Why Vintage Perfumes Are So Hot

What is a vintage perfume? Why are they so in demand? Vintage perfumes, like vintage fashion bring back memories of exact moments in time, and if you hang on to them long enough, they never go out of style. Experts agree in order for a perfume to be vintage, it should have been created least forty years ago, which means at least in the early1980s. Many have been discontinued and are in limited supply, so their prices can be quite high. Store vintage fragrances away from direct light and in a cool place. Original formulas have been tweaked over the years, especially perfumes with regulated ingredients such as oakmoss, certain citruses and animal derived musk. The hottest collectibles right now include vintage Miss Dior, Diorella and Eau Sauvage, all by Christian Dior. Chanel and Guerlain are also in high demand. Many perfumers and prestige brands try to keep them true to the vintage DNA and stay as close as possible to the original iconic bottle.

Coco Chanel famously said, “Fashion comes and goes but style is eternal.” CHANEL No.5 is one of the greatest vintage perfumes of all time created in 1921, it was the most expensive perfume of its time, blending flowers from Grasse, France, where a pound of jasmine now goes for $33,000. But it’s the secret ingredient that made it truly special. The perfumer Ernest Beaux added recently discovered synthetic molecules called aldehydes, which gave it a bubbly, champagne sparkle. To the question “What do you wear to bed?”  the famous Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe responded, “CHANEL N°5.” The pop artist Andy Warhol did a series of prints featuring the iconic No. 5 bottle.

Along with Chanel’s No. 5, Shalimar is one of the most famous vintage perfumes of all time. It’s considered the flagship fragrance for the House of Guerlain. Created by Jacques Guerlain in 1925, it was inspired by the love story between an emperor and an Indian princess and its name means Temple of Love. It is a perfectly constructed which both men and women have been wearing for nearly a century. Breathtakingly beautiful, it’s unique blend of vanilla, floral and powdery notes is famously known as the “guerlainade.” The exact formula is still kept secret and the urn shaped bottle is immediately recognizable.

Launched in 1930, Joy de Patou was the costliest perfume in the world as proclaimed by the fashion designer Jean Patou. He chose the name joy because it was an uplifting name during a time of the Great Depression. The reason for the high price tag is the use of over 10,000 jasmine flowers in every ounce! Joy is a floral erupting in notes of rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, tuberose, sandalwood, musk, and civet. Heady and romantic, Joy is a classic, womanly, gorgeously balanced scent that collectors rave about it.

1947 was the year when designer Christian Dior famously asked Perfumer Jean Carles, “to make me a fragrance that smells like love” … and the bright floral Miss Dior was born. Really rosy and sweet, Miss Dior is punctuated by pink pepper, and three juicy oranges: blood orange, sweet orange mandarin as well as lemon and bergamot. Damask rose and Grasse rose are the stars and are blended with jasmine and soft woods.

Diorissimo was created in 1956, by Edmond Roudnitska as an ode to spring and to Christian Dior’s favorite flower… muguet (lily of the valley).  In an interview his son l wrote, “this fragrance was still very close to the original and still provides years after its creation the same ineffable appeal.

In 1966, Dior released its first fragrance targeted towards men, Eau Sauvage. It is a realistic citrus cologne with a synthetic ingredient called Hedione, that smells of jasmine and was rumored to contain pheromones that attract women. It set a new standard for what masculinity should smell like, elegant and sophisticated.

Yves Saint Laurent was the first to grasp the narcotic thrall of fragrance, its ability to alter mood. In 1977, the year Opium was produced, it was shocking to suggest such a thing let alone market it. This vintage perfume smells thoroughly modern, composed by Jean Amic and Jean-Louis Sieuzac, it begins with one of the most exquisite openings in perfumery: the honeyed amber poised against the buoyant lightness of aldehydes that bubble up through a spill of plummy fruit, a tumble of cloves, cinnamon and coriander, narcotic jasmine and rose set against a tapestry of amber and resins. Bianca Jagger, Studio 54 and Andy Warhol are all linked to Opium. Like a glittering golden disco ball, Opium sparkles and titillates long into the wee hours of the morning.