There was a time when every fashionable woman had a bottle of Arpège on her dressing table. The perfume from couture house Lanvin symbolized luxury. More than that, it symbolized a mother's love for her child. The graceful bottle had a beautiful drawing of a mother and her daughter, and the full-bodied fragrance appealed to modern women in the 1920s. In the late 1990s, Arpège was reformulated to appeal to 21st century women; and, later, a version for men was introduced.
History
In 1889, Jeanne Lanvin established the famous French couture house Lanvin. Lanvin's first fragrance, Irisé, was introduced in 1923, and My Sin followed in 1925. In 1927, Jeanne Lanvin approached perfumer André Fraysse to help create a perfume in honor of her daughter Marguerite's 30th birthday. The bottle was designed by decorator Armand-Albert Rateau as a black sphere decorated with gold. Another famous artist of the era, Paul Iribe, created the emblem on the bottle based on a 1907 photo of Jeanne Lanvin and young Marguerite going to a ball. The perfume's name came from Marguerite's love of music. With her first sniff of the perfume, Marguerite named it "Arpège" for arpeggio.
The Fragrance
Perfume scents are described as "notes." According to the Lanvin Perfume website, Arpège's top notes--the initial fragrance when the perfume is first applied--are neroli, bergamot and aldehydes. The middle or heart notes, which come into play about 15 minutes after the perfume is applied, are ylang-ylang, rose, iris, tuberose, jasmine, coriander, geranium, cloves and lily-of-the-valley. The base notes, which come forward as the perfume mellows, are patchouli, sandalwood, styrax, vanilla and vetiver. In 1993, Hubert Fraysse reformulated Arpège. The new formulation kept the original basic floral bouquet of ingredients.
Arpège for Men
In 2005, Arpège pour Homme--Arpège for Men--was introduced. This distinctly masculine take on the feminine original has top notes of nectarine, pink pepper, neroli and Seville orange. The middle notes are maté, nutmeg, jasmine and iris. Base notes are Tonka bean, vanilla, patchouli, sandalwood and precious woods. The bottle, designed by Serge Mansau, is square with round, black sculpture in the glass reminiscent of the bottle designed for the original Arpège.
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