What percentage of your wardrobe is discontinued, limited edition, or pre-reformulated?

I get awfully sad about my never-to-be-renewed fragrances. I eke them out, wear them very sparingly, and dread the day when the bottles are empty completely. I've got 2 bottles of Le Dix left, 2 bottles of Black Cashmir, a dodgy bottle of Monsoon, and have recently joyously found an outlet selling my ANCIENT but much-loved Yardley Chique (not the eau to toilette, the concentrate), a very citrusy chypre that I adored when I was in my late teens and still wear. I hunt them down and I stash them, but I know that one day I will have to say goodbye to them forever.

I can't look. I don't need to become totally depressed.

My stable is fairly stable. Fortunately for me, my big loves don't seem to be in immediate danger. Of my collection of 25, Theorema is completely gone. That one bums me out the most. Molinard de Molinard & Mitsouko are vintage, and Joy might be (it's in the little black bottle with red stopper; are those still made?) ; then there are my two Avons, Imari (vintage) and Lahana (discontinued.) I do enjoy having all six of these, but Theorema is the only one I'd consider replacing once I'm out.

As near as I can tell, about 35% are discontinued entirely, or the current formulation is not one I'd want.

50% for me.

I've always realized that the perfumes I love tend to be discontinued and reformulated, but I never actually added this up before and even I am shocked at that figure.

However, I am a limited edition myself, and with 54 years under my belt, will not live long enough to use up everything I own, so I plan to keep using them at whatever pace I please. No holding back for me!

60% plus for me. I find the hunt and challenge of obtaining vintages and pre-reformulated, discontinued, HTF fragrances thrilling - albeit somewhat anxiety provoking seeing as how I love to wear each and every one.

I find it necessary to hoard some fragrances due to the constant reformulations and discontinuation of the fragrance industry.

I am still madly buying vintage chypres & anything with green notes. I just scored some old Alliage (not Aliage with one "l"), Gucci Envy parfum and some vintage Givenchy III edp. I have bottles of Y, Cuir de Lancome, Paloma Picasso edt (not edp) and the original Scherrer stashed away. I thought that my last bottle of Diorella was a bit depressing until I smelled the newest reformulation. I still hold memorial services for the original Odalisque. I told my daughter that if anything happens to me in the next few years, don't think I'm crazy for hoarding perfume. And don't sell any of it for 10cents at a yard sale!

I just realized the other day that in 2010 I didn't buy one single bottle of any scent that is in production in that version. All bottles have been old versions or discontinued scents. (Got some new scents as decants, though, and many samples).
More than 60% in my collection are discontinued/reformulated ones. Not sure I would have had as many bottles, if it wasnt for my urge to "save" them in case I might not find them again. (And I actually look forward to a little less retro from me in 2011.)

I did a quick count. Sad

I did a quick scan and only seem to have two bottles that are current formulation of anything ... so that's 90%? Maybe more. I have a few discontinued frags too.
Considering I don't have a terribly big collection I find that horrible - daunting.

The two are Mitsouko edp and Jasmin Noir btw - I have vintage Mistouko too but I actually prefer the current formulation so I'm in no rush to stock up. JN might have changed too - the bottle is over two years old. *sigh*

This thread is not funny.

I'm a relatively new collector and I have found these last couple of years I have also been on the lookout for older Guerlains and paying special attention when it comes to any contemporary scents I like carrying an IFRA target . . . it was sad to see PdN having to reformulate some to comply.

Mine are very, very stable. The only two that i worried about were Cuir de Lancome and Feminite du Bois. I have plenty of Cuir, also plenty of FdB - and could probably do with the newer FdB, although I've not smelled it.

When they are gone, they are gone to me. I'll move on. But, I also probably won't run out of anything

Between 30 and 40%, depending on how you count. My two bottles of Donna Karan Chaos are both pre-discontinuation, I have vintage/pre-reformulation versions only of Shalimar, Bal á Versailles, L'Air du Temps, Ma Griffe, Youth Dew, L'Aimant, N°5, Dior-Dior, Eau Sauvage, Fracas and Feminité du Bois. I own both vintage and current Bandit, and I'm not sure how Messe de Minuit is faring today.

Less stable than I though, in other words, but the only things that really worry me are the new Feminité du Bois and Bandit.

0%

I cant even participate at the pool!

=[

I don't list my vintage stuff here in my wardrobe. Counting the bottles in rotation my vintage share may be 30-40 %, but also taking into account the back-ups and hoarded stuff, it is definitely 50 %. Alas voted for 50 %.

Only the Byzance, Bvlgari, Insolence,Youth Dew, Jicky & L'Heure Bleue extrait is not reformulated/discontinued(but I suspect the latter two- from the '60s & 80s respectively are different from the current formulation as well).

Oh yeah, CK Eternity & Chanel Bois des Iles too. Not sure about Ombre Rose.

So for my wardrobe, the % of reformulated, discontinued & limited edition runs about 95%.

I try not to focus on vintage, although I dearly love the ones I have. Too frustrating!
It's better for me to focus on the big talent pool that's out there now, and enjoy some of the great new frags as they release. Otherwise, I tend to think about my "lack", which is silly. I have around 400 bottles, and most of them excellent, old AND new.

I've listed mine as 50%. It's a good guess, and it includes decants as well as full bottles.

I've spent time and money stocking up on niche, older formulations, dicontinued frags including great classics of the past, and backups of any that might be under threat of reformulation. I'm worried about Serge Lutens' and Annick Goutal frags, for example. I have long had a backup for Black Cashmere, so both my 100 ml bottles of that are the original formulation. I've recently bought more stock of the old Opium.

My BN wardrobe is out of date but I'd like to update it soon.

The mainstream scent market, the kind of thing that can be bought in high street outlets like Boots, has virtually nothing to offer me anymore. I don't buy those scents even as gifts for others. They are a waste of time for me. I'd rather take a chance on a blind buy of something more interesting from online sources than waste my money on the high street.

I can't do a straightforward count either since so many of my bottles are redundant - I have everything I need to back-up backed-up several times over! But I'd say probably over half of the fragrances I own are no longer available in their original form ...maybe 60%. But at least I won't be - shouldn't be - running out of anything.

What a good poll -- thanks, Quarry!

I tend to be discontinue-phobic, and have often not allowed myself to seek out vintage stuff out of fear of falling in love with what I cannot (without great difficulty) have. That sounds pretty depressing, now that I think of it

There is a larger life-lesson here one that I appear not to be learning very well

I love what 30 Roses said about our own "limited edition"-ness very wise and well said!

Im triyng to find my first vintage, wich will be Opium Pour Femme EDT.
Later i will try EDP, when i get the edt.

Since I stocked up I too decided not to skimp on anything above 50ml. I am still careful with anything difficult to replace, or very expensive such vintage Mitsouko extrait. That sort of thing is for special occasions.

I don,t want my stock to turn bad on me, even if it does sit in a cool dark place.

Given the IFRA's determined swath of destruction, I generally assume that _nothing_ will ever be available for a repurchase. That is, a fragrance with the same name may be, but it probably won't be the same fragrance. The fragrance industry is busily ensuring that loyalty to a product will cease to be even a consideration. I hope that they're happy with the consequences.

But if I amble through my wardrobe to find scents that I know for a fact to be discontinued or already reformulated out of recognition, the figure's about 15%. I'd guess that in a year or two it's going to be more like thirty percent, as I gradually (I hope) get my hands on some of the vintage scents that I really want and as (sadly) perfume companies discontinue and merrily destroy more scents.

I can safely say 10-20%.....Gary

It is interesting, how our fume collections mirror, in one way or another, our outlooks on life, and what we value.

I am guesstimating at 40% . I think -could very likely be much higher.

same here

A very high percentage, but I have a knack for instant nostalgia. If it's discontinued, I need it. The thought of me using up all I have is preposterous and I am not concerned, just saddened. I'm not even saddened for myself as much as sad for the loss of many splendid scents.

A lot of the scents I love are not readily replaceable and if they were I probably wouldn't have as many bottles as I do.

To be perfectly honest, there are many lovely new fragrances I enjoy and would like to buy/wear but unlike the Billy Joel song the past IS something that gets in my way. The old fragrances and the thrill of the chase keep me from enjoying new creations as much as I otherwise would. And the new popular offerings of today will probably be looked back at with wistful longing for better days when they too are reformulated or discontinued.

60% +


+1

Having taken a closer look at my wardrobe, I would say it comprises a lot more than the 50% I originally guessed. More like 75%.

About 10% of mine are vintage formulations or discontinued.


I was thinking the same thing. My outlook is...everything in this life is on loan anyway. We don't know what's going to happen or how long we're here for, so enjoy it while you have it. I try not to hoard, though I do a little out of nostalgia. If I had anything seriously valuable or important I would donate it to a museum.

If I just count the fragrance names, then 20%, but if I get to count actual bottles, it's higher. My collection is still in the making, though, and a slow one at that. I do not have many things I'd like to have and there are some bottles I'll be getting rid of. I will have to come back and revisit this poll later.

I didn't count backups either! If I did the number would be quite a bit higher.

Yes, and the old Feminite du Bois. The new is really a pretty good rendition...just not as strong.

Mine is this-- Why dwell on the past when there are so many beautiful things to enjoy in the now? This is not to say that I don't appreciate vintage things, but I suppose I would rather look forward than back. Vintage scents are an educational tool to me, a novelty if I come across them, but not something I'll put in the effort to seek out (with the exception of My Sin, which blew me away... lilybelle. )

Mitsouko, Shalimar ,Opium and Joy vintage extract EDP and EDT are the only 'fumes I have that are reformulated but I don't have any discontinued scents - except Guerlain's Sous Le Vent .

J'Adore L'Or that I have is supposedly a limited edition but I hope not! Octavian has written that it replaces the original extract of J'Adore. I really had to practice self restraint to not buy multiple back up bottles of it.

I do worry that Mitsouko will be changed again to an even thinner version as there has been a rumor it will be reformulated again.

Apart from that , I guess I'm pretty philosophical about discontinuation - seen so much of it now .

I like what 30 Roses said about being a limited edition herself - I feel the same way .

I think that at least 40% of my wardrobe is of discontinued and limited editions. And good part that hasn`t been discontinued yet may have potential to reach this status on the next years. It`s my curse, if i love something the chances that it gets discontinued, reformulated or become hard to find are big.

Confirming this.

Now i have about 2~3% of vintage in my wardrobe.

Just bought a vintage 0.5oz Opium Pour Femme EdT.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=200523305752
Lovely price!

I am close to %50 with 105 out of 230 either d/c or re-formulated. It is a sad state of affairs. Luckily, I think I have laid in a pretty good supply that should be enough for one person. There are still a few that I would love to get in their original formulae.

I have quite a few and did stock up on those I loved the most - Shiseido Inoui (my treasure!), several bottles of Shalimar, Coty Chypre, Arpege, the latter of which smells nothing like the current version. I love both. Lots more, too. I recently acquired Corday's original version of Toujours Moi and y'know, my nose can't really tell much difference from Dana's current juice. It's such an inexpensive scent and yet it's fabulous and one of the best kept secrets out there.

Gee, I pop by so infrequently - life has been in the fast lane for the last few years (in a good way though :-) So happy to see that many of the BN original gang is still here and it's terrific to see so many newer members that I don't recognize.

I can't even guess, but I have a knack for buying scents that get discontinued. Add the things that apparently get reformulated and it's not pretty. My only consolation is that I have so many scents it'll to take a lifetime to empty any of the bottles.

I voted for the 60%, but in actuality I would have to say around 90% of my collection falls into the category. Maybe even more, but i do have back-ups of favorites, thank heavens, so hopefully I will be alright into the future.

When I first began, app 4 years ago, to collect perfume, I zeroed in on vintage first, just because I love old things. The thrill of the hunt is addictive too!




Just off the top of my head-app 60%. My prizes are two full bottles of vintage Djedi-one to wear (sparingly, on special occasions or when I really really feel like it) and one unopened to keep. One full bottle of Nombre Noir, the black bottle, and a couple of the 4ml clear bottles. A coffret of vintage Guerlain Mitsouko, Shalimar, Vol de Nuit, and L'Heure Bleue, and back-up bottles. Vintage Guerlain Guerlinade. Lots of vintage Lanvins. A coffret of vintage Balmain-Vent Vert, Jolie Madame, and Miss Balmain, with back-ups of the Vent Vert and Jolie Madame. Vintage Joy. Loys of vintage Diors-Diorella, Diorling, Miss Dior (still looking for Diorama). Vintage Chanels (still looking for 22 in parfum). Vintage Apres L'Ondee in crystal bottle. A few vintage Jickys. Caron N'Aimez Que Moi (husband broke the bottle trying to get stopper out so had to decant into many decanters-it was a huge bottle!). Millot Crepe de Chine (when I read that it was Mary Pickford's perfume, I had to have it ) Vintage Emeraude in a little set from the Forties with small clutch, lipstick, jeweled atomiser, comb, and compact. A Rochas set from the Sixties from Air France. A Carven set-eau de Vetiver and Ma Griffe-a little card says the case is tobe used for cigarettes, LOL. Balenciaga coffret with Le Dix, La Fuite Des Heures, and Quadrille. Old Houbigant set of sprays-Chantilly, Quelques Fleurs, Ideal, and Tea Rose. Old set of Faberge Aphrodisia, Woodhue, and Tigress. Vintage Rose Jacqueminot and very very old Coty Chypre. Don't laugh-the trio of perfumes that Barbara Cartland put out in the Seventies through Helena Rubinstein (The Heart Triumphant, Love Wins, and Moments of Love) and the more upscale one she had in the Nineties-The Scent Of Romance. Avon Emprise (nostalgic-the first perfume my mother bought me. It smells pretty good too ). Estee Lauder Celadon and Cinnabar. An ancient bottle of something called Eau de Cologne Imperiale Carnivale de Venise that I tracked down just because Anita Loos recounted in one of her books that all the rich South American playboys in Paris in the Twenties wore it, and she loved it so much she wore it herself. I was intrigued by a perfume that could so intrigue Anita Loos A coffret of Robert Piguet-Baghari, Bandit, and Fracas (there's one perfume missimg from the coffret). Opium parfum from the Eighties in tassel bottle, still in box unopened (I have tons of Opium in every strength and form going back to the Eighties, it was all I wore because my husband bought it as my first bottle of "good" perfume on our honeymoon, and he still loves it. So do I, but I finally got bored. Don't tell Opium-I still love her, but Djedi rules in my heart now).

And various sundry other odds and bods which I would have to dig out to remember, and I haven't had enough coffee for all that yet!

Thanks for this question, it made me go through my perfume and remember many that I had just forgotten, being in a rut right now of a few of my modern perfumes

Hi Quarry Yes, that's what it means. I don't know where it comes from, my guess is "bodkins" which I think is an old word for hairpins? But I'm not sure.

Nope, just looked it up, it's a small tool used for punching holes in leather (old English). Don't know why I thought it had to do with hairpins!

That's exactly what I thought when I saw the thread title.

((putting fingers in ears))