La Fuite des Heures/Fleeting Moment by Balenciaga c1947

La Fuite des Heures/Fleeting Moment by Balenciaga: launched in 1947, in the USA by 1949. Created by Germaine Cellier.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a floral chypre fragrance for women with dominant jasmine, thyme and rose notes on a woodsy base.

• Top notes: aldehydes, seringa, anise, bergamot, tarragon, orange, neroli, thyme
• Middle notes: lily, narcissus, Bulgarian rose, jasmine, ylang ylang, lily of the valley, violet
• Base notes: iris, opoponax, patchouli, cedar, orris, sandalwood, leather, ambergris, vanilla, tonka, musk, vetiver

 L'Amour de l'art, 1950:

"La Fuite des Heures by Balenciaga: In search of lost time, in the company of a blonde huntress, its scents evoke the harmonious and persistent reminder of a walk in the woods or a 'wet garden which drips into the shadow that I have made within me'."

The New Yorker, 1952:

"Balenciaga's Le Dix is in the inviting fruit-and-flowers tradition of Rochas' Femme (q.v.), but he's also come up with La Fuite des Heures, which is woodier, odd and elfin. These two are at Saks Fifth Avenue."

Combat, 1953:

"Le Fuite des Heures by Balenciaga - Balsamic, fruity scents, lily, syringa and narcissus on an amber background, with puffs of iris and puffs of opoponax. We dream of the very hermetic settings where Proust plunged in pursuit of lost time: molded salons where the great ladies in love with Botticelli, Gustave Moreau and Debussy, received with affected nonchalance; conservatories and boudoirs, where "princess" dresses turned their backs on clothes, on padded "causeuses"."

Combat, 1954:

"Eau La Fuite des Heures by Balenciaga: The voluptuous swoon of tuberoses, with tufts of iris, projections of mock orange, and puffs of opoponax, drowns exquisitely in the freshness of an eau de toilette. It idealizes our beautiful friends of the gardens where we take tea in the colorful shade of a large parasol, mobilizing the young people in flowing dresses who will never have finished playing graces, with affected nonchalance, among the meadows in Bloom by Claude Monet."

Fodor's France, 1958:

"Balenciaga. "Le Dix," designed for brunettes; "Fuite des heures," languishing; "Quadrille," spicy."

Bottle:

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

"Briefly immerse neck of bottle in boiling water; loop strong twine around neck and with a seesaw motion add more heat. The top is threaded, easy to hold firmly, twists off without difficulty."

Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued, date unknown. It was still being sold in 1973.