A Note From The Founders...S
|
|
Last month we featured perfume and vanity items that were considered souvenirs, often purchased on vacations or while attending special events. Every time we look at our travel-related treasures, they bring back memories of our shared experiences.
We've always loved to travel and last month we spent almost two weeks in Europe, visiting IPBA friends, museums and of course shopping for perfume-related souvenirs and collectibles.
We thought we would share some of our experiences, photos and perfumes that we found and that are now on display at Perfume Passage!
Sincerely,
Jeffrey and Rusty, Co-founders
|
|
|
Of the seven continents, Europe ranks sixth in size, spanning 3.8 million square miles and comes in at third in population rankings with 746 million people.
Did you also know that Europe includes both the largest and smallest nations in the world? Out of 44 European countries, Russia at 6.6 million square miles is the biggest and Vatican City is the smallest at under two square miles!
We get it! Europe is a large continent, with so many "must-see" sights and cities. You can spend several days in each country or city and still not absorb all the history or visit all the tourist attractions highlighted in the guide books.
|
|
So when we planned our first post-Covid extended European trip, we decided to limit ourselves to London and Paris, two of our favorite cities. |
|
What's a trip to London without a visit to Harrods?!
Harrods is a department store located in the residential and retail district of Knightsbridge in central London. The store covers a five acre area with 330 departments that include 1.1 million square feet of retail space. It's one of the largest and most well-known department stores in the world.
|
|
|
And like many retailers Harrods has its own motto--Omnia Omnibus Ubique which is Latin meaning "all things for all people, everywhere.
In addition to a wide range of products including clothing, electronics, toys, appliances, furniture, housewares and jewelry, their services include over 20 restaurants from high tea to tapas to fine dining, a barber shop, beauty salon and spa, wine steward and events planning.
|
|
For fragrance lovers, Harrods Salon de Parfums, located on the sixth floor, lives up to their motto. |
|
We rode the elevator to their "scented nirvana," exploring their fragrance gallery that offered some of the world's finest scents that included 25 hand-selected brands including Bond No. 9, Roja Parfums, Guerlain, Chanel, Dior, Tom Ford, Penhaligon and Floraïku. The arcade-style boutiques showcase their most premium scents, focusing on the bottle, "juice" and our sense of smell. |
|
The first fragrance boutique that caught our attention was Fueguia 1883 as pictured above.
According to their website, Fueguia 1833 was founded in Buenos Aires by Julian Bedel in 2010. Considered a niche perfumer, the fragrances began as an homage to the scientific exploration age in addition as an homage to the native people living in original territories.
Due to the scarcity of exotic ingredients, Fueguia 1833 produces only a limited series of fragrances – 400 bottles per batch, using the finest natural ingredients available at the time of production.
The company is responsible for the research of precious natural botanical ingredients, formulation, manufacturing and the creation of handmade packaging at their Fueguia’s 1833 laboratory, located in Milan, Italy.
|
|
|
|
Adding a bottle of Floraiku was on our list and we purchased a bottle of Sand And Skin. The presentation comes complete with a dresser bottle, as well as a travel size which you can switch back and forth as you prefer.
Clara and John Molloy, the founders of the niche house Memo Paris, launched their Floraiku brand in 2017. Inspired by Japanese culture and traditions, the bottle and packaging are beautiful.
|
|
Then it was on to Selfridges, the second largest department store after Harrods, founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge in 1908. We visited their historic Daniel Burnham-designed flagship store about two miles from Harrods. The first fragrance display we noticed were sniffers with Eau Triple Lichen perfume.
We saw Carolina Herrera's Lucky Charms Call Me Darling perfume. It was released in 2022 and the collection includes six floral scents inspired by the world of chance and fortune.
Each colorful two-tone bottle comes with its own good luck charm that can be matched to your outfit, mood or makeup!
|
|
And to cover all our bases, we couldn't miss a visit to Fortum & Mason which was established in 1707 and always a delight to visit.
|
|
Paris, The City of Lights... |
|
There are a variety of 12 modes of transportation to get from London to Paris by train, bus, car, ferry or plane. We chose the popular Eurostar train, about a 2-1/2 hour ride.
We met up with IPBA member and friend Antoine Poujol for some shopping and sightseeing.
|
|
|
Of course we couldn't travel to Paris without visits to some of our favorite perfumeries including Guerlain, Lancome and Caron. |
|
Our hotel was conveniently located next door to the Guerlain shop! |
|
A beautiful display of bottles was the first thing we noticed when we walked in. |
|
We found this promotional ad on the wall for Jasmin Bonheur perfume. It's a floral fruity scent for men and women, launched in 2022. |
|
We added a bottle of Guerlain's Musc Outreblanc to our collection. It's a floral woody musk scent for men and women. The nose behind this perfume is Delphine Jelk and it was it was introduced in 2022. |
|
The Lancôme boutique is just minutes from Guerlain on Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Upon entering the building we spotted these vintage 1937 and 1945 advertisements for Lancôme powder boxes on the wall. |
|
|
|
|
The wall of Caron products at their boutique was breathtaking as was their display of perfume dispensers. |
|
A visit to the Schiaparelli boutique in Paris was on our list and along with Antoine and Caroline Filloux, we spent hours viewing their latest fashions, purses and jewelry! Interesting to note that we saw only one perfume and that was a vintage Shocking bottle. |
|
|
|
Schiaparelli's latest fashions, designed by creative director Daniel Roseberry, were on display throughout the shop. |
|
A large vintage bottle of Shocking made a statement as it sat on this beautiful table! |
|
|
We had a wonderful afternoon visiting the Dorin salon in Paris. While Perfume Passage has several Dorin powder boxes on display, we weren't familiar with the rich history of the company. |
|
That's Jeffrey walking down the steps of Dorin, carrying a bag of his purchases! The new owner, Bashar Nasri, gave us a tour of the new products and their display of vintage items provided a wonderful glimpse into their past. |
|
|
In the second half of the 18th century, a Parisian brand called Fards Rouges & Blancs produced top quality beauty products. In 1780, Queen Marie-Antoinette and King Louis XVI appointed the Maison as a "Supplier to the Royal Court of Versailles."
Jean-Marie Dorin, acquired the Maison and renamed it after himself in 1819. Their signature rice powder – Un Air de Paris Montansier, became a must have product, and were soon followed by popular perfumes.
By 1920 their cosmetics could be found worldwide and included lipsticks, powders, rouge and perfumes. Dorin's Pour Monsieur line became one of the first brands to include products for men.
In 1998, France Excellence acquired Dorin and the current shop has wonderful displays of their vintage products, detailing the company's fascinating history. Visit their website at www.dorin.paris/en.
|
|
Dorin paid tribute to the Eiffel Tower by launching a limited edition perfume named "La Tour Dorin." The bottle is engraved with a drawing of the Parisian landmark. |
|
We also discovered that Kesling was a subsidiary of Dorin. Their fragrances were on display in the Dorin salon and included their Be Bob and String Strong scents. |
|
Dorin had an extensive collection of their vintage items on display alongside of their current products. |
|
We visited the Musee Du Domaine Royal De Marly museum outside of Paris. They had a wonderful exhibit depicting the life of Louis XIV.
There were several early perfume bottles and vanity items throughout the exhibit including those pictured below.
|
|
We also spent a wonderful afternoon at the Petit Palais, an art museum near the Seine river.
Designed by French architect Charles-Louis Girault for the 1900 Exposition Universelle, it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts.
Sarah Bernhardt, (1844-1923), also known as the “Divine Sarah," was an artist and actress. An exhibit at the museum marks the hundred years since her death. It includes collections linked to her greatest roles through the costumes she wore on stage, photographs, paintings, posters as well as jewelry and accessories she owned.
|
|
|
Sarah Bernhardt was featured on an 1890 Jules Cheret poster for La Diaphane poudre de riz. We saw the poster in the museum and it's also hanging on the walls at Perfume Passage! |
|
|
This beautiful brooch was on display as was the early 1900 painting where the brooch can be seen. It's a lot larger than it looks as takes up most of the area on the bodice of her dress. |
|
|
|
A lithograph by Alphonse Mucha hangs in the museum featuring Bernhardt. It includes the pearl headdress that she once worn as part of a costume and it's also part of the exhibit. |
|
Travelin' Through Our Pics... |
|
A picture is worth a thousand words... |
|
Roja Dove Boutique at Harrods |
|
Penhaligon's display at Fortnum & Mason in London. |
|
Grossmith vintage displays were found at Fortnum and Mason in London. |
|
A limited edition Dorin presentation as a tribute to the Eiffel Tour |
|
Several books on Schiaparelli were added to our Library |
|
The new dispensing urns at Caron. This one for Tabac Blond |
|
Fun Facts We Learned About Harrods... |
|
- Estee Lauder has been designing an annual holiday solid perfume bear exclusively for Harrods since 2001. They assign a man's name to each of the bears that contain one of Lauder's eau de parfum as a solid fragrance.
- The 2023 limited edition bear will be introduced in a few months. Jeffrey or Rusty would be a fun name...
|
|
|
- Charles Henry Harrod started his first business as a draper and then founded a grocery store in 1834. He moved to Knightsbridge in 1849 and after a fire gutted the building in 1883, the business was rebuilt on a grander scale in the same area as the original store.
- Approximately 300,000 customers visit Harrods on their peak days.
- More than 5,000 staff members, from over 50 different countries, are employed at Harrods
- In 1989, Harrods introduced a dress code for customers, turning away those who are not in compliant with their code. Cycling/beach shorts, swimwear, flip flops, bare midriffs or dirty/unkempt clothing are among the no-nos.
- in 1898 Harrods debuted England's first escalator. The moving staircase was actually a woven leather conveyor belt-like device with a mahogany and glass railing. It's been said that nervous customers were offered brandy once they reached the top to revive them after their "ordeal!"
|
|
|
|
Ephemera Journal - Issue No. 6 |
Published three times a year, our Journal magazines include articles and information about the known history of specific companies and items in our galleries. Our sixth Journal features a favorite Perfume Passage collecting category--Ephemera!
Ephemera are paper items meant to be destroyed. The sought after vanity related collectibles featured in our latest Journal include postcards, trade cards, Valentines, fans, ads, booklets and a myriad of paper items that miraculously survived for decades. These items are on display throughout the galleries and also placed in binders for hours of page-turning pleasure!
|
|
The new publication, along with past Journals -- Rudy Profumi, Robj, American Beauty, Made in Chicago and Rene Gruau, can be purchased on our website or while visiting Perfume Passage! |
|
Perfume Passage is open for tours! Please visit our website at Perfumepassage.org to view the tour schedules. If you have a group or your club/association would like to plan a visit, please contact us at [email protected]. Upcoming dates are now listed on line at: Upcoming Tour Dates
|
|
|
|
Types of tours include:
- Private docent-guided tours
- Group tours
-
Symphony of Scents and Sounds
|
|
|
Our mission is to preserve the history, beauty and artistry of perfume bottles, compacts, ephemera and related vanity items. Through education, outreach, and awareness of the Perfume Passage collection and library, our goal is to inspire art lovers, collectors, archivists and curators to keep this history alive. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
