When Robert Piguet released Fracas in 1948, American and European women had just experienced nearly two decades of austerity, rationing, and shortages of many consumer goods, due to the Great Depression and World War II. They were ready to embrace anything new and opulent in perfume, as well as fashion. Fracas is an olfactory parallel to the couture designed by Piguet, Dior, and other designers of the “New Look” in the mid- and late-’40s: lush, luxurious, and hyper-feminine.

— That's our own Dr. Jessica, quoted in Bottling the Zeitgeist: 100 Years of Iconic Perfumes — Part 1 at Chandelier Creative. Jessica also has a new blog, Perfume Professor, which you can also follow on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.