Ma Griffe returns to the UK after an absence of ten years

Carven began as a Parisian fashion house in the 1940's. Madame Carven, a former student of architecture and interior design, quickly became a highly sought after couturier and the green and white striped dress from her first collection - called Ma Griffe - became the inspiration for her enduring scent.

Additional inspiration could be found in the fragrances of Madame Carven's favourite flowers - gardenia, jasmine and rose, which feature in the middle notes, between top notes of aldehydes and bergamot and base notes of tonka bean and vetiver. Madame Carven says of Ma Griffe "I wanted a perfume that would match my feelings and my style, I was young then, very sporty, modern and chic. I didn't want a femme fatale perfume. It would be too rich, too overpowering. Instead, I chose a perfume that was a little sharp, a fragrance that could be worn from nine o'clock in the morning until midnight. I was lucky enough to appeal to a young clientele who had no perfume of their own - they had been wearing their mother's fragrance ."

To find out what so captivated the hearts of a generation of young Parisians visit Harrods from December, where you can purchase a 50ml bottle of eau de parfum for £45.

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