A Note From The Founders... | | |
Growing up, winter meant something entirely different for each of us. While Illinois had mounds of snow and freezing cold, California's beaches were open for fun in the sun from December through March. So, it’s no surprise that one of us isn’t quite as fond of the winter season as the other!
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However, something we both agree on is that we love cozy fragrances that evoke the spirit of winter. This perfume card, promoting Lt. Piver's Reve d'Or scent, is a winter fragrance introduced in 1889. It has warm heliotrope and sandalwood notes that evoke a calming fresh snow feeling!
As we begin the new year and gear up for another Chicago winter blast, we want to share winter at Perfume Passage through our collection of perfumes, compacts and vanity items!
(FYI-- Jeffrey, a native Chicagoan, wears sweaters and turns the heat up while wishing he could be soaking up some sun! But Rusty, even after 30 years in Chicago, continues to enjoy the winter, especially cold temps and snowstorms!
Sincerely,
Jeffrey and Rusty, Co-founders
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Winter is here, and we know it can be the coldest and darkest season of the year! Depending on where you live in the world, winter might start on different dates, as when we're bundling up in the Northern Hemisphere, residents in the Southern Hemisphere are enjoying summer sun. Here in Chicago, we experience winter with regions in the Northern Hemisphere, including all of North America, Europe, most of Asia, Central America and Northern Africa.
This means that around 68% of the Earth and nearly 90% of its inhabitants are in a winter vibe with us right now! And a month ago, between December 20 and 23, we celebrated the winter solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year in our Hemisphere.
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Lights added to the house entrance and perfume sculpture at the start of winter!
So, what’s the winter connection to perfumes, you ask? While it may not seem obvious at first, there are insights related to perfumes. Perfume enthusiasts often wear their seasonal favorites, influenced by the chilly temperatures, humidity, and how individual body chemistry reacts to them.
During cold months, scents with warm notes like woods, spices, amber and vanilla really shine. Why? Because they resonate with the cool air, which actually slows down evaporation, allowing the fragrance to last longer.
Plus, with the long winter days and nights often keeping us indoors, it's the perfect opportunity to document, clean and organize our collections!
| | Our Favorite Winter Fragrances... | | At Perfume Passage, our collection includes many vintage winter scents, alongside contemporary fragrances that we wear during the chilly months. Our galleries also include a variety of winter-themed perfume bottles, compacts, ephemera, and other vanity treasures that are sure to catch your eye! | |
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Step into our Deco gallery and our Dior exhibit features several of their vintage winter fragrances.
The original legendary Dior Poison, launched in 1985, is known for its rich spicy woody blend with additional notes of tuberose, honey and vanilla. It's an exotic scent with modern versions that have been reformulated from the original.
It was created by perfumer Edouard Flechier and led the way for other Oriental floral scents. The Poison family of scents includes:
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- Hypnotic Poison: Ambery vanilla in addition to bitter almond and jasmine.
- Pure Poison: A white floral interpretation.
- Poison Girl: A modern, sweeter scent with bitter orange and vanilla.
- Tendre Poison: A lighter, greener scent.
- Midnight Poison: A darker, patchouli-infused scent.
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Miss Dior released in 1947 was Christian Dior's debut fragrance. He created the scent as an accessory to his first couture collection, and his sister Catherine inspired its name. It was considered a revolutionary scent symbolizing joy following WWII.
The original chypre floral included notes of jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, oakmoss and aldehydes. It has been reformulated over the years with updated notes and relaunched as Miss Dior Eau de Parfum and Miss Dior Parfum.
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Diorissimo was known for its lily-of-the-valley notes, and older versions include additional notes of jasmine, bergamot, lilac and sandalwood.
Diorissimo was released in 1956, created by legendary perfumer Edmond Roudnitska.
Christian Dior considered lily-of-the-valley his lucky flower.
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Guerlain's Mitsouko is a chypre fruity fragrance for women launched in 1919, created by Jacques Guerlain. Notes include bergamot, rose, jasmine, peach, ylang-ylang, lilac, oakmoss, vetiver, cinnamon and amber.
According to Fragrantica, Mitsouko was inspired by the heroine of Claude Farrere's novel "La bataille," a story of an impossible love between Mitsouko, the wife of Japanese Admiral Togo and a British officer. The story takes place in 1905, during the war between Russia and Japan.
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Both men went to war, and Mitsouko waited for the outcome of the battle to learn who would come back to her and be her companion.
Mitsouko is considered a mysterious fragrance and is perfect to wear in the cold winter months. An early bottle of Mitsouko is in the Guerlain window display in the Passageway gallery at Perfume Passage.
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Jeanne Lanvin, a trailblazer in the fashion world, was born in Paris in 1867. Starting her career as a milliner’s apprentice in her late teens, she dreamt of opening her own hat shop. By the late 1890s, her fabulous “Lanvin Modes” hats became the must-have accessory for chic Parisian ladies.
After the birth of her daughter in 1897, she was inspired to design children’s clothing and soon expanded into perfumes, developing her iconic scent, Arpege, in 1927.
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The name Arpege was inspired by the sound of her daughter practicing on the piano as the word Arpege is French for arpeggio, a chord that is played one note at a time. Her Lanvin emblem was known as “The woman and the child.”
Lanvin collaborated with French architect-designer Armand-Albert Rateau in redesigning her homes and her businesses. This collaboration led to the creation of the spherical La Boule perfume bottle for Arpege. Today, Arpege bottles still proudly showcase a stunning 1907 illustration by artist Paul Iribe, featuring Lanvin and her beloved daughter, Marguerite.
Perfume Passage loves the vintage scent that's perfect to wear in the winter months. Notes include jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang and it's complemented by woody and musky notes. The Lanvin display is located in the Deco gallery.
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All four seasons can be represented by our perfumes and vanity items, but it's the winter months, where snow is a requirement, that offer the variety of treasures that are displayed in our galleries!
It only takes a few inches of snow, and the first thing on the mind of many is snowmen!
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A snowman's shape is the perfect container to hold a scent.
New York's Rubicon Inc. made this novelty snowman perfume bottle that could also be used as an ornament!
| | Estee Lauder has always celebrated the seasons with their whimsical solid perfumes, so you'll love our display featuring the 2022 Snowman. | | |
Sledding is probably the second winter activity that comes to mind once enough snow has accumulated. And so of course vanity items were produced with sleds and even snowmobiles in mind!
Over the years, Coty, the iconic perfume house, has produced vintage miniature perfume gift sets, several with winter themes, such as a sled!
This 6" sled includes small bottles of their popular fragrances L'Aimant, Paris de Coty, Emeraude and Styx. It was featured in a 1942 ad, selling for $10.
| | Our Avon collection includes this 1970s snowmobile aftershave bottle that includes their Oland fragrance! | | |
We know that many winter activities evolved from practical methods of travel and even survival techniques. Long before they became competitive sporting events, skiing and ice skating were once the most effective ways to get around in the snow and ice!
Fast forward to the 18th century, when innovations like curved skis and metal ice skates transformed these activities into popular winter pastimes, appealing to enthusiasts everywhere. They were included in the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France in 1924.
These sports have become sought-after themes in ladies' compacts and perfumes and are showcased in the displays at Perfume Passage.
| | This 1940s Toledo, Ohio Surlin company chalkware perfume holder is a boy on skis with a scottie dog at his feet! It came in a 5" glass dome. | | |
Jean-Claude Killy, born in 1943, is a French former World Cup alpine ski racer. He dominated the sport in the late 1960s, winning three alpine events at the 1968 Winter Olympics, becoming the most successful athlete there.
Not a lot of information about the Jean-Claude Killy aftershave, which was part of a Mennen gift set, has been found. It was available for purchase in December 1968.
The aftershave was likely released to capitalize on his fame following his success at the Olympics. The product was part of a variety of Killy-branded items that included skiwear.
| | Two 1930s powder compacts show skaters on the lid. The one on the left was made by the English Stratton company under their Stratnoid label. They made a variety with sports themes. The enamel compact on the right is unmarked. | | |
The 2026 Winter Olympics, officially known as Milano Cortina 2026, will be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from February 6 to 22, 2026. It will be the first time two cities co-host the winter games. These 25th modern winter Olympics will feature 16 new winter sports, and favorites like skiing and skating are usually highlights of the 16-day event. More than 3,500 athletes from nearly 100 countries will participate.
Our collection includes several items that were produced to commemorate the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and we'll be searching for vanity items issued from the upcoming winter games.
| | Avon's 1996 Triumph cologne came in a bottle-shaped pedestal with the Olympic rings and a laurel wreath medallion as the cap. | | Imari Cologne produced this 5 oz. bottle shaped like the Olympic torch with a gold colored flame as a stopper. It's embossed Atlanta 1996. | | |
Crowntop perfume bottles are easy to identify because each one has a stopper topped with a small metal crown. They were made from the 1890s to about 1939 in Germany and a few other countries. Our collection on display in the Deco gallery include several with winter sports themes!
A rare crowntop shows the Olympic rings on the front and a building from the games on the back. This bottle most likely was a souvenir from the 1936 winter Olympics, held in Germany.
The other crowntop shows the mountainous region of Konigssee. The word Konigssee is on the back. This is an area located in the Bavarian Alps with a glacier-formed lake. Today, it's renowned as Germany's deepest and cleanest alpine lake, and it's a popular winter tourist destination.
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Winter came early, as we had a very snowy November, featuring a record-breaking snowfall of 8.4 inches in just one day--making it the snowiest
November day ever recorded in Chicago! Then came December, and it surprised us even more, as we saw snowfalls that topped last year's entire winter total! So, it makes sense that winter-themed vanity items and ephemera are heavily on our minds!
You know the love Perfume Passage has for ephemera, as vintage paper items are a wealth of information that help us learn more about the treasures in our collections!
| | Many vintage winter lipsticks in deep reds, berries and plums were inspired by Revlon's iconic hot pink/cherry red "Cherries in the Snow" and their vibrant red "Fire and Ice." | | |
Revlon's Cherries in the Snow was launched in 1953 and their Fire and Ice shade was introduced in 1952.
Both were advertised in a variety of ladies magazines and are still popular and sold today!
| | | Our vintage vanity postcard collection in the Library includes many winter-themed images. They're the perfect "go-with" items to display with our perfumes and vanity items. | | |
The hundred-year-old Italian postcard on the right shows a young lady reapplying her lipstick after a long day on the slopes!
The French postcard below depicts a woman admiring her face in a mirror while taking a break from skiing. The text translates to read:
"A little bit of Creme Simon on my face and the baby's face, and we'll brave the snow and sun with impunity."
| | The 1929 catalog page (below) is from Perfumeria Gal, a Spanish company that featured wonderful face powder boxes, including this 3" box with images of women skiing. This unopened box is included in the powder box display at Perfume Passage. | | Newspapers.com is a favorite research tool at Perfume Passage. We're able to date vintage perfume bottles, identify manufacturers and read interesting articles about our now-collectibles. We found references to winter fragrances and ads promoting the seasonal scents that are included in our collections! | | |
Mrs. Nellie Gray wrote a beauty column in the Florida Jacksonville Journal. In the December 1910 issue, she shared her thoughts on the best winter perfume.
Nellie noted that during the chilly months fragrances featuring Oriental notes were favored. She recommended a "new and delightful odor," called Mi Nena (My Girl). She further stated that while it's a rather expensive perfume, it's lasting! Launched in 1909 by Rigaud, the bottle was designed by Julien Viard.
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The December 21, 1935 Chicago Defender newspaper ran a Walgreens ad promoting Le Secret de Jeurelle perfume. The ad says it's an ideal winter perfume, and it looks like a bargain at $1.49 for only one ounce.
While the ad spells the name Jeuvelle instead of Jeurelle, as the label shows, Perfume Passage would love to add this nice looking bottle to our winter fragrance collection.
The perfume was created by Maison Jeurelle, and Proctor & Gamble's Camay soap brand featured it in a major 1937 nationwide promotional campaign. They used the perfume as a marketing hook, advertising a free bottle with the purchase of three cakes of Camay soap.
| | | While the marketing emphasized a "French" image with its name, Maison Jeurelle was a US cosmetic firm (originally based in Syracuse, New York) and was a subsidiary of the US company Irresistible. | | |
Actress Arlene Dahl wrote a popular, syndicated beauty column for the Chicago Tribune, titled "Let's Be Beautiful," starting in the early 1950s.
She maintained her column while continuing her film career and then expanded her extensive beauty and astrology businesses, as they became a big part of her public persona for decades.
Her January 12, 1970 column featured zodiac horoscopes. For all you Geminis she included a beauty hint for that week -- "winter perfumes should be heavier and more concentrated than summer ones because skin doesn't diffuse fragrance as easily in cold weather. Select yours accordingly and use to your advantage all week."
She knew what she was talking about!!
| | The vintage Valentine collection at Perfume Passage fills several binders on our library shelves. And they're all vanity-related! They date from the early 1900s through the 1960s and are the perfect ephemera item to celebrate the most popular wintertime holiday! | | |
As we get closer to the opening of Perfume Passage Foundation Milano, exciting progress continues around the clock!
We hope you enjoy a sneak peek...
| | The welcoming and inviting entrance when you approach PPF Milano. | | |
A rendition of the gallery which will house the permanent collection of Italian perfume history, Museo del Profumo. There will also be an archival library for research and a presentation salon for guest speakers.
Before long, our displays will come to life, focusing on the fascinating history of Italian perfumery and beauty items from the mid-1800s to the end of the 20th century.
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We wish we were somewhere tropical sitting under a palm tree on a beach in the sun sipping a piña colada. This vintage presentation from the Italian company Rudy Profumi, has a pineapple filled with fragrance.
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Follow us on Instagram to see the progress and updates. We look forward to hosting your visit in the new year.
| | | Perfume Passage Publications... | | Click bookshelf to read any of the previous Journals in a digital format on-line. | | Perfume Passage Is On Social Media... | | |
You will find everything on one site. Check out our Linktr.ee
You will find links to our past PassageWAY newsletters, video content such as the virtual tour by Erin Parsons, and much more!
| | | We are closed during the winter months but will return with tours and events starting in April. Available dates will be posted on our website by the early March! | | | | |
Interested in visiting the collection?
- Please visit our website for tour schedules for the next few months! And if you'd like to bring a group or your organization for a tour, please contact us for available dates.
- Since the galleries are locaated in a private residence, we are not open to the general public except through pre-arranged tours.
- Experiencing the collection is best when done in smaller groups, therefore we limit admission for an up close and intimate experience. See the link below for upcoming available dates.
- We also offer private group tours and many other events throughout the year.
| | | 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, arts and curators to keep this history alive. | | | | |
