Tag Archives: guerlain mitsouko

stars' vanities/make-up cases/cabinets in real life

Enigma (2025)

Leave a comment

It’s so exciting to get a look at the fragrances worn by the protagonist of this documentary – the English model, author and LGBTQIA+ rights activist April Ashley.

One of them is First by Van Cleef & Arpels, a floral aldehyde fragrance created by Jean-Claude Ellena and launched in 1976.

The others are classic fragrances by Guerlain, housed in the contemporary spray version of the historical flacon bouchon coeur. Ashley wore L’Heure Bleue and Mitsouko, both created by Jacques Guerlain and launched in the 1910s (1912 and 1919 respectively).

perfumes in movies

Island of Lost Souls (1932)

Leave a comment

There are many generic perfume bottles on Lota’s dressing table, but there’s one which cannot be ignored.

It’s the wonderful flacon bouchon coeur by Guerlain! Designed by Raymond Guerlain in collaboration with Baccarat, it was originally created to house extraits of three fragrances by Jacques Guerlain – L’Heure Bleue (1912), Fol Arôme (1912) and Mitsouko (1919).

All of them were already on the market when the film was made, but which one was so popular in the U.S.A. to appear as a prop in a controversial [1] science fiction horror film? I would personally go with Mitsouko.

The two atomisers on the left are by DeVilbiss.

[1] The film, violent and gruesome, was heavily censored for years.

Thanks to Ramón Jurado for submitting this post and to Caroline Louise for the DeVilbiss id.

stars' vanities/make-up cases/cabinets in real life

Ava Gardner’s Dresser (1949)

Leave a comment

This portrait of Ava Gardner was taken in the late 1940s in the bedroom of her Nichols Canyon cottage in Los Angeles. Besides the Degas print on the wall and some framed family photos, what has caught my attention are the perfume bottles on the dresser. I have identified three of them.

One of the first bottles from the left is Lanvin Arpège extrait, with the square bakelite stopper. This fragrance was created by Paul Vacher and Andre Fraysse and launched in 1927.

There’s also a flacon bouchon coeur by Guerlain. It has been used to house several fragrances but this one is likely to be Mitsouko, one of Gardner’s favourite scents. This chypre fruity fragrance was created by Jacques Guerlain and launched in 1919.

On the far right there’s Fleurs de Rocaille by Caron. Housed in a beautiful urn-shaped bottle designed by Félicie Vanpouille, this floral aldehyde fragrance was created by Ernest Daltroff and launched in 1934.

Thanks to Barbara Pfouts for submitting this post.

perfume quotes in movies, perfumes in movies

Shôri-sha (1957)

Leave a comment

Eikichi (Tatsuya Mihashi) is on a date with his girlfriend Natsuko (Yōko Minamida) to celebrate her birthday. He takes a box out of his pocket and puts it on the table.

Lo and behold! It’s a Guerlain parquet box! First launched in the 1910s, this box contained Mitsouko, Fol Arôme and L’Heure Bleue in their bouchon coeur bottles. 

She’s opened it and…

… it’s Mitsouko! Unfortunately the actual bottle is never shown.

perfumes in tv shows

Mr Selfridge S04E01

Leave a comment

mrselfridge_s04e01_bornunicorn (1)Guerlain, Caron and Jean Patou fragrances are displayed at Selfridge’s beauty department.

guerlain_mitsoukospray_bornunicorn

voldenuit_vintage_guerlain_bornunicornFrom the far left: there are Guerlain Mitsouko (in the flacon bouchon coeur) and Vol de Nuit (in the flacon rayonnant) on a tray.
jeanpatoucolony_bornunicorn

On the glass counter there are Jean Patou Colony (in the quirky pineapple bottle) and L’Heure Attendue.

While I appreciate the choice of displaying these beautiful bottles, there’s a problem: Colony, created by Henri Almeras, was launched in 1938, ten years after the time in which the 4th season is set (1928). The situation is even worse for L’Heure Attendue, another Almeras creation launched in 1946, 18 years later.

Last, there’s a bottle of Caron Tabac Blond in a glass cabinet on the far left. It’s a correct choice, because this innovative creation by Ernest Daltroff was launched in 1919.

perfumes in tv shows, skincare in tv shows, soaps in tv shows

Mr Selfridge S02E02

Leave a comment

mrselfridge_s02e02_bornunicorn (1)

mrselfridge_s02e02_bornunicorn (2)

guerlain_mitsouko_bornunicornKitty Hawkins (Amy Beth Hayes) is mad at Frank Edwards (Samuel West): he tries to make up with her and visits the make-up counter at Selfridges. He asks for advice: he wants to give something special to someone special (her ;)). She plays along: she suggests “a new perfume” by Guerlain, which happens to be Mitsouko in the traditional flacon bouchon coeur. This is a historically accurate choice, because the perfume was created in 1919, around the time in which the tv show is set.

mrselfridge_s02e02_bornunicorn (3)

mrselfridge_s02e02_bornunicorn (4)

yardleyhairpomade_bornunicorn

mrselfridge_s02e02_bornunicorn (5)

penhaligons_lilyofthevalleysoap_bornunicornOther products she suggests are Yardley facial cream (in the dark green glass pot originally used for English Lavender brilliantine) and a Penhaligon’s soap.

mrselfridge_s02e02_bornunicorn (7)

Lady Primrose Royal Extract Body Cream_bornunicornLast but not least, she mentions Lady Primrose hand lotion: the beautiful fluted glass jar shown is actually used for the Royal Extract body cream.

perfumes in movies

Jackie (2016)

2 Comments

jackie_bornunicornThere are four Guerlain perfumes in Jackie Kennedy’s bathroom at the White House.

guerlain_mitsoukospray_bornunicorn

voldenuit_vintage_guerlain_bornunicorn

guerlain_flaconabeille_bornunicorn

SHALIMAR08010 BASEAFrom left to right: the flacon bouchon coeur of Mitsouko, the flacon rayonnant of Vol de Nuit, a flacon abeille and the flacon chauve souris for Shalimar.

jeandesprez_balaversailles_bornunicornNext to them, a bottle of Bal à Versailles by Jean Desprez can be seen.

I’m sorry to say that the choice of the bottles is lazy and inaccurate. Take Mitsouko, for example: the spray version of this bottle came out in 1995, not in the 1960s. The same can be said for the flacon abeille, a spray version of which was launched in 1992. Why didn’t the prop master use original bottles? Such a disappointment for an Oscar-nominated film!

Thanks to my Instagram friend Mustapha for the id.

perfume quotes in tv shows, perfumes in tv shows

Mr Selfridge S01E03

Leave a comment

mrselfridge_s01e03_bornunicorn (1)

mrselfridge_s01e03_bornunicorn (2)

mrselfridge_s01e03_bornunicorn (3)

guerlain_mitsoukospray_bornunicornThere’s a bottle of Guerlain Mitsouko on Ellen Love’s dressing table – a contemporary bottle which was given the vintage touch of an atomizer pump. Choosing this perfume may not be historically accurate – it was created in 1919, ten years after the time in which this episode takes place – but it totally suits Ellen’s vampy and flamboyant style.

vlcsnap-2015-05-03-01h50m31s239

vlcsnap-2015-05-03-01h50m19s122When Mr Selfridge asks his mistress to be the testimonial for the first Selfridges perfume, her mind immediately goes to one of her personal heroines – Emma Calvé, the most famous French opera singer of the Belle Époque. Ellen certainly loves the opera singer for being talented and successful, but is also fascinated by her lifestyle, which includes using Guerlain perfumes. Who knows? Maybe Ellen wears a Guerlain perfume herself to emulate her idol.

perfumes in movies

La caduta degli dei (1969)

Leave a comment

lacadutadeglidei_shalimar_bornunicorn

guerlain_mitsouko_bornunicornThere’s a Guerlain perfume bottle on the dressing table of Olga (Florinda Bolkan), Martin Von Essenbeck’s mistress. It’s the flacon bouchon coeur with the classic heart-shaped stopper. Designed by Raymond Guerlain and Baccarat, it was launched in 1912 and originally contained extraits of Mitsouko, Fol Arome and L’Heure Bleue.

The film is set in Germany during the Third Reich (1933-1945), so a bottle of the three perfumes above would be historically accurate: Mitsouko was launched in 1919, Fol Arome and L’Heure Bleue in 1912. I can see Olga wearing Mitsouko, though, because it perfectly fits her vampy attitude and her dreams (fulfilled at last) to replace Martin’s mother in his life. The Guerlain perfume on her dressing table symbolizes the rich and powerful life she longs to live, refinement and luxury; it’s not a coincidence that Sophie Von Essenbeck exclusively uses Guerlain perfumes.