Tag Archives: guerlain shalimar

Yield to the Night (1956)

yieldtothenight_bornunicorn (1)Mary Price Hilton (Diana Dors) works as a sales assistant at a perfume shop. There she meets Jim Lancaster (Michael Craig), the man she’ll desperately fall in love with. When they first meet, he’s looking for a fragrance, but asks Mary what she is wearing.

SHALIMAR08010 BASEAThere are several bottles on the glass counter, among which Shalimar by Guerlain.

yieldtothenight_bornunicorn (4)The spectacular giant chauve souris bottle gets a beautiful shot in the same scene.

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lucienlelong_gardenia_bornunicornOn the bottom shelf of the counter there’s a set of Lucien Lelong mini bottles (see the ball-shaped stoppers) and what looks like Gardénia by the same brand. The bottle – designed by René Lalique and called Sea Star – was actually used for other perfumes by Lelong (Lilac, for example), but the white box trimmed in a contrasting colour could confirm it was Gardenia.

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vintage-guerlain-shalimar-eau-de-cologne-splash-1-7-oz-new-rope-sealed-7cc19a1fb031c4c8f019950e9bc5749a (1)Another shot shows a flacon bouchon coeur and a flacon montre by Guerlain. Reading the labels is impossible, so I can’t tell what they contained. The same can be said for the trademark tall bottle by Lucien Lelong, which was used for different fragrances.

Source.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

gentlemenpreferblondes_bornunicornWhen Dorothy and Lorelei get to Paris, they immediately go out shopping. One of the shops they hit is Guerlain. The screencap above shows the most famous fragrances of the French brand.

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guerlainmitsoukocologne_bornunicornThere are three flacons montres of Shalimar eau de cologne and two of Mitsouko eau de cologne.

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guerlainparquetbox_bornunicornThere are five bouchon coeur bottles and two parquet boxes.

shalimarvintagead_bornunicornThere are also two chauve souris bottles of Shalimar.

voldenuit_guerlain_bornunicornLast but not least, two flacons rayonnants of Vol de Nuit and three zebra-printed boxes.

Id source.

American Horror Story S06E10

americanhorrorstory_s06e10_bornunicornWith Lee Harris on the run, sieged in the Roanoke House, people are desperate to know more about her. Actor William Van Henderson (Denis O’Hare), who played Dr. Elias Cunningham in My Roanoke Nightmare, appears on the news, but he can’t say much about her. They briefly met at Paley Fest 2015: he remembers she wore Shalimar.

SHALIMAR08010 BASEARyan Murphy must be a fan of the Guerlain perfume. You may remember a character from American Horror Story: Hotel (Ramona Royale) wears it. 

The Last Days of Disco (1998)

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guerlain_shalimarvintagecologne_bornunicornThere’s a bottle of Guerlain Shalimar eau de cologne (or eau de toilette) in the pharmacy where Alice gets some medicines. Even if it’s clearly stated that the story is set in the early 1980s, lots of details (especially costumes) reveal it’s actually a 1990s film. The presence of a footless chauve souris bottle is not historically accurate: it made its appearance in 1995 (three years before the film was directed), first used for the eau de toilette, later for the eau de cologne.

This is an example of “partial inconsistency,” in the sense that the perfume in question was not on the market at the time in which the story takes place, but it was at the time in which the film was shot.

Picture source.

Orange is the New Black S01E06 (WAC Pack)

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orangeisthenewblack_s01e06_bornunicorn (4)Piper (Taylor Schilling) has a conversation with Nicky (Natasha Lyonne) after meeting her mother. “Everybody has got problems,” she tells Nicky, who replies: “Sure, but some problems are worse than others.” “Yours,” she continues, “smell like Shalimar,” the perfume Piper’s mother wears. Nicky ironically comments on Piper’s complaining about her mother: she visits her in prisons, buys her pretzels and hugs her goodbye. There’s no reason to complain! Nicky’s bottom line is that Shalimar-scented problems are no problems at all.

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Nicky, whose mother is a New York wealthy socialite, immediately recognizes Piper’s perfume. Who knows? Maybe her mother uses it, too. After all, the magic of the 1925 perfume created by Jacques Guerlain is undeniable.

Thanks to my Instagram friend Mustapha for pointing this out to me.

I Capture the Castle (2003)

icapturethecastle_bornunicorn (7)Cassandra and Rose Mortmain go to a luxury department store in London to get two fur coats their aunt Millicent left them as inheritance. Before getting to the right floor, Rose wanders in the perfume and fashion accessory department. Some Guerlain perfumes are displayed in a glass case: they are Shalimar and Véga.

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guerlainvega_bornunicornThe selection is historically accurate: the film is set in the 1930s, a decade during which both perfumes had been released. Shalimar was launched in 1925 and Véga in 1926.

American Horror Story S05E11 (Battle Royale)

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americanhorrorstory_s05e11_battleroyale_bornunicorn (5)The showdown between the Countess (Lady GaGa) and Ramona Royale (Angela Bassett) opens with a conversation on what they smell like. From the Countess’ remark we learn that Ramona wears Guerlain Shalimar and that her blood smells like walnuts. On the other hand, the Countess’ blood smells like black licorice.

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Ramona’s perfume of choice doesn’t come as a surprise: created by Jacques Guerlain in 1925, this alluring perfume is among the most famous oriental fragrances. Its top notes include vanilla, leather, bergamot, lemon; the middle notes are jasmine, rose, vanilla, orris, patchouli, vetiver, incense, civet; the base notes are vanilla, tonka bean and musk.

If you want to learn more about this iconic perfume, read this amazing post by Monsieur Guerlain.

Mad Men S01E10 (Long Weekend)

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madmen_s01e10_shalimar_bornunicorn (4)Carol McCardy (Kate Norby) and Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks) are getting dressed for a night out. Carol comments on Joan’s perfume: we learn that she wears a classic – Guerlain Shalimar, perfect for a seductress like Joan.

Created in 1925 by Jacques Guerlain, it’s undeniably one of the most famous perfumes of all times. According to Fragrantica, it opens on citrus notes (lemon, mandarin orange and bergamot), has floral middle notes (jasmine, may rose, iris) and balsamic base notes (sandalwood, opopanax, civet, musk, leather, incense and Tonka bean).  It’s a perfume I could never wear (my skin doesn’t love it at all) but I can see why it’s so popular and beloved. Its Indian inspiration (Shalimar was the name of Mumtaz Mahal‘s favourite garden) and the fan-shaped bottle designed by Raymond Guerlain in collaboration with Baccarat have certainly contributed in creating an icon.

GUERLAINSHALIMARADSShalimar advertising campaigns have always focused on the oriental inspiration of the perfume, as shown in the pictures above. From left to right: 1929 illustration by Lyse Darcy; 1959 illustration by Jean-Baptiste Charnotet; an illustration (possibly from the 1930s) with a veiled woman; a 1975 ad inspired to the Jazz Age.