Variations by Carven c1971

Variations by Carven: launched in 1971.

Allez Hop by Jovoy c1924

Allez Hop by Jovoy: launched in 1924.

CB Rocca

CB Rocca of Paris, France, launched a range of perfumes.

Ivoire de Balmain c1979

Ivoire de Balmain: launched in 1979. Created by Michel Hy and Francis Camail of Florasynth. Pierre Balmain stated that he was inspired by his lifelong "desire to create elegance and beauty for women."

Magic Beat by Max Factor c1986

In 1986, Max Factor released Magic Beat, it's trio of fragrances specifically designed for teenagers in conjunction with singer Michael Jackson.

Magic Beat was under a license from Michael Jackson to use his picture and signature in promoting the line. Entertainment Properties paid $18 million for the right to market the Michael memorabilia.

La Route d'Emeraude by Isabey c1924

La Route d'Emeraude by Isabey: launched in 1924. Originally created by Isabey's chief perfumer, Robert Bienaimé.

The fanciful name refers to the so-called Emerald Route. The route delivered precious stones and other valuables from the southern regions of Asia, to Iran and the Near East.

Anny Blatt

Anny Blatt, a French designer, famous for her knitwear clothing. She was one of the first to launch hand knitted clothing for women.

Youthful Secrets Formerly Fantasy Perfumes Designer Imposter Perfumes

Youthful Secrets (formerly Fantasy Perfumes) distributed their versions of popular perfumes, otherwise known as "designer imposter perfumes". The "Youthful Secrets" brand was sold by the Seta Corporation and was available to airline passengers at deeply discounted prices. One ounce bottles of these oil based knockoff perfumes sold for just $19.99 as opposed to much higher prices for their genuine designer counterparts. The Youthful Secrets line was trademarked in 1989.

These perfumes were only identified by a number so if you need to know which fragrance your numbered bottle was supposed to mimic, use my handy guide below.

Dark Brilliance by Lentheric c1946

Dark Brilliance by Lentheric: launched in 1946.

Christian Lacroix by Christian Lacroix c1999

Christian Lacroix by Christian Lacroix: launched in 1999. The fragrance, created by Sophia Grojsman, is strongly inspired by Lacroix's native region of sunny Provence. 

It was first only available at Saks Fifth Avenue stores.

Grain de Folie by Parfums Nicky Verfaillie c1981

Grain de Folie by Parfums Nicky Verfaillie (Monique "Nicky" Verfaillie): launched in 1982.

A verbatim translation of "Grain de Folie" is "grain of frivolity."

Heure Intime by Vigny c1933

Heure Intime by Vigny: launched in 1933. Created by perfumer Jacques Vogel.

Chaos by Donna Karan c1994

Chaos by Donna Karan: launched in 1994.

Garwood's Standard Perfumes

Philadelphia; claimed established in 1852; most likely c1873; a subsidiary of Schandein & Lind in c1900; launched a range of fragrances in the first quarter of 20th century.

Liz Claiborne by Liz Claiborne c1986

Liz Claiborne by Liz Claiborne: launched in 1986. This is the first fragrance by designer Liz Claiborne. Created by the perfumers at IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances). The idea was for the company to make a fragrance that represented Liz herself.

In 1985, Avon and Liz Claiborne had signed a joint agreement to create and market the new entry. Avon participated in product research, supply and development of the scent. Liz Claiborne Cosmetics were completely responsible for the sales and marketing of the fragrance.

Ocean Dream by Giorgio Beverly Hills c1996

Ocean Dream by Giorgio Beverly Hills: launched in 1996 in association with Designer Parfums and Proctor & Gamble. Created by Alberto Morillas. Ocean Dream was inspired by the beach's omnipresence in the southern California consciousness.

Esprit de Phantom by Phantom of the Opera c1988

Esprit de Phantom for women was aunched in 1988. Created during the Phantom play craze by Creative Fragrances, Inc. This scent was commissioned to be sold during intermission at the shows. Limited edition souvenir scent from the show (interesting concept).

Dahlia by Arlene Dahl c1976

Dahlia by Arlene Dahl (Parfums Dahlia): launched in 1976. Created by Bud Lindsay of Roure Bertrand Dupont.

Parfums Avenel

Louis Avenel of 24 rue de Rocher, Paris, established in 1900 and had major exports to Great Britain.

Verdigris by Robert Lee Morris c1988

Verdigris by Robert Lee Morris c1988. First scent from the famed New York jewelry designer. Created by the perfumers at the French based essential oil manufacturers, Roure. The scent was named after the greenish metal Morris has made popular in his jewelry designs. He says "it's the greenish patina you find on ancient sculpture and artifacts."

L'Envie Parfum Shampoo & Conditioner c1986

L'Envie Parfum Shampoos & Conditioners debuted in 1986. This was a line of highly perfumed hair products that imitated the best selling perfumes of the era.

"For soft; sensual hair that smells as beautiful as it looks."

It't rich, luxurious formula contained soft emollients to soothe the hair and make it sensually soft to the touch. What it did not contain, was any of the famous perfumes it was imitating.

• Ember Musk: a fragrance similar to classic musk perfumes
• Cypress: a fragrance similar to White Linen
• Legace: a fragrance similar to Vanderbilt
• Siam: a fragrance similar to Opium
• Capture: a fragrance similar to Obsession
• Milano: a fragrance similar to Giorgio

These hair products were not manufactured, licensed nor endorsed by any of the following brands: Giorgio Beverly Hills, Estee Lauder, Gloria Vanderbilt, Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent and Coty.

L'Envie was manufactured by S.C. Johnson.

By 1988, the line was dropped as it did not do as well as expected. It was said by fragrance consultant, Barry Jacobs, that women tend to think of perfume as sticky and oily, and this is something you'd expect a shampoo to wash out of your hair. The line did not include scents for men and excluded women who hated fragrance in their shampoos.  "We are close to dumping the line," said one buyer a a leading national drugstore chain.

It was also plagued by legal problems and flawed marketing.

The moment that L'Envie hit retail shelves, the threats from major perfume companies started rolling in. Cosmair, Inc, owner of the Vanderbilt trademark filed suit. Estee Lauder, Inc, the holder of the White Linen trademark, also considered joining in on the lawsuit. Cosmair originally demanded that the 1 million products already on the shelves be pulled.

In 1986, Cosmair had won a temporary restraining order against SC Johnson that prohibited the distribution of its new L'Envie shampoos and conditioners. L'Envie, produced by the Agree shampoo and conditioner line, printed Cosmair's Vanderbilt fragrance title on the containers. Cosmair declared trademark infringement and unfair competition as reasons for the court order. Although SC Johnson claimed to be solely in the shampoo and conditioner selling business, Cosmair charged that its marketing strategies copied those of "knockoff-fragrance marketers" by printing misleading material on the wrapping.

Sued by Cosmair Inc., SC Johnson settled out of court in 1987 by agreeing to add disclaimer stickers to the front of it's bottles. The settlement included an order for a more prominent disclaimer on the package. A temporary restraining order issued in federal court required ads to carry a similar disclaimer. The results satisfied the other fragrance companies.

Privilege by Parfums Privilege c1986

Privilege by Parfums Privilege: launched in 1986.

Diable au Corps by Donatella Pecci Blunt c1990

Diable au Corps by Donatella Pecci Blunt: launched in 1990, in association with by Diana da Silva Cosmétiques.

The name which means "Devil in the Flesh", is derived from the autobiographical novel Le Diable au Corps written by Raymond Radiguet, a protege and homosexual lover of Jean Cocteau. The novel is an account of a scandalous affair between a sixteen year old boy and a slightly older married woman during World War I.

DK Men by Donna Karan c1994

DK Men by Donna Karan: launched in 1994. Created by Jean-Claude Delville.

This fragrance is also known as DK Men Fuel for Men or DK Men Leaded.

Monsieur de Rauch by Madeleine de Rauch c1950

Monsieur de Rauch by Madeleine de Rauch: launched in 1950 or 1967 (per Osmotheque). Created by Raymond Chaillan and Jacques Bercia.

Callot Soeurs

Callot Soeurs was a couture house established in 1895 by three sisters Marie Callot Gerber, Marthe Callot Bertrand and Regine Callot Chantrelle at 9-10 avenue Matignon, Paris.

The sisters were famous for their usage of antique laces, ribbons and textiles during their early years as well as the popular oriental style adapted by Paul Poiret during the 'teens and 'twenties incorporating silver and gold lame.

Incanto by Simonetta c1955

Incanto by Simonetta: launched in 1955. Perfume created by Simonetta Visconti (Donna Simonetta Fabiani), an Italian fashion designer.

Tatiana by Diane von Furstenberg c1975

Tatiana by Diane von Fürstenberg: launched in 1975. The fragrance was named after her daughter.

Verlayne & Verlaine Perfumes

Verlayne of Paris. Established by Charles Jules Emile Charbaut at 9 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, Paris in 1944; Associated with Verlaine et Verlayne.

The perfumes of Verlayne:

• 1944 Experience
• 1944 Plaisirs
• 1945 Sermaize
• 1945 Tadla
• 1945 Lumiere de Paris
• 1945 Attente
• 1953 Cuir du Don

Verlaine was established by George E Mignon in Paris, France: launched fragrances in c1920.

The perfumes of Verlaine:

• 1920 Âme d'Orient
• 1920 Arginette
• 1920 Birial
• 1920 Jasmin
• 1920 Muguet
• 1920 Narcisse
• 1920 Violette
• 1920 Rose

Wigs and their Accoutrements

The word wig is short for Periwig and first appeared in the English language around 1675.

Wigs have been worn throughout history and not just as a fashion item. Looking through history we can see that wigs were worn to demonstrate wealth and importance as well as having a more practical purpose as protection against cold and rain. Wigs were even worn in wars to impress the enemy!

Paradoxe by Pierre Cardin c1983

Paradoxe by Pierre Cardin: launched in 1983 in Europe, then USA. Created by Roure Perfumers. Marketed in USA by Jacqueline Cochran, Inc.

City of Paris

City of Paris was a fanciful name of a a department store of Paris, San Francisco, Ca. that opened its doors in 1850. Their flagship store in San Francisco was built in 1896 and rebuilt in 1909, probably due to damage from the 1906 earthquake.

Alphonse Rallet

Alphonse Rallet (1819-1894) established his perfumery company Rallet in 1843 in Moscow. Rallet's perfumes, soaps and cosmetics were so popular that by 1900, he was the most distinguished of all perfumeries in Russia. His excellence in quality made him the official supplier to the royal courts of Russia, Romania, Serbia, Persia and Montenegro.


After the death of Alphonse Rallet, the company was purchased by Chiris, a raw material supplier from Grasse, France. When the Russian Revolution took over and Rallet's Russian assets were nationalized in 1917, the company was reestablished in France. It was here in 1920, that the famous perfumer and technical director, Ernest Beaux , created several perfumes for Gabrielle Chanel, most notably Chanel No. 5, which remains a best seller almost 100 years after its creation in 1921.


In 1926, Francois Coty acquired Rallet.

"A. Ралле и Ко."

Lasso by Jean Patou c1956

Lasso by Jean Patou: launched 1956 , advertised as "your secret weapon." It was created by Guy Robert.

Trigere by Pauline Trigere c1973

Trigère by Pauline Trigère: launched in 1973.

Parfumerie Miga

Parfumerie Miga was established by Villy Frey at 99 Zweierstrasse, Zurich in 1925.

The company bought up bankrupt stock and expanded to Cuba. Acquired by Drialys in 1940.

Villy Frey was registered in France on December 18, 1934 under No. 234511. No. 88829 - March 5, 1935. VILLY FREY (manufacture and trade) 99, Zweierstrasse, Zurich (Switzerland). Cosmetics of all kinds. - Registered in Switzerland on 5 December 1934 with YN.

L'Insolent by Charles Jourdan c1986

L'Insolent by Charles Jourdan: launched in 1986. Created by Max Gavarry.

Les Parfums d’Argelys

Les Parfums d’Argelys of Paris.

Balahe by Leonard c1983

Balahé by Leonard was launched in 1983. Created by Daniel Moliere from Givaudan perfumers.

Filly by Capucci c1983

Filly by Capucci: launched in 1983.