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Vintage finds

post #1 of 58
9/4/11 at 8:42pm
Thread Starter 
I happened to walk by two antique stores in north chicago today (Broadway near Granville metro station), so I entered and found quite a few interesting things. I have no idea if the juice is original, nor do I know if the prices were reasonable. But I decided to buy anyway. See the two pics (somewhat off-focus):

http://www.cagetti.com/Pictures/shalimar.jpg
http://www.cagetti.com/Pictures/arpegegalion.jpg

So, I got a Shalimar EdC with a pyramid stopper (70s? i wish I had found Mitsouko, Shalimar is not my favorite, but that will do). Arpege parfum of uncertain vintage. These are still sealed, not sure if it's the original seal (probably not?), while i'd like to smell them, I'm considering keeping them sealed, as they'll have to be shipped back to DC in a couple of months.

Then an empty bottle of crepe de chine; too bad it's empty. The dregs (assuming that's what is left of the perfume) is essentially a sweet, rhummy vanilla-amber. I have read that CdC was an aldehydic floral chypre. Nothing of that left in the bottle, sadly. And finally, Sortilege by Galion parfum. This one with some juice inside. What's left must be the drydown. Sweetish, caramel, amber, but not cloying at all, and surprisingly radiant.

Can anybody comment on any of these old perfumes? (ie how they should smell like?

cacio
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post #2 of 58
9/5/11 at 2:00am
wow nice find!
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post #3 of 58
9/5/11 at 10:08am
Nice, cacio!
Does the Arpege have a golden-dark cord wrapped around the neck or is it golden tin-like? However, the color of the jus looks great. I have several different vintage forms and presentations and, honestly, they vary all quite a bit. My feeling is that older is more butch and somewhat reminiscent of Chanel No. 5, whereas a newer (very orangey in color and a black presentation box) is very plush, aldehydic, but also with a very rich animalic base that unites all 1930s Lanvin classics.
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post #4 of 58
9/5/11 at 12:43pm
Hummmmm Crepe de Chine is definitely an aldehydic floral and rummy amber is not part of the mix. Must have been refilled with something else. Sorry.
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post #5 of 58
9/5/11 at 3:29pm
I have some 50 year old Arpege. It's aldehydic, but the base is damn civety. Too skanky to wear on humid days.
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post #6 of 58
9/5/11 at 4:39pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for your comments! They make me want to open and smell right away. But as said, I really think I should try to resist - it will definitely be easier to ship the container if a seal is still on.

The thread on my Arpege is dark brown, not very golden, though slightly metallic. It also has some sort of plastic or metal seal, and a little sheet that says that one should first cut the golden thread and then the sealing film with a pen knife. The color of the liquid, as shown in the pic, is more orangey than dark. Given the good state of the box, it must be a more recent vintage. Curiously, the bottom of the box says something about Lanvin agent in Madrid, so this must have been sold there. (Curiously, also the Sortilege bottle came from a Gomez store, must have been the same cache from some Spaniard). We'll see. In any case, I cannot certainly complain if it contains fake liquid. I only paid $35, perhaps too good to be true.

Re: Crepe de Chine - there's really nothing in the bottle, just the incrustation. Either it contained something else, or the incrustations are indeed whatever tiny amount of vanilla the recipe called for, the rest having been used decades ago.

At some point, I may stop by the stores again. There were a couple of other small bottles that I may risk. there was a full Chanel No. 5 EDC for $20 (fake? for the price...). And a Moment supreme by Patou (70s, I'd say, from the fonts on the bottle). Then something by Doret (? don't remember the name exactly) and a Juliette parfum NYC.

cacio
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post #7 of 58
9/5/11 at 7:38pm
I'd go back and get the Moment Supreme...
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post #8 of 58
9/5/11 at 7:49pm
Thread Starter 
If you say so, Larimar, then it's a must. I'll make sure I'll go back one weekend over the next two months, before I leave. Unless some other BNer will beat me to it, Moment supreme should still be there waiting. (And perhaps also the little umbrella Mitsouko bottle, with just a tiny bit of liquid in it - but I got to smell it, and it was heavenly, dark and sweet at the same time... But there was no price, the guy is supposed to call me with a quote).

cacio
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post #9 of 58
9/20/11 at 10:24pm
Thread Starter 
Testing Sortilege again. I have no clue whether the substance in the bottle is original or not (though I don't see why it shouldn't). As said, what's there seems to have lost most of the top and the florals - I understand Sortilege was an aldehydic floral in the No 5 manner. It is now a sandalwoody ambery drydown. When applied and smelled close-by, there are strange notes of old books and paper, strange but not bad. Then the sandalwood becomes more radiant, though the old book vibe never goes away. Excellent, and regrettably I don't think I've smelled a similar drydown in recent perfumes.

cacio
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post #10 of 58
9/21/11 at 4:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cacio View Post

Testing Sortilege again. I have no clue whether the substance in the bottle is original or not (though I don't see why it shouldn't). As said, what's there seems to have lost most of the top and the florals - I understand Sortilege was an aldehydic floral in the No 5 manner. It is now a sandalwoody ambery drydown. When applied and smelled close-by, there are strange notes of old books and paper, strange but not bad. Then the sandalwood becomes more radiant, though the old book vibe never goes away. Excellent, and regrettably I don't think I've smelled a similar drydown in recent perfumes.

cacio


I love Sortilege. I just discovered it on a blind buy (vintage parfum). It really is gorgeous. The dry down is just as you described. And yes...there is a book vibe, though I never would have thought of that on my own. The floral reminds me of a cross between Joy and No. 5. A certain BN-er has some for sale (not me). PM me if you'd like and I can point you in the right direction.
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post #11 of 58
9/21/11 at 7:17am
Thread Starter 
Wow, a cross of No. 5 and Joy, that's saying quite something! Too bad I don't have that anymore. Perhaps the perfume is really old and it has evaporated. The remains are very dark in color too.

cacio
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post #12 of 58
10/16/11 at 12:32am
Thread Starter 
I went back to the stores. Regrettably, Larimar's suggested Moment supreme wasn't there anymore (any stealthy Chicago BNer?). So I got two Chanel No.5, an EdC and a mostly used bottle of parfum. No clue of the vintage or whether they are fake or not:
http://www.cagetti.com/Pictures/chanel5s.JPG

Any comment from the pic of the bottles/boxes? I'm no expert on no.5.
The EdC smells gorgeous, similar to the EdT but somewhat fuller and richer. Of course, it lasts even less than the current EdT, which means it's gone on me in no time. The parfum, on application, smells quite different. It's much crisper, very soapy and bright. But then it disappears on my skin. No florals, no nothing, to the point that I think it's either a fake (but with a great top) or something's going on. Did I apply too little? Perhaps. I've put some on paper, and tomorrow I'll check again.

While there, I was also tempted to buy two unknowns to me, a Lentheric Miracle mini and a (cute) box by a Jean Doret with three things. They're probably cheapos, but I have to test them on the skin.
http://www.cagetti.com/Pictures/doretlentheric.JPG

cacio
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post #13 of 58
10/16/11 at 11:52pm
A pity, cacio! In 'fresh' condition this would be stunning and VERY hard to get! Enjoy your other finds!
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post #14 of 58
10/17/11 at 11:23am
Great find and Thanks for sharing Cacio!!!
Congratulations!!!
Gary
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post #15 of 58
10/17/11 at 12:19pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks! I've put some more of the liquid in the no 5 parfum bottle on my wrist this morning. Definitely not what it should be. It starts with a good, crisp soapiness, but without the rich swoon you get with recent edt, edps (and the edcs I found). On paper, this remains crisp for a long time, but on my wrist, it disappears after a couple of hours, leaving just a faint old books note. So there's something off for sure (I noticed this old books note also in a vintage sortilege I had bought at the same store), and it may be also altogether fake.

I quickly tried the mysterious Lentheric Miracle, interesting floral top, then nothing special, but I have to reexamine.

cacio
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post #16 of 58
10/22/11 at 10:29pm
Thread Starter 
I saw an antique jewelery store in Bucktown (Chicago), and it had a few perfumes. This time, I bought them all, just in case another Chicagoan gets there first. The whole ($250) haul:
http://www.cagetti.com/Pictures/wickernorth.JPG

There are two Joy (parfums?), sealed (crossing fingers. One is a dark colored bottle, even better), a Diorissimo of uncertain vintage and concentration (does anybody have any ideas?), a dior Eau Fraiche in a very cute bottle, Lanvin My sin (Eau de?), and a big Tabu edc. (At the store, there was also a big Houbigant Chantilly bottle, which I left there).

The sealed ones will have to wait for Chicago to be opened. I just tried Tabu, which smells excellent. Not as sharp as the current cheap stuff, but a smooth leather with benzoin, sort of like a library of old leather bound books.

cacio
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post #17 of 58
10/22/11 at 10:31pm
I think you might have paid a fair bit for them, but the Diorissimo pure parfum is stunning in this vintage (ca. 80s). The Dior eau fraiche is about 10ml, right? Thats older (60s/70s), but can be found here and there.
Love the Joy presentations too.

Nice finds... and in rather great condition (evaporation notwithstanding). Congrats cacio.
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post #18 of 58
10/22/11 at 11:05pm
Wow! I think they are well stored - they look rather pristine. I'd love to smell vintage My Sin & Diorissimo. Congrats on your find!
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post #19 of 58
10/22/11 at 11:23pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for your comments!

Ooh, so that's a parfum Diorissimo! Stroke of luck, I'd say. Well, I couldn't wait and just applied to my arm. Yes, you're right, absolutely stunning - now I see what the fuss was about. A true muguet, natural and pleasant, but at the same time very rich and complex, and projecting quite a bit. On a different planet from the shrill stuff I smelled last year at Saks.

I have no clue when it comes to prices, and I assume these stores have few clues either. They specialize in jewelery and probably care more about the bottle than to the content. I don't remember how much I paid for what, I only have the list, but the most expensive item was $65, and I think it was the eau fraiche (nicer bottle), then I see a $45 and a $38, I think I remember the $38 was the diorissimo (a steal). The two Joys were $25, as was the 200ml Tabu.

The eau fraiche is listed as 2 fl oz on the bottle (no indication on the box). The My sin is also 2 fl oz.

thanks again for the comments! you've made my day (or better, my night...)

cacio
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post #20 of 58
10/22/11 at 11:24pm
Yes, absolutely lovely! Congratulations! Yes, later there was an Eau de Lanvin for all the classics. The Joys definitely look like the extraits... same presentations as for 1000. Have fun and do report back on your findings, please!
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post #21 of 58
10/22/11 at 11:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cacio View Post

The eau fraiche is listed as 2 fl oz on the bottle (no indication on the box).

Ah! I had assumed a mini because of the height of the eau fraiche bottle as compared to the height of the Diorissimo. Then I just checked mine.
I have a 7.5ml Diorella in an identical parfum presentation (84mm tall w/out box). Is your Diorissimo a 1/4 oz?
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post #22 of 58
10/22/11 at 11:37pm
Thread Starter 
Yes, the Diorissimo is 7.5 ml, I don't have a ruler, but it seems the right height. The Eau fraiche and lanvin boxes are of similar height, but of course the bottles are different.

Here's a better view:
http://www.cagetti.com/Pictures/diorslanvin.JPG

cacio
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post #23 of 58
10/22/11 at 11:40pm
Very nice. I know a lot of people who would have paid 1/2 of what you did for the whole lot, to get their hands on *just* the Diorissimo. Its one of the most striking and vivid portraits of lily-of-the-valley ever.
Cherish it and use it in good health
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post #24 of 58
10/22/11 at 11:57pm
Thread Starter 
Indeed, I feel as if in a grassy, dewy muguet field right now...

As a newbie, this is my first clear example of what IFRA and Dior's neglect can do.

cacio
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post #25 of 58
11/11/11 at 9:37am
Thread Starter 
I'm starting to open my sealed vintage stuff. First was My Sin Eau de Lanvin, an "eau" version (edt, edc?) of the more famous perfume. It has such a wonderful retro feel that I can see why it was discontinued long ago.

It opens with a soapy floral blast, a la Chanel no 5, but with a wonderful floral-oily note (narcissus?). When this subsides, the heart is a powdery floral dominated by (now banned) heliotropin, as clean as it gets, but with some barely perceptible leathery and musky tones. Over time, the civet comes out in full force, turning the perfume into a somewhat dirty, skin-like, slightly sleazy thing closer to its name. Great.

This on paper. On skin (my skin at least) the oily florals disappear in seconds, and the movie is played at the speed of light. Either I need to use much more, or simply one needs the parfum concentration (which I read elsewhere is more plush still).

cacio
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post #26 of 58
11/17/11 at 9:23pm
Thread Starter 
Opened another (little) bottle of my vintage finds: Joy parfum of uncertain vintage, but luckily, well preserved. Once again, what a wonder!. Upon lifting stopper, out comes a huge, indolic jasmine blast. This alone makes you shed a few tears for IFRA's ban. A couple of drops on skin and out comes a big, clean, green rose. The two start singing a duet. At times, you hear them together, at times only one. And slowly you also realize that there are also supporting players that one cannot properly distinguish; perhaps some tuberose, some ylang ylang? At some point, the nose is hit by a wonderful blast of civet that gives oomph to the main players. The melody's been going on for an hour now, but I couldn't wait for the drydown to report.

As a newcomer, this is one of my first vintage perfumes. The effect of smelling this (and vintage Diorissimo) for the first time is like setting foot on a new planet. Yes, one reads of what's been lost etc etc; but the actual smelling makes you realize how true all these laments are. Yes, they were really fantastic things, and are no more.

Over the weekend, I did spray Joy edp at the store; I dont know if it's the post-jasmine reformulation or not. There's still jasmine, and there's still civet, and it is excellent. But the parfum is much more of everything. Somebody should please stop by rue Castiglione and report on the reformulated rose soliflore ...

cacio
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post #27 of 58
11/18/11 at 12:40am
Thank you cacio for sharing your impressions! I have not been able to try the real vintage Joy parfum myself, but had a sample of a newer (but not the very new you are referring to) and it wasn't my style... too beautiful, too pretty, but you know the civet often escapes me and my perception and it all smells 'perfectly alright' to me.
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post #28 of 58
11/18/11 at 6:09am
Thread Starter 
The jasmine is very indolic, and there is a civet blast, so this is not the usual powdery floral. still, it's a shamelessly pretty floral. I'm now smelling what's there after a full night sleep. Still going strong - on skin, the civet has taken over, with just a hint of flowers. On cloth, there are still huge wafts of civety jasmine.

cacio
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post #29 of 58
11/23/11 at 6:12pm
Thread Starter 
Time to open another bottle from the haul. Arpege parfum unknown vintage. First of all, the usual newbie mistake. I applied force to pry open the stopper, and I shattered it. Broken glass, of course, cuts fingers like a knife. Stiptic pen and band aids helped stopped the bleeding. Then the BN search for "stuck stopper" I should have done before, 10 minutes in the refrigerator, and the thing came out right away. Lesson learnt.

As for the smell. As some perfumes on me, extremely light. I suspect a few topnotes have turned. But there are still some aldehydes, over a luminous woody floral. It remains rather light (despite the fact that I sprayed it). Arm to arm compared to the new edt. The edt is darker, woodier, spicier, the vintage parfum remains crisper and lighter. Very enjoyable. However, it made less of an impression on me than Diorissimo or Joy, perhaps because the style (woody floral) hasn't disappeared, so there's less of a novelty effect. Or then, despite my liking for leathers and the like, I am in reality a flower person getting all dreamy at Diorissimo's muguet or Joy's jasmine.

cacio
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post #30 of 58
11/24/11 at 12:46am
Sorry cacio for your mishap! Honestly, your description of Arpege sort of confuses me... 'light', 'crisp'.... hmmmmm!
I would only dab the Lanvin classics (extrait) as they are very dense. I have said further up in the thread that all my Arpeges vary quite a bit. Could you detect an animalic base later? The stopper to your bottle is old, but the jus you are describing sounds much newer.
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post #31 of 58
11/24/11 at 12:48am
Ah yes and allow me, from one floral guy to the other, recommend you, even if it is by TS/LT standards a totally ruined classic , Caron's Acaciosa. Unfortunately, my sample is almost gone and I am thinking about a bottle some time next year.
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post #32 of 58
11/24/11 at 7:49am
I stumbled upon this thread by accident. I have become very interested in vintage perfumes, and always check antique stores for bottles whenever I'm out treasure-hunting. I picked up a 7.5 gram spray bottle of Arpege for next to nothing here in Vancouver. Funny we also have Broadway and Granville streets that intersect, I thought you were referring to my town. I have just sprayed the vintage Arpege parfum on the back of one hand and a modern EdP from a tester on the other hand. The basic structure of woody floral is there in both, enough to say that they are the same perfume, but there are noticeable differences. The parfum starts with a big floral blast, nice big peppery carnation which subsides into a very smooth, warm leather like warm suede. Nothing raunchy at all. There's a bit of something sweeter lingering in there but I'm at a loss to identify it. The new EdP is sweeter, brighter, with something more oily or waxy, a floral that verges on a berry note. There's still something peppery in there atop the woody foundation but the structure is less refined, the edges more visible and the sweet floral or berry note sticks out more. The EdP is "clean" where the parfum is "cozy." Still both great fragrances. Every guy should get a bottle of Arpege on their eighteenth birthday. The world would be a much better-smelling place. Oh, and if you want something that smells like old books, try L'Artisan's Dzing! I loved it immediately from my sample, just waiting to get a whole bottle.
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post #33 of 58
11/24/11 at 9:14am
Thread Starter 
Larimar and prof goggles:

thanks for your comments.

I wasn't very clear in my comments. It's not that Arpege is especially light and crisp per se, and it does eventually end up in very smooth suede like thing. I was comparing vintage and modern, and the modern seemed richer and denser. But your comments made me go and reapply, parfum left arm, edp right arm. After all, the initial application was in less than optimal conditions, from a bottle I had just broken and that had been refrigerated. I shall report on how it evolves.

Acaciosa? another Caron to try then! and I own and love Dzing! More than old books, I get the circus leather from it.

cacio
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post #34 of 58
11/24/11 at 11:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cacio View Post

First of all, the usual newbie mistake. I applied force to pry open the stopper, and I shattered it. Broken glass, of course, cuts fingers like a knife.

Oh no!!! So sorry to hear this :-( sympathy
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post #35 of 58
11/24/11 at 12:02pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the sympathy, firehorse. Luckily, it wasn't a big cut.

Update on Arpege, vintage parfum vs recent edp. I agree a lot with prof goggles. The basic structure is the same, woody floral. The edp is definitely more fruity and spicy, and with more prominent flowers too. The vintage parfum I have, after the initial blast, becomes much quieter, a smooth suede that wears very lightly on me. The edp is definitely bigger, the parfum smoother, cleaner and crisper. Of course, some of the top notes from the parfum may have disappeared. In fact, I do get a whiff of "dusty book", as I did for other old perfumes, so I assume this is a common deterioration of some note. But still, even accounting for missing florals or aldehydes, the perfume is cleaner, smoother and lighter relative to the sweet-spicy more saturated modern edp.

As prof said, both are indeed great masculines, indeed, if one didn't know what they are, he would think them such.

cacio
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post #36 of 58
3/10/12 at 4:36pm
Thread Starter 
My few forays into DC's antique stores were rather a letdown. It seems there's no perfume in DC, just the usual tons of plates and glasses. Did old DC dame not use perfume? Or simply, they didn't leave any when they died.

This afternoon, for the first time, I found one - just one, but very good: a little parfum bottle of Brigand by Piguet. As explained in another thread, this is none other than Bandit for the US market. Absolutely gorgeous, darker and more leathery than the current edp.

If only there were more things like these in DC.

cacio
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post #37 of 58
3/10/12 at 7:19pm
Finding vintage Bandit is worth the many months of no vintage finds right!
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post #38 of 58
3/10/12 at 11:46pm
Nice find! I'm pleased for you since you like that stuff a lot.
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post #39 of 58
4/3/12 at 8:57pm
This afternoon, for the first time, I found one - just one, but very good: a little parfum bottle of Brigand by Piguet. As explained in another thread, this is none other than Bandit for the US market. Absolutely gorgeous, darker and more leathery than the current edp.

I am so jealous of your find. My Bandit sample is sitting in my cart at TPC until I can find somewhere else to get it. I found a very old bottle of Youth Dew, Chanel 5 EDC and a really tiny bottle of Tweed on my Antique excursion. I am really interested in finding a larger bottle of Tweed though. Also I found NIB Lalique and Lalique for men. Might not be antique but a welcome addition to my collection.
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post #40 of 58
4/15/12 at 8:59pm
Thread Starter 
Trip to Boston - walked by a few antique stores, but no perfume. Just in Boston Antique two nice things: a vintage Heure Bleue edt (200ml $85) and vintage Piguet Visa edt ($20!).

http://www.cagetti.com/Pictures/boston12.jpg

Visa is not my favourite perfume, and I usually don't buy stuff for the bottle, but I didn't know about the old box, and find it box really elegant. I wonder if Bandit also circulated in similarly interesting bottles (that would be another holy grail). I have not smelled it yet, I shall report.

The bottle of HB was too big for the plane, and I didn't want to spend the $25 to check in a bag, so I poured the content in 3 plastic containers and rebottled at home - not ideal to have the perfume get all the air, but oh well. While decanting, of course, I ended up enjoying a great pervasive smell of HB. I used a tshirt to wipe clean, so I hope to enjoy some of it tomorrow at the gym too.

This version is, indeed, different than the current version. At Saks, I sprayed the current parfum. The vintage is both more gourmand (now I get the reference to gianduia), with prominent heliotropin, and more vivid, with the carnation. The current version seems more muted, more traditional floral-spicy with a touch of sweet almond; good, but less unique.

By the way, can any of the Guerlanophiles date the bottle? It's about 200ml, and the cap is metal.

In non-vintage territory, I also stopped at Colonial in Cambridge, which has some good stuff. It carries the whole Knize Ten line, I got showergel, body lotion, and soap. When I get them (I had to have them shipped by the store), I'll report on them too.

cacio
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post #41 of 58
4/16/12 at 7:55pm
Thread Starter 
Tried Visa edt. This one was a surprise. Completely different from the recreation. The modern one, which is good and I own, is a dense fruity suede. The vintage is an intensely animalic, resiny, sweet leather, very close to vintage Tabu. In fact, I went to reread the Sanchez review and indeed, she says the vintage is essentially Tabu, while the modern is similar to Chinatown (by the same guy). Moreover, a search online showed a post in a forum, which suggests that the original perfumer is not, as often claimed, Cellier, but Carles, the same as Tabu, which makes a lot of sense.

Of course, with Tabu cheapened and pretty much all other descendants dead or reformulated, one misses the style, which is now as out of fashion as it could be. Animalic dirty and powdery will make instant "grandma" to many. There are distant hints in things like Youth Dew (but without leather), Aramis/Azuree (but nowhere near as animalic and not powdery), and bal a versailles. But just hints.

cacio
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post #42 of 58
7/23/12 at 8:20pm
Thread Starter 
Today is the vintage animalic day. I got the pass-the-sample Weil from jujy, and then not exactly a vintage find, but an ebay purchase. A set of vintage Tabu stuff, perfume, edc, powder, soap. The box smells deliciously like Tabu, since most of the lotion has evaporated/spilled out (as declared in the listing). I haven't tried it yet, but I was wondering if any of you has a guess for the age:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI...vip=true&rt=nc

(Also today, I recived a trumpet shaped Tabu bottle that smells delicious even from the outside). I think between this and the Weils I'll have my fix of animalics for a while, before going back to summery vetivers.

cacio
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post #43 of 58
7/23/12 at 9:42pm
You are a savvy vintage hunter, cacio! I'm in love with vintage animalics; I believe they simply are past recapturing, alas.
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post #44 of 58
7/24/12 at 2:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rednails View Post

I have some 50 year old Arpege. It's aldehydic, but the base is damn civety. Too skanky to wear on humid days.

Wow! What a gem!
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post #45 of 58
7/24/12 at 4:42pm
I wish i could wear it, but NYC weather is NOT cooperating. I don't want to scare my colleagues.... I also just got some vintage tabu cologne. Can't war that in good conscience, either. Even my vintage Poison has too much civet to burden the synapses of poor overheated NYers....
Quote:
Originally Posted by atsu View Post

Wow! What a gem!
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post #46 of 58
7/24/12 at 4:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rednails View Post

Can't wear that in good conscience, either. Even my vintage Poison has too much civet to burden the synapses of poor overheated NYers....

Hahaha. <3. Though quite considerate of you!

Oooh lalala Cacio! Tabu actually getting the ladylike, sumptuous treatment it deserved in original formulation instead of the sad bottom shelf at the drugstore of today. "Animalic, dirty, and powdery" = LOVE. Like Jujy says: past recapturing, incomparable. I crave this style but at the same time have been learning to love quiet ...

For some more recent Japanese vintage--I'd say more retro than vintage, I recently went on an older-school Shiseido binge: Feminite du Bois, a lot of Zen Original products, Murasaki, and (not so oldschool) Energizing Fragrance. I'll be visiting Japan in a couple of months and hope to scour the recycle shops for a lot of the lovely true oldies of this genre. I'm really feeling this quieter, well-blended form of perfumery lately.
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post #47 of 58
7/24/12 at 7:17pm
Thread Starter 
Don't know much about shiseido. In Italy, I scored two bottles of Feminite de bois Shiseido, but I suspect that they are later incarnations, because a quick comparison didn't find huge differences with the Lutens. Still gorgeous, though. At some point, I will also want to smell Tactics - I think Turin was positive on it. But I think it's more in the modern fresh genre.

cacio
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post #48 of 58
7/30/12 at 4:07pm
While buying bulk stock for vintage clothing supplying yesterday, I found:

1. L'Huere Bleue full extrait in original box, probably mid-to-late 1960s $50
2. L'Heure Bleue parfum in blue and white china tube spray and velvet box $39 --I nearly fell over with a case of 'the vapors'...
3. Chanel Coco edp, original formula 1.7 oz $30
4. Shalimar edt with gold grated refillable cover, 3.14 oz-or "pi-size," marked c. 1981 $20
5. Nina Ricci L'Air du Temps vintage parfum $9
6. Montana Parfum de Peau Original 3.4 oz $8, mostly bought for the bottle, love the scent but so intense...
7. Givenchy Organza EDP 3 oz $5

This is my first in-person major vintage perfume find. So much more satisfying than buying through eBay.

cacio- I love the name Tactics, really most of the Shiseido names. They have some very rare and rich vintage outside of the usual suspects, apparently, probably only to be found in Japan.
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post #49 of 58
7/31/12 at 12:43am
L'Heure Bleue pure parfum from the 60's - can anybody see I'm drooling ??!...
Lucky you - well done, great finds !

What does l'HB smell like ? And Shalimar ? Pleaaaaaase, give us your impressions !
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post #50 of 58
7/31/12 at 1:25am
Just won this ebay auction yesterday. My first vintage purchase, so just took a chance.

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post #51 of 58
7/31/12 at 6:34am
Thread Starter 
a&i

ooh, these Heure Bleue parfums are phenomenal! Where on earth were you able to find these goodies? I've never had such luck.... You know how much these things fetch on ebay.

And event the parfum de peau... I have the modern version, which smells loud and dirty only for 15 minutes, then quiets down to a rose. I need to find the vintage too (though one bay it's clearly not $8!). If it's as intense and long lasting as a Montana pour elle that I have, it will be a must.

galwaygirl:

that bottle of Heure Bleue seems gorgeous. I have an edt in the round bottle like that, and the drydown is simply sensational.

cacio
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post #52 of 58
7/31/12 at 5:16pm
My latest vintage finds. Sorry about the blurry pic:Attachment 15053
LL
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post #53 of 58
7/31/12 at 7:06pm
Thread Starter 
rednails
I am no expert... what is the thing in the middle?

cacio
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post #54 of 58
7/31/12 at 7:21pm
Congrats galwaygirl, now that I've experienced L'Heure Bleue in extrait, I'd love to pick it up in cologne like that too for a more wearable incarnation. The Guerlain cologne bottles are so fantastically designed.

rednails: ooh K Krizia. I hear that one's amazing. Cool finds!

cacio: Antique shops and estate sales in larger to medium-sized cities in the midwest and upper-southern United States.

People here tend to be very generous or to not know what they're selling (in some cases I offer more if the person seems to need the money or had priced the item way too low, but I'm a mid-twenties grad student without a lot of scrilla myself), also there are little pockets of dressy old-world lady relics in these areas.

I much preffered the Parfum de Peau after nearly twenty-four hours of wear, right before a shower. The questionable top notes were gone. Indeed a confident but offbeat skin scent emerged. For some reason, and this is really weird, Parfum de Peau smells like dim sum to me, but at the same time like a wearable and not at all foody perfume. I think it's the sheer--well opaque--complexity of the mix--being oriental, floral, chypre, animalic to strong degrees all in one.

astrud:

Having only ever sampled L'Heure Bleue from relatives as a child and then in passing at shops in the reformulation, my extrait is close to my memory of the old formula and still perfectly fresh, undamaged, mystical, appealing.

L'Heure Bleue in the late 60s extrait is a bit subliminal. At first it is not subliminal at all: perfectly perceptible in the opening is a doughy honeyed so-ripe-they'll soon die infusion of dark florals. I can taste L'Heure Bleue in my mouth when wearing even a small drop of it, but this is the only perfume I've ever not minded such a fullness and presence from...

Yet in dry down the sensual and intense aspects fade to a simmering, seething abandonment of all facades.

The experience of wearing this makes me think being studiedly polite or refined is a crime of dullness-a drowning of the spirit. At the same time it suggests being overtly sexy and faux-joyful is even worse, giving away all of one's power, so to speak. L'Heure Bleue is the third way: extremely painterly, frank and serious, intelligent but not trying to prove its intelligence, wise enough to not let itself be weighed down, ecstatic in a mad and divine way. I guess ethereal sums it up, but more of a heavy underworld ethereal than a heavenly one? I had recently come to dislike tuberose, but the way the tropical flowers are blended in L'Heure Bleue has made me love this type again.

The Shalimar in that edition of edt is more wearable and lighter than the edps and extraits of old Shalimar I've tried (never owned a vintage before). Extremely vanillic, there's sort of a light and bright super-charged air about it, very kinetic, but the citrus is played-down a bit, which I love, not being one who can wear citrus topnotes very well (allergies).

I'm very new to perfume as a hobby, so I don't really know how to describe or review yet, so have to rely on emotional impressions. Hope it makes sense.
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post #55 of 58
7/31/12 at 7:46pm
Thread Starter 
a&i:

I see - too bad I live in DC. Local antique store don't have perfumes ...

Great description of HB. I've never tried the vintage extrait, but I have a vintage edt (int he round bottle). I agree with you it's neither sexy nor pretentious. For lack of better words, I'd describe it as serene beauty. Seemingly simple yet rich and luminous, dessert like yet still a perfume. Perfume critic Luca Turin correctly described it as a folk song rearranged into a symphony. And compared it to gianduia.

Too bad that in its 100th anniversary, we must mourn its death by the hands of IFRA and M Arnault.

cacio
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post #56 of 58
7/31/12 at 7:55pm
Most places I go there is nothing at all. Just a lot of Avon. Rarely some good Dior. So maybe I've hit a lucky streak, but it seems patience and trying four or five locations always pays off somehow.

Well, any great finds I dig up that aren't for me, I'll announce here on BN for trade. Yes, most larger cities or coastal places know what they have and aren't afraid to mark it up or are even afraid of selling vintage perfume. Here it's just no big deal. Most of the sellers seem more interested in selling the crystal of the bottles or the boxes. I see the empty ones priced higher than the full ones often. Strange.

I quite like Turin's description there. The reform does make me very very sad, and not in the melancholic and graceful way the real L'Heure Bleue is supposed to! Luckily Mitsouko reform isn't half bad, well IMHO.
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post #57 of 58
7/31/12 at 8:48pm
Turin also compared LHB to Mahler, which amazed me since I had a memorable experience of listening to the sublime Adagietto of the 5th symphony on the radio as I drifted off to sleep in a veil of L'Heure Bleue. Sublime meeting of sound and scent.
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post #58 of 58
9/14/12 at 11:18pm

Chanel 22 by ConiferLover, on Flickr

Lanvin2 by ConiferLover, on Flickr

Guerlain L'Heure Bleue by ConiferLover, on Flickr

IMG_0226 by ConiferLover, on Flickr

Germaine Monteil Bakir by ConiferLover, on Flickr

Germaine Monteil Bakir by ConiferLover, on Flickr
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