While watching the film, seeing a bottle of Clarins Eau Dynamisante on Allie’s dresser didn’t surprise me at all. I think very few perfumes can capture a certain 1990s vibe as accurately as this perfume. Fresh, citrusy and never overpowering, it was created by Jacques Courtin-Clarins in 1987. It was the epitome of that chic minimal mood with an active twist which was a staple of that decade.
The opening credit sequence is set in a bathroom, where one girl is putting make-up on her twin. Later in the film, we will see these are Hedy (one of the protagonists, whose real name is actually Ellen Besch) and her twin sister. Many bottles are on the tiled counter.
On the right there are English Leather and Old Spice colognes.
The tall bottle with round black stopper is Jean Natè after-bath splash.
Porn actress Holly Body (Melanie Griffith) has a refined taste for perfumes, as shown by what is sitting on her dressing table.
The almost empty bottle with black stopper is Giorgio Armani Armani, a chypre floral perfume created by Ron Winnegrad in 1982.
The red box with gold accents is unmistakably the packaging of Yves Saint Laurent Opium, one of the most famous perfumes of all times, hugely popular in the 1980s. Created by Jean Amic, Raymond Chaillan and Jean-Louis Sieuzac and launched in 1977, it redefined the concept of oriental spicy perfume.
Debbie keeps some toiletries and a picture of her brother Danny (George Clooney) on her desk.
The bright green bottle is Deva Curl styling cream (old packaging).
The perfume is Jo Malone Amber & Lavender cologne.
The orange and white bottle is Bumble and bumble styling creme.
There are several perfumes and toiletries on Anna’s dressing table.
First, two bottles of Revlon nail polish in the signature bottle with super-long cap handle.
Now let’s focus on the perfume bottles. At the centre of the table there’s Jean Patou Joy, “the world’s most expensive perfume” created in 1930 by Henri Alméras.
Next to it, a beautiful amphora bottle by Christian Dior. Hard to tell what perfume it contained here: designed in 1947 by Fernand Guéry-Colas and produced by Baccarat, it was first used for Miss Dior, but later used for all the other perfumes of the French house – Diorissimo, Diorling, Diorella and Diorama. If we consider the film was released in 1958, the amphora could contain Miss Dior, Diorama (launched in 1948) or Diorissimo (launched in 1956).
Last but not least, there’s a Guerlain flacon montre. Again, it’s impossible to say what eau de cologne it contained, but we can make some assumptions. It could be Shalimar or Cachet Jaune (blood orange and yellow stickers, respectively; both launched in 1937), L’Heure Bleue (pale blue sticker; launched in 1945), Ode (purple sticker; the eau de cologne was launched in 1950s, but I don’t know the exact date), Fleur de Feu (hot pink sticker; the perfume was released in 1948, so probably the eau de cologne was on the market by the time Indiscreet was shot), Mitsouko (teal sticker; launched in 1937), Jicky (deep purple sticker; launched in 1945), Chypre 53 (light green sticker; the perfume was released in 1953, so it’s possible the cologne already existed in 1958) or Liu (black sticker; launched in 1956).
The opening scene of the film sees the actress Gloria Grahame is in her dressing room at the Dukes Theatre in Lancaster, UK, unpacking her toiletries and getting ready to perform in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams [1].
She takes out a can of L’Oreal Elnett hairspray.
The perfume sitting on the dressing table is Chanel No. 5.
[1] The film is based on the last years of the American actress’ life. It’s true she performed at the Dukes in 1980, but she had the leading role in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee, not in the Williams play as seen in the film.
Ginny (Blanche Baker) is a bride-to-be who’s being totally focused on the preparations of her wedding day. She’s unsympathetic with her sister Samantha and is very rude to her. Under this behaviour there’s a lot of unhappiness, in my opinion [1]: she doesn’t really love her fiancé (he’s the only one who’d been in love with her for six months straight) but feels this is the only chance she has to get married.
Some interesting beauty items can be seen on her busy dresser.
The white bottle with blue cap next to the lamp is the suntan lotion QT Quick Tanning by Coppertone.
On the golden tray on the right there’s a bottle of Avon Timeless, a floral chypre perfume released in 1974.
The hot pink bottle is Tickle roll-on deodorant.
[1] Sixteen Candles has never been among my favourite 1980s films, but after recently re-watching it, I’ve realised it’s a deeply disturbing and problematic movie. Here 16 reasons that prove it.
Alice (Ellen Burstyn) is a widow who wants to move back to her home town, Monterrey, by the end of the summer. On the way home, she tries to find a job and to earn some money. She wants to make an impression on potential employers, so she gets her hair styled and buys a new dress. The beauty products she uses reinforce the idea of a woman who wants to make an impression.
On a table of the motel room where she’s staying with her son Tommy (Alfred Lutter III), we can see some luxury items.
The black and red round bottles with gold stoppers are perfumed talcs by Lanvin, respectively Arpege and My Sin.
The tall glass bottle is the trademark container of Lucien Lelong fragrances. This one, with the black label, is for Opening Night cologne.
I was wondering why the movie prop masters selected these items for the character. She’s struggling with her current life situation, with a “very weird” kid and with money; for these reasons, Lanvin talcs (two of them!) and the Lelong perfume are likely to be symbols of a wealthier past.
There’s a beautiful selection of perfumes on Karen’s vanity. Among them (from left to right):
A Lubin fragrance: judging from the colour of the liquid in the bottle, it was probably Nuit de Longchamp (launched in 1934). Idole had the same bottle, but it was launched in 1962, one year after the release of the film.
There’s also Lancôme Magie: created in 1949 by Georges Lepieux, it has one of the most beautiful perfume bottles ever designed – a torsade by Georges Delhomme. The same design was used in 2005 for Hypnose.
We can see a bottle of Jean Patou Joy, one of the most famous white florals created by Henri Almeras in 1930. Not coincidentally, this was Vivien Leigh’s signature scent.
The tall bottle is Lucien Lelong Tailspin: also known as Passionement, it was created by Jean Carles in 1940. I’m not really sure of this id, though: this tall bottle was used for many Lelong scents, only the caps were different. In this case, the colourful cap was replaced by a glass stopper, so giving a certain identity to the bottle is quite hard.
There’s also a stunning Baccarat amphore bottle of Christian Dior Miss Dior, created by Paul Vacher and launched in 1947. As described by Yakimour, this bottle is made of cased crystal white cut to clear and has gilt details.
The bottle next to Miss Dior could be a Penhaligon’s perfume (the grey ribbon screams Blenheim Bouquet, in my opinion), but it’s just a guess.
Lora Meredith (Lana Turner) has finally achieved her dream of being a famous Broadway actress, but her life is still inextricably connected to Annie Johnson, her maid, who helps her backstage, too. Lora’s dressing room is not particularly fancy, but some objects on her table are.
The big bottle on the left is Caron Bellodgia, a floral fragrance created in 1927 by Ernest Daltroff. This bottle with a prism-shaped stopper was designed by Félicie Vanpouille Bergaud.
The other bottle is Opening Night by Lucien Lelong. Originally launched as Orage in 1935, it was re-named for the English market. The original bottle had a pyramid shape, but in 1938 this one (designed by Philippe Hiolle) was introduced on the market.
As for the make-up, one item is immediately recognizable – Max Factor Pan Stik, the revolutionary foundation in stick form launched in 1947.
Lana Turner was among the Hollywood stars who served as testimonials for Max Factor products. The ad above is from 1951.
Later in the film, Caron Bellodgia can be seen on Sarah Jane’s vanity. I can imagine Lora giving a bottle of her perfume to her maid’s daughter, because she really cares about her. Despite providing for both of them all through the movie, there’s an undercurrent racism in the actress’ attitude towards the girl: she often reprimands her for rejecting her “blackness”, but ends up with reinforcing her being “different”.
World Wide Aura 
