settles down to the notes of galbanum and oakmoss with hint of musk as its heart. No sandalwood, no patchouli, no resins whatsoever, not even amber. Completely Two different perfumes. This can easily pass for a day time summer scent with a sporty vibe for me.
Vintage had decent sillage. Reformulated sits close to skin.

Galbanum is one of my favorite green notes. So fidji is my cup of tea as floral chypres concern! Today was my lucky day. Was able to test a 35 years old tester vial in mint condition. Opening was the most resinous green galbanum i've ever smelled. But is not bitter, is much well rounded by the citruses.
After half an hour galbanum is settled down- always present- and hyacinth, aldehydes and iris give an airiness to the composition. Guess that "tropical" character of fidji is somehow all the notes above in perfect balance plus some nuances of tuberose.
In the drydown, after several hours some spice and woods are there, maybe some moss and vetiver but the astonishing factor imho is that galbanum, even subdued, is always there!
So if you love that note, well...you must try it. I believe is not a safe blind buy. If you got the chance you should take a skin test.
Longevity is excellent- 7 to 10 hours although after 3-4h is close to the skin.
New formula has the top notes considerably toned down it goes straight to the middle notes and stays more linear. Of course longevity is moderate. All in all still is a winner for me!

It's a bit sad. Purchased a vintage bottle and the top notes are shot. What's left?

All of the middle and base notes which are shared by every other vintage perfume: jasmine, rose, cloves, orris, etc.

A teensy tiny bit of hyacinth somehow clung to the formula such that the whole thing reminded me of the reformulated version of Je Reviens. Not the vintage Je Reviens in all of it's glory (that formula is an iron battleship when it comes to remaining strong through the years), but the mandy pandy watery reformulated version that was sold cheaply in drugstores for a bit.

Im amazed at how I have taken to this oldie but a goodie. Hyacinth and aldehydes are usually notes I steer well clear of. No one is more surprised than me. Its got so many notes in (like many vintage fragrances) that Im surprised the kitchen sink isnt listed!
Yep, I can pick up on everything pretty much in the same order as everyone else on here. The result though is wonderful. It sweeps you away to a tropical beach somewhere in the South Pacific. Its fresh, a touch spicey yet there is some sweetness and warmth to never make it smell harsh or screechy. Wipe away any thoughts of similarity with the ubquitious modern "beach" fragrances with lots of sweet coconut, tiare and frangipani. This is pure class. This has gone straight into my top 5 summer fragrance. Im just sorry I didnt try it much sooner. Do test it NOW! If you can find the Parfum then even better.
Sillage and longevuty moderate.

Something in this smells different than the other green perfumes, more depth. It might be the tiny amount of cloves , sandalwood and spicy notes, just a bit though, not to overwhelm ,just to differentiate this perfume from the others. A subtle scent that is my springtime go to.....

Fidji is pure nostalgia for me. I wore it in the 70s, and just a whiff of it brings that era back to me. Elegant and very original.

I smelled Fidji on a blotter at an event about female noses that the Osmothèque put on in Paris. It was one of the stand outs of the entire presentation, and it lasted so long on my blotter that I ordered a bottle online as soon as I got home to California.
I still love it. It reminds me of Giorgio of Beverly Hills, but not so much that I regret having a bottle of each. The Fidji tuberose is more furry, more green, more languid and casual than Giorgio's sexy power suit tuberose/white flower bomb.
I'm still getting to know Fidji, but it is so easy to wear and so reminiscent of sunny days at the beach without smelling like other 'beachy' scents that can be too literal, smelling of salty notes or coconut and sun tan lotion. I read other people's reviews comparing Fidji to suntan lotions, and I'd like to smell those to compare, but for me, I get a more abstract beach experience; gold heat, dappled shadows, turquoise breezes, and a private, sexy secret.
My only complaint is its lack of projection and longevity. Otherwise, I'm pretty ready for my fling with Fidji.

I had one bottle in the 70s and , at first, loved it. But Lux launched a soap with exactly the same scent. It became common place and I couldn't stand it anymore. For me it starts with aldehydes, which stay thoroughout, and becames a light floral with hyacinth as the second main note, ending with an aldehyde/floral/ambery combo. Very light but long lasting.

Thanks to dear member @mufulia, she sent me a vintage mini, and I'm here to review the "very real-deal" :)

It was extremely an emotionally charged experience, because my mum who happened wear Fidji as her signature when she was young (in late 70s) burst into tears when we smelt the juice from the tiny miniature bottle...

She had so fond memories of the perfume, and sometimes would mention it when the subject perfume opened up. Well, she was right...

Vintage Fidji is drop-dead-gorgeous!

I found it quite similar to Guerlain's Mitsouko which I adore. Fidji is slightly greener, but make no mistake, we aren't on the fresh side. It smells deep and resinous, just the right amount of sweet, creamy and balmy. It has a chypre feel to it. A very compact perfume which stands on its own, it's distinctively vintage, any perfume enthusiast wouldn't make a mistake on that smelling it on you. I've also seen similarities to Rochas Femme here (early 2000s).

Very queenly.

Pure perfume, it's distinctively powerful. 1 drop of it projects and lasts...

I've found a heavily secure black leather box to store it along with other especially precious specimens.

Ohh how I love perfumes from the 60-ties.
This tuberose floral dream is just adorable. It makes a summers day even more beautifull.

I remembered loving this as a teenager, but my chemistry has changed and it smells horrible on me. Too bad because I purchased a 1.7 oz bottle. I am more than will to trade for a 1.7 of something else, so inbox me.

Initially I thought I love this... But after a few days I have to admit it's way too strong for my taste. The lily of the valley is sickening ( and I loooove Diorissimo....). And it lasts and lasts and lasts. I still can't detect any green, fruity or citrusy in this. Just the overly sweet florals. I literally feel nauseous as I write this:( Will be happy to get rid of this. Fidji, I will not go there unfortunately.

The first few minutes is so promising! it reminds me of a much diluted Estee Lauder Private Collection. Private Collection is so lush so bitter so green thatit forced tears out of me i i first tried it. Both perfume share a few notes and are both classified as green woody and floral.

But what happens it this perfume simply disappears. i test this one in summer and in winter. I spray 10plus generous spray. It weakens considerably and very rapidly into skin scent within 10minutes. within an hour or two, it is gone.

Spraying in bedding fairs better. it leaves a simple clean uplifting green scent.

I get the green colour one, the recent version.v

I so love this perfume despite I've never tried the original and am talking about the reformulation.

It's so refreshing green and classy; it reminds me of Aromatics Elixir and Eau du Soir. A fresh lovely oakmoss with touch of flowers.

Whereas it's quite an affordable perfume online, it's like 3X the price in stores here in Cyprus; and I totally detest this situation! I condemn UK's embargo on online shopping perfumes!

SCENTS OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC

A SUMMER GETAWAY TO FII

Guy Laroche launched his fragrance Fidji in 1966. His nose was Josephine Catapano. They were on vacation in the islands of Fiji when they came up with this fragrance. The lush beauty of the islands, the same islands that inspired French artist Paul Gauguin, is supposed to be contained within this bottle. The design of the bottle, in 1966, was avant-garde. This is not a frilly, pretty bottle. It's simple, sharply curved and similar to a hexagon made of glass with a metallic handlebar stopper. For the 60's, this was an artistic statement, something different, something for the young woman of the 60's who enjoyed being experimental not only with her choices in life but with her clothing, hair styles and fragrances. This fragrance would have suited a bohemian girl in San Francisco's Haight Ashbury district, or in New York City's Greenwich Village. It's the fragrance for a peace loving hippie. But this is what I feel about the fragrance in the context of the decade in which it was made. It's been reformulated and this is what you are likely to buy. I can't speak for the new version as I have only worn the classic 1966 original formula fragrance. Notes in Fidji include:

Head Notes: Iris Galbanum Hyacinth Lemon Bergamot

Heart Notes: Violet Orris Root Jasmine Cloves YlangYlang, Rose, Spices and Aldehydes

Base Notes: Sandalwood, Amber, Patchouli, Musk Oakmoss, Vetiver and Resins

This is a heavily layered concentration, so the result is a strong cologne that can feel unisex. I can defintely smell Fidji on a guy and it would smell good. The aldehydes in the original are in the top notes and they're powerful, like crashing waves against rocks or the shores on the island of Fidji or the monsoon winds in the South Pacific. Even that was beautiful, but it would not be wearable for some people. Obviously, the reformulation is wearable and contains less aldehydes. The vintage Fidji is more fruity. It would fall under the genre of fruity floral aldehyde. The fruits I can detect are grapefruit and orange, but they are very pulpy and acidic. Then there is a very distinct kava, which comes straight out of Polynesian islands like Tahiti or the Marquesas islands. It's the most popular intoxicating drink from the islands. It's very peppery and layered with the rose it's absolutely delicious, like an island girl with a flower in her hair has just sat down next to you on the beach offering you kava to drink. The fragrances takes you away to Fiji, where the sun is hot, where dark skinned Samoan people are idly passing the time at the beach eating fruits. This fragrance reminds me of Paul Gauguin's painting Nave Nave Moe or Sacred Spring Sweet Dreams. It depicts Tahitian people at a picnic, some seated, some standing or dancing. The two identical looking dark haired island girls in white top and flower print red skirt in the forefront of the painting are eating what looks like a mango or blood orange. Fidji is a trip to Fiji. So for the more practical use of this perfume, wear it as a casual day time spring and summer fragrance. If it's too strong or you've sprayed too much on, it can become like a cologne for the evening, but it is definitely a summer fragrance. You can take it with you and wear it on your trip to island getaways- to Hawaii, to Tahiti, to Fiji, to the Caribbean islands. Perfume is definitely something to take when you travel and certain fragrances absolutely fit in with the destinations you're visiting. For another example of this is Donna by Pavarotti, which instantly takes me to Italy and can be worn on a trip to Italy. Fidji by Guy Laroche is a masterpiece and one that doesn't get much recognition under the shadows of today's generic celebrity fragrances or designer fashion house fragrances that are light delicate florals. This one is simply gorgeous but I would recommend you get your hands on the vintage original formula. The new one is probably good, but it would be a skin scent pick me up fragrance to wear every day, and nothing like Fidji original fragrance that clearly has the power to take you away to Fiji, no matter if you're just standing in line for a movie ticket in New Jersey.

..PS an original unused bottle of Fidji (from the 70's) in sealed packaging has just sold on eBay for £82!!
:-) I missed out at the £40 mark

...oh and doesn't it smell very much like L'air Du Temps

I was first introduced to the delicious Fidji in the 1970's as it formed part of a four pack set called 'The French Quarter' one of the other miniatures was VU by Ted Lapidus, can't recall the other 2 perfumes in the set. Have bought it recently and hadn't realised the scent had changed :-)

This was my special fragrance in my 20's but sadly the new version just does not compare.

MY personal experiences with the Fidji perfume started when I was a child ..and it was resumed some years ago, when I got a box full of many different brands of perfumes in miniature flacones.

One of these small bottles contained the Fidji perfume. The moment I put my nose to the little flacon's opening, I was transported back to a time of my childhood,to wonderful trips to Italy with my parents, to my mother's exciting, silk lined handbag, to her crackling clean dresses and femininity, to summer holidays and sparkling drinks. This parfume was the one she always used then, I realized! It was a treasure discovery, and I swore I would always keep the tiny flacon in a safe place, and only use it for mental trips back in time, when needed, via smelling it .
However, a few weeks ago I strangely reached the conclusion, that I might now be at the crossroads on which I was to decide for good, if I wanted to keep Fidji as a memory generator, or if I would actually attempt to transcend the boundaries between past and present, parents and child, and try using the perfume on my own skin.
I found my little Fidji flacon, which I had not handled for at least a year, and I was amazed at how little perfume was left in the bottle! I suppose it evaporates by itself over time, because I had not used the perfume itself, ever, but had merely sniffed the scent.

It was an enormous pleasure to return to this scent, and indeed to allow myself to even wear it on my own skin. {I think that Fidji is the one perfume in the world, which I instinctively am most attracted to, even though I have learned that you should use more sophisticated fragrances like Mitsouko and Shalimar - which I also like lots, for the record).

I wonder if my adoration of Fidji simply is due to my memory aspect of it, or if the scent in itself is enough to make me swoon. I do so love the scent from my little flacon. I find it clean, yet lush, and definitely very warm in an alluring and unique way. This scent is a jewel and a masterpiece, for sure - a perfect creation, like a sunny, beautiful child who has a very open, curious, trusting mind.

For nights, now, I have been dabbing some of the perfume on my wrist, and have stayed awake and sniffed my wrist in the dark, long into the night, and for days, I have been looking forward to going over to the cabinet where the little flacon is kept, to take a sniff. The smell makes me feel so good.

Whatever the case, there is almost no perfume left in the small flacon, and I have intercepted a slight odor of alcohol in the aroma, which makes me suspect that the fragrance will soon be too old .. So I ordered a new bottle of Fidji, and it arrived yesterday.
I was pleased beyond words to get this new flacon, and was looking forward to really turning myself into a user of the Fidji perfume. However, I was also a little nervous, as I had read some reviews here, which were critical of the new edition of the perfume ~ and alas, as I sprayed a whiff of the new Fidji on my wrist, I instantly knew that what I had read was true.
It is as if the clear, deep, immaculately happy smell of the Fidji from my small flacon, in the new bottle has been turned into something entirely different. As if the deep, amber clarity has been contaminated with something foggy and vague - something that perhaps is supposed to be sexy and feminine, but which destroys the essence of Fidji, as I perceive it.

I am a total novice in the fragrance world, when it comes to expressions and identification of the various components of a fragrance, so I do not know what happened, but I really think that the perfume has changed character to such a degree that it is difficult to recognize it. There is only a faint echo of its former wonderful soul. The sunny,happy child has grown up and become an ordinary, troubled adult.

I think that my starting adventure with Fidji thus is destroyed, and now , again, I only have the little flacon with a bottom scraper of the old perfume to stick to .. and I will use it as I originally did, only as a memory developer.

Having said all this, I do like the new Fidji scent, and will perhaps use it .. Yes, I do think I will use it, and cling to the hope that some of its original soul will turn up, or hang around the fringes.
(Had I not known the smell of the original Fidji, I would probably have REALLY liked the new Fidji, but
one thing that I simply can't understand is why they have changed this scent? Is there no way to get the old one back? )

Fidji is one of the most beautiful and deliciously compelling perfumes I know and love. With all the horrid celebrity err 'fragrances' (I refuse to call them perfumes) saturating the market, Guy Laroche's luscious Fidji is a breath of fresh air and the sweetest assault on the senses.

A gorgeous melange of, tuberose, yang ylang, orange blossom and jasmine forms a heady cascade, layered with soft sandalwood, patchouli, musk and amber.

Fidji is so delicious you almost feel like you want to drink this wonderful nectar. It cheers me up during autumn and winter, but come spring and summer Fidji delightfully weaves its exotic magic...mmmm.

Bellissima review, Polly.
Fidji è stato il mio primissimo profumo.
Una valanga di memorie, avevo 12 anni circa... niente a che fare con le odierne celebrity scents..

Beautiful review, Polly .
Fidji was my very first fragrance .
A flood of memories , I was 12 years or so ... nothing to do with today's celebrity scents ..

nostalgia di terre lontane. oggi indosso un capolavoro senza tempo che mi ricorda inesorabilmente una vacanza passata alle isole eolie con mio padre (avrò avuto 7 o 8 anni). avevo con me un minuscolo beauty case con un paio di pettinini di plastica, un campioncino di Fidji in forma di fazzolettino imbevuto e poco altro. mi piaceva molto, allora. e, con mia grande sorpresa, mi piace ancora. la prima impressione è quella di una versione più leggera ed esotica di mitsouko, più floreale che cyphre. nonostante la complessità fiorita dell'accordo con note di giacinto, gelsomino, iris, ylang ylang, l'effetto generale è per me molto confortevole. il profumo si inaugura con note frizzanti e verdi, per lo più floreali, appunto, e leggermente aldeidiche. la "verdezza" (non so come altro chiamarla!) però viene ammorbidita, nel tempo, grazie a sentori speziati ma soprattutto resinosi (galbano, ambra, patchouli) con un fondo decisamente legnoso (vetiver, sandalo). come gran parte dei profumi di vecchio stampo, anche qui mi trovo di fronte ad una complessità elegantissima e perfettamente dosata, molto distante dalle attuali fragranze astratte e generiche, che richiede tempo e concentrazione nel tentativo di risolvere un puzzle olfattivo così variegato. e comunque, sì, la sensazione evocata dal nome è proprio quella di trovarsi su un'isola, in una spiaggia (come le foto della pubblicità anni 70) prossima ad una foresta lussureggiante. eccellente.

I just bought this (blind-buy) about a week ago and it's super fresh and I think the name Fidji suits it perfectly. It really kind of brings you to a beach with summer breeze. Definitely a spring/summer fragrance. So far I've got so many nice compliments wearing it. My Fidji doesn't last very long, the projection/sillage is best during the first two hours and then I like to apply some more. But really, I like or maybe even love it!

And I think that if you like this one you should also try out Calvin Klein's Truth for women! Very pure, fresh and natural.

Agree so much with derkargy!!! Ambre Solaire sun tan cream!!! Wooow spot on!!! (in a good sense)

Oh wooooow!! No need to say much... Beauty and elegance perfectly mastered in a bottle!!! Clean , fresh, classy...! Soooo classy!!

When things are done with passion, one doesn't have to worry about the results so the beauty of it is that way results come in an unexpected and pure authentic form. And they turn magnificient. That's how this wonderful scent from the past has been created. With passion. The excitement of the process and the pleasant anticipation, not merely the running after the goal (which often in perfumery of today means only making lots of money). The elegance and complexity of Fidji is capable of captivating and charming almost everyone, taking granted that one enjoys sophisticated, sensual florals. As Kate Bush puts it in her song: "You turn roses into gold", and all of the other notes for that matter. I still have a vintage formula so I'm taking about the old Fidji. Yes, a wonderful masterpiece which brings you lots of compliments...

Looking at what's in this fragrance puzzles me because it looks like something I would love. But each time I tried it, I noticed a buttery element that made it seem heavy and cloying. This scent never worked for me and I wish I knew why.

This is a remarkable fragrance.It clears resemblance with Ambre solaire,the famous suntan lotion we used when I was a kid.Sometimes it brings back memories from fresh clean sheets hung from balconies,sunkissed by the summer sun.However,it doesn't last on me as I expected.Silage is extremely weak.

I hate this perfume. I bought 100 ml bottle after reading reviews but without testing it. Big mistake.
This is what is called old lady sent. Now I understand what does it mean "old lady sent". I can feel only old and weird sent of flowers. But not fresh flowers but a mixture with something old something that was stocked during ages in the cupboard. I tried wearing during two days saying myself that I should give a chance to Fidji to develope better on my skin. But no chance, everything I get is this old smell mixed with flowers. Maybe they sold me outdated bottle?
Very long lasting by the way.
I will try to find somebody in my family who will accept to wear it.
Do not purchase it blind, test before buying.

What Fidji once was and what it is now implies such a huge difference that the two should bear totally different names.

But we, we passionate perfume lovers from old, perfume lovers since the days when Perfumery was an Art and when scents were released by the main brands every 4-5 years and not by the dozens as today, perfume lovers from a time when "flanker" was not an entry in a perfume dictionary, we have debated numberless times about reformulations and how they have changed (i.e. ruined) perfumery for ever.

The Fidji of my younger days, talk about mid-70es, was a perfume that had no equal at all. It was a strong flowery scent but very far from Diorissimo, Fleurs de Rocaille et alii. It was also spicy but totally different from Opium, Youth Dew and its contemporary. It was creamy and tropical and if I had to find a resemblance I would compare it to Annick Goutal's Songes. Not that Fidji and Songes are similar, but in that they both embody the feeling of Pacific Islands.
What was spectacular - among the rest of course - is that it was a scent that you could wear both in summer and in winter: in hot days it wrapped you in a tropical haze; in cold climates it soothed you in a sweet, maternal embrace.

The current Fidji has no smoothness, it's very harsh, rude and crude and nothing has remained of its original velvety feeling.
I still have a few drops of that old Fidji in the light brown box and it smells as good as it was. If you find a well preserved vintage, you may like it.
I hope the owners of this brand will come out with a nicer reformulation, this present one has totally ruined a wonderful masterpiece.

I completely agree that the original Fidji, of which I have easily gone through at least 3+ bottles of various sizes, including one brought back from Paris (that's France y'all), as a birthday gift is divine.

There has never been another fragrance like it that I can think of, and it truly rocks anyone's world you may happen to pass by when worn in a warm climatic environment.

However, I am in total agreement with Jasmasid about "Fidji Du Soir", Laroche's evening version of this classic fragrance; it should be (and maybe it was) declared illegal...it is Fidji to 25th power: sultry, sexy, seductive and magical, and did we mention that "Fidji Du Soir" was infused with gold dust!!!???
Oh...mon...Dieu!

Si...où est-il maintenant??? M. Laroche, se il vous plaît le ramener à nous.

Merci...

After testing the EdT version, I came to several interesting conclusions. First of all, the drydown reminds me very much of Mitsouko, probably due to the amount of oakmoss. Secondly, I believe this perfume is purely for hot weather. Although many reviewers claim it to be very spring-like and cold at times, from my own experience I can add that the whole bouquet opens mostly in hot environment. If you happen to take hot bathes and sauna instead of showers, try to add a couple of spritzes to water. All the flower notes will bloom at once.
The overall impression--reminds me a bit of Chamade (if my olfactory memory does not fail me), gives an impression of a clean skin, similarly as Je Reviens vintage version and Je Reviens Couture.

OMG....Fidji.....LOVE YOU!!!!!! Sand, bikinis, suntan oil - total summer indolence + temptation!

I couldn't bear to be without a bottle or two of Fidji in my life as I have worn it since I was a teenager in the mid 70's , and I chose to wear it above any other on my wedding day in 1982 .
As a lover of spicy oriental and plummy gourmand fragrances I never imagined that this heady green floral would be a lifelong companion ,but I still wear it often and always will.
The reformulated pale juice is a girlish echo of its older and much more womanly sister ,but I will never abandon her, even if she is a pale imitation.
I was recently lucky enough to get my hands on a full bottle of Fidji du Soir ( still not in the database!) which is the even more grown -up version, to be worn when the sun goes down and you have somewhere special to go , and it is just heavenly ...it's still Fidji, but with oomph , and very classy but very sexy at the same time .
The newer Fidji is fairly widely available here in the UK , but if you ever come across a vintage version that doesn't cost an arm and a leg , snap it up and enjoy .

@CollinMaillard your review sums this fragrance up to a tee!!!

I've worn this on and off in the summer months for years...since I was in my late teens.

I'd describe it as a green floral with a bit of powder and warmth. It's somehow got a bit more oomph than a one note floral, slightly sharper but still softish.

I tend to buy it in France. It's cheaper there and seems to be easier to find, but perhaps I'm just not looking in the right places in the UK.

Too light on me in winter, when I go down the heavy oriental/musky route.

I like to 'pair' it with white linens and floaty summer dresses.

Great day or night.

New bottle ETD, not vintage one. This is a sweet chypre. Wonderful. This fragrance is very far from modern trend. The sweetness is not gourmand. It's a flowery and natural sweetness. It has got a classic vibe, but it’s also young. Non tropical for me. Calyx is tropical. Fidji is a beautiful garden in the morning. It's summer, but the weather is not too hot. I smell flowers everywhere, I see dewdrops on the leaves and the sun is kissing a fairly mist. Fidji is so complex, so elegant but not severe and austere as many chypres are. I only can imagine how amazing can be the vintage version of Fidji. A lost paradise. Stunning. A masterpiece for sure.

I like this fragrance but.... It cannot help pull me to those rather heavy bit headachy sweet scents as Hypnotic Max Factor, or a patchwork Avon bam in your face scents, it settles down softly after it breaths a bit.... And melts with skins warmth......screams of the era of it, not the best on hot humid days in a hot elevator....lol

Vintage Fidji got a special place in my memory. I mean wearing vintage Fidji I can be transferred to that memorable place, its small European town (nothing tropical in Fidji to me, as tropical to me means sweet and coconuty, lol) near Baltic Sea, where tall pines can reach the sky and the sand is golden and waves are blue, where wind, just as being a perfumer itself, shakes the crowns of the pines and throws full palms of white sand into the sea. While you are sitting by the shore with eyes closed, totally intoxicated by the beauty of that dry sunny day, by pines and dunes, by brightness of the sun, by Fidji.

Its strange how was possible to creat such a strong visual effect of sea and sun and woodiness working mainly with hiacynts , galbanum and oakmoss *rolled eyes*

Perfect.

This summer Fidji was relaunched in some stores in Denmark...and in the classic EDP version, not the green one pictured above.
When I first smelled it, I thought it was a little too much of an "old ladies" scent, but after staying on the skin for about 15 minutes, it turns into the most delightful floral, warm, breezy summer scent. I love it!

A timeless fragrance that would work well on any lover of florals. People who enjoy Madame Rochas, this has the same feel an friendliness. It just makes you feel beautiful. It represents what was great about that decade of perfume making. My only complaint is that it does not last. After 4 hours, not even a trace remains of the EDP.

Soapy Creamy Elegant Charming.

Butter of flowers.

A tuberose marine.

An aura of class.

No time, no space, another island.

An intimate place born to be romantically and generously shared with the rest of people.

That's Fidji.

Wow , speak about oldies and goodies , I though it was discontinued. It was on everyone late 70's, literately. I have a bottle for good time sake , even so I am more an 80's oldie. I use to love it, now I leave an other generation to love it, I am kinda over it.

It´s such a nice fragrance. Perfectly matching color of the liquid too. It smells flowery clean, airy fresh and dry.
Who would have guessed, that such strange combination as soap, carnation and cloves, will work so good together.
Carnation is not listed, maybe it´s hiacynth with galbanum (it is kind of bitter).
So nostalgic, clean, elegant, timeless.

Edit/Update

This works way WAY better in hot weather, I think this is not a scent that works in cold wet grey weather. But add some sunshine and heat and this comes alive, a much more balanced bright slightly heady floral that is very enjoyable.

I have found that layering with Berkely Square White Amber gives this the "oomph" I felt it lacked, turning it into the perfect hot weather smell, the combo becomes rich, sultry, sensuous, heady and floral, It makes me feel like the colour yellow!

On my skin is mostly cloves.But since i loove cloves very much i like fidji also

My older sister used to wear this when I was a little girl . And I loved it . Could not wait to grow up to have my own . It so wild and free , pity you can not get it any more.

Review from my notes over several sample days, sorry it gets long!:

This does not smell how I expected it to smell! I don't know why, but the name, the notes, the reviews, OK so I knew I was smelling the reformulated version, the pale coloured liquid, but I expected this to be bigger, heavier, bolder.
With listed notes of sandalwood, oakmoss, amber, jasmine, ylang-ylang, vetiver etc I was expecting a BIG, heady floral woody powerhouse.

I was surprised, when I tried this on, that it seemed relatively tame. I think I had hoped for a big floral, woody, ambery resiny heady scent, and so this possibly coloured my expectations. Also, I believe my mother may have worn the original version of this when I was a child so I guess I was hoping for a nostalgia trip too.

The initial blast was quite promising, a pleasant floral, but as this settled, after about 30 minutes I started to smell a metallic, almost slightly oxidised smell - you know the smell when you have been pushing a supermarket trolley around, that metallic note that you have on your hands after. It also faded relatively quickly to a light floral skin scent. I was disappointed. However I had tried it on a very cold, damp and gloomy day, so decided to give it another shot on a slightly milder sunny day. This gave much better results, so I think this may work better on the summer months.

I have tried this on a few times now, and find some days the metallic note is present, but not on others, so I am trying to work out why that is - I am guessing a combination of climate/heat/humidity, what I have eaten, where I am in the month etc. If I can pinpoint what it is that makes this work some days and not others then I think it will make a reasonable spring/summer scent but it does not strike me as anything special.
But when I have so many wonderful, amazing perfumes it seems silly to settle for something that is merely "ok".
I just feel this needs something more, something to give it some "Oooomph"! It reminds me of one of those cakes used in shop windows to advertise their wares, but is actually just an iced cardboard box, or of the fake presents under xmas trees in department stores. At first glance they are right but then peel away the top layer...

I have now tried layering this a couple of times, and find this seems to work better.
First time layering, I layered with an attar Neroli perfume oil. A few dabs of the oil on pulse points and 2 sprays of Fidji. This works quite well, emphasising the floral notes and making a much bigger bouquet. Works quite well and will be nice for summer casual days. Inexpensive too, to give this a bit more pep.

second layering experiment - I sprayed Berkeley Square White Amber, let that settle for 10 mins then sprayed Fidji over the top. YES! This works now, the heady sweet sultry amber sandalwood gives depth and sensuality to these flowers, making this a much more interesting and deep smell. I can see myself wearing this combination together and enjoying it.

I may try layering with a small amount of neroli and amber attars to see if this gives the punch I want.
Overall, nice enough little perfume, wouldn't really miss it if I didn't have it, I guess I just wish it were a little bit "more" than it is. Maybe the original met that brief. I may continue experimenting. Can't see myself rebuying, and may gift this bottle to my mother!

It was my mom's signature perfumed too in the 80's.I remember her with together its.She was smelling elegance,loving,charming,tender when she perfumed it.Sometimes I feel like I had taken her scent and i remember my young,beautiful,lively mom.I know i can't live those days never again but i know if i buy it for my mom,she's going to cry of happiness straight :)

Dear Guy Laroche,
This used to be my dream perfume growing up. It was my mom's signature in the '70s. She always smelled so good- elegant, refined and comforting. I loved hugging my mom especially when she had it on. I wanted to grow up and wear Fidji to smell just like my mama. My mom passed away three years ago so I bought a bottle to feel her presence. Sadly, it was reformulated and smells nothing like the gem it was. Why did you have to reformulate and mess up something that was genius? That we will never know.

Sincerely,
Disappointed Nostalgist

My mom wears this perfume on and off since I was a little child and I love it to death. It is such a timeless crisp floral that also achieves to be sensual, in my opinion. A plus is that it is not very common so you won't smell it on every second person you pass!

I also remember the older Fidji, like 20 yrs ago, was indeed a deep yellow color, now i see it everywhere as a cooler color.
And was also muskier...i recently tested this, and it smelled a little crisp, if not sharp...
Its funny how we associate this scent with 'old', my mother used to wear it and i used to be infatuated with it as a child.
But now i am unsure as whether to buy it... The colour concerns me, it must have been reformulated... and also, people's perception. Its perceived as an old frag, people say how it takes them back with memories...but i think thats beautiful as scents evoke memories. Id buy this frag if i find it in the yellow color.

A Masterpiece, the older version is the better formula of this great fragrance created by Josephine Catapano, pure perfection: 10/10

When trendy, during the 80s only older people than me used to wear it, so I have connected it with my mother's friends... never bought it to wear it myself... Maybe now that I am growing older!

One of my very first perfumes when I was a teenager, evokes lovely memories.

I got a tiny amount of this juice (vintage EdT) in a perfume set of unfinished bottles on Ebay - a 10 ml amount or so, and I raise my hat to every single one of them: it's so bountiful, self-sufficient and just one big olfactive celebration! Yes, you know right away it's old school ( same musky bordering on dusty bottom level as in Rive Gauche or Air du Printemps ), but it's somehow very appropriate here, creating an allusion of a humid hot air cloud one steps into exiting the plane, hopeful of an incredible holiday adventure to begin happening instantly. What left me gobsmacked is the ambiguity of this scent, Firstly, it is moist and powder-dry simultaneously. It is like that contradiction of an underripe pear: you bite into its juicy flesh and it somehow leaves that sandpaper feel in the mouth that leaves you gasping for a drink. Secondly, it is green and white and sweet and minty all at the same time: I actually suspect that the listed lemon note should rather be lime, because it is lime that carries that minty kick and disrupts the sweet and powdery cloud of white florals and clove ( clove - in a summer scent: who could have expected?!). I felt like a million dollars wearing it, it did cause some flashbacks from the childhood, so perhaps it was resting in my olfactive memory all along, and I found it worked best on warm cloudy rainy summer days: it just hit the nail on the head in terms of working with the skin temperature ( sillage just the right amount, longevity exactly as one would expect - 6-7 hrs , and it keeps on living for weeks on fabrics ). I also tested the modern version in a dept. store and I can't even begin to explain how bleak and characterless it is in comparison to its original. ) Hunting for a vintage extrait and would only use it for veeeery festive open air summer occasions. Hardly a young scent: it has waaaay too much "secret female knowldege" in it, if you know what I mean. ;-)

To my nose Fidji is one of the sweetest and muskiest of the "green" fragrances of the 60's and 70's. It's also one of the softest with very little of the sharpness typical of the genre.

I understand the marketing genius of naming this scent after an exotic tropical island, but the name is so misleading. The strongest note is Hyacinth which is a cold weather bloom that could never grow anywhere near the tropics. It is the very sweet rich smell of a crisp cool late March early April Easter flower.

This fragrance is very soft and lovely but on me the EDT is almost a skin scent. I need to use a lot of it to get any projection. If I liked it better I might invest in an EDP or parfum but think that I won't for now.

The vintage color you can see in the small picture group on the right. It's the color I remember. My mom wore this throughout my childhood, in the '70's and '80s it was her favorite. Think of it, some 20-30 years this juice remained the same, I never once heard mom complaining. As opposed to what happens now to these masterpiece frags. I know I'm biased, this one I really love, it smells like mom when I was little.
PS: IFRA, hear this: my mother is in her '70s now, and she is just fine. She wore this a lot and never got as much as an itch from it. Butchering the frags for our health's sake is bull*t and you know it. I no longer buy butchered frags, a lot of guys out there I think are doing the same. It's your loss, IFRA.

My very first perfume, when I was a little girl :-) Beautiful and fresh. Lovely.

Lisa O, the color of the vintage Fidji was darker and had almost the color of brandy. The new one has a light yellow-green color (look at the picture).

Lisa O, the color of the vintage Fidji was darker and had almost the color of brandy. The new one has a light yellow-green color (look at the picture).

The original Fidji of the 1970s was truly exquisite and it is still possible to find this vintage version, now and then. But the one I really miss is the very limited edition "Fidji du Soir" that they brought out as the strongly sultry evening version of the same. Exactly the same bottle design but it had a dark blue lid (instead of the usual beige or cream.) How I wish Guy Laroche would relaunch that one!

is there any possibility to distinguish between the vintage and new editions by the bottle? is the colour of the vintage-liquid more green or yellow or transparent?

Forget the recent formulation of Fidji, because the Vintage EDT is by far the best.

Vintage Fidji is a smooth, crisp and slightly sweet hyacinth, ylang ylang and iris fragrance. It's charming and feminine, perfect for Spring and Summer. The reformulation is a joke and is not even worth trying.

Fidji is a fresh floral, although some may mistake it for a chypre due to the oakmoss accord in the base. I tested this fragrance on the same day that I tested Carven's Ma Griffe and I had to smile at their similarities. They're both fine examples of classy and fresh green fragrances.

Surprisingly, Guy Laroche hasn't bothered to update the packaging for Fidji. It's a little outdated if you ask me. It needs a more attractive bottle to compliment its beautiful contents.

Fidji lasts a relatively long time on the skin, however the sillage is fairly soft. I believe it's designed this way as not to overwhelm you during the warmer weather. I highly recommend testing this vintage gem. Decants are still available on many decant websites.

What is this show olfactory fragrance, warm and enveloping notes of jasmine the waxy soap more refined and pure a cone of light linger where small particles of talc powder seductive, I can not help but smell the back of my hand to inebriate from time charm.
Fidji be able to flout even the most hard-working bee, so it is haunting his feeling that the poor animal will remain subdued, but not only strenuously defend its conquest by the queen also finding the strength to rebel.
Fidji is a fairy tale that has spanned many years, but still retains a simple charm and regal at the same time.
Do not miss

Used to surreptitiously apply Fidji while mom did not look. For some reason she did not care about this fragrance in her 30s, or she just did not like the gifter. I remember Fidji was not warmly accepted in our family, while my attachment to it was growing. The transparent yellowish bottle(not the green bottle) with precious liquid used to be a neighbor of several other gifted fragrances that my mom seemed to favor much more.
That bottle is left in the past, but I am writing the review to share with you that I think I found the equivalent of the tropical flowers component (not the complete fragrance equivalent) for Fidji, fresh, intoxicating, waxy and subtly indolic and yes, truffles: Chantecaille Tiare EDP.

Ce parfum rayonne comme un soleil.
Un soleil des tropiques bien sûr avec le nom qu'il a...
Je ne peux pas m'empêcher de penser de ce qu'était Fidji avant la reformulation qu'il a subit.
Plus poudré/vert. Plus vert moins épicé. L'oeillet évoquait une fleur qui vient d'éclore, il jouait sur une partition plus poudrée moins écrasé par le soleil, moins épicée que celle que nous avons actuellement. Dommage. Le girofle aussi était moins prononcé qu'à l'heure actuelle.
Je me souviens qe j'avais travaillé tout l'été au début des années 80 pour m'offrir l'extrait !!! Le nirvana olfactif avec l'ancienne version de Fidji.

Fidji is the best ever fresh green / floral / cyphre fragrance ever. Only the lasting power is very poor...

But there is a spin off called fidji du soir created in 1977 which is much deeper and lasts for ages. I do happen to own some bottles / now i would love to add this fragrance to fragrantica but i have no clue how to. Any ideas?

(I must add this: the bottle is a disappointment. Plain square edges, weird rectangular black top, and while the front lable "Fidji" is in a unique, avant-garde script-scribble, the label on the back shows through in an incredibly tacky way!)

This is a lovely hyacinth-centric fragrance, cool and powdery in a way similar to Jacomo Silences. Fidji is sophisticated and subdued, cool, crisp and a tad bit aloof; yet not overly formal or uptight.

Fidji is the woman in a linen dress with pearls, walking on the beach with sandals in hand. It is beauty and sophistication letting her hair down. I just finished reading an Agatha Christie novel set in the 60's in the Caribbean with Miss Marple as the sleuth; I can imagine one of the female characters in the novel wearing this fragrance while on holiday.

It is absolutely a white floral, and has a vintage-vibe in a similar category to L air du Temps; I swear I smell carnation, but there is none listed. While Fidji is not as shrill as some white florals, it is somewhat headache-inducing for me. As it dries down especially, the powdery lightness is giving way to that somewhat dank sour note that white florals can end up with.

I will have to explore this a bit more, as I find myself torn on this one. Sillage is moderate, longevity is good at 7+ hours.

A contradictive wet-dry and powdery delicious fragrance, slightly reminicent of Chanel No 19 but so much better for me as my body does not appreciate leather :). I'm so happy that I rediscovered Fidji, but sad that I only have a decant. Suitable for a woman on a beach in a white dress that slowly sways in the warm wind, just like in the ad's. A beautiful summer scent, now on my want list.

Actually Fidji is very similar to Givenchy III which is more herbal from the larger amount of patchouli. Fidji is more powdery, has a bit more floral sweetness and a careful touch from cloves.

thank you to blacktaffeta for this. I opened this and bam. It's 1977, it's my grandad's wake. I'm sat on the lap of my Mum's cousin June. I'm little. Her face is big and I'm slightly transfixed by the large brown mole on her chin. She gives me 10p. She smells of Fidji, the whole parlour smells of it. I run down the Liverpool street to the sweet shop with my cousin. He's 10, and much faster than me. I'm 6, I smell of Fidji. I'm 41, I'm crying and I smell of Fidji.

It was popular in my childhood, and one of rare French perfumes on USSR poor market with a lot of bottles of Red Moscow and other Soviet frags more suitable for disinfection and mosquitoes repel. Fidji has a very classy opening with lily of valley.
Modern Edt is light, turns into soft light floral. EDP lasts longer. But something was missing in both. I got a Vintage, but it did not smell the way I remembered. I went trough all three and did not keep any, may be it was just my fantasy perfume.

Elderflower described this fragrance to a T ..Worn by my mother as well (but I am proud to be the one who bought her the first bottle on Mother's Day :)
A bouquet of white florals and the warm , doting smell of amber to calm it down ..Truly it's the perfume of a sophisticated , chic lady with impeccable taste who still manages to have a good job , a good family and still wore those high heels, neutral elegant coats & designer bags ...Wish I can find this perfume again ..:'(

Another blast from the beautiful past. This really is lovely stuff. In summer I like to wear l'air du temps during the day and then top it up with Fidji in the evenings as they seem related. (Get me! You can't buy class.) Fidji is less soapy than l'air du temps and is a beautifully blended floral. I can't tell most notes from a hole in the head but the flowers here are so soft and creamy, not like most of the offensive indolic flowers preening on top of a lot of fragrances. I don't really think we have any business smelling like a flower in general, but with Fidji I have to cave and admit their beauty. It is womanly.

Why has it been banished to the drawers in the shops while the latest Marc Jacobs and Thierry Mugler get all the attention. Is it being discontinued. Oh fragrance world. Thou art fickle.

I like L'Air du Temps, but it´s too soapy spicy; i love No. 19, but there is a lot of bitter galbanum and sweet powder; Chamade is charming, but too powdery; Cristalle is maybe too wet and dark.
I am pathologically indecisive Libra and Fidji is super combination of all the good of these gems + lovely carnation and hiacynth.

Just bought it.
Nostalgic. Chypre, Floral. Spicey. Aldehydic.

Reminds me a bit of Ma Griffe by Carven....only lighter, fresher, with a vibe of the tropics.

A classic.

timeless, eternal, fresh, clean, breezy but warm at the same time..instant bliss!!!

got a small sample of the vintage fidgi, not sure how it much it differs, but this is one beautiful fragrance, i absolutely adore this, just an amazing scent for a woman. wow.. i need to find a bottle of the vintage if i can..certainly would purchase if not too staggering a price. very impressive, omg what a sexy woman that would wear this..two thumbs up and two growls to go with it, stops me in my tracks..get over here baby!
update: was able to locate a small bottle of vintage splash, bought a nice atomizer perfect sized , gave it to my wife.. it is a very nice perfume. I will keep my eye out for more..
sexy lady stuff...beware..

He was studying Mandarin, I was a travel agent, just starting to see the big wonderful world. We were so young and the possibilities were endless.
He walked in and asked me for the rates to Hong Kong. One way I asked? Only if your going he murmured, I pretended not to hear. . He was a rare exotic animal, not like anyone I had ever seen in my life.

Black huge eyes, much darker than his ebony tasseled hair. Tall and chiseled. He spoke like an academic, but looked like a wild Heathcliff . When he leaned in and asked if he could see me after work, his lips inches from my neck, brushing slightly against my ear. My heart raced, I was petrified, yet elated. I handed him my business card, on the back I wrote the time and place.
Long and short of it...
Heathcliff and I don't get out of bed for a month, totally obsessed with each other. Eventually....he runs off to seek his fortune in China, I end up marrying the young Doctor who who bandaged my sprained foot running after Heathcliff!

During this wild journey of my life, the sound track was Steely Dan, and everything smelled like Fidji!

Mel

Fidji will forever remind me of my Mother. she is 77 years old now, but she wore this fragrance constantly during my childhood, and just one sniff of it transports me back to the 1980's. Its nostalgia in a bottle for me.

When I began wearing perfume myself, I chose this because I wanted to be like my Mother, and admired how she was always so effortlessly chic.

This fragrance does not scream and shout, its understated elegance. Its not "fashionable", by which I mean it doesnt follow the trend of being powdery or sweet. Its a fresh, clean citrussy smell.

This is a classy scent. I once went on holiday to Amalfi, in Italy, and sat outide a church on a hot sunny day with a drink and watched a wedding on the stone steps, as the stunningly beautiful bride went past, I swear she was wearing Fidji, she smelt divine.

Fidji is unusual, and hard to come by, I managed to find this in the perfume store in the UK, quite reasonably priced, around £28 GBP for 50mls.

agreable light scent. I tried it because I've heared a lot about it. You can imagine time when it was launched and what impact it would have made then. Now there are more exiting things to try on, but Fidji remains there.

it starts as really quite hesperidic fragarnce, and then develops into warm sensual floral, dominated by jasmin.

Oh Fidji!.... "I am a rock - I am an island, and a rock feels no pain and an island never cries..." You were to my nose, what Simon & Garfunkel's song were to my ears!

This was the fragrance I chose after divorce, and it worked. Not only is it the epitome of femininity, it exudes fresh, exotic optimism - confidence with just a hint of vulnerability, and a promise of as yet unseen potential...

Fresh air and flowers, nothing sickly sweet or powdery. Plumeria, lily of the valley, jonquil, pheasant's eye narcissus, exotic white lilies, jasmine, stephanotis, acidanthera - heavenly, powerful but never overbearing - and grass roots!

I once had a gift set which included a pot of delightful hand cream and a shell shaped soap in its own little travel dish. Everything in the set smelled exactly the same - there was no difference between the edt and the perfume, or the cream. Only the strength differed slightly and the hand cream was almost as strong as the perfume.

I was wearing this when I met my 2nd husband, :)

Warning to all fruity floral lovers - do not blind buy this. Although I (gasp) am slowly being nudged towards some softly woodsy fumes (I bought and love Dolce Vita after sampling it at a girlfriend's) Fidji is plunging off the precipice. It's bitter carnation, shrieking chypre (all chypres shriek on me), it's harsh and horrid and reminds me of what happens to the air I breathe when I venture into earthy, balmy, woody and white floral.

fidji is a timeless classic ..one of my all time favorites.. and a master piece....its so classy ..fine.. light ..yet full of wonder..as it itakes yoi in to a magical jjeourny in to a mysterious island.. fidji is an island name as you all know..fidji is so sophisticated.. has a strong character of is own.. its unique..its super balanced.. all its notes are in perfect harmony with one another.. as if they play a perfect symphony..in Harmon.. it reminds me of my favourite aunties.. as a child, i grew up smelling it every where.. day and night.. where ever there were family gatherings, and special occasions.. whenever they got dresses, and put their beautiful bronze make up ..it was the final touch to their elegance...fidgi is truly a statement of elegance...finess.. and femininity.. yet for an independent.. confident woman who is so sure of her self and her self worth and self esteem..its not a crowded sent..very pure.. simple.. and elegant ..not over whelmingly so ..its a free spirited scent that portrays unconstitutional love,giving and forgiveness..its a perfume made for mothers lovers working women doctors educators..for every true passionate woman who has a story and a passion and a mission in this life..its an endless love story that carries within its notes some of the most beautiful memories ..

rating 4.7 out of 5

This is a very pretty classic floral and extremely appealing. In my opinion, it's more suitable for warmer weather than the colder months. Very elegant and wearable indeed, although I only have the EDT and need to reapply often. It seems that the EDP is as rare as hens' teeth and I won't be purchasing another bottle of the EDT - it just doesn't have the staying power.

This used to be my mothers signature scent from 1966 until the end of the 1980s. She stopped using Fidji when she couldn't buy it anymore in the regular perfume stores. My mother has excellent taste for perfumes. She is not a glamourous diva wearing loud scents, but a subtle, sensuous, elegant woman, even at her present age of 80. I wanted to make her happy by giving her Fidji as a present for mother's day. I found it last spring for a reasonable price in a tiny, tiny perfume store I never noticed before. I wanted to try it, before buying, to be sure it was the same scent I remembered. With one sniff I was a little girl again, looking at my gorgeous mother getting ready for a party. I loved to watch my mother prepare before she went out at night with my father. I was sure she was the most beautiful and best dressed woman of the world. Putting on silk, black stockings under her little black dress (the same dress I used to wear in my twenties), black satin gloves, with high hair and the most beautiful silver filigrain earrings, wearing Fidji by Guy Laroche. Sweet memories from the female boudoir.

Do you remember that 80s advertisement with that mysterious and beautiful woman sitting in a white shore carrying the Fidji bottle? The music was so great as well as the perfume itself. That ad gave the atmosphere of this unique perfume. There is a promise of escaping in a tropical beach, where the sand is white and the sunrise magical. In my opinion, this is the very first "tropical" perfume. It was very different from any other perfume at its time and still differs from the next ones. Very classy and elegant, with a unique character. A must-have!

This fragrance is among my top 5, despite having many years is always present and is a fragrance that knows how to dream about sweetness and freshness, you know the breeze on a summer evening in a lake? is something charming like its flowers and sparkling citrus that go into a fund to bask entrancing.
evocative

It is written 'spicy floral nuance of carnation' but I don't see carnation in the ingredients though.

Clean, classy, long pearls, headbands and hippie girls, sunshine and ocean waves, long hot nights and balmy days, Cleopatra Soap, the first tang of spring, heavy dew on cut grass, Love on a Real Train by Tangerine Dream. Can't be without it.

Bought a deodorant from top seller "vintageperfume 2010". Great seller but the deodorant is a huge disappointment. Nothing in common with a magic perfume I remember from 80s. First (and last) what you can smell in screaming ugly carnation. Very similar one to mens eau de cologne Carnation from soviet era which was used as bugs spray those days. After a long wait hoping to found any hints of good old Fidji can you guess what I got? Mumbling nasty CARNATION! Don't know who was the smart nose behind this new formula but THAT was a big fail! Shame on you, nose... Who can tell me is Eau de Parfume Fidji any different from deodorant?

This shares quite a few ingredients with Jontue by Revlon:
Hyacint, bergamot, violet, orrisroot, jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose, sandalwood, amber, musk, oakmoss and vetiver. That makes me wonder if they smell almost the same....

اول عطر لي عندما كنت مراهقه
ماأجملها من ايام

Used to wear it in the 80's (showing my age),managed to find another bottle on a low shelf in the airport! It had changed somewhat, but grew to love it again, (of course it brings to the surface memories, which perfume doesn't?) When you put it on it makes you feel fully dressed and ready to take on anything. A very confident perfume without being brassy! Keep coming back to it! My daughter even said, "It sums you up Mum", so can't be that bad! Definitely one that makes you smile!

This was my first perfume, years ago. I haven't seen it for a long time where I live but I found it in a netshop. I am so glad I did. This one is just so beautiful from top to bottom. Bright, joyful, elegant, soft. Lasts all day long without being strong. It makes me so happy.

i love Fidji but for evenings preferred Fidji De Soir. I haven't been able to buy this in G Britain since the '80's (discontinued)- Is it available anywhere else....?

My first ever impresson of FIDJI was when i first noticed that Linda Evangelista ( my oh my ! all time fave face in the model business ) was starring in the advertisement of the product.

Around the early 90s this pic was ubiquitos everywhere...Linda was kneeling on the sandy beach , with her perfect short bangs ,holding a great bottle of the perfume...this scenery is still blows my mind .and this time was the right moment to reminds me of that time ...
Thanks FIDJI!!!

By the way i did not know the smell was originated from 1966...

This was my Aunt's favorite perfume, it reminds me of her. Exotic, effervesant, rich, elegant and crisp.

Unforgetable smell. Bitter but not harsh. Light but very distinctive. Suitable for every season and every occasion. Fidji is unique because does not remind you any other chypre. It is something different. Sour and bitter, but gentle as well. Floral, but not quite romantic and airy, yet, femimine, light and not overwhelming. Full of contradictions...A must have for all chypre lovers.

Hyacinths, jasmine, ylang-ylang and a whiff of amber: that's the bouquet that unfolds under my nose when I spray this on. I don't smell any citrus, but boy, what I smell is divine! The silage is just right to be a sexy aura when I move, the longevity is good. (3-4 hours).

It's a classic but smells modern. It's cheery yet elegant. An "adult" with a sexy, naughty charm. And NOT just for island wear! ; ) I wear this during the day and it's unusual enough to satisfy my evening out 'scent-moods'. Fidji will always be part of my perfume-wardrobe, just as it was in my mothers.

This together with Shalimar perfume I think the best expression for the female universe, is sweet, tender and sensual because citrus fruits are very beautiful, as well as the flower (lush) and the bottom dense, almost creamy woods and patchouli.
What struck me most when I heard him (30 years ago)
was the simplicity of its arrangements and tenderness that evokes, is unforgettable once smelled ... I happen to associate the actress Carrè Otis in the movie Wild Orchid with Mickey Rourke, who will be in the room while projecting the film I felt that Fidji I had heard years before, and as I saw the beautiful face of Carre Otis I had the distinct impression that the perfume had crossed the screen (of course it was just an armchair below)
An amazing and very cool but very seductive.
Hooray Fidji Islands and the sun

The most beautiful perfume! Very clean, but not too clean, very stylish, but not too stylish. And quite grown up, but still young at heart.
One of my favorite perfumes!

I love this perfume. Along with Bluegrass, it's the one my moher used to wear when I was a child. I can remember her wearing it and getting ready for a night out and it was so young and fresh and beautiful and wherever she went, she received complients from men women.

Even though it reminds me of her, I would still wear it myself. I told her recently they still made Fidji and she was so surprised. I'll have to buy a bottle for myself and get her to smell it again and see if she still likes it.

Like savlon antiseptic mixed with L'air du temps on my skin but I love it - fresh, clean and lively but a bit musky - almost musty with a dry green edge. Way too old for me but like all perfumes these are the ones that suit my chemistry. To me this just screams springtime it smells fresh green and like wet carnations with a tropical edge. Its one of those scents that no matter what the time or season I could easily wear without hesitation (unlike some of my spicy orientals and gourmands which can sicken me depending on mood/hormones) though I save it for the warmer months as I don't want to finish the gorgeous bottle which is already half finished.

How come it took me so long to speak about "Fidji"?
It is a French perfume with an American identity that came out when women started to take good care of their career and lifestyle (well I guess so, I wasn't even born the time this came out).
It appears that everybody's mother has worn this sometime in the past, I can confirm my mother was one of them.
The bottle and the packaging were different and recognisable but I don't think they ever did this wonderful perfume justice.
The smell is like the 60's fresh that doesn't lack luxury or smartness and please do keep the word "smartness", it is Fidji's main quality.
I have no doubt this is one of the finest perfumes ever made but today's version (yes one can still find it in Athens) doesn't last at all. I am sure "Fidji" wouldn't have had such a remarkable career with such a poor longevity so apparently a reformulation has taken place.
Still, if you have never smelled it I suggest you did. Soon!

Wow, this is the very first perfume I used ever and I can still remember the scent of it. I wish I had it right now.

When I read the earlier revue just below ,I realized this was actually one of my first perfumes....
My father gave it to me after beeing away on a trip with work. I could have been somewhat about
eleven to 13 years old. Havent got it since then, nor tried it and what I recall is a vague memory of lime and cucumber.
Now, checking notes I would say it was daring of my Father, to pick this for me, with all those notes....

Now I would love to at least try it again to see if I get any whifs from Childhood days

My mother wore this in the '70's, and I remember thinking it was heavenly, but after she started wearing Inoui, I didn't want her to wear her Fidgi, her Emeraude, her Zen, Norell, My Sin, Arpege, or anything else! I haven't smelled Fidgi in years, but my memories tell me it is a scent with a fantastic galbanum topnote, and a clean, sandalwood drydown. As a little girl I thought of it as the smell of the secret "grown up" life, and elegance.

This was my signature fragrance at age 21 and wore if for years - would love to use it again but it doesnt seem to smell the same on me anymore.. times change! Such a a beautiful fragrance

I wore Fiji over 30 years ago, and almost forgot about
it. Thanks to Ebay, I found it again....and still love
this perfume after all these years. On me, a little goes
a long way. One of the most alluring fragrances I've ever worn.

I have no idea why, but every time I wear this, it makes me think of the scenes in the 1973 movie "The Long Goodbye" with Danish actress Nina van Pallandt as Mrs. Wade. She plays a cagey but stunning woman who drifts through the open floorplan of her custom Malibu beachhouse in silky, printed caftans and similarly flowing garments. Everything about her from her long, straight hair to her tanned glow is '70s chic. She's very cool and controlled, in contrast to her clothing and the wild, pounding surf and ocean breezes outside her door. Of course, since it's film noir, she's hiding something. I'm sure the scent she wears is Fidji.

I just received a bottle of EdT. Nice smel, but doesn't last on my skin.

I put it right next to Y, Madame Rochas and Byzance, bacause they seem to share some similarities in character, especially with Y by YSL. But I think Fidji is a bit smoother and a tiny bit sweeter.
Love it!

You are right Sherapop!! I do have this and I do love this!! Actually, Fidji is one of a kind!! It does have some great similarities with Balenciaga's Michelle, and Madame Carven vintage so if you are loving this you with certainly love that!!

Good luck!

My! It was so sweet, I just couldn't stand it! Didn't remind me of a paradisiac island at all!!
The staying power was very good, though.

Fidji is "paradise lost" by todays trite efforts. No Transatlantic flight was complete without bringing at least a sample of this luscious chypre with lots of florals. In its time, it caused a lot of attention. It was French perfume that appealed to an American audience.

Its discontinuation is perhaps one of the greatests losses of the perfume industry. It was clean, smart and sexy and had nothing to do with Tahiti. It is a beauty from a bygone era and should not be missed by vintage fans.

Celebrity=Sharon Tate

Love, love, love Fidji! It is absolutely unique and there is no other scent like it, the cleanest and freshest fragrance. But, it has ZERO staying power on my skin. Even so, that never stopped me from buying it -- when I can find it, that is. Also it has become suddenly and inexplicably very, very expensive. In the seventies it was medium-priced compared to the Diors, YSLs and Chanels of the time. Does this label make any other scent?

Love Fidji! I just recently tried it again after not wearing perfume for almost a decade. Wonderful! But the EDT sure doesn't last long on me - an hour or two and it had faded quite a bit just after 30 min. Is Guy Laroche still making it? Does anybody know if it's been discontinued? It sure is hard to find now.

I'm reviewing the EDT, which is just absolutely wonderful. This perfume somehow evokes a tropical garden without any headiness or cloying tendency which many other 'tropical' scents have. This is fresh and light as a summer breeze, and is very complex in its composition. It manages freshness without either being citrus or aquatic based and yet projects the same message. Don't be misled by the galbanum, this is not a cold or bitter scent, and everything has been used with a light hand. I've been looking for a while for a good summer scent, and this ticks all boxes. Unbelievable that this timeless scent was composed 40+ years ago. I would be most impressed if Hermes released this, Ellena is the only perfumer today who manages this type of effect.
Sillage and longevity are fairly short lived and discreet.

I bought this perfume for my now late Mom, it reminded me the scent of my childhood in 70's. I am not sure if my Mom loved it but she used the whole bottle with pleasure.

Me and my mother, we used to share all parfums, but this one I was claiming for my own:) I loved it in 80s a lot:)

My mother-in-law used it. On her it smelled divine, but at this moment I was young and a bit afraid of her :)) so I needed time to "give the second chance" for this perfume. Feelings.. Nice perfume, perfect staying power.

Fidji is great! Simple and natural, starts smelling creamy and is constant in its freshness. Very similar to L'air du Temps of Nina Ricci, another classic smell, but fresher and more perfectly refined.

This was my wedding day fragrance, in 1979! I cant wait to buy it again!!!!!!

This was one of the first fragrances of which I was aware as a child - I remember thinking it was absolutely beautiful. I cannot for the life of me remember what it was like, though! I am going to seek it out and try it again, all these years on. I will report back!

wohooo!! that's my mom's signature scent, too sexy ;) i remember she once had more than one bottle of this one, as i was going through her perfumes one day *coughs*curious cat*coughs* i found a bottle getting really really dark, i was too young then and i thought maybe it was... rotten? XD little did i know, that was the pure essence in it and it was filling the whole bottle which suggests not much of alcohol was in there, GREAT, not like other fumes when you forget about them then you go look for a certain bottle just to find 3 dark drops at the bottom, that's when you know you were scammed... funny it says EDT on the bottle, isn't there EDP or even Parfum? i was kinda sure it wasn't EDT :S

I bought my first bottle of Fidji PP while skiing in Cervinia, Italy in 1975. It is still in my fragrance wardrobe. I am now in my 60's but I feel just as comfortable with the fragrance as I did in my 20's. I agree with Aalia that this is an energizing, crisp floral. I also really appreciate the lingering sandal, amber and moss aspects of the base notes. I have never detected the sour note she mentions, but perhaps that is because I only use the PP? I think that classic scents like Fidji are making a comeback with younger women. I hope that the new EU regulations don't spoil these fragrances for them.

i have had a tiny bottle of fidgi for 20 plus years and has not gone off it's scent just purchased a 1.7 oz online and am thrilled-everyone should try this scent-it's floral heady and light all at the same time-which it shouldn't be but somehow it is-started wearing it again recently after retiring it for awhile but am planning on putting it back in rotation-brings back great memories of my life in hawaii-

Wearing Fidji I feel classy, elegant and oh so confident. Definitely a head-turner, as it blows kisses to people around you :)

Fidji is an elegant, sophisticated woman, drinking tea in her garden on a nice spring afternoon. Nice, friendly, but somehow mysterious. I really, really like this scent.

This is how Ombre Rose Chant d'Aromes should smell!!

It opens very fresh with a a hint of creamy rose. It is linear, But It doesn't even matter because this is just a pleasant and pure scent.

A classic fragrance that will never smell outdated for modern women. Fidji worth a try!

Intoxication, Guy Laroche FIDJI is your name! Wow, this is a beautiful composition. The moment it hit my skin I was transported to a vast garden of damp tropical flowers and lush greenery with colorful birds chirping off in the distance. Rich and seductive and complex, FIDJI is not a fragrance but a breathtaking bouquet!

Luxurious. Resplendent. As rich and compelling as FRACAS to my nose, but not at all the same. This is one of the only tropical floral creations I've tried that does not evoke images of beaches and suntan lotion. Definitely not for those looking for a nondescript, inoffensive office scent. This is a special, dress up in a silk dress and high heels perfume. I'm impressed! Du vrai parfum! Where's Action? Nyoka? You ladies would love this! (-:

EDT (now in store) is NOTHING like PP (it's production is stopped as I heard). I'm searching Pure Parfume for my mother <3

As for many other scents , i know this one thanks to my Mom . My father gifted it to her and this scent made me dreaming everytime my mother would use it in front of me . A few years later when i was 15 i got the set with the EDT , body lotion and a cute shell shaped soap . Now i'm 31 and i think i'll buy it for this summer .
This perfume is fresh and yet very gentle at the same time ( how do they do that ? ) . It meminds me a bit of Ivoire de Balmain (which i love too ), but as if it was an "eau of ivoire de Balmain" it's more wearable , less serious , less heavy .

I tried this because it was formulated in the year that I was born. I really like it. It is a bit strong as a first blast and then has a wee bit of a soapy tone, but then it settles down beautifully and becomes a lovely warm, lush floral. I can smell the carnation in the blend, which pleases me greatly as I love carnation. I think I will use this a lot when the weather comes warmer. I'm really pleased I tried this.

I haven't smelled this for a while now but I remember it to be a sweet, gorgeous, classy, potent scent. Lovely smell!

One of the greatest fragrances ever!!

I had never heard of Fidji until recently, and all I knew of Guy Laroche was Drakkar Noir, which I hate. (How can you fully appreciate a scent that became THE dude-car-freshener scent of the century??)Happily, Fidji has proven to be a wonderful accidental find. Even with a tiny dab, it opened very harshly, chemically on me--so much so that I almost scrubbed it. But I got distracted, and a while later, I kept catching whiffs of something heavenly...intoxicating. As it settled, it became the most lush floral I've experienced in a long time. It is sweet, but not sugary or edible. It is creamy, but not heavy and lotiony. It reminds me a little of Monyette Paris. Despite its age, Fidji is remarkably modern and youthful.

Ahhhh like lots of others this was bought in my 20's, first trip abroad with my friend (she bought Blue Grass,) just recently bought another bottle and all those memories came flooding back. It seems to smell a bit different on me now but hey another 20 years have passed and your skin changes

I don't like it at all.It smells too strong for me,i gave it to my my mother and it seems it fits her skin well.

I absolutely love this perfume but have found it difficult to come by until I found it in a local chemists! I had this perfume in my early 20's and am so glad I found it again ... brings back so many lovely memories and is such a lovely scent and would recommend it to anyone

im so disappionted with this fragrance!!!!! i read comments and i decided to give it a shot and...i didnt like the smell at all.it reminds me of something old.i expected it to be summer,light fragrance perfect for summer according to its name but its light years far from that!

(Vintage Parfum review)

Wow. how in the world did I go so long without trying this? I'm wearing the vintage, which is oily, sharp, and dewy sweet. Hyacinth gets top billing here, which is so perfect.

Five minutes into wearing this I pictured it on my perfume shelf. As a green floral chypre it has few competitors.

A truly gorgeous composition