Chanelle
752 Reviews
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Chanelle
Very helpful Review
5
Everything that is good comes back!
This sentence has been heard more often than ever in my surroundings lately, and I don't really know why. But the visions I had with Guerlain's Lui reminded me of another fragrance that I had buried somewhere: Garconne by Charles Illuster Parfums, from the late 70s.
Even when I acquired it about 15 years ago, I wanted to know what the scent was all about, but back then as now, I found hardly any information about this fragrance or the manufacturer. And the origin of the word Garconne (with a tail on the c) was not sufficiently explained to me either.
A Garconne in the 1920s was a rather masculine, but not butch, rather delicate-boyish woman. Elegant suits, stylish short hairstyles, pleated trousers, flat leather lace-up shoes were her preferred clothing items. Her demeanor was unusually emancipated for the era. The eponymous novel by Victor Margueritte, published in 1922, caused a scandal at the time, as it was written so modern and liberally, yet only depicted the exciting life of the title character, who walked her path androgynously, chicly, and with free thought.
This rethinking of gender roles is currently happening again, as if the "Garconne 1922" never occurred. But the unisex fragrance Lui by Guerlain is, in my opinion, rather feminine, whereas Garconne, the late 70s fragrance, is a typical representative of the then-prevailing oriental chypres, somewhere between woody-spicy and leathery, but never really sweet.
Also, in line with its vintage, it is very dominant and long-lasting.
When compared to some contemporary niche fragrances, it is quite wearable, as it is ageless and indeed ...gender-neutral.
Even when I acquired it about 15 years ago, I wanted to know what the scent was all about, but back then as now, I found hardly any information about this fragrance or the manufacturer. And the origin of the word Garconne (with a tail on the c) was not sufficiently explained to me either.
A Garconne in the 1920s was a rather masculine, but not butch, rather delicate-boyish woman. Elegant suits, stylish short hairstyles, pleated trousers, flat leather lace-up shoes were her preferred clothing items. Her demeanor was unusually emancipated for the era. The eponymous novel by Victor Margueritte, published in 1922, caused a scandal at the time, as it was written so modern and liberally, yet only depicted the exciting life of the title character, who walked her path androgynously, chicly, and with free thought.
This rethinking of gender roles is currently happening again, as if the "Garconne 1922" never occurred. But the unisex fragrance Lui by Guerlain is, in my opinion, rather feminine, whereas Garconne, the late 70s fragrance, is a typical representative of the then-prevailing oriental chypres, somewhere between woody-spicy and leathery, but never really sweet.
Also, in line with its vintage, it is very dominant and long-lasting.
When compared to some contemporary niche fragrances, it is quite wearable, as it is ageless and indeed ...gender-neutral.
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