Vintage Perfumes: Remembrance of Things Past

Detail of the painted ceiling in Waltham Abbey depicting the two faced god Janus

The two faced Roman god Janus appears everywhere at the New Year, his divided gaze peering from blogs, greeting cards and news articles. As he looks into the future and ponders the past, Janus reminds us that everything new will soon be old  – and that the past will resurrect, renew and be born again in a fresh guise. This dual aspect of time moves the trendiest new perfumes into the past and brings once outmoded scents to life as fashionably fragrant revivals.The unavoidable nature of time is why the main reason why I gravitate towards vintage perfumes. Every year the new becomes old, but instead of selling or gifting my vintage  perfumes, I never let them go. They are my treasured loves, no matter their age.  Here are a few reasons why vintage perfumes mean so much to me.

Natalie Wood with vintage perfumes photo tmblr

Memories! Every scent I own is attached to a specific memory. My vintage perfumes are part of a three dimensional, multi-sensory "photo" album that brings together, via olfaction, remembered sights, sounds and atmospheres. 

Vintage Fleure de Rocaille by Caron

When I want to visit my great grandmother I dab on a touch from the old Fleurs de Rocaille by Caron. As I open the bottle, decorated with a fragile paper doily, I am immediately transported to her Victorian home. I see antimacassars on the upholstered furniture and feel the touch of the lacy lavender fabrics of her dresses and the powdery violet bouquets she favored.

Vintage Perfumes: Lagerfeld KL parfum, Coty La Rose Jacqueminot EdT, Lanvin Spanish Geranium, Judith Muller Bat-Sheba two different bottle shapes, Dior Diorissimo.

Vintage perfumes can serve as time machines whisking the wearer to places and eras, near and far. Estee Lauder Youth Dew and Lanvin Spanish Geranium recall my mother's dressing table in 1950s Florida.

Vintage perfumes: Norell and Guy Laroche Fidji

Guy Laroche Fidji brings into focus a small boutique in an Italian ski resort many years ago.  Mukhallats, top heavy with roses, jasmine and oud, never fail to remind me of the perfume sellers in the Meshed bazaar during the 1970s. Vintage perfumes can recreate moods, the effects of light, atmosphere and even air temperature, bringing every aspect of an experience to life in a rush of nostalgia.

Gail's vintage perfumes: Dana Tabu parfum, Coty Les Muses EdT and EdP, Tuvache Jungle Gardenia skin parfum, bath parfum and parfum extrait.

I cherish every fragrance I own and wear several vintage perfumes on a regular basis.  Dana Tabu, the aforesaid Fidji, Lucien Lelong Sirocco, Karl Lagerfeld KL, Judith Muller Bat-Sheba, Coty Les Muses (the 1980s version), Calandre by Paco Rabanne and the original Tuvache Jungle Gardenia are all included in my monthly rotation. There are, of course, the obligatory bottles of Chanel No5 and Guerlain Shalimar.  And that brings to mind another important reason why I love vintage perfumes- The Bottles!

Vintage Coty Emeraude

Perfumes bottles are unique to collecting. They offer not only intangible experiences of scent and recollection but also serve as concrete collectable "things". Many vintage crystal and glass perfume flacons are so exquisite as to be almost impossible to resist. I covet the commercially produced bottles of Baccarat, Lalique, Verreres Pochet, Limoges, Steuben and others and am particularly fond of the early to mid-century offerings of Francois Coty (vintage Emeraude for one) and the creations of designer Lucien Lelong. Sometimes these gorgeous relics can be found for much less money than their newer equivalents, albeit harder to track down. The resulting "Treasure Hunt" is an indispensable part of the fun!

Charles of the Ritz Ritual, Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps, Molinard de Molinard, Bijan and Caesar’s Woman parfums

Searching for the scarce and the discontinued is at the heart of the vintage perfumes obsession.  "Scoring" a favorite scent memory, housed in an exquisite bottle – for a song – is the dream of many perfume collectors. The hunt can take us to flea markets, garage sales, auction sites, brick and mortar antique stores, on-line grey markets and swaps.  One memorable purchase included three partial bottles: A pristine Nina Ricci L'Air du Temps double dove, a Caesar's Woman perfume and vintage Molinard de Molinard, all for pennies. Admittedly there are some unscrupulous dealers out there and imitations and fakes abound. But in all my years of vintage collecting I have only purchased three bottles of perfume that were misrepresented.  One was a Coty La Rose Jaqueminot purportedly full of the original scent, but filled with colored water. Another was a fake bottle of Lancôme Climat and the third a vintage Rochas Femme that had completely turned. In this last case the seller kindly refunded my money and I kept the lovely bottle.

Vintage and contemporary Dior Hypnotic Poison plus empty Evyann bottle.

We can't stop the new from becoming old, but the old will be new again, whether we like it or not. Styles eventually come full circle and my outdated, vintage perfumes may find a fresh purpose.  Admittedly, I will probably wear only the newer versions (Dior's Hypnotic Poison for example) as the old ones can be rife with banned and controlled substances.  While it is true that vintage perfumes may have more depth and pack more punch than the reformulations, their replacements are usually cruelty free and safer, not only for the wearer, but for the entire planet.  There are other reasons that I tend to wear the new  – while continuing to collect the old. Not the least of which is, that despite careful storage, fragrances eventually deteriorate, losing their top notes first.  As the years go by I imagine the perfumes in my collection, many created in the 1930s, will at some point succumb to the ravages of time. Until then I will enjoy them all, not only for their scent but also for the memories, beautiful bottles, for the challenges of acquisition and for the historic and olfactory education they offer with every sniff.

 Vintage Perfumes: Royal Secret, Rochas Femme and Bijan Parfum

Thousands of new fragrances are introduced every year. No matter how stunning, many will fall by the wayside. Even though I do my best to keep up, I have to admit that I often feel overwhelmed and find it tempting to retreat to the peace and comfort of the well known and loved. Like the Roman god Janus I continue to look ahead, anticipating each new perfume while at the same time searching the past for the memories, comfort, and fragrant dreams that will shape my olfactory future.

Are vintage perfumes important to you?  Do you collect memories and beautiful bottles or are you looking for totally new perfume experiences? Does scarcity entice?  Does age repel?  Let's talk about it! What are your favorites?

Gail Gross – Senior Editor

All photos are of Gail's vintage perfumes unless otherwise noted

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16 comments

  • Systeme D says:

    There are definitely a few vintage fragrances in my collection. they’re all associated with remembrance.

    Every time I spray my little bottle of Anais Anais I recall the scent of my mother – at least the 1970s version of her, before I left my childhood home to go off to college.

    My vintage bottles of Coty Smitty and Shiseido Zen and YSL Rive Gauche bring me right back to my high school self. (I have purposefully “forgotten” to add Charlie, in which my best friend bathed, and which I truly disliked!)

    I love the look of my vintage flacon of Chanel Coco edp. I wore that one in the 80s., and I still love to wear it, too. I have bottles of Cool Water Woman and CK Be from the 90s, too, but I don’t wear them now. They’re there only for the occasional sniff, for remembrance’s sake.

  • jenbat says:

    Thanks for this post, I really enjoyed reading it, in fact I think I was trawling the internet looking for something just like it. My mum has kept almost every perfume she’s ever owned, including the empty bottles, and one of my favourite things to do when I’m at hers is to sit us both down on the bed and unwrap each bottle one at a time (she keeps them all wrapped in tissue in a chest, even the ones she uses regularly), open the caps to smell them, ask her where and when she got them, maybe try a few on. This kind of history means a lot more to me than, say, chasing down a bottle of discontinued or pre-reformulation this-or-that just because someone said it’s way better than what’s on the shelves these days. It’s all subjective anyway, isn’t it, especially with perfume. Which is one of the best things about it. Thank you for sharing your treasures with us, I hope to see more like this!

  • tammy says:

    I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed your article, Gail! I absolutely love vintage, in part for the memories ( I envy you your collection of Jungle Gardenia, which was worn by a much-beloved aunt whom I lost last year) and partly because I like them so much better than the average mainstream fragrances produced today. I suspect that the reason I am so drawn to niche and indie fragrance is because they remind me of vintage in feel and craftsmanship.

    I am intrigued by the Judith Muller Bat-Sheba! What does it smell like?!

  • Jerri P says:

    Fantastic article and perfect way to look back at a time when perfume was much more interesting since there was less of it and some were really unique. I have a small collection and the stars are Chanel gardenia and Guerlai Parure and djedi just a few drops. We probably like vintage perfumes because it reminds us of simpler times. I also love the thrill of finding a treasure at a yard sale.

  • fazalcheema says:

    I admit it is impossible for us as hobbyists to keep up with the pace of current releases. But we have also become more experienced over time so we have found a way to recognize those worth sniffing after internet research. In the meanwhile, I also continue to hunt gems from the past.

  • MrsPress says:

    I would love to get my hands on a vintage bottle of Femme Rochas with unspoiled juice!! Hard to find vintage perfume sellers that offer a refund.

  • BostonScentGuy says:

    Thank you for writing this piece! More and more I am a mostly-vintage enthusiast. Like most art and fashion, I appreciate fragrance both for its aesthetic value and for the window in the socio-cultural landscape it emerged from. The French orientalistic fascination with the east, as seen through Guerlain in particular, is so curious, I find, when you compare it to actual eastern perfumery for example. Also, observing changing fashion sensibilities (even observing the transition to dreaded aquatics etc.) is a big interest of mine, even if I don’t love scents from a certain era.

    I also find it interesting to explore what didn’t survive. Guerlain and Chanel (and Dior to a lesser extent) are my big go to perfume houses. I’ve been more able to find samples or bits and pieces of Guerlain scents lost to time. Exploring scents such as Rue de la Paix, Fleur Qui Meurt, Guerlarose, Pour Troubler, etc. which didn’t survive are always initially fascinating, like unlocking a time capsule. I do find, however, I gain a greater appreciation of the scents that have stood the test of time–Jicky, Shalimar, Mitsouko, etc.–as the most fully realized masterpieces cut from the same cloth. Of course with a house as old as Guerlain, what was lost to the war(s) in Europe early to mid 20th century is a question raised…I always wonder what classics were just poorly timed, and destined not to make it out of the 40s.

    My top vintages are fairly predictable–Jicky, Bois des Iles, Cuir de Russie, Apres L’Ondee. I have big bottles of Jicky from the present back to 1980s; seeing the substitution of ingredients over time is fascinating. I treasure my big 80’s extrait. That said, I have a sample from the 50s–the DNA is the same for sure, but there is something so bright, floral, delicate, animalic, contradictory, and timelessly unisex about it. What a creation! Bois des Iles and Cuir de Russie fascinate me because there is a stark transition between Ernest Beaux’s original creations (and I do have versions of those in full bottles) and the Polge reorchestrations that began in the 80’s. On the surface they feel so differently textured from one another, but in the drydown, once I squint, I detect the connection between the supremely vintage and contemporary reworkings. All versions of these scents (even the most recent EDPs) I think are masterpieces, through and through.

    Thanks again for inspiring a contemplation of all things vintage!

  • Claudia Kroyer says:

    There are few vintage fragrances I adore. To me they are memory fragrances reminding me of people I love. Vintage Opium Pure Parfum, Shalimar, Chanel No.19. I definitely find it appealing to smell and appreciate them. Loved reading this.

  • yukon1 says:

    Great article,thank you . Im a huge fan of vintage and pre-reformulated fragrances when perfumers werent handicapped by ingredient bans ,concentrations etc. , again thankx for wonderful article.

  • tiffanie says:

    Vintage perfumes are time capsules, messages in a bottle from past people and places. I am grateful my mother has saved a few of her favorites even though she no longer wears perfume. I enjoy a sniff from those bottles whenever I visit her.

    This morning I spritzed on Jour d’Hermes as I dressed for the day. I love to spray it on my dress slips so that it wafts as I walk. This time Jour d’Hermes reminded me vividly of Nina by Nina Ricci, the yellow perfume in the oval bottle from the late 1980’s and 90’s. These two are not nearly the same fragrance, but somehow the citruses, white flowers, and green notes common to both granted a moment of connection. I felt linked to the time and place, and the person I was, when I wore nina decades ago.

    Thank you to Gail for sharing your beautiful collection of vintage fragrances. I would love to hear more about what you perceive when you wear them, how well they have help up over the years.

  • Mona says:

    Love to have the original Ambush by Dana return, as well as Styx and the original Realm! That would be fantastic!!

  • Tertso says:

    I have a small, lovely bottle of Elsa Schiaparelli’s “Schiap” perfume. circa 1934. I’ve had it so many years that I don’t remember how I came by it, but am considering selling it because I’m a senior and downsizing and have no heirs that might be interested in it, though am quite fond of it and attached to it. The bottle is still about 2/3’s full. There’s ever a very, very, very mild fragrance, barely imperceptible near the seal, but it is heavenly. I’m tempted to break the black string that holds the top down so that I may wear the fragrance before I pass. I know so little about perfumes and vintage bottles. To whom would I address the questions of its monetary value and its history and perfume? If you’d like to email, I can send a photo to you. RSVP. Merci.

  • Donna Ayers says:

    Loved jungle gardenia. Went with Dad to LA we stopped at Broadway he bought me a bottle on way home after purchasing a car. I’m tempted to get one off eBay to remember the fragrance. Liked looking at your bottles. Loved aquamarine also.

  • Jerry Higgins says:

    Do you know anything about a perfume bottle designed by Yasuhisa Mogi in 1937? He was a citizen of Japan but living in New York City at the time of his design patent in 1938. I found this bottle and would like to know more about its contents.

  • Dusan kane says:

    Can you tell me if the purfume that’s in bottle like a Hennie bottle is still around if so cost
    The photo of bottle is in Frist lot long neck brown and squashed round bottlem