Yendi by Roberto Capucci

Released in 1974 among the greats, Yendi has been unfairly overlooked until a sample from Bofifa finally landed in my hands. It’s a shame it got passed over. It opens with effervescent, herbal aldehydes that amplify a sweet-and-sour, peachy bergamot, primitively sensual. The flowers (iris, rose, hyacinth, lily) shine on their own, sweetened by spiced honey. The base is a soapy, powdery musky sandalwood, with oakmoss and amber adding warmth and femininity, shifting from green to gold. It’s a fresh, youthful, springtime floral chypre that makes you smile. Sophisticated yet approachable, it leans more toward Estée Lauder than Chanel. Why isn’t it unisex? I actually prefer these flowers in a man’s scent over the typical lavender and carnation. The downside: it’s discontinued and hard to find; I’d rather keep my olfactory memory than settle for a watered-down reformulation. It reminds me of Barbra Streisand: angelic voice and wit wrapped in imperfect beauty for the time. The name evokes her film ‘Yentl,’ radiant in disguise as a man. Yendi is a contained glory in a humble bottle, undervalued as it deserved. At least Barbra finally got the recognition she was worth.

I’ve always wanted to create a floral for men that expressed beauty and color, like a breath of life. Male florals are usually dark and threatening (Grey Flannel, Narcisse, etc.), but Givenchy’s Insensé was already close to my ideal. Yendi by Capucci (1974) is one of the purest florals I’ve ever smelled. Although the aldehyde opening is sharp and realistic, its very green herbal heart makes it genuinely unisex without losing character. I’ve worn it a lot and only received compliments. The dry-down is a feat of engineering: the sandalwood makes the flowers sweeter and radiant (like the jasmine from my summer childhood) without losing the green stem base. It’s a marvel, a gift made in heaven to spread happiness.

Yendi by Capucci, paired with Noel Harrison’s ‘The Windmills of Your Mind,’ instantly transports me to a specific era. Even though I was born in 1980, I research sounds and videos from other times to build mental images by combining what I see, hear, and smell. Yendi is a green aldehyde scent similar to Chanel No. 19, but warmer, more floral, and infinitely feminine. It feels like a perfume tied to a bygone era where women dressed more conservatively: stockings, tights, tweed skirts, long-sleeved blouses with high collars. It’s a complete fragrance, perhaps too much for today’s ‘less is more’ mindset, but it’s exquisite, and I feel honored to have it in my collection.