Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Mouche by Rochas c1947

Mouche by Rochas: launched in 1947. Created by Edmond Roudnitska.  Its curious name, Mouche, means "fly" in French but was also the name of the black velvet beauty spots used during the 18th century elite.

The perfume was created to be worn on furs during the winter.

Continuing the fur theme, Marcel Rochas name the perfume after his cat, Mouche.

Fragrance Composition:


So what does it smell like? It is classified as a fruity floral chypre fragrance for women.
  • Top notes: lemon, bergamot, peach, daffodil, apricot
  • Middle notes: cloves, ylang ylang, plum, rose, jasmine, carnation, sweet pea, honey, heliotrope
  • Base notes: vanilla, leather, opoponax, patchouli, musk, oakmoss, benzoin, vetiver, orris, sandalwood, ambergris


L'Amour de l'art, 1950:
"Mouche by Rochas: An indiscreet note of musk and amber, a sensual fragrance like the sound of taffeta, a smell that surrounds so much it is insolent!"



Bottles:






The parfum was housed in the amphora shaped crystal bottle, originally created by Marc Lalique for Rochas' first perfume, Femme. This edition was housed inside of a turquoise blue box with black Chantilly lace print.  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. 

Jet - September 11, 1952:
 "One of the most sought after lines of French perfume in the world is now available to Americans. It is Marcel Rochas' distinctive assortment of Parisian 'bouquets', each of which has wide appeal. "Femme', is the heaviest of the perfumes, and Mousseline, a blend of jasmine, lavender and mimosa, the lightest. A more sensual fragrance is "Mouche," suggestive of mosses, leaves, roots and grasses. An exquisite fragrance. An exquisite fragrance called "La Rosa' is described as 'all rose'. A perfume for men, called 'Moustache', has a scent of the outdoors -clean, crisp and windswept.  These perfumes come in special gift packages designed by Rochas. Each package contains three one-quarter ounce bottles. $22.50."

Fate of the Fragrance:


Discontinued in 1962.

A reformulated version was said to be issued in 1987, though I cannot find any images to prove this.




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