This spring marked 70
years since Grace Kelly walked down the aisle in
Monaco, wrapped in lace and in a perfume created just for her. That
anniversary has sent fragrance lovers back to the vanity tables of
old Hollywood, where every bottle hides a love story or a sweet act
of rebellion.
The good news is that these legendary perfumes still sit on beauty counters today. Indeed, a single spritz can turn an ordinary Tuesday into a scene from a black-and-white classic. So, if you have ever dreamed of smelling like a movie star, consider this your backstage pass.
Marilyn Monroe and Chanel N°5
In 1952, a reporter asked
Marilyn Monroe what she wore to bed. Her answer,
Chanel N°5, became the most seductive
line in perfume history. Years later, in a candid interview, she
explained that she had simply told the truth. Born in 1921, this
aldehydic floral still feels like a whisper of satin on bare
skin.
Chanel, N°5 Eau de
Parfum, $190
Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy L’Interdit
In 1954, Hubert de
Givenchy gave Audrey Hepburn a perfume
made for her alone. When he decided to sell it, she reportedly
protested, “But I forbid you.” Her protest inspired the name, and
L’Interdit, French for “forbidden,”
arrived in 1957 with Audrey as the first actress ever to front a
fragrance.
Givenchy,
L’Interdit Eau de Parfum, $
175
Grace Kelly and Creed Fleurissimo
For his bride, Prince
Rainier III asked Creed to compose a
scent that would echo her bouquet of lily of the valley. The result
was Fleurissimo, a luminous blend of
tuberose and Bulgarian rose that Grace adopted as her signature.
Even today, it smells like a fairy tale sealed with a royal
crest.
Creed, Fleurissimo Eau de
Parfum, $ 460
Rita Hayworth and Guerlain Shalimar
The star of Gilda was
reportedly devoted to Shalimar, the
masterpiece Jacques Guerlain created in 1921. Its
name recalls the gardens of Lahore and the love story behind the
Taj Mahal. Thanks to its velvety vanilla trail, it matches Rita’s
smoldering glamour to perfection.
Guerlain, Shalimar
Eau de Parfum, $ 175
Ingrid Bergman and Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps
Ingrid
Bergman stayed loyal to L’Air du
Temps, the spicy floral Nina Ricci introduced in
1948. “When I smell that, of course I still think of Mama,” her
daughter Isabella Rossellini once confessed.
Meanwhile, the Lalique doves perched on the stopper look like a
tender postcard from Casablanca.
Nina Ricci, L’Air du
Temps Eau de Toilette, $ 82
Elizabeth Taylor and White Diamonds
Elizabeth Taylor
adored jewels so much that she turned them into a fragrance.
Launched in 1991, White Diamonds pairs
narcissus with lily, sparkling like the Krupp Diamond that
Richard Burton gave her in 1968. On the skin, it
plays like a final scene that lingers long after the credits
roll.
