When I was asked to participate in this blogging project with Eyeliner on a Cat, Persolaise and Fragrant Moments, I thought that it would be easy to match perfumes to actresses. Boy, was I wrong!
I had a very hard time perfuming these stars, because I encountered the same difficulties sticking to just one perfume per actress as I have myself. Different moods, different perfumes – that is why I have a whole wardrobe.
But once I concentrated not on the person of the actress, but the role they were playing in a particular movie, things became more easy.
So here we go, here are my five choices for five lovely leading ladies…
Jennifer Grey as Baby in Dirty Dancing:
Ormonde Jayne Osmanthus: Baby is innocent and cute, and despite all the new experiences she makes during her stay at Kellerman’s that summer in the 1960s, she stays innocent and cute (plus she can dance!). OJ Osmanthus is cheery, lovely, cute and pretty, but not vapid in the least. Osmanthus, like Baby, has depth and intelligence (plus it makes you dance!). Baby sure has the time of her life wearing Osmanthus.
Grace Kelly in High Society:
There is a perfect choice for Traci Lord, cool and aloof heroine of this 1956 gem starring Grace Kelly alongside Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra: Armani Privé La Femme Bleue.
A rare beauty, expensive, elegant, cool and a bit remote, but warm and loving underneath, both Traci and La Femme Bleue are beautiful inside and out.
Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina:
Audrey in Paris, Audrey between two men, Audrey finding her way in the world, Audrey being as charming as only Audrey can be. In her role as the chauffeur’s daughter Sabrina, who goes up in the world and whirls through the hearts of those who took little notice of her before, nothing fits her better that the wonderfully quirky and cheeky Vero Profumo Kiki extrait. Sabrina is Kiki. Nuff said.
Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge:
Satine – courtesan in the famous Parisian establishment at the turn of the previous century, is not only a glamorous and over the top character. She is at the height of her beauty, she is in love, and she is dying of tuberculosis. Histoires de Parfums Moulin Rouge 1889 showcases the moments after the show, the feelings behind the curtains, the reality rather than the fiction. Satine wears 1889 with grace and glamour, with the bitter-sweet first-hand knowledge that all things must and will end. Come what may, we will love her until the end of time.
Lauren Bacall in How To Marry A Millionaire:
Lauren Bacall is known for starring in dramas, mysteries and thrillers, but I love her most in a comedy. How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) was the first comedy she played in and I love her stern and no nonsense character, divorcée Schatze Page, who tries to steer her more hapless friends played by Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe, towards marrying sensibly and rich, but ends up finding true love instead. The abrasive, world-weary and highly intelligent Schatze Page wears Vero Profumo Onda Extrait of course. Page cultivates an armor and Onda provides that, but underneath the veneer of snark and abrasiveness, a warm heart lies buried, just like with Onda. The sensuality is contained, but barely.
This excursion into old movies and beloved characters has turned out to be a lot of fun.
Take a look at my co-blogger’s fragrant movie tips:
Olfactoria's Travels 
My office in Paris was right next door to Gianni Versace on rue Faubourg St. Honore, and I remember seeing Lauren Bacall visiting there, as I peered through the glass ceiling. She was wearing simple black trousers and a white open neck shirt,the epitomy of elegance, and dressed-down ultra refinement with a slightly masculine edge that only added to her beauty. The way you describe VPOE sounds perfect for her.
Oh, that must have been a great moment, Lauren Bacall is indeed the epitome of elegance. I think she would have loved Onda.
I love it that you put Baby on the list! 🙂
One of my all time favourite movies. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it and the music is wonderful. So is the dancing. And the story. And the actors. 🙂
P. Swayze singing She’s like the wind always gives me the goosebumps….
Nobody puts Baby in the corner, so she definitely belongs on that list! 😉
What would you scent Baby with?
Oh, honestly, I have no idea. 🙂
I have to think about this one – something light and airy and positive. Lightly floral.
Fantastic post! I was actually thinking of doing something very similar on my blog, but never got around to starting it… I’m glad someone else thought of this idea! I think it’s fantastic!
I think you picked the perfect fragrances for all 5 characters – although I’ve never tried La Femme Bleue, but from what I have read about it, it would be perfect for Traci Lord! (I really need to watch High Society again…it’s been too long!!)
Although this is my first visit to your blog, this will definitely not be my only one… I’ve saved it in my favourites, and will absolutely be coming back often! 🙂
Hello Livia,
nice to meet you! I’m glad you like the post.
High Society is such a great movie, isn’t it? La Femme Bleue is well worth a sniff, but alas, so hard to find. 😦
This is such a fun list, thank you. And I love the fact that we’ve both gone for Vero Profumo scents.
Vero’s perfumes seem to lend themselves perfectly for the movies. Three nominations for Vero Kern. 😉
The way you describe some of these scents, they sound so beautiful and fitting for their pairings. I especially love the Ormande Jayne pairing. Just beautifully written.
Thank you very much, Barney! Baby and Osmanthus are made for one another. 😉
What an enjoyable post! I find it very difficult to match characters to perfumes but love your suggestions, although in my mind Satine (Nicole Kidman) wore Bal a Versailles.
I also like Lauren Bacall in Onda, striking but difficult to get a handle on. I haven’t had a chance to try Onda again, but it is there at the back of my mind like a gentle itch…
Have a lovely weekend.
Sorry meant to post under – Alexandra…
I recognized your avatar, but WP didn’t. 😉
Bal a Versailles – unfortunately it is forever tied in my mind with Michael Jackson, not an ideal pairing… 😦
I wore Onda again this afternoon and felt like Lauten Bacall for an hour (until I saw a mirror). 😉
Have a lovely weekend too, Alexandra!
Kiki is perfect for Audrey in Sabrian. Nuff said 😛
I see you sneaked La Femme Bleue in too….
It is! 😀
I try to sneak in LFB wherever possible. 😉
Yes, I clocked the blue Grace Kelly moment too, hehe, though as I mentioned in your LFB post, I had our Femme Bleue down as a brunette for some reason. Am enjoying my 10ml split (very carefully, as you can imagine!). Love Lauren Bacall in Onda – I don’t know what she actually used to wear, but Onda is the very ticket! : – )
What can I say, I am predictable. 😉
So glad to hear you have some LFB!
Why is it with any mention of Satine, I’m nearly in tears? What a mess that movie makes of me! (The song is now playing in my head)
I have not tested the HdP Moulin Rouge, but I know that you are an expert at matching people up with the right scent 😉
I too love that you’ve got Baby in the mix! This is such a cheerful post, what fun!
Because you are a wonderful person with great empathy and excellent taste. 🙂
High Society is one of my favorite movies EVER! I love it so much. Iris is a good choice for Grace Kelly’s chilly beauty — I also thought of her when I tried Pure Distance Antonia (the classic florals plus icy galbanum).
Grace and iris are made for one another. 🙂
I thought of Puredistance for Grace as well, but I rather than Antonia, which is so warm and voluptuous to me. More of a redhead. 😉
Fabulous list, Birgit! I think Audrey’s Sabrina plus Vero Kiki is amazing. Dariush picked Rubj for Amadeus, and that was brilliant too. Vero’s perfumes are loaded with personality, and can slip in and out of characters with ease.
Thank you, Carrie.
There is a lot of character and perhaps
not a little drama in Vero Profumo perfumes, which makes them perfect for the movies.
Lovely pairings.
Thank you! 🙂
Reading your post I realized I wouldn’t be able to do anything like that. And not only because I haven’t seen any of those movies but the Dirty Dancing but mostly because I do not smell in images. For me perfumes smell either of the notes I recognize or of memories associated with perfumes themselves or, again, with those notes. But I enjoyed reading your assignments (and those pictures are beautiful!).
I see images when I smell, which makes it possible to write about it. How interesting that you don’t. But that makes your assessments of a perfume a lot more reliable, I guess, and not as emotionally volatile as mine. 🙂
What a wonderful post! I know it’s silly, but it makes me smile anyway that you chose my favorite movie with Audrey Hepburn and one of my favorites with Lauren Bacall. Schatze is one of the best movie characters ever, in my very humble opinion (I’m no movie critic!), and I love how Lauren Bacall played her. In her biography, she wrote about how she always saw herself as a comedic actress, and I don’t think she gets enough credit for that (as you said).
It makes me smile too, to hear that those are your favorites as well. I have a biography of Bacall in my to read stash, I want to start right now…
Reblogged this on Espacio de MANON.
Thank you, I will hop over to check out your blog right away.
EXCELENTE Y MAGNIFICO TUS POST , SUERTE AMIGA, SALUDOS MANON KUBLER
This was such a fun read, and I loved all of your choices, but especially Kiki for Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina. Spot on!
And it’s wonderful that you included Jennifer Grey as Baby … those ringlet curls, serious eyes and that gorgeous nose. I can’t believe she got a nose job later in her career … I thought she was beautiful in that movie.
Oh, yes. She looks like a different person now, she was such a unique beauty. 😦
What fun it was to read everyone’s thoughts on this subject. I will pass on making a comment other than to say that I am enjoying following this entertaining thread.
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