Gilda by Pierre Wulff c1986

Gilda by Pierre Wulff: launched in 1986, in USA in 1989. 

Born in Sweden, Wulff came from a long line of perfumers. His grandfather, Gustav, was the chief perfume maker to the royal court in Sweden. His father, Knut, established his own brand of cosmetics with more than 600 products! The younger Wulff completed his formal education, then studied perfumes at the schools of Roure and Bertrand in Grasse, France, perfume capital of the world. After spending a number of years of working for other companies such as Roure Bertrand and major perfume companies, Pierre Wulff decided it was time to create his own fragrance. He formed his own company - Pierre Wulff-Paris, Inc. in 1986.

For four years he supervised the mixing of the ingredients at a laboratory located in the south of France and others such as Takasago France, but the final touches on the perfume took eight months to complete. "I know how to mix oils together to achieve desired results. My product is not a perfume, but a concentrated eau de toilette." He explained that he "must have done at least 500 different mixes before I came up with the one I wanted. You must set a deadline for yourself or else you could go on forever. And it's so expensive that usually it's more a case of running out of money. " Soon after he began working on Gilda's composition, he found himself $600,000 in debt. Working out financial deals with his suppliers, they allowed him up to a year to pay them back.

Although the perfume debuted around the untimely death of comedienne Gilda Radner, Wulff says the perfume was not named after her, it was just mere coincidence. It was also not inspired by the Rita Hayworth movie Gilda. "I decided on a name years ago," said Wulff and then explained that after meeting a stunning Italian model name Gilda at a dinner party in Milan some years before, he thought that it would make a great name for a fragrance and so he named it after her. The name is pronounced "jeel-da", "the Italian way," said Wulff. He said the model had "everything he wanted in a perfume": romance, femininity, beauty, seduction and above all, mystique. He added that she had a very 1930s Hollywood aura about her, and he decided that his bottle would continue the Art Deco theme. 

Wulff believed that there are two types of perfumes: good and bad. He added, "if it isn't recognizable and memorable, without being too intrusive, it is bad."

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It is classified as an oriental floral fragrance for women. It is a sparkling floral top layered over a soft powdery feminine dry out of vanilla, Indian sandalwood and musk.

• Top notes: bergamot, pineapple, tarragon and orange blossom
• Middle notes: African tagetes. carnation, jasmine, lily of the valley, orchid, rose, tuberose and ylang ylang.
• Base notes: oakmoss, patchouli, cedar, Indian sandalwood, musk, amber, benzoin and vanilla

It was available in the following:

• 3.3 oz Eau de Parfum Spray 
• 1 oz Eau de Toilette Spray
• 1.66 oz Eau de Toilette Spray
• 1/8 oz. Eau de Toilette Splash Miniature
• 1.66 oz Eau de Toilette Splash
• 4.2 oz Deodorant Parfume Spray
• 6.66 oz Body Lotion
• 6.66 oz Bath and Shower Gel

Bottle:

The Art Deco styled bottle was designed by Pierre Dinand in 1985 and manufactured by Pochet et du Courval. Wulff explained the importance of having a beautiful bottle, is because some people enjoy collecting perfume bottles, so they are an essential accessory to the fragrance.

 

In 1989, he launched the male fragrance Pierre, after his own name and the bottle designer Pierre Dinand. Wulff stated that Dinand liked his project and "instead of my paying him a $100,000 fee, I gave him a share of my company." 

Fate of the Fragrance:

The perfume has been discontinued for may years.