New Perfume Book Review: Scent & Subversion by Barbara Herman (Yesterday’s Perfume) + Vintage Perfume Book Draw

Scent and subversion header cafleurebon

Barbara Herman  lives in Brooklyn, N.Y and is the Editor of yesterdaysperfume.com

Vintage perfume is a scented pool I am just beginning to dip my toes into. I have wonderful friends who have sent me droplets of these precious gems to try. I know there is heartbreak in store as I sample these beauties from long ago, knowing they are so hard, if not impossible, to find. When I received Barbara Herman’s new book, “Scent & Subversion: Decoding a Century of Provocative Perfume”, I decided that perhaps the best way to enjoy it was to sit down with my vintage beauties in front of me and experience the scents while I read about them.

intoxication

Barbara Herman is known to collectors of vintage fragrances as the creator of the blog Yesterday’s Perfume. In the book she explains how she came to be infatuated with scents of yesteryear. It partly came about because she was hearing about so many fragrances being reformulated because of the IFRA regulations. “Perfume is inherently fragile and evanescent, but these regulations that were affecting the very DNA of perfume made seeking out vintage perfume even more urgent for me: Time was running out to discover their disappearing styles and stories.” After scouring Ebay, antique stores, estate sales, and receiving samples from friends, her collection grew.

shocking

There are many references in the book regarding the subversive nature of perfume, of its connection to eroticism, of its history of being full of the secretions from animals, of modern perfumers turning once again to evocative and shocking perfumes, and of art pieces based on human smells and secretions. (Editor's Note: Antoine Lie and Etat Libre D'Orange, CB I Hate Perfume, Martika Wawrzyniak with Yann Vasnier, and Sissel Tolaas are some of the "Scent Visionaries" in Part 3 of the book). There are also lessons on how to begin exploring perfume and collecting vintage treasures, and a helpful glossary of olfactive ingredients and terminology. The heart of the book, though, is an exploration of individual perfumes that were released between 1882 and 2000, beginning with Houbigant Fougère Royale by Paul Parquet (1882) and finishing with Christopher Brosius's Laundromat for Demeter(2000).  Each chapter is broken down by decades and the cultural influences of that era. That is what I sat down with while I sniffed my goodies.

crepe de chine

Featuring 300 iconic perfumes and 100 memorable print ads, it is a delight to wander through this book. I swooned over F. Millot’s floral chypre Crêpe de Chine as I read Ms. Herman’s description. I dreamed of owning a bottle of Tuvaché Jungle Gardenia as I took my first-ever whiff and read that it is "exotic in the way Hollywood movies set in the South Seas starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope were exotic, with all the signifiers of exotic exaggerated and staged just so (big flowers, vines, a pile of sand, once coconut tree, tanned women sporting leis). And yet I could see how this perfume – like an actual white gardenia affixed to an ordinary 50’s hairdo – could have made your average American housewife feel like Dorothy Lamour.”“ I learned that Chypre de Coty was an homage to the island of Cyprus, and although I knew it was probably the first chypre, did not realize the whole genre was named for it, or that Chypre was French for Cyprus.

chypre

As I rifled through my little vials full of golden juice, and searched the index to learn more as I sniffed, I realized that this is not a book to read cover-to-cover, although you certainly could. Each chapter and perfume entry are full of little nuggets to mine and enjoy. Even if vintage perfume collecting isn’t your main interest, it is still an excellent treatise on perfumes of the past and can help any perfume lover to understand the roots of modern perfumery. If you do collect and appreciate vintage fragrances, it is a must-have on your fragrance bookshelf and would also make a great gift for anyone who loves perfume. I know I will be referring to it frequently.

I received my book courtesy of Ms. Herman’s publisher, Globe Pequot Press.

-Tama Blough, Senior Editor

Thanks to the generosity of Ms. Herman and her publisher, we have a a hardcover copy of "Scent and Subversion" (available on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble) to give away to a reader anywhere in the world. Leave a comment letting us know what your favorite vintage perfume is or your favorite  fragrance decade. Draw ends December 11, 2013.

We announce the winners only onsite and on our Facebook page, so Like CaFleureBon and use our RSS option…..or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

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56 comments

  • Someotherspring says:

    Oh, Chanel’s Cuir de Russie is my fave vintage scent. I would marry for a bottle of it…!

  • Lorin says:

    Patou’s Joy and Guerlain Mitsouko’s are near the top for me because they both help me understand notes and scent on skin, but I am a big lover of Carven’s Ma Griffe! And this is a book I will get for myself at some time in the next year, thanks for the draw.

  • Lisa B. says:

    I love Vintage Caron Bellodgia because my grandmother wore it and it reminds me of her! (I also like Chanel no. 5 and Guerlain L’Heure Bleue.)

  • Devon H says:

    I love way too many vintages to be able to pick just one, but one of my favorite perfume decades is the ’20s. I NEED a copy of this book. Thanks for the giveaway! 🙂

  • Cheryl says:

    I too love jungle Gardenia. I remember that bottle of Joy that lived on my aunts vanity along with Youth Dew. When came tome for me to chose my first fragrance I picked Love, a citrusy spray whose commercial I can still hear. Wear your love…. I think

  • Sandi L says:

    Tama, great review. This book is a great reference on the masterpieces of the past.. Please don’t enter me in the draw as it is already in my reference library.

  • FearsMice says:

    So many of the greats were introduced in the 1920s — I’ll claim that as my favorite vintage decade. I love Barbara’s blog and am really looking forward to reading her book. Thanks for the draw.

  • Laurentiu says:

    I have not tested many vintage perfumes yet, but from the ones I know my favourite has to be Fracas. Thanks for the giveaway!

  • taffyj says:

    Barbara Herman is so pretty! Looking forward to reading her book.

    My favorite vintage is Emeraude.

  • Terry says:

    This is easy: Creed Fleur de The Rose Bulgare is my favourite vintage perfume! It’s weird but I own only a sample of it, which I use like once a year. For me it’s *the* rose perfume par excellence.

  • Esther says:

    When I was around 15 I bought myself “Coco”, that was the smell and feeling of “grown-up” to me. Unfortunately, the current reformulated version is awful. And I love vintage Opium, it reminds me of a good friend.

  • Chapeau Clack says:

    I’m an all-out vintage fan. My Mom’s Rochas Femme was the first discontinuation heartbreak I went through at the ripe age of 6. In college I made a point of finding something equally beautiful for myself, but it wasn’t until the online perfume communities flourished that I really started my collection. It’s almost impossible for me to name just one vintage favorite, but Bellodgia is probably as close to the Holy Grail as I ever got, with Opium being a confident runner-up.
    I’d love to get my greedy paws on that beautiful book!

  • Damir says:

    I adore vintage Diorissimo. My great love, Antaeus, was much better in its original version in the eighties of the last century.

  • Poodle says:

    I love vintage Shalimar and also wish i could get my hands on what used to be a cheap thrill perfume, Scoundrel. I remember spritzing some on every time I was in the drugstore but since I was young and had no money I never got a bottle. I really want this book. Thanks for the draw!

  • Jackie b says:

    I have not tried any vintage perfumes from the 1920s but I love the fact that there was a fashion revolution, and that perfume was linked with the big fashion houses.
    I would love to learn more.

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    i am a lover of vintage fragrances and have been kind of lucky to get hands on some for great deals including Shocking by Schiaparelli which in my opinion is the best fragrance with honey note. Some others i really love are Lucien Lelong Indiscret (well-preserved ones), Corday Pois de Sentaur, Piguet Bandit, Piguet Visa, Piguet Futur, Rigaud En Air Embaum, and I don’t know if 1970s and later are vintage in real sense but original Dioressence Esprit de Parfum is a real treat…For me, true classic vintage has to be mid-1960s and before because in 1970s direction started changing

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    i forgot to mention but few days back i was wearing Jean Desses Celui Parfum which didn’t impress me in the top note but dry down was marvelous

  • Beverly says:

    The vintage perfume can’t be equalled! My consistent astounding favorite is Guerlain Vol de Nuit. It is without precedent and without peer. Sounds like an interesting book. Thanks.

  • batkitty says:

    This book sounds wonderful, I’d love to get my hands on a copy. I enjoy so many vintage perfumes but I have deepest love for the style of the 1930s, especially for Vol de Nuit and Lanvin Scandal, two of the most incredible perfumes I’ve ever smelled.

  • susie frankel says:

    I have loved Chanel No. 5 for decades…need I say more? I would say the 20s as a decade of freedom for women to be women with all the great scents new to the times…..and those times are still changing with all the new niche fragrances which someday may be remembered as a “vintage” generation of great scents!

  • RL McGruder says:

    Obsession from the eighties was the first scent that I put on that made me realize what perfume could do. I loved how I smelled all day, my boyfriend just wanted to cuddle and smell me, and I was suddenly a woman of mystery and desire. Thanks for the draw!

  • julesinrose says:

    I can’t decide between Hermes Caleche (1961) and Chanel Cristalle (1974). The last doesn’t seem so “vintage” to me, but it is now, and alas, neither smells anything like I remember with such fondness. I think my favorite “vintage” is Right Now. Such choices and creativity, from all parts of the world, have never been seen (and sniffed)!

  • Cynthia says:

    The photo of the Crepe de Chine got my heart racing. I would love to own a vintage bottle. The old advertisements were so much more classy and beautiful than today. There is zero originality in placing another pouty lipped twenty year old holding a bottle of perfume. I guess I was born in the wrong era! And although this is not really a vintage perfume, can I grouse a little? I remember in my youth going to the disco wearing Ralph Lauren Tuxedo, I think it was called. I remember it being such an attention getter and i felt so grown up in it? Why did RL discontinue such a great perfume.

  • Merlin says:

    I’v not experienced true vintage, but my favorite classic perfume is Lanvin’s Arpege – even if it is the current formulation!

  • Nemo says:

    I have not smelled any vintage perfumes, but the versions I would most love to try are Shalimar and Eau Sauvage.

  • Chris Schaefer says:

    I remember Crepe de Chine! And of course Shalimar. My mom always wore L’Heure Bleue. What memories.

    I would love this book! Thanks for the draw and the review.

  • Mary K says:

    This book would be a great addition to the library of anyone who loves perfume! I’d have to say my favorite vintage perfumes are Ma Griffe and Jungle Gardenia.

  • ChristineB says:

    I love Balenciaga Le Dix, of which I have a small bottle of the eau de toilette. I would love to try the perfume version.

  • Dana says:

    Oh, how I wish I had some of my mother’s perfumes from the 60’s. I remember them lined up on her dresser. My Sin and a few from Fabergé come to mind. Tigress and Woodhue, for example. This would be a great book to win. Thank you!

  • Elia says:

    Hard to choose, but I might pick Le Dix. at least today.
    I’ve read the blog many times, I’m sure the book will be a treat, ty

  • Lindaloo says:

    My favourite vintage is Chanel No 5 EDC. Otherwise I love many scents from the 70’s; Zen, Diorella, Cristalle.
    Really looking forward to reading Barbara herman’s book. her website is great and I love the way she puts the scents in the context of their era.
    Thanks for the draw opportunity.

  • Ginny M says:

    I’d say it’s all but impossible to choose ONE favorite vintage perfume, but I had friends over for dinner tonight and I pulled out several vintage Chanels for them to sniff — I have to say, I have an abiding, unyielding love for my vintage Cristalle, the perfect social butterfly of the perfume world. (A close second would have to be another from my youth, Eau de Givenchy.) I’ve enjoyed yesterdaysperfume and spent much time there — the book sounds wonderful! Thanks for the draw, and congrats to Barbara!

  • Darilyn says:

    My pick would have to be vintage Shalimar. This would be a wonderful book to own! Thanks for the draw!

  • Anna in Edinburgh says:

    My fragrance decade would be the 1970s, when I became aware of the scents around me due to my mother and her sisters and friends. If I catch a hint of any of “their” perfumes now, on a passerby or in the air, it takes me right back and makes me smile.

    (It’s great to see Barbara’s gorgeous work getting so much love too.)

  • Colleen says:

    Favorite vintage perfume is probably Caron Narcisse Noir. The darkness is hard to find in the modern stuff, even though it smells quite pretty. Vintages with oakmoss tend to last longer anyways.

  • Lyubov says:

    Thanks for a bibliophiliac givaway!
    I am a Guerlain devotee so that is no surprise for my vintage choice – Mitsouko and Vol de Nuit.

  • Brooke says:

    There are so many beautiful things I have yet to sniff. Remarkable favorites include Doblis, Diorling, Violette Precieuse, and Vol de Nuit. I am looking forward to reading this. Lovely review.

  • Martha says:

    My favorite vintage perfume is Vol de Nuit extrait. I bought this after reading a 2012 interview with Ms. Herman. When I wear this perfume my level of contentment is off the charts. I have just purchased a small bottle of vintage Emeraude and am anxiously awaiting its arrival. It’s been about 40 years since I last sniffed it. I’d love to win this book. I’m in the U.S.

  • Lubka K. says:

    I have only Guerlain s Mitsouko in my fragrance collection from vintage scents… the others have been produced only recently. I would like to try vintage fragrances. My mum never used them so I grew up without possibility to know old perfumes.

  • Felicia S. says:

    I have a bottle of some old Arpege. I love wearing it and I love how “out of date” it is in terms of style. Takes me out of the present time to a much more glamourous one.