I am not a bottle guy and many of you who know me know that if it smells good it could come in a Mason jar. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a pretty flacon. My friend, and fellow blogger, Vivian Kelly of The Fashion Examiner is much more interested in the bottle that holds the juice and from time to time she is going to talk about particular bottles and their significance. The series starts with a find at an antiques store. -MB
The moment I spotted the vintage buff colored box at McGeorgie’s Antiques, I was hooked. I didn’t care what was actually INSIDE, I had to own that box. Similar to people who buy mass fragrance at counter, it was the packaging that pulled me in. It was mine, for a mere $25.
Fortunately, this Gucci box had something equally worthy inside – a 1980s oval GG flask on a chain that instantly reminded me of the vials Studio 54 partygoers wore in the E! Channel documentaries I never tire of watching.
I took the mini flask to the experts at Circa Jewels to verify its provenance. Buyer, Thuyvi Tran, confirmed that the item was an authentic Gucci piece, and determined that the item was very likely manufactured in the 1980s.
We brainstormed about where we had seen an item like this before until we hit on it. “Kathryn Merteuil”, Sarah Michelle Gellar, wore a flask from which she sniffed cocaine to help her keep her frozen smile in place in “Cruel Intentions” [1999], a clever remake of “Dangerous Liaisons” [1988] that was set in the present day Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Thuyvi recommended I have the piece dipped in 18 karat gold to restore it back to its original glory; the process would run between $50 – 80.
Once that is done, I’ll have Jimmy at Golden Paradise [589 Eighth Avenue, NYC] remove the keychain links. The last step would be to string it on a 1950s plated gold chain purchased at Audrey Road, from owner Danielle Virrilli’s excellent vintage collection.
Once the piece is ready, my next challenge will be to find a fragrance I love enough to carry on me day and night. Suggestions are welcome!
– Vivian Kelly, Editor-in-Chief of The Fashion Examiner
What a wonderful find! I'm looking forward to learning more about special perfume bottles here.
BTW, Lanvin did perfume necklaces with a mini version of the classic black and gold Arpege flacon as a pendant. They are very pretty, but the wire rings that attach the bottle to the chain are too fine to support the weight, so you can't actully wear them..
Nozknoz
That is a silly design flaw. I am surprised we don’t see more of these types of wearable tiny perfume bottles.
It has been a while since I thought about this column but after reading Perfume Legends II I am much more interested in the bottles lately.
Mark