liz schaffer | World Wide Aura

We’re back in Liz Schaffer’s bedroom. The woman’s monologue in front of the mirror openly speaks of the existential pain for being treated horribly by her husband and daughter, and for realising that the career opportunities she might have had in the past are now gone.

There’s an interesting mix of historically accurate and inaccurate fragrances on her vanity.

The bulb-like bottles on the left contain the same fragrance – Pierre Cardin Pour Monsieur by Pierre Cardin. This is a woody spicy fragrance launched in 1972. Is this what her husband Terry wears when he’s not wearing Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche? It would be interesting to know.

The white and yellow striped box brings back lots of memories! It contains Giorgio Beverly Hills, a floral fragrance by Francis Camail which was launched in 1981. This was the first fragrance I have ever received as a gift. It’s never been my cup of tea, but it still holds a special place in my heart.

The monologue is a sort of role play: Liz (Evan Rachel Wood) pretends to have just won an Oscar, and she’s giving a speech in front of a cheering audience. The statuette sitting on her table is one of the three Oscars won by her husband Terry, who interrupts her.

The blue and gold bottle in front of Liz is Versace Dylan Blue, a floral fruity fragrance created by Calice Becker and Natalie Gracia-Cetto, and launched in 2017.

Another contemporary fragrance is housed in the tall bottle behind the wine glass. It’s Chanel N°5 Eau Premiere, a floral aldehyde fragrance by Jacques Polge launched in 2008.

Generational rivalries and half-hidden secrets run deep in the Schaffers’ household. Debbie (Hayes Warner) and her mother Liz (Evan Rachel Wood) mirror each other: they look alike and live in a world where money and appearances matter more than anything else. “You are me,” says Liz [1] to Debbie, when the girl confronts and criticises her questionable life choices.

Whether one likes it or not, the blue and gold bottle on Liz’s vanity is Versace Dylan Blue, a floral fruity fragrance created by Calice Becker and Natalie Gracia-Cetto, and released in 2017. The prop masters of the TV show must have had a great time by planting such a blatant historical inaccuracy in a 1981 context.

Debbie storms into her mother’s bedroom because she wants her Lancôme compact back. The content of the compact is never mentioned, but we can assume it is an eyeshadow palette, because that’s what Liz is applying on her face when Debbie enters her bedroom.

I haven’t found the exact compact seen in this scene, but there’s evidence of Lancôme using red packaging (not the classic glossy black one) in the late 1970s/early 1980s. The advert above features Carol Alt: the American model became testimonial in 1979, when she was 18. She was the face of Lancôme for three years, more or less until 1981; her successor would be Isabella Rossellini. The compact she’s holding doesn’t look like the one seen in the TV show, but let’s just say it’s a realistic detail.

[1] Liz, a former model now trapped into an unhappy marriage, gives Elvira vibes, doesn’t she?

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