The perfume known as Tabac Blond is a scent with the dangerous allure of cigarette smoke. In fact, beauty journalist Hannah Betts once characterized it as "smoke curling from a jazz baby's pout."
Smoking, though unhealthy, has been culturally important, particularly in the realm of women's history. In the early twentieth century it symbolised independence and rebellion from cossseted domesticity. French women began smoking in public after World War I, following the example of their rather decadent American sisters. Indeed, in 1924 Marlboro cigarettes were marketed to women with a red filter to hide lipstick stains. Tabac Blond took advantage of this new craze.
History of Caron's Tabac Blond
Perfume for women had begun to move away from the ubiquitous florals in 1917 when Coty launched a new genre with Chypre, a mossy, green scent that was more leaves than flowers. Perfumer Ernest Daltroff's Tabac Blond, released in 1919, was the first leather fragrance for women and it proved to be highly influential. By 1924 Ernest Beaux had created Cuir de Russie for Chanel, celebrating the enormous influence of Russian immigrants on Parisian cultural life.
Review of Tabac Blond by Caron
Tabac Blond is one of Caron's 'Fountain Perfumes', where individual bottles are filled from an ornate Baccarat Louis XV style crystal urn.
The top notes are wonderfully dry and masculine, including smoky leather enriched by the clove-like scent of carnation. Cool iris and green vetiver in the heart note develop this further, before the base notes round out the bitterness with musk, amber and smoke-soaked vanilla.
The overall impression is the scent of a powder compact after a night out in a smoky jazz bar in the 1920s. Think of independent Dietrich (who actually prefered the leather Knize 10), or the more contemporary Charlotte Rampling in a tux.
Biography of Perfumer Ernest Daltroff, One of the Twentieth Century's Most Unique Noses
According to Lightyears Collection, Daltroff was born into an upper-middle class Russian Jewish family in 1867. In around 1901/1902 he bought Emilia, a small perfumery in Paris, with his brother Raoul. In 1903 they moved the business to the famous address 10 Rue de la Paix, renaming it Caron
In 1906 Felicie Wanpouille was employed as a creative director, becoming responsible for most of the design work. Daltroff eventually fell in love with her and she became his muse. Wanpouille is said to have inspired the more daring aspects of his work.
Sadly, in 1939 Daltroff fled to Canada to escape the Nazis, eventually settling in the United States where he died aged 80 in 1947. Wanpouille employed perfumer Michel Morsetti and continued to run the business before retiring in 1962. She died at the age of 93 in 1967.
Where to buy Caron Perfume
If you are lucky enough to live in or near Paris or New York, it is best to visit one of the three official Caron boutiques. They are wonderfully sumptuous and the giant perfume fountains are quite a sight to behold. The stores are located on Avenue Montaigne and Rue du Faubourg St Honore, and at Phyto Universe, Lexington Avenue. There are also outlets at Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue.
In London, outlets can be found at Fortnum and Mason on Picadilly, Harrods (both the Black Hall perfume department and Urban Retreat Haute Perfumery).
A particularly lovely place to purchase Parfums Caron is Les Senteurs, a small perfume shop in Elizabeth Street, Belgravia. It is not far from Victoria Station. Staff are warm, extremely knowledgable and friendly, and there is a wide range of scents to try.
Try to speak to Head Perfume Adviser James Craven, a synaesthete who sees perfume in colours. (Jimmy Hendrix also had synaesthesia, seeing a purple haze when he played a certain chord.) Interviewing him for Vogue, Christa D'Souza said he had 'an almost spooky ability to match scent to customer.'
Sources / Further Reading:
- Denyse Beaulieu, Leather Series 8: The Garconne Leathers of the 1920s (Part 2) (Perfume Shrine, 17th December 2007)
- Lightyears Collection: Caron (Perfume Projects, no date given for article)
- Hannah Betts, Picking up the Scent (Times Online, 14th March 2007 - winner of the Literary Award for newspress at the Jasmine Awards)
- Christa D'Souza, The Sound of Scent (Vogue, Dec 2009)
Victoria Robinson - Victoria Robinson is a freelance article writer based in Chester, a beautiful and historical city in the North West of England. She has a ...
