We would never wear L’Air Du Temps (within minutes of application last night D began sprouting a curvy hourglass figure – it’s just too old school, deep musky estrogen feminine ) but the perfect, eugenolic clove and carnation aldehydes in this immaculately preserved vintage (80’s?) Ricci canister that he found yesterday for £2.50 (¥500) made me feel as though I were standing on a never ending beach : miles and miles of sea and sky ; a sense of euphoric possibility.
Yes, it’s a masterpiece. The extrait you see pictured is also pristine, softer, more cherubimic; together, they form an immutable part of the collection.
I remember loving L’Air du Temps back in the 80s, haven’t smelled it in years. I love your canister, so beautiful! And let’s face it, the Lalique-designed bottle with the entwined doves is still one of the prettiest fragrance bottles ever. I’m sad that so many brands now issue “lines” of identical, clinical-looking bottles.
Me too.
They once made an effort!
Designer houses seem to have decided to follow the “chic” simplicity of early niche houses. Early niche houses had to cut packaging costs so they could put more of the production money into the juice. If only designer houses did both side of the equation
L’Air du Temps was my mother-in-law’s signature. Even when vascular dementia had her in its vice like grip my mum & I gifted her a vintage coffret of EdT, EdP & Extrait. The staff who cared for her made sure she always wore a little L’AdT even at the end.
Now of course it is intrinsically linked to her & a wonderful memory it is of her
That is a lovely idea – I hope someone does the same thing for me when I get to that point. L’Air Du Temps is extraordinarily emotive.
¥500?
That was a drink out of a machine when I was around
I know it is crazy, right? A lot of very cheap vintage perfume around in Japan but that is more crazy cheap than most.
Where I live, that is called a “find”.
There have been times — rare, but — when the extrait has smelled like the most profoundly beautiful thing in the fragrance world. It can have that magic, and then I understand why it has held its position among the great classics. More often than not, for some reason, maybe just my own nose’s fickleness, I find l’Air du Temps unextraordinary.
Pity, because it’s been very popular over the years here in Canada and I’ve acquired a fair bit of it, including vintage bottles with entwined doves of green crystal in a carousel box and a flacon with the less-common single dove stopper, which is my favourite.
You describe it, at its best, just perfectly. And omigod yes, it just wouldn’t do on either of you. Not androgynous, that one. I have a friend that it is magnificent on, and she has attracted 99% of my stash, which has made us both happy!
It makes me happy to hear this.I can smell how she smells