I am not a great fan of coffee-table perfume books, and this one reached me almost by chance. A late bloomer in many ways, I’ve just recently discovered Guerlain’s 1889 Jicky, and realized that for me “the history of Guerlain” signifies little more than how and where I’ve sniffed and chatted: at the Champs Élysées mother ship; at Saks Fifth Avenue in Boston; on the perfume sites. So, pulling my nose away from my precious Jicky sample, I endeavored to bury it in instead in a book on this historic house. In one distracted click, I ordered the least expensive of the lot: $22.00 used. Imagine my surprise when this 13.4 x 9.8 x 0.8-inch, hardcover book reached my doorstep in perfect condition.
Now, coffee-table books are not created to be read cover-to-cover, but for you, Fragrant Readers, that’s precisely what I’ve done. In the first chapter, on the founding of Guerlain in the 19th century, Colette Fellous links trends in perfumery to the cultural currents that flavored emerging modernist movements in literature, music, the visual and performing arts. The Jicky chapter presents this daring scent composition as an aesthetic bridge to the 20th century. Fellous argues convincingly that this strange, new blend, which does not imitate a natural bouquet, reflects the artist’s attempts to control nature, as expressed in works such as Joris-Karl Huysman’s 1884 Against Nature (À Rebours). Subsequent chapters (there are six in all), complete an unabashedly Guerlainophilic history of French perfumery, chock-full of tributes to the house classics.
After a promising start, I found the last few chapters a tad whimsical and outdated. Sweeping generalizations about perfume’s magical qualities, and prescriptive declarations on fragrance composition no longer apply — not even to Guerlain: “We should also remember that a good perfume must be balanced and respect classic rules of harmony” (7); “For a perfume to be beautiful, it must, above all, be original, not a reminder of an already-smelt odor” (126); “Here it is clear that perfume is endowed with unlimited power for anyone who knows how to use it […] The secret dream of any perfumer might well be to give a woman what will enable her to simultaneously offer and ask for everything. And he might well be working silently toward this unconfessed aim, in the manner of an alchemist, dosing and blending the rarest substances to achieve the fragrant gold of our dreams”(117). You get the idea.
As the back page acknowledgments attest, the Guerlain family kept close watch over the production of this volume. Indeed, most of the gorgeous, full-page photographs come from the Guerlain archives. It’s a pleasure to leaf through the glossy pictures, glancing at generous, informative captions, which do not repeat information from the text itself. On page 47 you’ll find a 1945 photograph of American G.I.s lined up in front of the Champs Élysées boutique — almost a mirror image of the Chanel photo that has garnered so much attention in recent months.
Since the book was obviously produced to celebrate Guerlain, you won’t find edgy revelations on these pages. Guerlain comes across as the engine that drove the art of perfumery from the early nineteenth century through the 1980s. While the author does not claim unfair “firsts” for Guerlain, she does describe the fragrances as “prototypes:” Mitsouko, the protoype for chypre; Shalimar, the prototype for oriental accord. Coty and Patou receive due credit, but most other houses escape mention. Oddly, the book closes with a gratuitous and awkwardly translated dig at Chanel on the penultimate page of text: “Thus when Marilyn Monroe confessed a few years later that she slept in only Chanel No. 5, she was only repeating a very banal advertisement from the end of the 1930’s in the United States” (154). Apparently Languer, who made Soir de Paris and Soir Rive Gauche, had advertised (in French publications, before 1930) a perfume designed to be worn between the body and silk.
Although the narrative ends in the 1980s, this richly illustrated edition would make a lovely gift for the right person. I am attached to the experience of leafing through paper books. As if to reward my Luddite ways the pages of my own copy revealed unanticipated rewards in the form of one more connection to the Guerlain family. First I discovered, tucked inside, an invitation to a Guerlain perfume event held by Neiman Marcus on Lenox Square (Atlanta, GA; see above), promising this book as a free gift. Then I found Christiane Guerlain’s autograph (dated 1992; see below) on the title page. I have a feeling I'll be buying another Guerlain book to learn more about the family. Meanwhile, I have a date with Jicky.
Guerlain
English Edition Translated by Elizabeth Thomas
Publisher: Denoël 1989
Hardcover: 160 pages
Gosh I wish they would leave Marilyn alone I truly believe she wore no.5 to bed a couple of drops thats is.
True, that reference is getting old.
Thanks for the review, Cheryl. I’ve always wanted to own this book as an addition to my Guerlain library. I wonder who Christiane’s parents are? Could she be from Jean-Paul’s first marriage to Marie-Monique?
I wish I knew! I’m hoping to find out somehow.
Oh that’s a great bonus, having the invite and the signature. Must have been very exciting for the owner of the book.
I don’t buy perfume books much because I’ve been disappointed in the writers’ lack of expertise (I’m fussy I suppose). So thanks for your doggedness in getting to the end of this, taking one for the team!. Books about luxury brands end up being just long advertisements for the brand. How can they not be?
This one sounds like a good one to have tho’, as a relic of Guerlain before the LVMH takeover.
Yes, a sort of museum piece!
So, I’m late to the party, but perhaps there are others who are catching up the NST reading this weekend. . .
I went over to the Perfume House (in Portland, OR) to compare some scents I bought at an estate sale to the new versions. The previous owner of the estate (in the Laurelhurst neighborhood, if you know Portland–I really went to snoop in a beautiful house, perfume was a lucky bonus) was clearly a Guerlain fan. I came out with a small amount of Habit Rouge edt, what looks like a pretty old dropper/splash bottle of Shalimar (edt?), and a nearly full bottle of Mitsouko parfum de toillette. (The fourth bottle is Eau de Rochas.)
But, as I’ve mentioned several times, I’m new to all this and don’t really know what they are “supposed” to smell like. I have a new mini of Shalimar, and the two seem similar, but the estate bottle has lost a lot of the top notes of citrus and is mostly deep vanilla. The Mitsouko smells like wood and peach with something a little “off” after a few hours.
So. . .as I said at the beginning of this lengthy post. . .I went to PH to compare to new bottles. My Mitsouko seemed almost unrelated to the light and airy edt the SA showed me. When I commented on it, she blamed in on the recent sale of the Guerlain perfume line. She was very emotive as she discussed the drop in quality of Guerlain fragrances in the last year, and her suspicions about it being “cheaper.”
In light of this conversation, I find the idea of a coffee table book on the line interesting–almost nostalgic about how fragrance once was? As I have also mentioned before, I am a bit counter-culture, and I don’t know many other 30-somethings (ok-no other 30-somethings) interested in fragrance. If they do wear scent, it’s Bath and Body Works or Victoria’s Secret. I guess I wonder if this “cheapening” of scent is following the loss of sophistication in the market? Many of us were not raised with fancy fragrances–I know my father has only worn Old Spice and patchouli oil for the past 40 years. Less depth and more linear scents may not equate a loss of sales. . .I hope I’m wrong, because it’s so tough to read here and elsewhere about the glory days for a fragrance I may never encounter.
Marjorie Rose, this isn’t quite the book you are after, but you might be interested in Annick Le Guérer’s Once upon a time perfume
https://nstperfume.com/2010/11/26/once-upon-a-time-perfume-by-annick-le-guerer-perfume-books/
Heh! Scratch and Sniff! I gotta look for the English version (I speak some French by my literacy skills are much lower.)
MR, I think the folks who wear “cheaper” fragrances wear them just because they don’t know any better i.e., that there are richer and classier fragrances out there to try. Some girls, and I mean the younger set, just don’t care as long as it smells nice. Right now it’s very chic for women of the under-30 set to wear stuff from V. Secret. And then there’s folks like me, who are quite aware but face considerable budget constraints (sigh).
So, just by judging from the few sentences you put up, this book sounds nonsensical. My eyes glazed over and I realized just how cold my office was, i.e, this writing couldn’t maintain my interest. Is the entire book truly written like this, does Colette bring anything new to the table? It doens’t sound like it.
Your commentary, however, was fresh and original, as always!
Those sentences where especially mawkish. The first two chapters were much better. The author clearly knows her French literature and made wonderful connections. But once the book is all about the perfume house, there is nothing new. Jicky is named for the nephew. That sort of thing.
Thanks for that kind comment!
I love books that provide a bit of art or fashion history along with beautiful pictures – and I love Jicky too! Thanks for the review and enjoy your sample!
The pictures are gorgeous.
My sample has turned into a full bottle
Great overview: I struggle with book reviews because i can never make out the general thrust from the details, so I’m always in awe of those who can! From the phrases you have quoted it seems well- written though, as your critique shows, we have certainly come a long way from there regarding both the power of scent, and the formula for a good scent. But then, it was published in 89, and I don’t know what the general views were then. And then, one more point in its defense: all the translated-from-French texts I have ever read have seemed excessively flowery to me. Either that is a cultural norm or else something gets lost in translation! Quite often, when the thoughts get over abstract they seem to drift away from any real meaning, or else the meaning hasn’t translated, eg: i have trouble with, ‘to give a woman what will enable her to simultaneously offer and ask for everything. ‘
Thanks again for a great overview, and such a perceptive analysis!
Thanks, Merlin! Some of the awkwardness here and there has to do with the translation-I can “hear” the French. The perfume-as-feminine-mystique thing is just a bit dated; also a question of intended audience. Like most perfume books, this one is written to introduce (lure) the reader into the world of perfume. Anyone reading NST passed through that phase already.
Unfortunately I cant speak a word of French; so I dont really get the ‘charm’. Only knowing 1 language really narrows down what one has access to. Its never too late to learn, of course, but I’m not very adept at it. True about audience, although I don’t think hyperbole has ever made a convert of me. It was the understated tone of ‘the guide’ that did it – not least of all the utterly dismissive attitude it took to perfume- as-aphrodisiac theory! Then again, it certainly wasn’t aimed at my generation!
I’m not a fan of the aphrodisiac theory either.
Perhaps neither of us have found the right perfume! LOL!
LOL!
I have it autographed by Jean Paul Guerlain 🙂
Now that’s an autograph!
This was a great review I need to check out this book.Thank you for such a nice read.
Thanks! Happy reading!
Please tell me where you ordered this book in the ENGLISH version.
Thank you!
Azil, I ordered it used through amazon.
It was listed as being in French, but the mistake turned out for the best.