Does your fragrance bottle have a name?
Flacons and perfume flasks have always been collector's items but their genius makers, unlike fragrance designers, always dwell in limbo.
The boom in fragrances spanning half a century from the end of the 1800s till the World War produced really astonishing ‘objets d’art’ both in refined neoclassicism and extravagant art nouveau.
The Golden Age in Europe brought such outstanding artists like Lalique - famous for applying unusual materials in the decoration of fragrance bottles: enamel, ivory, and even newly invented plastic. And Herve Guimard who introduced an asymmetric bottle.
The Great Depression drew a line at the era of exclusive handmade bottles with mass manufacturing machine lines. Only the largest companies survived who could afford good design which went incredibly creative in between the wars.
In the 60s the industry attracted new talents with remarkable artistry and jawdropping designs such as Salvador Dali, Mary Quant and André Courrèges.
Nowadays every perfume brand aspires to stand out with its bottle employing every possible arrow in the quiver of whimsy to put their bottle in your hand. The flacons have become ‘haute couture’ with such heavy names as Karl Lagerfeld and Tom Ford trying their hand fragrance bottle design with iconic designs. Which bottle is your favorite?
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