Vintage Shocking perfume ad – design  bottle  by Léonor Fini 1937

"What do I think of when I experience vintage Schiaparelli Shocking? Well, that only takes a second to register in my mind…Shocking is the most regal skank in the room!

Zsa Zsa Gabor in Moulin Rouge, 1952, dress Elsa Schiaparelli

 If you will, imagine Mae West or Zsa Zsa Gabor going to an event in all her glorious finery.  She’s dressed to impress.  That impression, of course, can be a very subjective thing for different people.  To some she might appear to be the epitome of taste, to others she might be the signal of decadence and all that’s bad in the world.  Some may see her as gold digger worthy of disgust; others may see her as an inspirational figure worthy of praise.  Whichever way she’s regarded, her presence is known and it’s undeniable she made an impression – forever.

 

Jean Carles  image courtesy of Contributor Ermano Picco of Editor of La Gardenia nell occhiello

The story of Schiaparelli’s Shocking is akin to the aforementioned analogy.  Created in 1937 in collaboration with Jean Carles, the world was given a taste of pure luxury, decadence, glamor, and exoticness in the form of a perfume in a little torso bottle simply named, "Shocking".  It was at once conventional, but, moreover, dirty in palatable way – packaged and marketed to make every woman feel like a special star with a treasure owned by royalty.

Vintage ad 1949 Shocking, Marcel Vertes

In other words, exactly what many wanted, and the world needed.  It filled a place in people’s lives that wanted a little bit more than average…longing for and dreaming of the glamor and mystique of faraway, mythic, unreachable places brimming with beautiful and arcane worldly pleasures to enjoy and appreciate in the most surreal of senses.  Shocking brought this surreal dream to life for the world in concept, form, and function.  Its influence has never been forgotten and is still relevant today.

Shocking de Schiaparelli's bottle was modeled after tthe hourglass figure of Mae West, here wearing a Schiaparelli gown

Thinking about the perfume itself and its concept, I think it’s no coincidence that Jean Carles and Elsa Schiaparelli worked together.  If one digs into fragrance history, Jean Carles was the man to go to for making a perfume that made a statement (1932’s Tabu by Dana, being a prime example – it was made with the intention of making the scent of what a whore would smell like).  I have no doubt that the project was gone into with the idea of making a perfume befit for the controversial and forward thinking woman and starlets of the time.  Speaking of starlets…Mae West (a client of Schiaparelli) was the inspiration for the now iconic torso bottle designed by Leonor Fini specifically for the perfume.

1945 Shocking vs 2013 Jean Paul Gaultier Classique X

 Jean Paul Gaultier was a fan- adopting a similar design for his fragrances Le Male and Classique.  Again, I am sure this is was no coincidence.  Elsa always had an eye for talent and Leonor Fini epitomized the growing strength of women on the scene. It’s no wonder she selected her to advance the project. With an eye for art, Elsa was specifically interested in surrealism.  She incorporated the movement along with her friends Salvador Dali and Marcel Vertes in the advertising campaign for Shocking.

Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel

The visual effect coupled with the ingenious bottle and stunning fragrance was a combination for the history books of fashion (not to mention marketing and design).  All together it formed a force to be reckoned with.  For many years Shocking rivaled another legendary woman of fashion’s perfume in sales – that is none other than Coco Chanel/Ernest Beaux’s Chanel No. 5.  That is quite the accomplishment!   It is widely recorded Mademoiselle Chanel was none too happy being Challenged by Schiaparelli …their rivalry is legendary.

 

Vintage ad 1949 Shocking, Marcel Vertes

Now to the perfume itself…

The perfume consists of top notes of aldehydes, bergamot and tarragon; middle notes of ylang-ylang, honey, rose and jasmine; base notes of musk, clove and civet.  There are most certainly dashes of patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla, and amber thrown in to accent the mix.

"I gave pink the nerve of a red  A neon pink Shocking Pink"-Elsa Schiaparelli

Everything acts together to make for a deep, dark, dirty, yet fantastically accessible fragrance.   The standout notes are the ever present base notes of honey and civet drenched musk – it’s addictive beyond all belief.  There are very few perfumes I have come across that get the balance of having an ever present base that manages to develop so distinctively base based.  In my opinion, it’s arguably one of the best of Jean Carles.

Aaron's Vintage Shocking Perfume Collection

So, dear readers, if you have a chance, I highly recommend you try it and keep one thing in mind- it’s all about the base.  I feel compelled to say that the perfume has had some slight reformulations over the years and, of course, due to age, vintage bottles may have lost some of the top notes.  So, getting the actual full effect Shocking can be a daunting experience. However, it is not impossible! Generally speaking, the darker the perfume, the more emphasis you will have on the base notes and civet.  The lighter has a more floral character overall, but is still heavily concentrated on that glorious base.

Thankfully, Shocking is still fairly easy to find.  I find it at flea markets and antique stores fairly often and snatch them up on almost every occasion.  The newest bottles were produced in the late 90’s and are probably the best representation of getting an idea of what the vintage smelled as new (albeit a bit lighter).   In any form or condition, it’s a standout and still a force to be reckoned with.

–Aaron Potterman, Vintage Perfume Columnist and perfumer for Maison303

Salvatore Dali's flower paintings (Gala en Fleurs)  inspired Elsa Shiaparelli Shocking

Editor's Note:  Between the World Wars, as Aaron touched upon, two women dominated fashion and fragrance: Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli. While Chanel's clothes were known for craftsmanship, Schiaparelli was known for her audacious Dada-esque designs and for her collaborations with surrealists Salvatore Dali and Jean Cocteau. Chanel's perfumes used numbers and the packaging was minimalist black and white. Schiaparelli’s most famous scent was just that… Shocking; the flacon as Aaron wrote was modeled after Schiaparelli’s fitting mannequin for her client Mae West and Dali's study of flowers he created for his muse and wife Gala.  Her penchant for pink inspired Nars most audacious lipstick-Shiap.  Artist Frida Kahlo was a fan of Shocking perfume (source: Rodrigo Flores Roux of Givaudan).  One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Elsa Schiaparelli, "The moment people stop copying you, you have ceased to be news". -Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

Elsa Shiaparelli with Salavatore Dali 1938

We have a 1 ml vial of Shocking we believe is from early 1950s for a US registered reader in the US. To be eligible please leave a comment with what intrigues you about Shocking, what you learned from Aaron’s review, about Elsa Schiaparelli and your favorite vintage perfume. Draw closes 7/26/2015

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