The Story of Perfume

A lavishly illustrated guide

Elisabeth de Feydeau

• Publisher: Laurence King Publishing
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN:
  9781529432299
• eBook ISBN:
  9781529432282
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Fashion Design

What parts of the world do fragrances come from? Who invented them and what are their main ingredients? How did perfume cross from the sacred to the profane? Who were the first great perfumers? What role has the fashion industry played in the history of perfume? How do you become a successful 'nose'? What stories lie behind iconic perfumes such as Chanel's N°5, CK One, of Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Mâle? Lavishly illustrated with archival documents from the most beautiful fragrance brands, The Story of Perfume transports its readers into a precious and mesmerizing world.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright
• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• The Birthplace of Perfume
• Greek and Latin Civilizations
• The Perfume Route I: Antiquity
• Raw Materials and the First Perfumes
• Usage in Ancient Times
• Perfume Route II: The Middle Ages and the Renaissance
• Technological Advances: Distillation
• The Perfume as a Remedy
• From Remedy to Hygiene: Banishing Harmful Odours
• The First Iconic Perfumes
• Perfumes from the East
• Perfumes at Versailles
• The Glover-Perfumer Community
• The Birth of Eau de Cologne
• The Perfume Route III
• Guerlain, One of France’s Greatest Perfumers
• Oriza L. Legrand
• Gellé Frères
• L.T. Piver
• Roger&Gallet
• François Coty
• D’Orsay
• Lancôme
• The First Synthetic Perfumes
• A Profession in Its Own Right
• A Mass-Produced Industrial Product
• Advertising Gets in on the Act
• Master Glassmakers: Glass and Crystal
• The First Fragrances for Men
• Couturiers-Perfumers : Fashion Meets Perfume
• Charles Frederick Worth, Inventor of Haute Couture
• Jeanne Lanvin, a Mother’s Passion
• Paul Poiret, the First Couturier-Perfumer
• Gabrielle Chanel, the Irresistible Mademoiselle
• Nina Ricci, Bringing ‘Dream Colours’ to Life
• Jean Patou, ‘The Most Expensive Perfume in the World’
• Schiaparelli, Eclectic and Extravagant
• Christian Dior, ‘Designing the Wonderful’
• The Perfumer
• The Perfumes that Have Made History
• The Bottles: Coveted by Collectors
• A Weapon of Seduction
• The Perfume Route IV
• Index
• Picture Credits
• Acknowledgements