The 1950's marked the start of several major world events including the beginning of the Korean war in 1950,the Vietnam war in 1955 as well as Alaska becoming the 49th state in 1959.The 1950's also started Chanel's commercial relationship with Marilyn Monroe with the famed movie starlet posing in various ads beginning in 1955 that promoted the company's famous Chanel No.5.Even though No. 5 was launched by Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel in 1921 its was still a very popular perfume in the 1950's and to this day still is. Chanel No.5's estimated annual sales revenue is right at 100 million dollars and according to Tilar J. Mazzeo the author of "The Secrets of Chanel No.5" a bottle of No.5 sells somewhere in the world every thirty seconds. Lets take a look at some other perfumes that were popular during the 1950's.
Je Reviens by Worth.Launched in 1932 by the House of Worth in Paris Je Reviens was an immensely popular perfume in the 1950's.It is classified as a Floral Aldehyde (Aldehydes are organic compounds that occur naturally in nature or can be produced synthetically.Among the scents that Aldehydes can give perfume are citrus and lemon) Je Reviens has top notes that are bursting with lemon, orange blossom, jasmine, ylang-ylang and bergamot.Middle notes of narcissus, lilac, orris root, hiacynth, cloves, ylang-ylang and rose.Its dry down consists of warm sandalwood, tonka bean, amber, soft musk, violet, oakmoss, vetiver and incense.This was a sweet perfume however it was not overpowering.
Wind Song by Prince Matchabelli."I can’t seem to forget you, your Wind Song stays on my mind" so the saying goes in an ad for Windsong perfume This is another fragrance that is classified as a floral with brilliant top notes of coriander, orange leaf, mandarin orange, tarragon, neroli, bergamot and lemon. Middle notes of cloves, carnation, orris root, jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose and brazilian rosewood. Base notes of sandalwood, amber, musk, benzoin, vetiver and cedar.Wind Song was released in 1953 and became immensely popular during the 1960's. It was a perfume that was recommended to be worn for romantic interludes.
Youth Dew by Estee Lauder."Women still like to feel beautiful,pampered and loved. And that is what Youth Dew is all about." Estee Lauder.This perfume was also launched in 1953 and according to Mrs Lauder was created to change women's perception about wearing perfume.Why? Mrs Lauder asked did it seem that women relied on the men in their lives to buy them perfume and then only wear it on special occasions?With its gold cap and gold bow tied around the middle of the bottle Youth Dew was created to change that way of thinking with its moderate price and beautiful notes of aldehydes, orange, spices, peach, bergamot, narcissus and lavender,cinnamon, cassia, orchid, jasmine, cloves, ylang-ylang, rose, lily-of-the-valley accord ,tolu balsam, peru balsam, amber, patchouli, musk, vanilla, oakmoss, vetiver and incense.Apparently men liked the way it smelt on women too because according to some of them this perfume was "simply the sexiest fragrance ever."
Diorissimo by Christian Dior.This romantic perfume was launched by the house of Christian Dior in 1956 and was designed as an alternative to the sweet perfumes that were dominating the market at the time.The fragrance is actually centered around Christian Dior's favorite flower lily-of-the-valley which is complimented with notes of lang-ylang,amaryllis and boronia.This wonderfully beautiful perfume is still a shining example of the expert use of lily-of-the-valley in a perfume and was created by famed perfumer Edmond Roudniyska.According to Dior Diorissimo is the perfume of his spirit.
L'Interdit by Givenchy.L'Interdit (French for forbidden) was created by the house of Givenchy in 1957 by perfumer Francis Fabron for Hubert de Givenchy's good friend and actress Audrey Hepburn.The perfume was created exclusively for Miss Hepburn which she wore for several years before its release to the general public in the 1960's. L'Interdit is a floral fragrance with dazzling top notes of aldehydes, spices, mandarin orange, peach, bergamot and strawberry; middle notes of iris, violet, narcissus, orris root, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lily-of-the-valley and rose.The base notes consist of sandalwood, amber, musk, benzoin, vetiver and tonka bean. Givenchy and Hepburn had a relationship that was based not only on friendship but also on trust and respect.A relationship of style that is evident in the gowns he designed for her which she wore in eight of her movies most notably the 1954 film Sabrina which also featured costumes designed by the world renowned designer Edith Head.
So there you have five of the perfumes that were popular in the 1950's,these were just my personal selections.There were others such as Ambush by Dana, Poivre by Caron and Electrique by Max Factor to name just a few.In my next post I'll be covering my favorite decade the 1960's so stay tuned for some great perfume history and interesting facts.
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