Cleopatra's Boudoir: Marcel Rochas

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Welcome to my unique perfume blog! Here, you'll find detailed, encyclopedic entries about perfumes and companies, complete with facts and photos for easy research. This site is not affiliated with any perfume companies; it's a reference source for collectors and enthusiasts who cherish classic fragrances. My goal is to highlight beloved, discontinued classics and show current brand owners the demand for their revival. Your input is invaluable! Please share why you liked a fragrance, describe its scent, the time period you wore it, any memorable occasions, or what it reminded you of. Did a relative wear it, or did you like the bottle design? Your stories might catch the attention of brand representatives. I regularly update posts with new information and corrections. Your contributions help keep my entries accurate and comprehensive. Please comment and share any additional information you have. Together, we can keep the legacy of classic perfumes alive!

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Marcel Rochas

Marcel Rochas was born in Paris, France in 1902. He opened his house in 1924. He was encouraged by Jean Cocteau, Christian Berard and Paul Poiret. In 1931, Marcel ROCHAS opened his fashion house to the 12 Matignon avenue. His customers are composed, amongst other things, stars Hollywood such as Carole Lombard, Marlène Dietrich and among others. For the actress Mae West, Marcel Rochas created a black wasp-waisted corset of Chantilly lace.

Rochas started carrying perfumes around 1936, and sold exclusively at the fashions shows of Marcel Rochas. These perfumes were Air Jeune, Audace, and Avenue Matignon and were housed in both square and rectangular white opaline glass bottles. However, at the start of the second World War, these perfumes were withdrawn from sale and are very rare to find today.

Drug and Cosmetic Industry - Volume 39 - Page 461, 1936:

"MARCEL ROCHAS The perfumes and toiletries of Marcel Rochas have come to America and are distributed by Pierre Amouroux, Inc. The bottles and packages are extremely smart in white with a wide blue band, and white and red lettering."

c1936 ad

After the War, a new perfume was on the horizon. At the request of Marcel Rochas, in 1944, Edmond Roudnitska created the perfume Femme. This last will be proposed with the public in 1945. The perfume, Femme, was inspired by Rochas' young wife. Legend has it that he gave it to her as his wedding present. This scent was highly praised by critics. It appeared that the shapes of the woman have inspired him for the creation of the bottle of perfume Femme.

To open the classic crystal parfum flacon, use the following tip provided by Parfums Marcel Rochas themselves in 1963:

Use a razor blade to slit the plastic casing that surrounds the top. Then heat the bottle neck with a match.

The bottle of Femme was a curvy amphora shape and was designed by Marc Lalique based on the sketches by Marcel Rochas. The packaging was trimmed with printed black Chantilly lace designed by Albert Gosset, the lace design hearkens back to the corset that Rochas made for Mae West. Only the luxury edition crystal bottles will be signed with the Lalique signature.

In 1946, a new perfume named Mousseline was launched inside the same amphora bottle as Femme, but was trimmed with printed gold lace instead of the black.

Two more perfumes used the same bottle shape and lace packaging. The perfume Mouche was created in 1948 and the box was trimmed with turquoise lace. The name Mouche was the name of Marcel Rochas' cat. These two fragrances were discontinued in 1962. In 1949, the perfume Rose was presented in the amphora flacon and its box was trimmed with pink lace, this perfume was discontinued in 1973.

The male fragrance Moustache was created in 1949. All of these perfumes were composed by Edmond Roudnitska.

c1952 ad

When Marcel Rochas died in 1955 his wife was asked by an associate to become president of the company. She agreed.

Helene Rochas developed new perfumes during her time at the company and designed clothes. Her most famous perfume was Madame Rochas launched in 1960. She named it after herself and it was the first scent to be named after a living person. Madame Rochas is regarded as a classic perfume. This perfume was created by Guy Robert (and reformulated in 1982 by Jean-Louis Sieuzac and Jacques Fraysse, it is a floral fragrance. The new perfume became very popular. Helene was a collector of antiques and based the bottle for Madame Rochas on a 18th century Baccarat crystal flacon that Helene Rochas discovered in a Parisian antique store.

The company increased sales during Rochas’s time as president. Rochas became the sixth largest perfumer in France by 1964. In 1969, a new fragrance for men was created called simply Monsieur Rochas, and was composed by Guy Robert. However, Rochas decided to sell the company in 1970. The Rochas house engaged Nicolas Mamounas, perfumer, for the development of the future Rochas perfumes. In 1970, Eau de Roche became Eau de Rochas. Helene was president until 1970 when the business was sold to the French chemical company Roussel-Uclaf for a reported $40 million. She was privately "disappointed" with their stewardship of the name, and when a new management team asked her back Hélène eagerly accepted. "Rochas was always in my heart," she sighs. "I would look in windows and see the perfumes, and I felt a sadness."

In 1972, the Rochas house was back in the control of Helene and repromoted the earlier perfume Audace, a woodsy leafy chypre, but was this discontinued by 1978. In the same year, the fragrance Mystere was created. in 1980, the men's fragrance Macassar was launched and the ladies perfume Lumiere was launched in 1984.

In 1987, Laurent Normand left Chanel to become President de Rochas and entrusted to Olivier Cresp (Quest International) the modernization of Femme. Femme was reformulated with modern ingredients and relaunched. Later that year the perfume Byzance was introduced. With an Oriental theme, the perfume was packaged in a cobalt blue flacon, a color that Marcel Rochas found beautiful and magical. In the center of the bottle, was a medallion, printed with the symbol of the Rochas house.

In 1993, the men's fragrance Eau de Rochas was launched. In 1994, Maurice Roucel created the perfume Tocade. The bottle will be a reminder of the amphora bottle which held Femme, but redesigned by Serge Mansau. The bottle is taller, has less of a curvaceous body and is topped off with a small conical cap.

In 1995, saw the launching of Byzantine, in 1997, came Tocadilly, and in 1998, Alchimie, which was composed by Jacques Cavallier and defined as a fresh sensual floral perfume housed in a pretty bottle of Serge Mansau. In 2002, we saw the launching of Aquawoman, created by Michel Almeiras.

Helene Rochas returned as a consultant from 1984 to 1989. Proctor and Gamble acquired the company in 2003, and re-launched the fashion division, under the direction of Olivier Theyskens from 2003 to 2006. A two-year hiatus followed, with the fashion company launching yet again in 2008 under its current creative director, Marco Zanini.

Fragrances remain the most important product of the Rochas brand, and Rochas has employed its own in-house perfumer, Jean-Michel Duriez, since 2008.

The perfumes of Rochas: