{"id":79213,"date":"2012-11-26T13:28:39","date_gmt":"2012-11-26T18:28:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nstperfume.com\/?p=79213"},"modified":"2015-08-20T11:21:07","modified_gmt":"2015-08-20T15:21:07","slug":"26-vintage-fragrances-every-perfumista-should-try","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nstperfume.com\/2012\/11\/26\/26-vintage-fragrances-every-perfumista-should-try\/","title":{"rendered":"26 Vintage Fragrances Every Perfumista Should Try"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bourjois\"Parfums<\/p>\n[Ed. note: 5 years ago, I wrote an article called 100 Fragrances Every Perfumista Should Try<\/a>. Every year since, it has turned out to be the most-read article on Now Smell This. I was less than satisfied with it when I published it, and 5 years on, it’s really showing its age. This week, Angie and Kevin are adding to the fun with lists of vintage and men’s fragrances respectively, and I’ll be making some updates to my original article. Jessica will join in with a list of rose fragrances next month. Robin<\/em>]\n

How to choose 25 vintage fragrances of the thousands of discontinued and reformulated perfumes out there? In compiling this list, I tried to choose fragrances that are important yet have changed substantially over time, or that have been discontinued yet left a significant mark in perfume or cultural history.<\/p>\n

For instance, Guerlain Shalimar<\/a>, while a landmark fragrance, is all right in its current incarnation, so I don\u2019t mention it. Chanel No. 5<\/a> and Patou Joy<\/a> have been monkeyed with, but they\u2019re still recognizable (although real fans may want to hunt down the older versions). On the other hand, Lanvin Arp\u00e8ge<\/a> is a whole new story these days. I aimed for perfumes that will add to your olfactory knowledge, even if you don\u2019t love them. I also included a few that are just plain wacky and, I think, deserve a sniff.<\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s go. In alphabetical order:<\/p>\n

1. Balmain Jolie Madame<\/a><\/h2>\n

A tough Germaine Cellier<\/a> sharp green-violet-leather that is still in production, yet has lost its teeth over the years. In molding Jolie Madame to the times, her fusty goodness has been smoothed away.<\/p>\n

2. Balmain Vent Vert<\/a><\/h2>\n

Dirty, mossy, sharp gorgeousness, also compliments of the innovative perfumer Germaine Cellier. Sadly, vintage Vent Vert is a volatile beauty and rarely survived the years well. If you find an old bottle, be sure to give it a few minutes after spraying to burn off any damaged top notes.<\/p>\n

3. Bourjois Evening in Paris<\/a><\/h2>\n

This one is worth smelling because it\u2019s a cultural milestone (and easy to find). After World War II, when even middle class Americans could pretend some knowledge of Europe thanks to the returning GIs, Evening in Paris symbolized all the glamour of France. Yet it\u2019s still as easy to appreciate as an Avon talcum powder. This one underwent a major reformulation in 1991.<\/p>\n

4. Caron Tabac Blond<\/a><\/h2>\n

Tabac Blond made its reputation as a tough libertine embraced by women who like a little black leather with their gorgeousness. It was jolie laide in a bottle. These days it\u2019s turned into a friendly rose with a splash of birch tar. If you can find vintage Tabac Blond, grab it.<\/p>\n

5. Caron Narcisse Noir<\/a><\/h2>\n

This is a murky, animalic fragrance of a type almost never made these days, but worth smelling to unlock the scent of many a 1940s bombshell\u2019s boudoir. To those new to perfume, it might smell like a combination of motor oil, narcissus, and powder-infused muck, but old-timers recognize it as the imprint of a whole era of sex appeal. Seek out the extrait.<\/p>\n

6. Christian Dior Dioressence<\/a><\/h2>\n

When perfumer Guy Robert<\/a> created Dioressence, he built the acme of clean and sexy by infusing ambergris with a sophisticated aldehydic take on Miss Dior (see below). Over the years, Dioressence has been dumbed down to a mere rosy sketch of its old self. Try for the houndstooth boxes if you can.<\/p>\n

7. Christian Dior Diorling<\/a><\/h2>\n

The ne plus ultra of elegant leather fragrances, now a fine but different fragrance. Leather lovers, grab this one if you can find it, and avoid versions in the smooth oval bottle.<\/p>\n

8. Christian Dior Miss Dior<\/a> (Original)<\/h2>\n

I\u2019m not going to lie \u2014 Miss Dior is a tough fragrance to love. But once you do love her, you want her in her full freaky, dirty sage, animalic, mossy glory. Over the years, Miss Dior has been spanked about until she is teen-friendly. I cry to think of it. Complicating matters, just this year Christian Dior renamed its old Miss Dior Ch\u00e9rie<\/a> \u201cMiss Dior\u201d (after reformulation, of course) and labeled the real Miss Dior \u201cMiss Dior Original.\u201d If you don\u2019t recoil a bit on smelling vintage Miss Dior, it may not be a solid version of the original.<\/p>\n

\"Coty\"Coty<\/p>\n

9. Coty Chypre<\/h2>\n

This was the first chypre, and for that reason alone it\u2019s worth smelling. Frankly, the version I smelled didn\u2019t blow me away. But Coty Chypre was manufactured for a long stretch and adjusted (and cheapened) frequently over those years, I\u2019m sure.<\/p>\n

10. Coty Emeraude<\/h2>\n

The old Emeraude was a real beauty, comparable to Guerlain Shalimar. Emeraude has legions of fans. You might well end up one. Emeraude has the advantage of being relatively easy to find.<\/p>\n

11. Coty L\u2019Origan<\/h2>\n

Rumored to be the inspiration for Guerlain L\u2019Heure Bleue<\/a>. The old stuff is gorgeous, herbal, and romantic. After about 1980, its beauty underwent the knife and came out more Stepford<\/a> fragrance than original beauty.<\/p>\n

12. Faberge Tigress<\/a><\/h2>\n

Come on. Whose mom or naughty aunt didn\u2019t wear this? Simply to smell the Carter-era zeitgeist, it\u2019s good to know Tigress. And the bottle is hard to beat.<\/p>\n

13. Hermes Bel Ami<\/a><\/h2>\n

The original, in the cocktail shaker-like bottle, was gorgeous and fetid at the same time. Immensely masculine, and irresistible. The current version is tamer.<\/p>\n

14. Givenchy L\u2019Interdit<\/a><\/h2>\n

Thanks to Audrey Hepburn, L\u2019Interdit is destined to be a classic. If you can\u2019t find the original of this aldehydic floral fruity classic (not the very different, strawberry-heavy version in the squat bottle that debuted in 2002), try the 2009 Les Mythiques remake<\/a> in the tall, plain rectangular bottle.<\/p>\n

15. Guerlain Mitsouko<\/a><\/h2>\n

I add this for the Mitsouko enthusiasts who track Mitsouko\u2019s evolution over the years and lament its disfiguration since the IFRA limits on oakmoss. I\u2019m more of a Rochas Femme girl, so I haven\u2019t really kept up to the minute on Mitsouko\u2019s evolution, but I\u2019ve found that vintage Eau de Cologne is a good substitute for Parfum if you can\u2019t score any older than five or so years old.<\/p>\n

16. Jean Patou Colony<\/a><\/h2>\n

I can\u2019t say Colony is a classic, but as a pineapple chypre it\u2019s so delightful and goofy that if you get the chance to smell it don\u2019t pass it up.\u00a0<\/p>\n

17. Jean Patou Moment Supr\u00eame<\/h2>\n

This is another personal favorite, a gorgeous lavender-amber perfume that disappeared long ago. Lavender too often is relegated to men\u2019s colognes. Here, it\u2019s a melancholy, and sadly forgotten, poem on its own.<\/p>\n

\"Lanvin\"Lanvin<\/p>\n

18. Lanvin Arp\u00e8ge<\/a><\/h2>\n

Arp\u00e8ge has had a few, distinct lives. In its first incarnation, it was a glamorous aldehydic floral. It was reformulated in 1993 as a distinctly different fragrance, still beautiful, but replete with full-bodied woods and earthy base notes that overwhelm the original\u2019s delicacy. The original version didn\u2019t always age well, but it was worn by so many PTA moms that it\u2019s worth knowing.<\/p>\n

19. Lanvin My Sin<\/a><\/h2>\n

Whether you like it or not, you\u2019ve got to smell it. Similar to Caron Narcisse Noir, My Sin is a stamp of its time, like mink stoles, Old Fashioneds, and cigars. It\u2019s a mix of animal essences and spring-like flowers that ends up smelling like a fetid dressing table, yet somehow much more desirable.<\/p>\n

20. Lanvin Scandal<\/a><\/h2>\n

Perfumer Edmond Roudnitska<\/a> reportedly called this a perfect leather fragrance. Do you really need to know more? It\u2019s wickedly difficult to find, but I list it to give you (and me) something to dream of.<\/p>\n

21. Lucien Lelong Indiscret<\/a><\/h2>\n

Lovers of Indiscret note that Yves Saint Laurent Opium<\/a> didn\u2019t come out of nowhere. Indiscret is a spicy, narcotic floral that appeals to modern noses. A version of Indiscret is still made but is barely recognizeable.<\/p>\n

22. Millot Cr\u00eape de Chine<\/a><\/h2>\n

A piece of perfume history, both for how it was made and for its fragrance. Cr\u00eape de Chine was discontinued in the early 1960s1<\/sup> and is tough to find, but worth a sniff if you like dreamy retro woods.<\/p>\n

23. Rochas Femme<\/a><\/h2>\n

Like Arp\u00e8ge, Femme has had two distinct phases. The first phase, truer to Edmond Roudnitska\u2019s original, is a sexy, animalic lemony-peachy chypre. Over its 40-year life, Femme was, of course, reformulated more than once, but still played to its original theme. In 1989, Femme was reformulated into more than simply an \u201cadjustment\u201d to its original perfume, but into a bossy perfume with an in-your-face cumin note. I love both fragrances, but perfume lovers will want to know the original Femme because it\u2019s referred to so often.<\/p>\n

24. Schiaparelli Shocking<\/a><\/h2>\n

For years, Shocking was a popular animalic rose-honey scent. Its popularity waned, and in the 1990s it underwent a major reformulation. The new version never really caught on. The vintage version is a door into another age.<\/p>\n

25. Weil Zibeline<\/h2>\n

Weil first made furs, then ventured into fragrances to complement them. Zibeline is a spice-laden scent that has captured many a perfumista\u2019s attention, and despite originating in the years of Prohibition, Zibeline is easy for the modern perfume wearer to love.<\/p>\n

26. Worth Je Reviens<\/a><\/h2>\n

Je Reviens has been made over more often than the little black dress. Each time, though, it seems to simplify to the point that it\u2019s lost its mystery altogether, even in the (now discontinued) couture version. Early versions of Je Reviens are a queer mixture of modern and old fashioned in a green-floral scent that embodies the vibe of science fiction films from the 1930s with flying saucers that look suspiciously like upturned pie tins zooming over flower-sprigged meadows.<\/p>\n

I’d intended to keep the list at 25, but couldn’t help bumping it up one. Really, I could easily add another 25. What would you put on the list?<\/p>\n

See also: How to find perfume at thrift stores<\/a>, How to Buy Vintage Perfume<\/a> and On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn\u2019t smell like it used to<\/a>.<\/p>\n

1. Update<\/span>: When, exactly, Cr\u00eape de Chine was discontinued is up for debate. I\u2019ve heard anecdotal reports of people buying it as late as the early 1970s, but I can\u2019t find any authoritative date that it stopped being produced.<\/p>\n

Read the rest of this article »<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"Bourjois\"Parfums<\/p>\n

[Ed. note: 5 years ago, I wrote an article called 100 Fragrances Every Perfumista Should Try<\/a>. Every year since, it has turned out to be the most-read article on Now Smell This. I was less than satisfied with it when I published it, and 5 years on, it’s really showing its age. This week, Angie and Kevin are adding to the fun with lists of vintage and men’s fragrances respectively, and I’ll be making some updates to my original article. Jessica will join in with a list of rose fragrances next month. Robin<\/em>]<\/p>\n

How to choose 25 vintage fragrances of the thousands of discontinued and reformulated perfumes out there? In compiling this list, I tried to choose fragrances that are important yet have changed substantially over time, or that have been discontinued yet left a significant mark in perfume or cultural history.<\/p>\n

For instance, Guerlain Shalimar<\/a>, while a landmark fragrance, is all right in its current incarnation, so I don\u2019t mention it. Chanel No. 5<\/a> and Patou Joy<\/a> have been monkeyed with, but they\u2019re still recognizable (although real fans may want to hunt down the older versions). On the other hand, Lanvin Arp\u00e8ge<\/a> is a whole new story these days. I aimed for perfumes that will add to your olfactory knowledge, even if you don\u2019t love them. I also included a few that are just plain wacky and, I think, deserve a sniff.<\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s go. In alphabetical order:<\/p>\n

1. Balmain Jolie Madame<\/a><\/h2>\n

A tough Germaine Cellier<\/a> sharp green-violet-leather that is still in production, yet has lost its teeth over the years. In molding Jolie Madame to the times, her fusty goodness has been smoothed away…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[129],"class_list":{"0":"post-79213","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-perfume-talk","7":"tag-perfumista","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nstperfume.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nstperfume.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nstperfume.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nstperfume.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nstperfume.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nstperfume.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79213\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nstperfume.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nstperfume.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nstperfume.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}