Shalimar (perfume)
| Shalimar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fragrance by Jacques Guerlain | |
| Released | 1925 |
| Label | Guerlain |
| Website | www.guerlain.com |
Shalimar is a women’s fragrance originally created by Jacques Guerlain in 1921 as a classic soft amber (Oriental) parfum, and currently produced by Guerlain.
History
Popular for 90 years, Shalimar was created in 1921 and re-released in 1925 in a bottle designed by Raymond Guerlain and made by Cristalleries de Baccarat (bottle design # 597) and launched at the Decorative Arts Exhibition as an antidote against The Great Depression.
According to Elisabeth Barille, "while examining a sample of vanillin, Jacques Guerlain suddenly poured the entire contents into a nearby bottle of Jicky, just to see what would happen." The result: Shalimar.
Jacques Guerlain was inspired by Mumtaz-Mahal, the woman for whom the Taj Mahal was built.
Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's love for Mumtaz-Mahal, his favourite wife, was so great that he built her the Garden of Shalimar in Lahore, Pakistan (and indeed, the Taj Mahal).[1]
The meaning of the word Shalimar remains a mystery, but it is certainly of Arab or Persian origin as asserted by Anna Suvorova in her book Lahore: Topophilia of Space and Place. [2]
In 1985, it was repackaged and presented encased in a Lucite box to commemorate the 60th anniversary of its original launch.[1]
In 2004, Guerlain issued Shalimar Light by perfumer Mathilde Laurent. However, Shalimar Light was taken off the market and replaced by Eau de Shalimar in 2008.[3]
Shalimar itself is currently produced in Shalimar Extract, Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette, Eau de Cologne, and Fleur de Shalimar Edition.
Guerlain also markets Shalimar Parfum Initial, which has a different formula, color and fragrance than Shalimar.
Scent
The fragrance can be described as vanilla, powdery, and sweet. The fragrance contains Bergamot, Lemon, Jasmine, Rose, Iris, Incense, Opopanax, Tonka Bean, and Vanilla.[4] It is considered to be an Oriental perfume which was popular during its conception. The top note of the fragrance is Bergamot. The middle notes are Iris and Opopanax. The base note is vanilla.[5]
Marketing
Over the years, Shalimar has had numerous ad campaigns.
In the 1950s, the illustrations created for Shalimar and other Guerlain perfumes, for the classic French advertising posters of the era, were some of the greatest works by the major illustrators of the day, such as Lyse Darcy, Cassandre, and so on.[6]
The current (2010s) advertising features Natalia Vodianova.[7].
References
- ^ a b "The Encyclopaedia of Perfume". Perfume Intelligence. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
- ^ 03:42 PM. http://tribune.com.pk/story/327000/the-meaning-of-shalimar/. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|ate=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Burr, Chandler (2008-03-13). "Scent Notes | Eau de Shalimar by Guerlain - NYTimes.com". Tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
- ^ "Guerlain Shalimar: Women's Fragrance". Sephora. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
- ^ 03:42 PM. "Shalimar by Guerlain (1925) - Basenotes Fragrance Directory". Basenotes.net. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ http://hprints.com/print.php?id=19573&u=3,13 1950s era affiche publicite.
- ^ "» Natalia Vodianova - Paolo Roversi - Shalimar By Guerlain". Dnamodels.com. 2008-09-17. Retrieved 2011-02-26.