The most well-known of all schiaparelli’s perfumes was “shocking!” released in 1937. it’s named after her devotion to the signature bright pink color elsa schiaparelli often used in her collections.
the bottle resembles a mannequin with a bouquet of blue and pink porcelain flowers blooming from its neck in replacement for a head. wrapped around the neck and draped down the chest like a necklace was a measuring tape and a paper stamp printed with the letter “S”. the mannequin shape is inspired by the body silhouette of the hollywood star, mae west, who was dressed frequently by elsa schiaparelli.
the perfume consists notes of tarragon, aldehydes and bergamot. middle notes of white honey, narcissus, jasmine, rose and ylang-ylang. and finally the base, notes of civetta, musk, amber, sandalwood, clove and patchouli. as schiaparelli used to say: “it gives women ideas which they reflect, even if they don’t live up to them. it is not to be given to secretaries or other men’s wives except at your own peril.” l’amour de l'art, 1950:
"shocking by schiaparelli: no, it doesn't shock, it captivates... it's elegant, it's refined. “shocking” offers itself to you in a crystal mannequin; it's a real dress of perfumes that dresses all women ." two years later, schiaparelli created her “snuff” scent. named after the popular 18th century ground tobacco, “snuff” was released in 1939 and consisted of a glass perfume bottle moulded into the shape of a gentleman’s smoking pipe while the package was in style of a cigar box. it is a daring reference to smoking, a key element of manhood of the time. it was schiaparelli’s first and only male fragrance. elsa was inspired by surrealist artist’s painting rené magritte “la trahison des images” created in 1929. the artwork and quote “ceci n’est pas une pipe” (this is not a pipe) then elsa launched her sensual “sleeping” fragrance in 1940. its bottle was designed in the shape of a candle and it was meant to be spritzed the moment before falling into bed, the scent was supposed to illuminate the subconscious and light the way to ecstasy. it was inspired by schiaparelli’s new “sleeping blue” color palette which she incorporated into her spring/summer 1940 collection. among its notes we find bergamot, magnolias and sandalwood. schiaparelli launched a trio of perfumes: soucis, salut and schiap in 1934. the modern bottles were designed by the french interior designer jean-michel frank, a longtime friend of elsa’s.
the set of scents is intended to be worn during three different times of the day: “schiap” for daytime, “soucis” for cocktail hour and “salut” for the evening. the perfumes start with the letter “S” symbolizing the house.
“succès fou” was released in 1952 and the bottle is designed after a leaf. it consists of a spicy, floral perfume with a base reminiscent of a forest. flowers over woodsy-mossy notes. the perfume also comes in a second bottle which is actually a brooch and is wearable. “zut!” (translates to "damn" in english) was created in 1937. the bottle’s design is in the shape of the bottom half of a woman's torse, with her skirt pooling at her ankels which serves as the bottle's base. it consists notes of bergamot, cyclamen, black currant, marigold, ylang-tlang, linden flower, jasmine, lily of the valley, rose, iris root, tonka bean, vanilla, musk and sandalwood. last but not least, schiaparelli alongside her long-time creative partner salvador dali, created the fragrance “le roy soleil” in 1947. it was inspired by louis XIV, the sun king. the perfume is said to have a floral touch. the house experiences such success with their perfumes that a factory is built in the suburbs of paris.
Hassham has passion for writing he is a freelance journalist & digital content creator.
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