Tag Archives: mr selfridge

Mr Selfridge S02E04

Kitty (Amy Beth Hayes) and Jessie (Sai Bennett) are collecting money for the Belgian Relief Fund, an international organization that supplied food to occupied Belgium and northern France during WWI.

Their counter is basically a display for Guerlain bottles.

Many of them are flacons abeilles, first used in 1828 to house the Eau de Cologne Impériale. The classic version of this bottle have the bees simply painted in gold enamel, while those with gold front label are the flacons abeilles dorées.

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There are two flacons bouchon coeur, too. The choice is historically accurate because they first appeared in 1912; too bad one of these is a spray bottle, clearly not available at the time in which the tv show is set.

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Last, there’s a flacon quadrilobe, another historically accurate choice because this bottle first appeared in 1908 to house the perfume Rue de la Paix, then used for the extraits of several fragrances.

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.

Mr Selfridge S04E01

mrselfridge_s04e01_bornunicorn (3)Kitty’s perfume counter is packed with Jean Patou fragrances. We can see several bottles of Joy and three smaller bottles.jeanpatou_joy_bornunicornOne of the most famous white floral perfumes, Joy was created by Henri Almeras and launched in 1930. jeanpatoucolony_bornunicornColony, launched in 1938, is another creation by Almeras. The bottle originally had a peculiar pineapple shape.

jeanpatoumomentsupreme_bornunicornThe miniature on the left is another Patou perfume, but it’s impossible to tell which. This bottle, with rounded shoulders and stopper, was used for several fragrances. The fourth season of the show is set in 1928, so we can make some assumptions: it could be Amour AmourQue sais je? or Adieu Sagesse (all launched in 1925) or even Chaldee (launched in 1927). The point is that these assumptions are not really correct: Joy is widely shown in this scene, which is historically inaccurate (the perfume was launched in 1930, two years after the events told in the season), so the miniature above could actually contain any Patou perfume, even one launched after 1928.

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Joy+Jean+Patou_vintagead_bornunicornLater in the episode, a poster for Joy can be seen. Le parfum roi had a simple bottle decorated with gold leaf and gold thread around the bottle.

Mr Selfridge S04E02

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florisroyalarmsdiamondedition_bornunicornTwo different Floris perfumes can be seen on the counter in the cosmetics department – one has a red label, the other has a purple one. Both of them are limited editions.

The first – Amaryllis – was launched in 2010 as part of the brand’s Private Collection; the second – Royal Arms Diamond Edition – was launched in 2012 but has got a longer history. It was originally created in 1926 to celebrate the birth of George V’s grand-daughter’s birth, who was to become Queen Elizabeth II. In 2012 Floris re-issued the historical fragrance to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Mr Selfridge S02E02

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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.

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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.

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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.

Mr Selfridge S02 Opening Credits

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guerlainparquetbox_bornunicornSeveral perfumes appear in the opening credits of the 2nd season. First of all, some bouchon coeur flacons by Guerlain and their parquet boxes, originally introduced in the early 1910s for MitsoukoFol Arôme and L’Heure Bleue. The perfume in the box is the dabber version, while the two sitting on the counter are spray bottles.

mrselfridge_s02e01_bornunicorn (1)The red-lined box contains three perfumes by Selfridges – Fumaria Bouquet, Selene and Adne. At the time, Selfridges sold their own perfumes, but I haven’t found any information about these, so I guess they are props. All the bottles have pump atomisers.

mrselfridge_s02e01_bornunicorn (4)Here’s a closer look to Selene faceted bottle.

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ladyprimrose_Tryst Dusting Silk Shaker_bornunicornSome bottles of Lady Primrose diamond dusting silk shakers can be seen, too.

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Lady Primrose Royal Extract Body Cream_bornunicornLast but not least: some glass jars of Lady Primrose Thyrst body crème.

mrselfridge_s02e01_bornunicorn (5)The last image of the opening credits show Mr. Selfridge checking his watch, ready to welcome customers. Some Caron bottles can be seen in the glass display cabinet behind him.

Mr Selfridge S02E01

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yardleyhairpomade_bornunicornWhen Lady Loxley (Katherine Kelly) visits Selfridges with her husband, Kitty Hawkins (Amy Beth Hayes) tells her the Yardley face cream she wanted has arrived. The teal glass jars displayed on the counter are by Yardley, but they originally contained English Lavender brilliantine.

On the same counter, some bottles of Lily of the Valley (an original Selfridges perfume) can be seen.