A Brief History of GODET Parfums (and a new Chypre for me)

(images: worthpoint)

Godet Parfums existed during the golden Art Deco era of Modern perfumery.  Conceived at the dawn of the 20th century in 1901 (some sources claim 1907 as the establishment date) and founded by Julien-Joseph Godet, the house released a profusion of new perfumes throughout the late 1920s.  It appears Godet was dormant during the 1930s and 1940s but may have been briefly resurrected, or possibly bottles of an older stock appeared and were marketed as new, as late as the early 1950s. Godet presentations were well produced; many were housed in numbered Baccarat Cristalleries flacons with artfully lables and highly detailed boxes.

 The perfumes must have earned for themselves a good reputation; several were admired enough that they were acquired, rebranded and sold by other houses.  History tells that Julien-Joseph died in 1913, leaving his wife Louise and Godet's director Abel Ravaud to carry on the company.  Ravaud was married with children at the time and it appears the relationship between Mrs. Godet and her new partner was purely one of business.  Nevertheless the two must have gotten on well because Godet went on to produce their most successful perfumes after 1913.

   (images from cmanas.files.wordpress and cgi.ebay.)

 The house eventually won a gold medal for their perfume presentations at the influential 1925 Paris Exposition Des Arts Décoratifs.  In fact, from this exposition the term Art Deco was coined.  The gold medal win was an important achievement for Godet.  The exposition was an international tour-de-force in which France staked a claim as the arbitour of good taste and high culture in a post WW1 world and you can bet they only sent their finest product to be judged in that arena.

(image: cgi.ebay.fr)

(images: the european antiques store)

An incomplete list of the perfumes produced by Godet include: the popular and long lived Sous Bois in 1908 is possibly the earliest release, unless the notation I found for a Lilac Erasmic in 1900 is true. Concentre de Violettes followed in 1909. In 1911, Parfum d' Ambre, Envois de Fleurs and Tresor de Jasmin. In 1913 the singular Jerusalem and another called Marcinah. In 1919 was Cyclamen Fleuri, then in 1921 one of Godet's best selling perfumes, Petit Fleur Bleue- this one was later rebranded "Odeon"- and also in 1921, a Cuir de Russie was released.  In 1923, Godet released the Egyptian inspired Tut-An-Kham and in 1924, Divinite and Parmi Les Fleurs. In the year of their triumphant exposition win of 1925 they created Nuit D' Amour, which was later rebranded Soir de Lune by Brecher. In 1927 came the popular Folie Bleue and also Marjolaine, followed by a series of floral concentrates including Concentre de Lilas and Concentre de Rose among others. Chant de Soir is another unlisted Godet but it is common to find "new" or previously unlisted examples by this house. The perfume titled Weekend is credited much later, 1953, but this almost seems to be a hold over of an earlier time. I also own an example of an unlisted Godet perfume complete in it's lovely white leatherette presentation box.

(images: my collection and Coutau-Begarie)

Mine is simply "Chypre" and from auction records it is listed as a 1920 release. I was lucky to cut the cord on it and I can assure you of it's superior quality. A candy-sweet bergamot and lemon opening with a dry and light herbal tint (from heliotrope, the petit bleue fleur?) is followed by something simultaneously rich, sweet and light.  The florals have perhaps a touch of violet and the perfume has a soft powdery note within it- which given the big success of their early powdery creation titled Ma Poudre in 1911, makes some sense, if the house had consistent themes running throughout their creations. The oakmoss and labdanum base of this Chypre is clean, yet pronouned with maybe a bent toward woodiness, rather than leather or patchouli. Overall it is a sublime and tender perfume, not too spicy and I think very well preserved. It does not throw huge sillage, but has good longevity, which is only another sign, along with the character of the opening, that indicates this Godet was produced with only top quality in mind.

 I wish I could give you reports on the character of other Godet perfumes but they are truly uncommon. Prices and condition for Godet perfumes vary from just a few dollars for small vials with little contents to quite a bit more for the fancier presentations complete with box. If you fancy to look around a bit and be patient, you should be able to add something from this prestigious old French house to your collection. For myself, I am quite satisfied to have obtained an example from them for my beloved 'Chypre' collection and so now I'm on to go look for the next "new" old thing.

(image: my collection)

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

What I'm Wearing Today: Lutece by Houbigant

(image: perfumepub.net)

It's a busy time for me at work right now so I'm still back-burning my next big review but today I'm wearing Houbigant's 1984 release Lutece. If you're familar with the scent, you probably recognize the bold, abstract floral design printed on the packaging for this perfume. The flower is a rose which of course makes sense, given that Lutece is built around Rose de Mai. According to magnificent over at MUA, it also has rosewood, geranium, peony, orris, tonka, musk, heliotrope, cinnamon, cedarwood, vetiver and vanilla. Going by the notes, Lutece sounds a lot like another old favorite of mine, Ombre Rose. I love Ombre Rose for the way its honey and beeswax notes play off the woody rosy notes, while Lutece is equally powdery it is less sweet and a bit more forceful and a little sharp around the edges thanks to a stiff dose of aldehydes at its opening. I'm enjoying the lotion and shower gel versions of Lutece which are a perfect way to ease from the dreamy world of a warm bed to the chilly, foggy days that start long before the sun rises.  I'll be  back soon with a proper review, in the meantime: what are you wearing?!

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

Vintage Swap Perfume Sample Round Up; Patou Lasso, Dana Emir, Ciro Oh La La etc

(image: mes-parfums.com)

I'm finally digging into my vintage sample drawer accumulations from last year and I pulled out a small blue bag of goodies, all tied up like a pretty Christmas package, sent to me from a fellow vintage perfume lover. It's a mixed assortment that includes a few things I haven't tried before. The past few days have been dedicated to test wearing a new acquisition of mine, another chypre for the collection. I've been working on a review of it but since it's from a rare old perfume house, my research isn't going so well. So today I'm taking a break from that project to do a quick sample sniffa- I just wish I'd thought to stick a little note inside the bag so I'd know who to thank (again) for sending me this particular package!

First up is Ciro's Oh La La parfum. This opens as a bright and full sweet floral, very universal and flattering but it quickly morphs beyond the pretty but common into a very French, tight green chypre with lemony soapy tones. Very womanly, enticing but neat as a pin; I really like this one. Next is Emir parfum, from one of my favorite old houses, Dana. This one is very spicy and almost medicinal with some animal notes but it stays somewhat sour/flat on my skin. It recalls Youth Dew but with less of a warm-sweet dry-down. Flair by Yardley is next, also a parfum strength. I want to say it has a scotch and lavander thing going, sort of a soft cologne style perfume with touches of aldehydes. Nice but not really my style. Lasso by Patou is one I've really wanted to smell. This sample is labeled an EDT but it has a richness, similar to one of these other parfums. It is my favorite of the whole bunch, with contrasting juicy tropical notes and herbal, hay-grass notes, a most original and satisfying perfume. There is an edc version of Shocking by Schiaparelli- this one I do have in parfum form. From what I can tell, the edc is very different than that version...I smell the herbal opening notes but the honey is nowhere to my nose and there is none of the complex layers and chewyness I find in the parfum. Possibly the edc is a newer reformulation, as all of my other Shocking examples have been quite a dark color and this juice is much paler gold color. Lastly, I spy a newer spray vial of Joy tucked into my package. As familiar as this one is, I sprayed on a little, just for fun. It's as narcotic and indolic as ever, a feast of jasmine and white florals. I like the edt, formula, it has a green qualityand sharpness that the vintage parfum lacks, but that makes it more modern (in a good way) and more wearable for daytime. Overall this has been a fun, if short and sweet, diversion. But now I have a serious hankering to procure myself some more of both of the Ciro and Patou scents. Oy vey!

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

Last Year's Confessions and New Years Resolution, or why vintage is your best bet in fragrance...

(image: daily contributor via crunchgear)

Happy New Years Day! This morning I arose very early and as I normally do, spent the first 30 minutes or so reading. When the mood strikes me, as it often does, I typically apply a perfume to wear during this reading time. Not only does it help me meditate on my daily verses, but I also find my sense of smell unparallelled at this time. Today for example I applied the latest scent I've acquired as part of my growing collection dedicated specifically to antique chypre scents. I could call them vintage or classic perfumes, but those terms have so many permutated meanings, and really my collection is all about 1900-1950 chypres. I think with perfumes, since few survive in wearable form at the traditional 100 year mark, the 50 year mark may be appropriate for calling something an antique. Definitely this won't work for people (!!) since we're only beginning to hit our stride, some of us, at 50.  But for the sake of personal perfume lexicon and practicality, it seems fair game to consider anything over 50 years to be an antique (or nearly so) scent.

(image: brandlux.blogspot.com)

In any case, today I'm taking stock of the past year, and thinking about perfume budgets and planning for next this year's purchases. And I've come to a conclusion, but first let's backup a bit... As many of you have, I've become more accustomed to paying larger and larger sums for perfumes. It used to be (for me, anyway) that $100 was some kind of breaking point, marking an uber-expensive purchase. Under that mark, I spent relatively freely, without really considering the import of a perfume purchase, or considering it's place in my collection. Then seemingly all of sudden, and only a couple of years ago, with the advent of many new exclusive, speciality and luxury lines and especially as the niche perfume market expanded,  exploded, the $100 mark became passe. At that time and really this past year, the mark jumped up to $200 and just as quickly to $250... Chanel Exclusives/Les Exclusifs and Guerlain Elixir Charnels and even Tom Ford's Private lines are prime examples of this trend from the past two years. Now I'm not really into super high volume purchasing at this level, and I just can't afford monthly purchases along those lines. Not that I still can't find a bunch of stuff to sniff for way, way below $100. But I'm not talking about perfumista-on-a-budget finds today.

(image: grtu.net)

Today, I'm contemplating "top-shelf", front-line perfume collectibles. And that stuff costs big $$$, right baby? I know those of you who crave at the higher end, be it bespoke, Clive Christian, Jar or exotic Arabian oils, may pfiffle and scoff at these figures, but for the average or even-above average income-earning American today, and given how many perfumes enthusiasts tend to collect, it's still plenty expensive to maintain a top-rate collection. This past year, I probably *only* purchased 3 new releases at that level. Needless to say, carefully considered purchases, collection wise. And I stayed +/- 1 or 2 of that same number for my vintage collection as well. So do the math; that's one major purchase every other month or so.  (I won't even address the lower-end purchases, those charming little numbers we all come across, by so many well known but not-to-be-addressed-here-and-now methods, that end up costing us much less than even one top shelf purchase and that we seem to accumulate without end.) So this past year, it was a 50/50 mix of vintage/antique and current release purchases. And in looking at what I got for my money, I've come to the conclusion that I've done much, much better with my vintage purchases than my current release purchases. It really comes down to a few key points. First, quality of packaging... Sorry folks, but penny for pennny you'll get much more extravagent, luxurious packaging from well preserved pre 1950's packages than from anything more modern. If you've any doubt, compare the labels, bottles, stoppers, the boxes used to house the juice. It is common that older presentations include crystal bottles, hand cut and ground stoppers, boxes covered in silk, hand decorated pressed paper, leather and everything made by hand, down to the lettering and art on the labels. You seldom get this level of luxury in the smaller details from anything made today. And the perfume contained within the bottles is probably an even sadder story.

(image: dealcatcher)

You see, perfumes of yesteryear were made with a wide variety of ingredients, some complex synthesized blends to be sure, but those were carefully considered back then and created with a critical eye, especially considering the wealth of natural essences, oils, animal products and wood distillates and the like that were more freely available then than now.  I know there are far more specialized aromatic molecules around today and many of them have astounding scent characteristics... but very few of them are really exclusive. You will smell most of them, even the very best ones, in your grocery store isles. Truth be told, that's where the real money is spent on fragrances today. But when I shop vintage, I know I'm really going to get something of value, something that is scarce and only destined to become more so.  Try a little experiment: give yourself $275 and go shopping, first at your choice for any current release, then see what you can get for the same amount in Ebay's collectible perfume category. See ? So, really for a perfume lover, the choice is pretty simple- this is the year I resolve to spend my entire budget on vintage fragrance.

(image via flickr)

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

Red & Green for Christmas: Guerlain Fleur de Feu & Mitsouko

'Tis the season for all things red and green, and this Christmas my fancy is taken with this pair of color-correct Guerlains- Mitsouko (originally ~1919 and which mostly needs no introduction) and the less well known Fleur de Feu (1948, give or take). I love the magenta-pink jot of color on the Fleur de Feu (Fire Flower) bottle and the emerald-teal dot on the Mitsouko bottle. Both the bottles contain eau de cologne, which, as you might guess, is light. With Guerlain sometimes I don't mind the EDC concentration- when the scents are strong and assertive, the lighter sillage and lack of staying power isn't that much of a problem. And since I like to switch scents throughout the day I actually like the lighter formulations. Mitsouko is an especially good candidate for the eau de cologne treatment and the flavor remains true to the other Mitsouko examples I've known. Mitsouko, if you haven't smelt it yet, is a leathery chypre sandwich of dry peach opening and a sweet peach dry down, with mossy-forest, smoke and incense laden facets \layered in between. It has real depth, a tough and tender scent that is something to be appreciated as it develops over time. Needless to say, a big love... It represents the quiet, eventide part of my Christmas journey, filling the contemplative stillness and anticipation of a celebration to come..

As for it's sister scent,  Fleur de Feu (Fire Flower) is a lesser known Guerlain. It was released soon after WWII ended and not too many years later, it was discontinued. Many other
Guerlains are better known and more commonly discussed, so much that I've been scarcely aware of it's existance. Fleur de Feu somehow lacked the enduring charm that many of the other classic Guerlain perfumes seem to have had in plenty. I cannot even be certain that my example is well enough preserved to be a true representation of the oroginal scent particularly without a second source to compare it to. But from what I can smell, it isn't what I'd expect from something called Fleur de Feu because it is such a very soft type of scent. Perhaps I have anosmia to some key component? Although I was finally able to smell it distinctly, I had to decant the cologne and spray the entire inside of my shearing hat before I was able to catch and examine this perfume up close! It has some warmth but if I were to assign a color to this scent, it would be a rather pale yellow. I smell the iris and an almost lemony rose, along with touches of ylang and jasmine.It makes me think of  Chanel No. 5, more than any other Guerlain perfumes I know.  My cold is still bothering me a little, so I plan to resniffing but so far I can't get any carnation. It has a certain Maquillage quality almost as if its guerlainade was created with aldehydes rather than vanilla. I wonder how well it sold in the 1950s? Despite being so light, it still smells good enough to make someone crave an extra helping of hugs. I plan on wearing it, and the Mitsouko, plenty in the upcoming year and the big EDC bottles means I can splash them on with abandon.

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

Thanks to http://www.basenotes.com/ and http://www.toutenparfum.com/ for the old Guerlain ads!

Œillets, Rouge et Blanc: Vintage Carnation Perfume Roundup for Winter Solstice

It's nearly Christmas day, and I'm just ending a terrible two week cold that robbed me of my olfactory senses for the last week and a half... hence the posts bereft of much content in terms of out right perfume reviews. So today in order to celebrate the joy of the approaching Christmas and reflect on this time to give thanks for all and renew wishes for peace on this Earth, I pulled a clutch of my vintage carnation scents from the vault today to review in round up. Their rich warmth is an especially welcome sensation after the routine of constant sneezing and nose blowing of the past few days. The photo above is admittedly rough but it serves as a reference for the line up.

First from the left is a small vial of vintage Avon Crimson Carnation. It is an 1/8 oz bottle, made in USA of what I believe is perfume. Very sweet, lilac, honey and orange scented carnation with a plumy rose heart and neat little civet-musky- honey bottom- no powder here! This is a mightly spicy little hot-sauce number of a carnation- too bad it seems to be pretty little known or discussed. I wonder with that name if it didn't go with a lipstick shade? Next in line is a nearly identical bottle but the 1/4 oz size, is the carnation made by La-Tausca, the Genesee Trading company brand of drug-store variety perfumes. It came in the smart gold box pictured behind it. This is a pale tinny scent with nail polish remover notes and a little peppery stale floral and a harsh musky base. Without any comparison, it reads as 'vintage carnation' but nothing special, but standing next to better scents, it really suffers. The third bottle from the left is a funky chunky nearly square presentation I love, the top a large gold cube, the bottle, a shorter glass cube that looks purple thanks to the color of the juice inside it. By Chambly Creations of Chicago, Illinois it is Sweden Carnation, in what is labeled skin parfum. It is 1/2 oz size. It smells like a drier herbal tinged composition, the carnation is rosy and slightly bruised. It also feels watery and smells a little soapy, the spice increases as it dries.

Next and to the front is a little gold embellished bottle of Nina Ricci perfume, it is not for sure to mke that this is the better known L'Air du Temps- it is a little old. This is a sharp-sweet white carnation with strong lily of the valley notes and a perfumey, emotion heightening sense to it, if that makes sense. Next is Prince Matchebelli Potpourri, a syrupy oily carnation scent (it is bath oil, after all)  that is heavy on the rose and lemony facets- geramium?, with a fatter quality, less spice, not firey but nearly grape-figgy sweetness. It dries down spicier with rum notes. You can find this one on line occasionally for not too much $, the bottle is precious with little stars embossed all over and it would make for a yummy bath!

Slightly in fron of the round Potpourri bottle is a small vial of Caron Poivre- this may not be technically discontinued, but I'm not sure, it could be as well. Nevertheless it is certainly spice and it is here among my carnations- now this one comes across almost medicinal at first. It has a true tiger balm note that some people say smells like bandaides, it's almost rubbery and mentholated. Tearing on under those fumes is more spice, pepper, cloves and burnt tobacco with soft honey traces. A proper perfume with enough presence that a man could easily wear it. Behind and to the right of this is another Caron creation- the incomparable Bellodgia- a 1960 era purse parfum of 1/4 oz. Here the true honeysuckle tinged sweetness of carnaations drunk on narcissus and still perfectly pink in their cinnamon teaberry spice. This is indeed the queen of the carnations, with a tart bum of a base.  Finally last in line across the front, Floris Malmaison. Here is another type of red carnation, with an animal nearly bo type note, not too strong with a dry bay leaf tinged carnation, it dries down with a strong note of finely milled french soap in perfect counterbalance to the animal scent that lasts in equal measure, a very mature & sophisticated carnation.

In the back of my photo are lined with some additional perfume favorites of mine that all owe quite a bit of their nature to a pursausive note of carnation: Left to right far rear: M de Molinard- a foresty pine, moss and carnation concoction, very white. Next, Givenchy Indecence parfum mini- this vanilla sandalwood overdosed floral is buttery cinnamon nearly narcotic confection of ylang and carnation bliss. A step down to the right you can't see my little carnation-leather by Robert Piguet, Bandit- the original bad boy of carnation scents, in a ~5ml parfum vial, with strong green-weedy notes that grows surprisingly agreeable as roasted notes of leather and coffee emerge. Lastly, Zadig parfum 1/2 oz by Emilio Pucci. This perfume is a creamy symphony while alluding  to a creamy sumptuous carnation with caramel tones has notes of ylang jasmine and musk. And finally not pictured, but closing my round-up of carnations for Christmas nonetheless is Estee Lauder's Spellbound parfum, with notes of stewed fruits, pimentos, fire smoke and civet, it takes carnation into the dark, edible realm.

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

TOVA OLD Original Perfume. What Happened?

Tova, for those of you who don't pay any attention to QVC or MUA, is the wife of Ernest Borgnine. He's the actor who won a best oscar for playing "Marty" in the early 1950s. But, back to Tova, she has this line of among other things, perfumes, on QVC. She's been selling her special Tova Original or Tova Signature, there for the past 15 years or so. I originally came across what's known as the "old formula" for Tova Signature perfume. I was immediately struck by a sort of hybridized musk-sandalwood with a light bergamot and possibly jasmine opening. The entire thing struck me as weightless, like a certain type of musk (the kind that plays hide and seek with you all day) with a cool citrusy opening. It felt like sort of an extreme abbreviation and a sugarless abstraction of Shalimar. Then the change came. First came an almost cheesier bottle, sort of a budget Narcisco Rodriguez style but clear with pink stripes. Then the smell- a cheap, harsh, wacked-out detergent, chemical bug spray. Now I've come to realize, the change (away from macrocyclic musks?) to a newer musk and probably less sandalwood are to blame. The proportions are all off now, even if nothing else has changed, it threw everything off about this fragrance. But the thing is, it "cooks" over time and actually improves, coming closer (but never really reaching) the greatness of the former version. But now there are many flankers and even single note variations (among them, sandalwood and jasmine, natch.) And I don't know that any of them really capture any of that old Tova magic. I usually do not trash fragrances here. But today I cam across a perfume-related product of Tova's and I'm so dissapointed in the lack of quality that I had to blog about it.. I'm speaking of her perfume powder pendant. It sounded so promising, but after opening the package, what was I thinking? Powder perfume? Sure, maybe... A pendant- possibly, especially if the production quality of the item is high. But unfortunately here it isn't and nothing came together. The pendant materials, espcially the silk cord and it's hideously ugly closure, look and feel cheap; also the powder cartridges are small and not very scented. Unlike Tova, who is herself a beautiful woman, the pendant does not live up to the former glory of Tova Original 3 ingredient Signature perfume.  It's a bittersweet moment here in the vault since in this case, things have changed, but not for the better.

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

Shopping Tips for Vintage Perfume; giving the gift of fragrance.

Besides a lovely string of pearls (and in today's economy, these may no longer be affordable for most of us), are few gifts that could be more sentimental than the gift of a beloved bottle of scent. Unfortunately in today's world, perfumes tend to have a short life on the shelf and an even shorter promotional life. By the time you realize you've got a hankering to give a special someone a particular scent, it may not still be available at your local mall, and chances are, if it is, it has been reformulated and no longer smells like the original version of your memories. What to do? Well my advice is to buy vintage fragrance, of course!

But as much as I applaud and celebrate vintage scents, I'll admit they aren't always easy to find! You can't just pick up the phone and order them brought to your room on a silver platter, and there are some pitfalls to avoid when it comes to getting your hands on the good stuff. So in this season of givining, let's review some of the basics of buying vintage, hard to find and discontinued scents; hopefully a few of you will add your own tips in the posting comments sections below.

First of all- where to buy... I recommend if you're just hunting around for treasure, without a specific fragrance in mind, that you tour your local resources first. Your best local resource is likely to be your cities second hand and thrift stores. Now if you really, really want to find something, but you're not even sure what you want to find, just go look... and be prepared to go often. Make it a part of your regular routine, stop by a couple of times a week, on the way to or from work for example and chances are you'll benefit from frequent visits to your targeted stores. I don't visit all the thrift stores in my town- I won't have time! But I've picked one or two that are located well for me and those are the shops I frequent. If you're lucky, you'll also find antique shops or malls located locally. My next favorite venue? Antique fairs and flea markets. These can be more difficult to locate and many only operate on a given weekend or during a peak season, so check your local area, or google for fairs near you. These are well worth an occasional trip, and I've always profited from the first visit. If you live close to the outlet or even within a days drive, lost luggage outlets are a source of many surprising treasures. Again, google will lead you there!

Next in line for me are local garage and estate sales. Check your local newpaper classifieds every weekend if you choose to venture out for this particular brand of bargin hunt and consider investing in a Garmin or TomTom. As fun as this form of treasure hunt can be, these are no longer a super source for me - mostly because they require a LOT of leg work and valuable weekend time that I don't really have so I personally don't look there as much as I used to, but you might be surprised at what you'll find if you have the time and energy. I have had great luck at those venues, however.

Now if you ar eseeking something a little more current, but no longer in stock at your local Nordstroms, what you need is a quick visist to the outlet stores such as Marshall's, TJMax, Ross or your area's version of those stores. These places can't be beat when it comes to a great place to find recently discontinued and sold out perfumes and scented products at steep discounts. I am surprised every time I stop in, but again, smart shoppers go frequently to find the really desirable items (and we aren't the only ones out there looking, competition can be stiff and I get the feeling more than a few of the finds from theses sources end up online with high mark-ups.) But why not do your own leg-work and be someone's scented Santa this year!

Now, if you are looking for a specific vintage perfume, such as pre-IFRA, oakmoss enriched Mitsouku, then you really have to use your online resources. I've listed some of the best, most reliable sites I've patronized at the top of this blog but that's just a handfull of the sites that are out there. I'm also soliciting you for additions as I'd like to increase the list, in case you're charitable enough to share and name names.

Then there are the giants, EBay and Craigslist. Scary as it can be, Ebay is still the safest and dare I say it, the best. I've heard nightmares about Craigslist; NEVER agree to meet anyone in person and be careful in every contact you make - I've never consumated a deal for perfume there but I've looked around a bit. One problem I have with Craigslist is that many folks list perfumes without photos, which makes it hard to judge if you're even interested. But I think it may be getting better. Of course, keep all activies limited to buying by mail and at least you'll stay in control of your personal safety. But as far as buyer protection, I think Ebay still beats CL. But especially on Ebay keep an eye on the seller's location- sadly, it seems that some exotic and far away places are more prone to internet graft on Ebay than others... Pay attention to seller feedback too of course, and look at the seller's other items and completed listings FIRST not after making that bid. Also, ask questions before buying anything.

Now I am by no means an Ebay expert, so ask around as you can probably find someone you know personally who is... but I've recently learned that there are some fine points to the rules to selling and buying there. For example it is NOT good form to ask anybody to sell you anything privately. I love perfume people and I always tend to think we're special, so my bias is to protect us- for example, thinking about ways to save the seller money in Ebay fees. But really, I guess EBay when you think about it, Ebay needs to make their money too. So I know now, after making a suggestion that someone invoice me for something  as yet unlisted, directly through paypal, that this technically violates one of Ebay's many policies. And from other experiences, I can tell you that Ebay is like a sleeping giant. You don't want to wake the giant. Again, I can see why profit wise, but be careful and learn from me, don't let your mania and love for a purchase make you do or say anthing rash, or step over any bounds.

Now I do suggest establishing and exchanging email information with any friendly sellers you meet who seem like "real" perfume people, because Ebay isn't likely to be there for us forever. There is legal movement on the EBay front regarding preventing people from selling perfumes there. Some people even think Ebay may pull the rug out on the vintage and all second hand fragrance trading in the near future, as they did with people selling decants and samples a few years back.  If you look for samples on Ebay today, you'll see quite a few sample listings have crept back onto the site, however that could change at a moment's notice. It would be sad if EBay does pull it's plug on used perfumes,as it really is the greatest resource we have...

Despite, or perhaps precisely because it's status as the world's best market place for vintage perfumes, I also see a great number of spurious ads for rare older fragrances on Ebay. Reports of fakery and fraudulent versions of bottles, refilled with who knows what, abounds there. Often those questionable listings neglect or misspell the name of the perfume or maker, and if you look often enough, you can develop a sixth sense for the "bad" listings. I recently found a seller using the term "group" in their seller name (something like eocgroup93, for example) listing "rare perfume" with photographs of fabuluos, hard to find scents but not mentioning the name of the house (Dior, Chanel, Hermes etc) in the title of the ad or giving any text with the ad; it looked very fishy to me and so I avoid those types of deals. Also watch out for sellers from other countries, since many will not allow liquids to be shipped across international borders. I had one experience with a seller sending me an empty the perfume bottle (that had been advertised with perfume in it!), after failing to mention in his ad that he always drains the bottles before sending them!!!! So from now on, I look for sellers within the US only. Also, insure your packages in case the package is damaged in shipping.

With those caveats aside, I've gotten many great deals on many genuine, just-as-advertised super fantastic perfumes on Ebay. Personally I can accept the few bum deals I've come across as the cost of doing business in such an anonymous, impersonal market place. I try to be prudent and careful, and so far my experiences with buying vintage perfumes on Ebay has been worthwhile overall. Now I'm asking as many of you that care to, please add your experiences in the comments below so as many as possible can benefit. I'm a firm believer in doing unto others, and I certainly want to pass along to you what has so richly enhanced my experiences seeking vintage fragance treasures. Whichever way you go, good luck and happy hunting!

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

Jean D'Albret CASAQUE Perfume

I'm wearing Jean D"Albret's classic Casaque today. There isn't any good reason for choosing it except possibly I'm still vibing on blue notes, thinking about last week's Candlelight perfume. Casaque doesn't have any lilac in it per se but there's hyacinth and typically it's blue. I suspect hyacinth is closely related to narcissus, or jonquil, and it usually reminds me of pure sunshine. It's not exactly a lemony warm sunshine feeling but rather a radiant flower full-to-brimming over with nectar feeling that seduces everything it touches. Used in perfume, it creates a lush, full bodied scent bursting and juicy. Besides the hyacinth, I can pick out the lily of the valley, jasmine, ylang-ylang and rose. It's a non-foody, non-fruity, non-vanilla, nectar fest. When I check the official notes of Casaque, mimosa and citrus, lemon  and bergamot are also listed. Of course they are there in the composition, lending a sour-sweet (nearly urinous, but not quite) honey embellishment to the green floral. This perfume opens in a rush, all the notes hitting you quickly and swirling about before the lemon honey thins things out a bit. Some people report this scent is soapy- I know there's supposed to be some carnation in it , but I don't see it as having a clean or creamy flavor. In fact it can go a little animalish with me, that honey thing growing more intense as the floral sugar rush dies down. The lily of the valley is a pure delight here. It is delicate and almost high-pitched but just delectible, trending towards Serge Lutens' Un Lys, in that by turns the lily smells more like a true lily flower, or tiger lily and less like LOV. The dry-down retains a bit of the floral brightness and honey sour, but it is very mild, anchored by a soft sandalwood and musk. The scent is surprisingly light for all the richness I decribe and actually it is the type of thing a young girl could wear in the spring or summer. The perfume is purer, sweeter smelling, more LOV, like good, old school formulation Diorissimo parfum, just very very nice. The EDC is really good, too, with maybe a little plumy underbody and a lighter, fresher form, but otherwise very true to the perfume.  I understand Irma Shorell has the license for Casaque but I've never smelt her version.   The Vintage Perfume Vault, where the scent of yesterday's vogue lives.

Note: I have a bad habit of posting vintage perfume ads for you to view for free and in context of a perfume discussion. I apologize for providing freebies to you but I love free information and I hate the ruthless elimination of free information from the 'net. It'll be the death of the darn thing, when everything gets covered up with a fee per view banner! I for one am not in favor, I'm more of a pirate than a prince (or princess) , I guess. So these are some of the last perfme advertising images you'll see from the vintage ads. The bottle is my photo.

Colonial Dames, the First California Perfume Company?

I am enchanted by a new find this week, a wonderful vintage Lilac perfume with the evocative name Candle Light made by Colonial Dames. Marietta Bosworth Willats, an American stage actress, established the company in San Francisco in 1886.  Her picture, as well as some additional historical insights and photographs, is still featured on the official Colonial Dames website (http://www.colonialdames.com/). Colonial Dames was one of the first companies of its kind, particularly on the West Coast to offer its clients high quality skin care, toiletry products. In fact, the California Perfume Company- now Avon- is often touted as the first American perfume and tioletry company. It was also established in 1886 although contrary to it's name, on the East coast. However on the west coast  which was considerably less civilized at that time, Colonial Dames quickly became a favorite of Californian women. Actresses like Marietta and other modern-minded gals especially flocked to Colonial Dames seeking to enhance their natural charms. By the 1920s the company relocated closer to the heart of California's burgeoning film industry- Los Angeles. There Colonial Dames became an early favorite among professional make-up men and prop handlers, flourishing through the 1930s and 40s. In fact the company is still in existance although their current product line appears to consist solely of vitamin E oil and creams.

This photohgraph from the 1936 Three Stooges film short "Slippery Silks" provides us a glimpse of Colonial Dames products and among the jars, several perfume bottles. Reportedly the company produced a few perfumes after World War II, including Bachelor Button and Tra-La (1946), French Quarter (1956) and Cloud 7 (1961). Note that my own bottle has a foil/paper label, is made of very thin glass and has a panelled hand-blown mold construction. It has a tiny cut glass stopper as well. Considering its style and construction I estimate my Colonial Dames perfume bottle is from the 1930s. I was delighted to find the scent of the perfume seems to be well preserved!

At the very first whiff, I detected a strong animal, indolic note, and worried about the wearability of the perfume. But it was only a trace of fish, from the really sticky residue that had accumulated at the neck of the container. As soon as I dabbed some of fresher juice from inside the container onto my skin, I detected a much sweeter scent. At first, I had an impression of a jasmine, almost jonquil like scent, a spicy floral with a fruity, almost frambois quality. The perfume has a piercing intensity, animalic-turpentine touches and something harsher and woody, possibly vetiver, in the base. Yet the overall effect is sweet and floral and thoroughly wearable. As it wears, an ambery "play-doh" base with mild bready undertones emerges. I can detect a small amount of what may be fir balsam in the dry down as well. I asked my husband to give it a sniff in its full-on sweet phase- he's my 'control subject', and he said it smelled of fresh cut pine wood shavings and a spicy, incensy flowers.  He also gave it a thumbs up for wearability. Lilac is a classic flower that many of our grandmothers used in their own home brewed perfume concoctions and it has been largely ignored in fine modern perfumery. Aside from being lovely to look at, it is one of those flowers blessed with a complex nature and creates a soliflor that can smell like a fully developed composition. Candlelight is a lovely, rich and complex lilac. For as much as I can smell, the quality of the juice is apparent. For me, this is an important find because it speaks to the early history and high quality of commerical perfumery in California. I would say this humble creation rivals a period Caron in quality, which it reminds me of very much in terms of scent character.

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

Note: photographs of Miss Bosworth and the Three Stooges were borrowed from the Colonial Dames webiste, although the Three Stooges footage is available elsewhere. The shot of Candlelight Perfume bottle is my husband's.

Original Ungaro Perfume

You're looking at one of my new perfume cabinets which figures into my Ungaro story.

The original Ungaro perfume came out in 1977. I'm not sure when it was discontinued but occasionally you can still find it from the usual on-line suspect (E***). The bottles are gem-like, deep sapphire blue glass with an elegant pattern, topped by brilliant emerald green glass stopper (for the EDP, like mine above). The EDP is dressed up with a ruby pink ribbon at its neck, the EDT has a green plastic cap and a gold metal band instead. Save the plastic cover over the neck of the glass stopper, the presentation is quite opulent. Suggestive of gemstones and finely hung fabrics, it is as rich as the scent it houses. Released in 1977, Ungaro is very much in the style of 1980s powerhouse scents- and like Ungaro's fashions of the same period, it was a few years ahead of its time. Also like his fashions, this first scent was a melange of all good things, marrying complex layers of ingredients like precious florals, spices and woods.

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The scent opens with aldehydes, rose, coriander, orange blossom, jasmine, neroli, bergamot and lemon, followed by middle notes of iris, turkish rose and lily-of-the-valley. The composition rests on a base of sandalwood, tonka bean, amber, patchouli, musk, vanilla, cedar and cardamom. An oriental fragrance, the notes promise something decadent and festive and Ungaro does not disappoint. Indeed, it is a sumptuous treat for those who like their poisons thick and sweet. In fact before I checked the dates, I thought Ungaro Women might have been a nod to Doir's iconic Poison. But considering the Ungaro preceded Dior's creation by over 20 years, perhaps it was the other way around. And although my initial perception was that the two scents were nearly identical, in smelling them side by side, I found that Poison actually does have a rather bitter heart, and so it is quite well named; Ungaro on the other hand is pure confectionery bliss. The spiciness is tamped down (no patchouli here!) and tightly wrapped up in a rosy Turkish delight, powdered with Iris sugar crystals, swimming in a bowl of vanilla-flecked musk cream. Maybe the bowl is made of wood, because it is classified as a woody oriental. But it's really a gourmand's scent, a fantasy of floralized nougat.

Ungaro is very sweet and it's longevity is stunning as well. The bottle you see in the top photo toppled over and an ounce or so of the EDP soaked into our new home's carpet right under the new perfum cabinet, so the whole area is embued with it. The rose, vanilla, musk and sandalwood have lasted longest and I keep catching whiffs of it as I walk by.

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

Le FEU D'Issey

Just a short post today- I'm wearing Le Feu D'Issey after wearing Aimez-Moi for Thanksgiving and most of Black Friday. The anise and rose notes shared by both bridges the two scents beautifully. But the thing that drew me to this 1998 Issey Miyake release was the bottle. A solid Lucite globe of reddish orange, it reminds me of a Christmas tree ornament. The firey orb also reminds me of the sun setting over the Pacific ocean on a cool fall evening. But despite the sun metaphor, Le Feu resonates cold to me- it's a frosty solar scent, if that makes sense. The heart of Le Feu is Bulgarian Rose and fresh Coriander, which creates a "modern contrast of energy and sensuality." Le Feu is an easy wearing, casual perfume, although it has a quirky, almost medicinal opening which fades quickly to reveal woody rose facets, smoothed over with a subtle milky-salty caramel note. Although it was created in 1998 and has been discontinued, Le Feu is incredibly well blended and perfectly balanced. It is one of the few perfumes I would describe as futuristic (even today, it remains so). Jacques Cavallier created Le Feu and he has authored a number of other perfumes that I've owned and admired including YSL's Cinema and Nu, Jean Paul Galtier's Women, Alexander McQueen's Kingdom, Stella by Stella McCartney, and Givenchy's Hot Couture. Unfortunately for those who haven't smelt it, Le Feu is something of a cult scent, and it commands ridiculously inflated prices on EBay. Sadly I haven't been able to find a substitute but Clarins' Eau Dynamisante may come close (I don't have any on hand to compare to it directly). So, what rare vintage, discontinued or throw-back scents have you been wearing this holiday?

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

Removing Frozen or Stuck Perfume Stoppers

Recently Melissa asked me how can you remove a stuck stopper from a perfume bottle. Hopefully I can help out since I've tried quite a few methods, so let's run down the list.

When I first encountered stuck stoppers, I was told to try ice or cooling the bottle. I guess the thought is that the glass will retract and things should loosen up a bit. Well, cooling methods haven't worked for me. Running a bottle under warm water may work- if the lid is a threaded plastic or metal type and dried perfume residue is causing the lid to remain stuck-tight. Then it's just a matter of heating up the metal or plastic and twisting it off. The water might damage any paper label that's there, so keep a towel handy.

But the real challenge occurs when you run across a ground glass stopper that has become stuck or frozen in the neck of the bottle. I've even cut the cord on a sealed bottle only to find the stopper is frozen in place. So what to do? If you can access enough of the underside of the stopper, which is not always easy, old Chanel pamphlets (which used to come tucked into the perfume bottle box), advised you to tap evenly all around the stopper while applying gentle pressure until it comes unstuck. Good luck with this method! It probably works but I found it's difficult to pull off- you need some special kind of tool small and weighty enough to tap on such a small area and it requires major-league dexterity. The method perfected by my husband, which seems to work best, requires two identical pry tools- try two butter knife blades or two identical pocketknife blades. He lines the bottle up (I hold it) and works the two blade edges along opposite sides of the bottle (that's 180 degrees apart) nestling the edge of the blade right at the stopper and neck junction. He does it so the handles of each knife are on opposite sides of the bottle. Then he quickly, firmly, evenly pushes up on one knife handle while simultaneously pushing down on the other. The resultant force pops the stopper off the bottle, usually on the first try. But he isn't shy or hesitant about the movement- I think you might just chip pr break off the stopper top if you aren't smooth and decisive. I might recommend wrapping the top of the stopper or taping it up first if you do try this, so the top isn't damaged as it flies off the bottle and lands on the floor. Another technique I've used, for smaller bottles with round stoppers (like a small bottle of Poison perfume), is to wrap the stopper top in soft cloth, grasp it with a small pliers and gently turn it off. This method is easy, so you might want to give it a try first but don't use too much pressure or you will snap the stopper off at the neck for sure. Good luck but remember, no matter which method you try- you do run the risk of chipping, cracking or worse yet, breaking off the stopper top. Below you see the tragic result of an attempted removal gone wrong. That being said, the two knife method has never damaged a bottle of mine.

And it's always worked. Except with one particularly old, square-shaped stopper on an older bottle (1800s) with no clearance between the stopper and the bottle (a short neck). In that case, I tried everything that I've told you about here and more but nothing worked. I held onto that bottle for quite a while, trying to decide what to do about it. I didn't want to ruin the bottle- it was so old. But the juice inside finally won over. I really wanted to smell it! So I went for the most extreme method I know- drilling and emptying. The procedure was achieved using a small masonry drill bit called a glass bit, that bores a round hole into glass. You need to build up a coffer damn on the glass so you can keep a puddle of lubricating fluid to cool and help the bit get through. To do it, make a ring of silicone putty, stick it to the glass area around where you'll drill into the glass. Fill the ring with a few drops of light machine oil, like 3-in-1, or another suitable fluid before you start. I held the bottle in place with more silicone putty. It went beautifully; I was able to drill through without any contamination by going slow, and I kept an absorbent towel nearby to soak away the oil as I got down to the last layers of glass. Then, I decanted the contents directly from the hole, plugged it up and I was able to display the 99% intact bottle. Well, I hope this helps at least one of you get into that bottle of perfume you've been hanging on to with the stuck stopper. Let me know how you do!

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

Is it Safe to Wear Old Perfume?

If you read down to the comments on my Chypre post, you will see a couple of my readers have asked some very good questions about vintage perfumes. So good, in fact, that I've decided to respond to those questions here in a separate post so more of you can share in the answers. Now for the disclaimer- I'm just sharing my own experiences and opinions; I do not recommend that anyone else should necessarily follow me! Use your own common sense and practice safety at all times.

OK, so let's get down to business. First, Alessandra asked about the safety of wearing vintage perfumes. The short answer is yes, it is safe to wear vintage perfumes.

Now for the long answer: it is safe, but only in as much as it is safe to wear any perfume. Skin can definitely become irritated by many different perfumes and other scented products, like soaps and creams, but that is regardless of the age of the product. I know that my skin can become irritated by a few perfumes, but they tend to be carnation-spicy scents (eugenol), chypres (oakmoss) and certain musk oils. The worst effects I've experienced amount to some slight burning sensations and in more extreme reactions, transient redness of the skin in the area where I applied. I've had problems when those scents are applied right after a shower or bath or in lavish amounts. I find the perfume in extrait or oil form can be especially problematic probably because the scent molecules are more concentrated in those formulas. I avoid applying over large areas, soft areas, untanned areas or along the insides of skin folds, or anywhere skin is often rubbed. But if one was actually to become allergic or chemically sensitive to a particular scent molecule or any scented product, old or new, the reactions could be quite severe. But I stress to you that for me it does not matter whether the product is old or new, just the particular ingredient.
On a tangentially related subject, I have read on many blogs the myth that perfumes expire quickly and must be discarded after a certain age. Well, I think that is just pure myth. Scents, especially fine scents, do change over time, just as fine wine or liquors change as they age. Certain scent molecules are more prominent in younger formulas, lending a boldness or brightness, while other notes are created and accumulate as things stew in their own juices. As some notes fade others emerge or become uncovered adding depth to the formula. So the character and color of a juice usually changes as it matures and ages.

As an industrial perfumer or any modern-day scent brander I can see where one would aim to capture a particular scent and set the scent profile in stone. In those cases, the formula might be designed specifically to be stable and consistent over time and from bottle to bottle as possible. It's fine for my Gain or Downey fabric softener but I reject that type of thinking in fine perfumery! I tend to think more like a vintner or gardener. You have to approach each harvest, each batch and each bottle of scent as it's own thing. You may know you prefer a certain type of wine or variety of flowers, but you probably also recognize that sometimes the scent or taste quality of these things are exceptional but sometimes, they are just OK. I say Carpe Diem provided you don't have to pay a premium for the bottle. The bottle or historical import of a presentation tends to impart most of the value in cases where vintage perfume bottles command premium prices. I am not a bottle collector, so I avoid those deals. But if you can manage to find a second hand bottle of perfume offered at a reasonable price, consider giving it a try. Because in the end, I've found that vintage perfume is a lot like life; things change, but mostly in predictable and agreeable ways.

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

Perfume Musings (of an ex-smoker)

I'm not sure I've ever said it or even thought about it much but I used to be a smoker and I believe that's where my fascination with perfume began. I may have lacked a true appreciation for the dangers of that bad habit but I certainly realized the reek of smoke clinging to one's clothes, hair and hands was not pretty. I recall selecting my signature scents, partially on their ability to blend in with and mask the residue of my cigarettes. And so I leaned naturally towards sharp greens, smoky leathers and spicy orientals from early on. Those types of perfumes seemed best suited to masking fumes and after repeated wearings they became my preference. While my love of proper perfumes waned and laid dormant for a long time after I quit smoking, I continued to have a keen interest in incense and the head-shop variety of scented oils. Now it's been some time since my interest (being polite) in perfume has been rekindled but recently I found a nifty little bottle of Bandit parfum, that famous leather scent by Robert Piguet. This is the vintage version, not the horrifying newer release (which I keep, unopened and wrapped in it's cellophane- as a punishment, on my lower shelf). The tarry, almost skunky-tart green leather of the original version is mouth-watering. The scent memory is pure bliss as well: my smoker's hands redolent of comfortably roasted tobacco, my back warmed by the autumn sun, strolling through the Tenderloin, with a group of junky musician friends, on our way to a friend's flat. No bills and no cares- and an innocent ignorance of everything to come, the vigor of youth stinging in my blood. Those were the days, lol.

But Bandit was there with me, covering up every trace of indiscretion and adding a certain flare, an unexpected dash of style to my low-brow ways. So now of course Bandit is an old friend. It understands me and I understand it. I discovered other soul-sisters in the guise of scents, specters and members of my perfume-spirit family, scents that took me back to down-home and my soul's roots. At one time there was Halston Couture (never just Halston, only the Couture!) which was the first perfume I actually inducted into the Vintage Vault. I went into absolute panic mode when that one was discontinued; it was before the days of the internet and trying to locate a bottle of HC was a truly monumental project. Chanel's Cuir de Russie and Opium joined the select group, and most of my old-school chypres now belong as well. These are the scents I reach for first when I want to feel wise and witty and warm but no one seems to get it (or me). I guess this is more a perfume reminisce and a chance for me to sing the praises of the heavy perfumes, those strange brews that were authored for a purpose even it was just to challenge, whose makers weren't afraid to use potent ingredients in generous proportions, and who succeeded in creating masterpieces capable of not only masking the repellent odours that haunt our very existence, but also seducing us with the very same breath.

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