More Vintage Christmas Joy : Balenciaga Fleeting Moments!

 image: hprints

You know what makes me crazy about Christmas? The fact that it's over so quickly. You know what I love about it? The same thing, really. I'm thankful we only celebrate Christmas once every 12 months but I always eagerly await the next one. This year I'm paring down- out with the old!- as I anticipate more- in with the new!- in a merry-go-round of perfume.

And there are so many objects of desire this year, like this one:

image: welley on Ebay

image: electricjewelryandfashion.blogspot.com

Spanish Geranium was a favorite of Joan Crawford's- I wonder if anyone ever tucked a bottle of SG under her tree? It's ultra-hard to find and soooo expensive when you can get it now. It won't be mine again this year because I was able to get six fantastic vintage perfumes for what I would've had to pay for just this one bottle of SG. For someone who loves variety and craves new experiences in vintage scent, it really wasn't even much of a contest.

image: hprints

One of the perfumes Santa's smuggled into his pack is an almost full bottle of Balenciaga's gorgeous Fleeting Moment. It was the first to arrive under the tree - and of course I've already snuck a peek and a sniff or two! Fleeting Moment (French: Fuite des Heures) was released in 1948, authored by powerhouse female perfumer Germaine Cellier. She created a number of other stellar perfumes through the 1940s to 1950s: Bandit, Fracas, Vent Vert, and Jolie Madame. For those looking to write it off, Fleeting Moment has been summed up and dismissed as Balenciaga's answer to No. 5.

image: the nonblonde.blogspot.com

Fleeting Moment was introduced as a companion to La Dix, Baleciaga's powdery violet scent with the almost woody base, released in 1947 by Francis Fabron. La Dix is the day time Balenciaga- romantic but quite lady like and delicate. Fleeting Moment catches that lady with her hair let all the way down. It relies on the raw glowing sensuality of jasmine pierced by a shadowy kiss of dark garden herbs ( in this case, sweet and bitter anise-like tarragon). Fleeting Moment represents the best of a type- the sexy, date-night aldehydic floral. It isn't as sweet, rosy or foxy as Chanel's iconic version. But if No. 5 is like an exquisite French kiss, then Fuite des Heures is the kiss on the side of the neck, the one that curls the toes and causes immediate surrender!

image: The Kiss by Gustav Klimt from Anne Keuneke

 image: uncle sam took this one

Although there's no Lanvin again this year as always blessings abound- and so here's wishing you all another very Merry Christmas from the 'Vault!

image: hprints

The Vintage Perfume Vault, where the scent of yesterday's vogue lives.