FIDM Museum Blog

Parfums Lucien Lelong: The Peter Fink Collection

 

 Parfums Lucien Lelong: The Peter Fink Collection

10 a.m.–4 p.m., Monday-Saturday

Free!

The FIDM Museum is delighted to present an exceptional collection of fragrance, cosmetics, and ephemera from the house of Lucien Lelong. Some of these objects, including a fur-covered lipstick and the Full Dress and Golden Grotto lipsticks, have been featured on our blog. This group of objects was graciously donated by Monique Fink, wife of artist Peter Fink, who worked for Monsieur Lelong as package designer and interior decorator. Mr. Fink went on to discover the camera, and became a reputable photographer and artist of the twentieth century. Parfums Lucien Lelong: The Peter Fink Collection, a new exhibit in the Annette Green Fragrance Archive, highlights selected examples of Peter Fink's work for Parfums Lucien Lelong.

"Ting-a-Ling" Perfume Bottle
Lucien Lelong
c. 1949
Gift of Monique Fink
F2006.877.45AB

Ecarlate de Suzy, 1940

 

This Baccarat perfume bottle contains Ecarlate de Suzy, a perfume that was described as heady and provocative. In the shape of head and neck topped with a red hat, it has the same whimsical quality shared by many of the mid-twentieth century perfume bottles in our fragrance archive. The Suzy referred to in the name of the fragrance is Madame Suzy, a prominent Parisian milliner. This late 1930s Madame Suzy red and white hat is reminiscent of the hat perched on the Ecarlate de Suzy bottle.

Ecarlate de Suzy
Madame Suzy
c. 1939
Gift of Annette Green
F2005.860.349

Straight to the heart

 

Forget roses, forget chocolate! We've got a better gift for you this Valentine's Day--a selection of objects that address the theme of the day, love.

Paul Poiret evening gown from La Gazette du Bon Ton
1922, No. 22
FIDM Museum Special Collections

Published between 1912-1925, every issue of the French fashion periodical La Gazette du Bon Ton featured witty illustrations of the latest fashions. Penned by Georges Barbier, Erté, Paul Iribe, Georges Lepape and others, the illustrations placed the garments within an intriguing narrative. Was it a romantic mishap, or fashion rivalry that put the arrow through her heart? Additional illustrations from La Gazette du Bon Ton can be seen here.

 

Holiday greetings from Lucien Lelong

 

Greeting card sent by Lucien Lelong
1935-1940
Gift of Monique Fink
F2006.877.155

Images of Men: A Look Through Fragrance

 

Dani Killam, Assistant Registrar at the FIDM Museum, brings you this post examining how masculine archetypes are reinforced through the design and packaging of fragrance bottles. The bottles discussed in this post are part of a larger exhibit currently on display in the Annette Green Fragrance Archive. Images of Men: Looking Beyond Fragrance features a variety of classic and contemporary fragrance bottles along with garments and accessories. This exhibit is free and open to the public; make sure you stop by when you visit Re-Designing History.

 

When discussing men’s fragrance in her essay “The Wasteland,” Tania Sanchez states, “[W]hen feminine fragrances are reformulated and cheapened enough, they begin to smell like masculine fragrance.”¹ In the exhibit Images of Men: Looking Beyond Fragrance, we consider this view and put scent aside, drawing our full attention to the name, bottle and packaging of the product. By focusing on the aesthetic components we are able to see different themes brands have invoked to showcase their product.

The typical eau de cologne used by men until the nineteenth century was not drastically different from the scents for women. An emphasis on good hygiene followed by advancements in technology began a split between the two appropriate formulas for each sex to wear. Today there are a variety of masculine scent families with continuously expanding sub-categories. Green, citrus, lavender, spicy, floral, chypre, fougère, woody, leather and musk are the main categories, each having identifiable characteristics.

Like all products on the market, there are sought after target consumers that each item is intentionally designed to reach. This exhibit seeks to show the different roles and images of men that the fragrance industry has focused on in order to seek their lucrative business.

The SportsmanAlaskan Moose Deep Woods After Shave
Avon
c. 1972-76
Gift of Robert Nelson
F2006.528.13AB

Lucien Lelong lipstick packaging

 

The use of makeup by American women grew exponentially during the first half of the twentieth century. In the beginning of the century, makeup was primarily an urban phenomenon, gradually spreading to other areas through increased marketing and a wider range of available products. By the 1940s, makeup application was a generally accepted part of a woman's daily routine. For many women, however, daily makeup consisted primarily of lipstick, rouge and powder, as the more exotic mascara and eyeshadow were worn primarily by the most daring and fashion forward women. During World War II, wearing makeup was considered almost a patriotic duty for women of the Allied nations. Despite the limitation of some ingredients due to wartime shortages, many types of makeup were widely available.

In the late 1940s, makeup colors and packaging were tuned to seasonal changes in fashion. Women began to purchase specific lipsticks or nail polish for each season, as they did clothing. Packaging was often extravagant and fanciful, as demonstrated by this late 1940s Lucien Lelong lipstick tube.

Lipstick
Lucien Lelong
1948-49
Gift of Monique Fink
F2006.877.63EF

Lucien Lelong lipstick

French couturier Lucien Lelong first began creating perfumes under the name Parfums Lucien Lelong in 1926 with the introduction of the ABC perfume trio, followed in 1927 with J (for Jasmine) and N (for Natalie Paley, Lelong's wife.) Lelong clearly understood the potential benefits of diversifying into perfume, as he established a Chicago branch of his perfume company almost immediately. This company produced Lelong's perfumes for the North American market, along with other Lelong-branded cosmetics. The couturier took a very personal interest in the appearance of his perfume and cosmetics, often designing the packaging himself.

Lipstick and box
Parfums Lucien Lelong
c. 1935-42
Gift of Monique Fink
F2006.877.9A-D

Forbidden fruit

A post from our Registrar, Meghan Grossman Hansen!

Apples are grown around the world in thousands of varieties, so it is not surprising that they are an undying symbol in mythology, fairy tales, and popular culture. Putting aside the more contemporary connections to John Lennon and Macintosh computers, the apple plays a pivotal role in the story of Adam and Eve, the trials of Hercules, and the fairy tale of Snow White. These associations take physical shape in a variety of perfume bottles based on the apple.

In the case of Lolita Lempicka’s First Fragrance, the connection between Eve and the Tree of Knowledge takes on a more romantic association, as the designer explains, “I drew on my distant memories to recreate this intense moment when a girl is waiting to become a woman.”¹

Miniature Perfume Bottle
Lolita: Lolita Lempicka Eau de Parfum
c. 1997-1999
Gift of Annette Green
F2005.860.1149A/C

Our post today was researched and written by FIDM Museum Registrar, Meghan Grossman Hansen!

In the Least Likely of Places: Discovering Counterfeit Chanel No. 5 in a Museum Collection

“Bathtub Perfume Traps Pool Shark”¹    

“Pair Arrested in Sale of 11c Perfume for $15”² 

These are just a few headlines that tell us about the rampant problem of piracy in the perfume industry, a criminal activity that is prevalent in any field in which luxury goods are involved. For an example of the legal battles that can ensue from the selling of pirated fashions, check out this New York Times blog post. Though Chanel’s fragrances were not the only French perfumes targeted by counterfeiters, Chanel No. 5 consistently turns up in smuggling arrests, counterfeit busts, and consumer warnings about cheap perfume scams. Chanel No. 5 has a cachet that everyone wants, but where does this reputation come from?

Counterfeit Chanel No. 5 Bottle and Box
c. 1950-1959
Gift of Annette Green
F2005.860.986AB

Annette Green Fragrance Archive

In addition to our our garment collection, the FIDM Museum also houses an extensive fragrance archive. The Annette Green Fragrance Archive was donated to the FIDM Museum by Annette Green in 2005. A leader in the fragrance industry since the 1960s, Annette Green originated the FiFi Award in 1972 and is currently President Emeritus of The Fragrance Foundation. Consisting of bottles, perfume presentations and documentary ephemera dating from the late 1880s to the present, the Archive has its own dedicated exhibition space on the 2nd floor of the Los Angeles branch of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. These exhibitions are always free and open to the public!

Above is an image of the entrance to the Annette Green Fragrance Archive. As you can see, the exhibition space is intimate, allowing visitors a close-up view of the fragrance bottles and their labels. Currently featured is High Style: Perfume and the Haute Couture. This exhibition features fragrances and fashion accessories by well-known haute couture design houses, Christian Dior, Chanel, and Yves Saint Laurent. Also included are fragrances and accessories by James Galanos, Halston, and Oscar de la Renta, well-known American fashion designers whose work exhibits the same standard of quality found in French haute couture. This exhibition is presented in conjunction with our upcoming exhibition High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture, which will open on October 21, 2009.