Vintage Madame Rochas Ida’s bottle
“un parfum doit avant tout sentir bon” (a perfume should first and foremost smell good).” ~ Guy Robert, master perfumer
Guy Robert via Michael Edwards of Fragrances of the World
We can rely upon the Grasseois to provide us with inspired master perfumers – of which Guy Robert was indubitably one. This Renaissance gentleman (a brilliant jazz pianist, fiction writer, talented cook, lecturer, and mentor) left our midst in May of 2012, bequeathing a legacy of haute parfumerie which includes such olfactory jewels as his compositions for Hermès (Doblis, Calèche, Équipage), Rochas (Madame and Monsieur Rochas, respectively), Amouage (Gold Woman and Gold Man), and more. From 1960-1970, Monsieur Robert created beautiful fragrances which have earned their rightful place in the perfumed pantheon. Just one year prior to his succès fou for the House of Hermès (Calèche), he released Madame Rochas. Both perfumes share an undeniable familial DNA – and since we’ve already reviewed one, it follows that the predecessor, Madame Rochas – should have her day in the sun.
In 1955, Mme. Hélène Rochas became a widow at only 28 years of age and assumed the helm of this eponymous house. It was she for whom Marcel Rochas had commissioned his wedding present, the Edmond Roudnitska parfum Femme. Madame Rochas was looking to add a new fragrance to the brand, one with a broader appeal than Femme. Aldehydic florals were very popular during this time frame, especially Chanel No.5 and Lanvin Arpège; Hélène enlisted Guy Robert, a choice she would not regret. Who can say why? Perhaps his stellar work on 1955’s Doblis (original) was pivotal to this decision; it certainly would have been for me.
Vintage ad circa 1967
While many have described Madame Rochas as a Grande Dame, she was wildly popular with young women as well as the more mature set. My first encounter with her was in the summer of 1968, when I was a nature counselor at a sleep-away camp financed by the Fresh Air Fund; they employed international counselors who were much older than the rest of us. My big brother and I became friendly with most of them, inviting them to stay at our house on their days off (to eat, sleep, play, do their laundry). Oh, those magnificent Dutch, Swedish, and Belgian girls, 22 years old or more! They all wafted Madame Rochas that summer; it was a joy to float in their fragrant orbit – so elegant, soignée, completely Feminine. All the attributes to which an awkward tomboy aspired. My brother was hopelessly smitten, and I couldn’t blame him; besides these women’s youthful beauty, their sillage was intoxicating, sparkling.
“We are like painters: some use simple colors, others prefer sophisticated ones. It’s the result that matters” . ~ Guy Robert, Les Sens du Parfum
Vintage Madame Rochas Ad 1981-2
For many young women in the 60s and 70s, Madame Rochas was a go-to perfume which possessed symphonic beauty and equipoise. You didn’t have to work at it; the fragrance was delightful, and never bombastic or intrusive. Always the right thing at any given time or occasion during this era of signature fragrances: twinkling aldehydes winked at the top, followed by an immense bouquet of soothing, effusive, and indolic blooms kissed with green. Madame Rochas developed in an exceptional fashion, eventually settling into a perfectly balanced base in which precious woods commingled with vetiver, musk, a drop of amber and resin, and the murky depths of oakmoss. That was then, and this is now. The fragrance has since been reformulated several times, and these days appears a bit more shrill and flat, with a brassy metallic edge which some may find off-putting. As often happens, Madame Rochas has become more linear, with less evolution; it is still pretty, but not as distinctive or nuanced as it once was.
Madame Rochas 1982 (reformulation)
Changing attitudes accompany changing times, and it can no longer be assumed that men cannot wear this fragrance merely because of its name. That would be akin to discouraging women from wearing such Guy Robert treasures as Équipage or Monsieur Rochas – two absolute [sic] favorites of mine which also suit every occasion and mood. Pure nonsense. Wear Madame Rochas (you can find it at The Fragrance Vault here) because you are radiant, suavely approachable, and charming. That should be reason enough.
Notes: aldehydes, bergamot, lemon, hyacinth, neroli, broom, orange blossom, galbanum, green notes, rose de mai, Bulgarian rose, lily of the valley, jasmine, orris, ylang ylang, violet, narcissus, tuberose, sandalwood, cedarwood, amber, vetiver, musk, tonka bean, benzoin, oakmoss, coumarin
Bottle is from my own collection. My nose is my own…
~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor
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