Tag Archives: guerlain vol de nuit

Brodeuses (2004)

Mme. Mélikian owns interesting beauty products.

First, a lovely flacon rayonnant of Guerlain Vol de Nuit, created by Jacques Guerlain and launched in 1933.

Second, a gold tube of Christian Dior Diorific lipstick. This packaging has been sadly discontinued.

She also owns two flacons abeilles of Guerlain Eau de Cologne Impériale, famously created by Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain in 1853 to treat the migraines of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III.

Thanks to Alessandra for submitting this post.

Performance (1970)

performance-1970-004-mick-jagger-bathTurner (Mick Jagger) is a former rock star who lives in London’s Notting Hill with two women, Pherber (Anita Pallenberg) and Lucy (Michèle Breton). The famous scene where they’re taking a bath in the same tub features interesting products.

First of all, there’s a bottle of Hermès Calèche, created in 1961 by Guy Robert.

guerlainvoldenuitcologne_vintage_bornunicornOn the marble shelf by the tub there’s also a flacon montre of Guerlain Vol de Nuit (see the teal disk).

performance-1970-goodtimes-enterprises-film-with-from-l-mick-jagger-e7x3bg

garnierobaobubblebath_bornunicornOn the same shelf, on the right, there’s the unmistakable blue bottle of a bubble bath popular in the 1960s/1970s – L’Oreal Obao, the “bain bleu moussant”.

Mr Selfridge S04E01

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

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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.
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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.

Sonja Henie’s Dressing Table

sonjahenie_bornunicornThis picture portrays the Norwegian figure skater Sonja Henie at the dressing table in her Hollywood mansion, later sold to the singer/actress Connie Stevens. The mirrored surface is packed with perfumes and perfume bottles.

voldenuit_vintage_guerlain_bornunicornOn the far left side of the table there’s Guerlain Vol de Nuit in the trademark flacon rayonnant by Baccarat that looks like an airplane propeller; as a matter of fact, the perfume, created by Jacques Guerlain in 1933, was named after Antoine Saint Exupery’s 1931 novel.

Right in front of Sonja there’s a box of Elsa Schiaparelli Salut perfume. The Ilse Bing advertising picture above, dated 1934, shows how the same box was used for other perfumes, too (Soucis and Schiap). The animalic lily fragrance was launched in 1934.

Picture source.

The Muppet Show S03E02 (Leo Sayer)

themuppetshow302_leosayer_bornunicornIn this episode of the Muppet Show, Miss Piggy comes face to face with one of her worst enemies, Annie Sue, introduced as “one of the Muppets’ delightful little ladies of song.” Annie is a fan of the primadonna, but her admiration is unrequited, so much that Miss Piggy kicks her out of her dressing room.

voldenuit_vintage_guerlain_bornunicornIn the scene above, you can see the flacon rayonnant of Guerlain Vol de Nuit. The woody powdery perfume, created by Jacques Guerlain in 1933, shows how refined the leading lady of the show is.

Picture source.

Thanks to Vincent Legrudge for the id.

Karami-ai (1962)

 

karamiai_bornunicornSenzô Kawahara (Sô Yamamura) is a rich businessman who has been diagnosed with cancer. His wife rejects his sexual advances, so he starts an affair with his secretary, Yasuko Miyagawa (Keiko Kishi). She doesn’t like him, but he pays her (“10 brand-new 10,000-yen bills” on their first encounter), so she quickly gets used to it. The first purchase she wants to make is the most expensive perfume by Guerlain.

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guerlainvoldenuitLater in the film, we get to see what she bought: the inimitable flacon rayonnant of Vol de Nuit! The director Masaki Koyabashi shows the perfume bottle with a perfect shot.

karamiai_theinheritance_bornunicorn (2)

karamiai_theinheritance_bornunicorn (3)Senzô sniffs the perfume and declares it’s “not bad.” He could have shown more enthusiasm for the Jacques Guerlain creation, a homage to the second novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, but I guess the “not bad”, coming from a ruthless businessman, can be considered a compliment, after all.

karami-ai_bornunicornAt the end of the scene, the bottle is on the floor, next to a bottle of Courvoisier cognac.

Jackie (2016)

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

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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.

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.

vintage-guerlain-shalimar-eau-de-cologne-splash-1-7-oz-new-rope-sealed-7cc19a1fb031c4c8f019950e9bc5749a (1)

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.

Phaedra (1962)

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voldenuit_vintage_guerlain_bornunicornThere’s a bottle of Guerlain Vol de Nuit on the protagonist’s bathroom shelf. Phaedra (Melina Mercouri), who falls in love with her stepson (Anthony Perkins), is a rich and bored woman, so it’s no wonder she uses this perfume. Vol de Nuit, created by Jacques Guerlain in 1933, is not the ubiquitous Shalimar or Mitsouko, but has a special charm, also related to its source of inspiration – Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s novel with the same name, published in 1931. The aviation theme of the name can be found in the flacon rayonnant, resembling a moving aircraft propeller.

Image source.