Regards, Ivan
Posted on 02/22/2005 3:12:38 PM PST by MadIvan
£1,000 will buy perfume of a tragic royal
A FRAGRANCE worn by Marie-Antoinette, a woman sometimes described as the world’s first fashion victim, has been re-created by a French perfume-maker for an exhibition at the Palace of Versailles.
The perfume, Sillage de la Reine (In the Queen’s Wake), is likely to be put on a sale by the palace, which has been inundated with requests from people who want to smell like the Austrian-born Queen beheaded during the French Revolution. A thousand flacons are set to be made available at a price of around €1,500 (£1,050) each, with the profits being used to restore Marie-Antoinette’s furniture and objects.
Sillage de la Reine, which can be inhaled during pre-booked tours of the Marie-Anoinette exhibition at Versailles, was made by Francis Kurkdjian, one of France’s most celebrated perfume-makers. It is based on the ingredients and methods used in the late 18th century by Marie-Antoinette’s personnel supplier of fragrances, Jean-Louis Fargeon.
The perfume contains essence of citron tree, lavender, rose petal, jasmin, galbanum, iris, musk, tonka bean, ambergris, vanilla, benjamin, cedar and sandalwood. Elisabeth de Feydeau, a French historian, discovered the recipe during research for a biography on Fargeon.
“It is a superb floral bouquet made with entirely natural products,” she said. “It does not have the tenacity or the amplitude of a modern perfume, but when I tested it, everyone wanted to know what it was and everyone complimented me on it. It unleashes emotions that we no longer know.”
In her work, published last month, she says that Fargeon supplied the French court with an array of luxury cosmetics as well as toothbrushes, combs and tongue scrapers that were used to fight bad breath.
Marie-Antoinette’s taste for luxury contributed to the unpopularity of the French monarchy and ultimately turned her — literally — into the first ever fashion victim.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
Murdered by the Reign of Terror thugs. She apparently went to her death with great dignity.
Dang! I wished she'd elaborated on that a little!
What's it called, Eau de Hillary?
;)
Looks more like it would translate to: "River Sewage" ;O)
The desire to move forward during battle?
ROFL!
Ah, well...nothing's more powerful than the scent of that most legendary Frenchman, Pepe le Pew.
In defense of Marie-Antionette, she WAS Austrian, and therefore didn't have the odor problems of her Bourbon husband.
I said goodby to bad breath, when I got my battery powered
tongue scraper.
Glad to see the recipe had ambergris in it.
LOL, cracked me up you did.
Shouldn't that be personal ? Send the journalist and his editor back to school.
I HATE spell check functions.
The desire to move forward during battle?
That's AWESOME ... bravo :)
Indeed she did. As she was about to position herself before the guillotine, she accidentally stepped on the executioner's foot.
"Mousier," she said gently, "I beg your pardon."
These were her last words.
Lookee there! They misspelled "SILAGE." hmmm..."Silage in the Rain:" You have to SMELL it to believe it.
The world does not need more French odor.
The French revolution; They behead the royalty then behead the replacements. That whole revolution was based solely on the guillotine, it truly was. That revoly had nothing to do with anything other than coming up with excuse after excuse to behead people with the guillotine, like little children who couldn`t get enough of their favorte toy and went into a mania over it. They were sick bastards back then and they`re sick bastards today, and may they all come up with a new toy to kill themselves right off for good.
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