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Paddock by Hermes

Hi there ULGers, Quietly and without fanfare Hermes (yes I know it’s Hermès but SEO) released a complete fragrant stunner in 2024. Only available in their stand alone stores. It’s also spendy. Not Roja spendy but still, you’ll have to really NEED IT to fork over that kind of money for something that literally goes up in fragrant smoke. I really, really want Paddock. It plays on my mind in the most inopportune moments. Currently I’m down to my last 2ml of a Surrender To Chance decant. They now seem to be totally out of it!?! GAH! I can’t even scratch the itch now.

Paddock by Hermes 2024

Hermes gives this description of notes:
Honeyed hay, Amber carrot seed

Christine Nagel has received a slew of hate mail through her tenure at Hermes. Following Jean Claude Ellena was never going to be easy. He had redefined the way that Hermes perfume lovers chose to smell. His fragrances seem austere and minimalist, even when they aren’t. His gluggiest (that I love BTW) Ambre Narguile, while being warm, rich and a little over the top gourmand still feels calmly restrained.

This feels like Mz Nagel is arrived. Like Eau de Citron Noir, H24, Cardomusc Terre D’Hermes Eau Intense Vetiver and L’Ombre and Eau des Merveilles Bleue (the ones from her I paid retail for) were just practicing to become this stunningly astounding perfection.

On my first sniff I’d completely dismissed Paddock. Then, this time last year Val the Cookie Queen came to stay with us. When she wore it I suddenly got what was meant to live in someone’s sillage.

This pic makes me so sad, only a few wears away from zero Paddock.

Paddock by Hermes STC Decant Apr26

Paddock is horsey, and yard-ish, and paddock, its feed room and tack room. It’s a whiff of all those things BUT it’s also none of them. Paddock is a surrealists dream of all that, while still being pure fine fragrance.

Please don’t go try it. Don’t fall in love with it. Don’t even go near it. There’s not enough to share and I freaking WANT IT ALL.

Did you try Paddock? Thoughts?
Portia xx

28 thoughts on “Paddock by Hermes”

  1. That’s OK, I won’t snaffle any! Not sure it would be to my taste, and anyway I’ve got too much perfume already that I should use!

    I recall that people used to say that Nicolai’s Le Temps d’une Fete was very hay-like – did you ever try that one? Discontinued.

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  2. Beautiful review of Paddock, Portia! I belong to a fragrance group for Canadians and someone offered to split a bottle. My 10 ml arrived a week ago. This is a new favourite of mine. It’s honeyed hay and the entire barnyard-it’s the smell of horses, hay, tackle, leather and wood. It’s absolutely everything you’d find in a barn of healthy horses. Totally wearable. I love the bottle, too.

    I agree with you about Christine Nagel’s tenure at Hermes. I bought Gallop in its beautiful stirrup bottle. I loved it so much I bought the refill, too ( and if people wanted to split that fragrance the refill prices weren’t stratospheric. Seems the refill is a bit harder to find now).

    I’d love to smell Paddock on someone else. I bet your friend Val wore it well, and I bet you did too:)

    Thanks for elegant review of a new favourite of mine.

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  3. Not having ever spent much time around horses, I don’t automatically gravitate to perfumes based on horsey environments, although like Carole, I do love Galop. Hope to try Paddock before it becomes harder to find.
    Also, I’ve been such a stickler for accent marks and never thought about SEO. Good call.

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    • Heya Nose Prose,

      I desperately wanted to be horsey. For a few years my Sunday mornings were spent at riding lessons. My parents were well aware of my fickleness for hobbies even then so it was lessons or nothing. They were some of the happiest times. So anything horsey is a happy memory jolt.

      I think Paddock is a more refined, perfume dream of livestock than many other looks at the idea.

      Portia xx

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        • Nose Prose, ponies are another matter :) We had a pony named Peanuts. He was nuts. One of my first memories is being put on his back. He gave a tremendous hop, to try and scrape me off the door frame. I held on and we went thundering down the pasture-had no idea he could move so fast. I was only 3 and held on tight and he just went heck for leather. All of a sudden he stopped abruptly-I went sailing right over his head and somersaulted onto the ground. I remember people came running from everywhere because I was very still on the ground for a few seconds. I wasn’t hurt and I still remember it, fifty years later lol. Needless to say there were no treats for him for awhile. The workhorses were nice, though. I used to love the clean their hooves with the small pick. They were gentle.

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          • My palms were starting to sweat just reading your story, Carole! I’ve never ridden a horse or pony in my life, as it just wasn’t a thing in my childhood. Then in high school, one of my schoolmates fell off a horse and was in hospital for a while, so that didn’t encourage me to ever pursue it either. A few years ago I got to feed a horse some carrots, and that’s as close as I’ve gotten to one!

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            • It’s nice to give horses and ponies treats-they appreciate it so much.

              It’s one of those experiences where you have a flood of emotions-even at that young age I did like horses and speed, but the uncontrollable nature of that particular pony made me nervous. I remember when he stopped so abruptly I had time to think-uh-oh-and then coming closer and closer to really green grass. This isn’t a bad memory for me at all. I hope someday, if you want to, you get to ride a very gentle horse in a very slow fashion. It’s a beautiful experience.

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  5. Oh, this perfume flew completely under my radar. I consider myself to be a Hermes fan and I hope I’ll be able to try it although the notes may not be my favourite notes.

    I also think that Christine Nagel does a good job at Hermes. I adore Galop d’Hermes and also the new Musc Pallida.

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  6. Ahhh! Horse fragrances. A happy place (as long as I forget the spinal, facial & head injuries).
    A friend sent me a scrib of Paddock with a couple of samples. I remember enjoying every moment of its haybarn & bran mash loveliness. I understood it was a limited edition so didn’t pine for it.
    I do own Epona by Papillon Artisan Perfumes (Liz Moores). It’s in the same horsey family but a touch more animalic. Horse breath, well worn numnahs & polished saddlery, even a touch of hoof oil.
    If you love Paddock, Epona should be on your to try list.

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  9. Almost no Hermes perfumes work for me (not more than 8 or 9 scents out of their impressive lineup over years), Terre d’Hermes is my all-time favorite on my vSO, and I had a double-take when I saw the price. But your review made it sound soooo interesting. I’ll check if the closest boutique stopped the nonsense “by appointment only” (in a large shopping mall!) and try to smell their latest version – I just read that they have re-released it in 2026. I really hope I won’t love it :)

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