This is a vintage 1976 oh-so-French ad for Yves Saint Laurent’s Rive Gauche perfume. I love how it captures Paris’ Left Bank (Rive Gauche) skyline, with a bottle of perfume floating away on a blue balloon. I didn’t get into the more sophisticated YSL fragrances until the 1980s, when I was working in corporate banking…. Read more »
Posts Tagged: scent
Turn Me Loose, Imprevu!
I really love this 1976 ad image for Coty’s Imprevu perfume. “Turn me loose, Imprevu”. The diaphanous flow of the white gown is just exquisite. I love the look of bliss on the model’s face. Imprevu translates to ‘unforeseen’ or ‘an unexpected incident’ in English. Serendipity, if you will! ~Marilyn
Jennifer O’Neill for Lanvin My Sin Perfume, 1972
Lanvin’s My Sin perfume was created in 1924 by “Madame Zed”, who worked on many more Lanvin fragrances. It remains a classic today, as it did in 1972 when this ad was published. My Sin was discontinued in 1988, but you can score vintage bottles online. Jennifer O’Neill was the “It” girl in 1972, having… Read more »
Catherine Deneuve for Chanel No.5 Perfume, 1975
This is probably my favorite ad that Catherine Deneuve did for Chanel in the 1970s. Of course she is enchantingly beautiful in all of them, but this one has a bit of the boyish insouciance that Coco Chanel expressed in the 1920s and 30s. With a dark blue velvet blazer, satin bow tie and white… Read more »
Yardley’s English Lavender: 1940s and Now
Yardley’s signature scent, English Lavender, has been around since 1873 when it was launched in England. It was popular during the Victorian era in England, and was imported to the USA in the 1880s where it also grew in popularity. This fabulous ad, from the October 1940 issue of Woman’s Home Companion magazine, shows a… Read more »
Princess Mara Ruspoli for Chanel No. 19 Perfume, 1975
This is a hauntingly beautiful ad from 1975 for Chanel No. 19 perfume. Princess Mara Ruspoli – all cheekbones and haughty gaze – is dressed in an silk shirt and heavy gold chain medallion. Quoting, “There is only one thing in the world worse than being vulnerable. And that is not being vulnerable.” Deep. Chanel… Read more »
I'm Marilyn, and I'm obsessed with vintage clothing, thrift stores, clotheslines, and Chanel. Welcome to my down-to-earth world!