Madame Rochas Rochas 1960 Parfum

I grew up in the 60s in an 11-apartment rental building. My parents worked, often on weekends, and I was often left to myself or with my older sisters (12 and 8 years apart). One could say that my oldest sister raised me, for which I am grateful. She would have preferred to just be a child instead of always having to be the responsible one. But that’s not what I want to focus on now. On the 4th floor lived our neighbor, Aunt L., she was a war widow and the soul of the house. She was about 10 years older than my parents, and her children were already out of the house. She took care of everyone in the building, ensuring that the house was decorated for confirmations and communions, collecting money and buying gifts. Those who were sick were cooked for, and the hallway was cleaned for them. It was neighborly help in a form of charity that I have never experienced again. The atmosphere in the building was - except for a “Mrs. Kling” - simply good. Without gossip and chatter, Aunt L. was just there when help was needed, without ever being intrusive. She raised me with love, with strictness, but always fairly. When I jumped down the 12 steps in youthful exuberance (it echoed so beautifully when I hit the loose stone slab), her door would open, and I would call out: “Yes, Aunt L., I know!” And for the rest of the 3 floors, I walked properly. From my teenage years on, she gave me fragrances for my birthday, e.g., Janine D., which she bought for me in a tiny drugstore around the corner, where everything from cleaning products to Hormocenta cream was tightly stacked in shelves up to the ceiling. I was really only keen on her scent. When she left the house and went into the city, she made herself pretty and neat and applied her fragrance. The entire hallway simply smelled wonderful of blossoms, bright and cheerful. I would have loved to stay in the hallway until the last whiff of scent had disappeared. She never revealed to me which fragrance she used, …“you’re too young for that, later…“ She died of cancer when she was in her mid-60s, far too early. Years later, I smelled Madame Rochas for the first time, and immediately images from the 60s surfaced, and I felt transported back to my childhood. Today, I am sure that was the fragrance Aunt L. wore. A wonderful, elegant scent for accomplished, independent, wonderful women.