Les Parfums Lydes

The Perfumes of Lydes & Rodier et Cie.

Les Parfums Lydes of 29 rue Auguste Bailly, Courbevoie (Seine) France, was established in 1918 by Eugene Philippe Rodier, who operated Rodier et Cie., a perfumes and cosmetics company. The company's most successful perfume was their first, Ambre des Pagodes, which interestingly did not bear the name Lydes. The company became well known practically overnight and exported their luxurious presentations worldwide. 

In 1927, the Salon de la Parfumerie Exposition was held at the Palais de Glace. Walking around the exhibit, we would have encountered the booth for Les Parfums Lydes. Lydes' booth would probably have had bottles of the oriental perfume Nolka, Le Dernier Dieu, the floral bouquets of Dear Mado, J'aime des Fleurs and Rose Bengale, a sumptuous rose soliflore perfume. Perhaps other shelving would have held the hesperidic eau de cologne Au Cachet du Roy and the woody floral amber perfume To Cya Mi, subtitled "le Parfum Hindou", I would expect the newly launched perfume Bibelot to be on display in its black glass cube flacon. Several of the Lydes perfume bottles were designed by Julien Viard and Andre Jolivet. 

After immense success, however, Lydes ceased trading in 1930, most likely due to the Great Depression. Store stock was still being sold well into the 1930s as evidenced by numerous newspaper ads, but at drastically reduced prices to clear out inventory.

The perfumes of Lydes:

• 1918 L'Ambre des Pagodes 
• 1918 Au Cachet du Roy (cologne)
• 1919 To Cya Mi (Sub-titled 'Parfum Hindou') 
• 1919 Joli Masque
• 1920s Arabian Passion
• 1920 Berylis
• 1920 Le Chypre
• 1920 Cyclamen
• 1920 Les Jasmins de Lydes
• 1920 Lilas
• 1920 Muguet
• 1920 Le Narcisse
• 1920 Nolka
• 1920 Rose
• 1920 Violette
• 1922 La Fleur du Lac
• 1923 Amour d'un Soir (Rodier)
• 1923 Le Boulevard (Rodier)
• 1923 Moralinda (Rodier)
• 1924 Dear Mado
• 1925 Diamant Noir
• 1925 Rose Bengale
• 1925 Heliotrope
• 1925 Fougere
• 1925 L'Heure du Baiser
• 1927 Le Boulevard de Lydes
• 1927 Bibelot
• 1927 L’Heure du Baiser
• 1928 Dans la Chevelure
• 1928 Le Narcisse de Lydes
• 1928 Val d'Amour, a lotion
• 1929 Peau d'Espagne
• 1929 Le Pois de Senteur
• 1929 Gardenia
• 1930 Œillet d'Alsace
• 1930 Jadrose
• 1930 Orange Blossom
• 1931 Burgos
• J'aime des Fleurs 

Bottles & Perfumes:

An unidentified perfume for Lydes, from 1918, was designed by Julien Viard, a clear glass flacon in cylindrical shape, with seated nude maiden in frosted glass, with pink & green stain.

L'Ambre des Pagodes by Lydes: launched in 1918, bottle was fitted with a frosted kneeling nude maiden stopper sitting on a round, disk-shaped bottle. The gilded box was designed by Christian Berard in 1918. Found in SPV glass and by Verreries Viard. The fragrance was classified as a sweet amber perfume for women with notes of incense. A 1926 ad described it as "The strange perfume with its penetrating scents exhaled from the sanctuaries of Asian temples is the Amber of the Pagodas."

The perfume Berylis was presented in Verrières Viard glass and has the same stopper as on 'Ambre des Pagodes'. The perfume was classified as a floral bouquet fragrance for women.

Le Diamant Noir's flacon was designed by Andre Jollivet in clear crystal with black stopper, with label, in tasseled box. A 1926 ad described it as "I took jasmines and roses, myrtles and moss, essences of the mysterious east and I present to you Black Diamond."

Arabian Passion was launched in the 1920s, in a black glass six-sided bottle w/ molded sunbursts at each point in silver, matching pattern on stopper. Gold label in center.

Bibelot by Lydes, was launched in 1927,  in a black glass cube shaped bottle fitted with an orange Bakelite cube stopper and resting on a Bakelite stand.

Nolka was classified as an oriental perfume, Dear Mado was classified as a floral bouquet perfume, and Rose Bengale was a sumptuous rose soliflore perfume. The eau de cologne Au Cachet du Roy was classified as a hesperidic fragrance. To Cya Mi, le Parfum Hindou was classified as a woody floral amber perfume.

c1918 ad

E. Rodier et Cie:

An exclusive French design house established in 1852; reputation built on soft knit fabric wear with its impeccable fit and timeless style; featured by Coco Chanel, Christian Dior and Madame Grés.

"Kasha''; for perfumes. By Rodier Societe a Responsabilite Limitee, 3 Rue des Moulins. Paris. Kasha was also a name for one of Rodier's fabrics.

Launched perfumes, 'that dress the skin as a complement to the infinite sensuality of its creations. Scents that caress the skin softly, creating a resonance between the most delicate of substances and the body'.

• 1922 Le Parfum Kasha 

Parfums Rodier was resurrected in 1998. Here are the relaunched perfumes:

• 1998 Rodier (a parfum for women)
• 1998 Rodier Pour Elle (A fresh fruity oriental edt)
• 1998 Rodier Pour Lui
• 1998 Rodier Pour Homme Cologne
• 1999 Rodier Eau Legere Femme
• 1999 Rodier Eau Intense Cologne for men
• 1999 Colère de Rodier (a woody oriental fragrance)
• 1999 Goumandise de Rodier (a fresh citrus fragrance)
• 1999 Orgueil de Rodier (a light Oriental fragrance)
• 1999 Paresse de Rodier (a soft Oriental fragrance)
• 1999 Passion d' Homme (a woody oriental edt spray for men)
• 2000 Passion de Femme (a dry woods fragrance)
• 2002 Rodier Femme
• 2002 Rodier Homme

Rodier, the famous French fashion label, presented a perfume that intertwines rich, fresh ingredients into a fragrant fabric as innovative and stylish as their line of clothes. Rodier is a melange of sparkling floral notes, warm musk and vanilla.