Femme is a big name for a big perfume. It doesn't leave any room for mistake, and wearing Femme by Rochas shows you mean business in the most cleavage-y way possible.
The 1944 version was created by the great Edmond Roudnitska for the fashion house of Marcel Rochas. The bottles of the original formula are the ones in a lace print box, bearing the designer's name. After Marcel Rochas 1955 death (it's interesting and sad to note that Patou, Fath and Rochas died quite young) the boxes were printed with the house's name, Rochas, dropping the first name. Research and brief sniffing show that the 1989 reformulation (by Olivier Cresp) was done with full respect to the original masterpiece and is close enough. I have a few bottles of parfum and EDP from various years, all are quite beautiful.
The 1989 might have a little less of that chypre feeling of yore, but it's still quite dramatic. The cumin at the top can be a bit shocking, but for once, I don't get that infamous BO accord from this spice. Even my husband, a known cumin-hater who still finds it hard to forgive Uncle Serge for the chicken tikka masala of Serge Noire, has never complained about Femme. Then again, I try not to stand next to him for those first five minutes.
Other than cumin, Femme is rich in ripe fruit- peach and plum- and dries down with a bang of beautiful sandalwood. It smells expensive, elegant and oh-so-sexy. Despite the obvious roots in the fruity chypre world, it is not a simple case of Mitsouko with cumin. There's something about it that feels more feminine (just call me Ms. D'oh von Obvoious), less formal. You could say that the 50s femme fatale has freed herself from some of the restraining undergarment, while still keeping the best pieces of her lingerie collection.
There are differences, of course, between the bottles. The parfum seem to have less cumin at the top, some bottles smell sweeter than others. They all smell great and are a joy to wear.
Femme is still made and can be bought in an EDT concentration at discount stores. I've tried to sniff the most current version with no success- the testers I came across at a couple of those weird outlet stores were not new and the sales person said they've been there for a very long time. Considering that the Rochas perfume license is now owned by Proctor & Gamble, famous for butchering the Patou line and making toothpaste, I have very little hope that any new juice has maintained the quality, but I may be utterly wrong.
Images-
Femme perfume ad: CouleurParfum.com
Actress Ann Sheridan in 1944: myvintagevogue.com
Marcel Rochas in his studio, 1951: Life.com
Rene Gruau fashion illustration for Marcel Rochas: myvintagevogue.com
The 1944 version was created by the great Edmond Roudnitska for the fashion house of Marcel Rochas. The bottles of the original formula are the ones in a lace print box, bearing the designer's name. After Marcel Rochas 1955 death (it's interesting and sad to note that Patou, Fath and Rochas died quite young) the boxes were printed with the house's name, Rochas, dropping the first name. Research and brief sniffing show that the 1989 reformulation (by Olivier Cresp) was done with full respect to the original masterpiece and is close enough. I have a few bottles of parfum and EDP from various years, all are quite beautiful.
The 1989 might have a little less of that chypre feeling of yore, but it's still quite dramatic. The cumin at the top can be a bit shocking, but for once, I don't get that infamous BO accord from this spice. Even my husband, a known cumin-hater who still finds it hard to forgive Uncle Serge for the chicken tikka masala of Serge Noire, has never complained about Femme. Then again, I try not to stand next to him for those first five minutes.
Other than cumin, Femme is rich in ripe fruit- peach and plum- and dries down with a bang of beautiful sandalwood. It smells expensive, elegant and oh-so-sexy. Despite the obvious roots in the fruity chypre world, it is not a simple case of Mitsouko with cumin. There's something about it that feels more feminine (just call me Ms. D'oh von Obvoious), less formal. You could say that the 50s femme fatale has freed herself from some of the restraining undergarment, while still keeping the best pieces of her lingerie collection.
There are differences, of course, between the bottles. The parfum seem to have less cumin at the top, some bottles smell sweeter than others. They all smell great and are a joy to wear.
Femme is still made and can be bought in an EDT concentration at discount stores. I've tried to sniff the most current version with no success- the testers I came across at a couple of those weird outlet stores were not new and the sales person said they've been there for a very long time. Considering that the Rochas perfume license is now owned by Proctor & Gamble, famous for butchering the Patou line and making toothpaste, I have very little hope that any new juice has maintained the quality, but I may be utterly wrong.
Images-
Femme perfume ad: CouleurParfum.com
Actress Ann Sheridan in 1944: myvintagevogue.com
Marcel Rochas in his studio, 1951: Life.com
Rene Gruau fashion illustration for Marcel Rochas: myvintagevogue.com
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