Lucien Lelong, Balalaika, 7.5 ml. or 0.25 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, 1939, 1945, Paris, France ..

Lucien Lelong belongs to an elite pantheon of French designers who, in the early 20th century, became instrumental in shaping the world of haute couture for decades to come. Among his contemporaries were Chanel, Worth, Patou, Lanvin and Schiaparelli, each of whom has left an indelible mark on fashion.

Lucien Lelong was born in Paris on October 11, 1889, the son of Arthur and Valentine Lelong. In 1921, he opened the fashion house of Lucien Lelong. Success seemed to come to him overnight. In 1924, he left the Madeleine district to settle at 16 Avenue Matignon in Paris and started his perfume company. Believing perfume to be an essential part of a woman's dress, the designer in 1924 established the Société des Parfums Lucien Lelong, experimenting with fragrance using very modern, luxury presentations. Lelong eventually had shops in London and New York.

The perfumes were simply named after letters of the alphabet, A, B, C, later on came J & N or clever phrases like 'Tout Lelong’, meaning "all along” and then Elle Elle, meaning ‘She She’ but also referring to his initials LL. As he went along and created more perfumes, names began to be used more than initials, and we saw Indiscret, Jabot, Sirocco, and Tailspin .. and of course Balalaika!

Launched in 1939, Balalaika is a Floral Woody fragrance for women. Naming a perfume "Balalaika" was probably meant to evoke faraway places. Especially one faraway land where the winter is long and the forests are dark and vast. The Lucien Lelong website lists the notes of Balalaika as "mandarin, violet, rosewood and gardenia with woodsy notes and vanilla". I think it smells very French.

At the heart of Balalaika is an earthy, woodsy quality made lush by a combination of rosewood, gardenia and violet, just as the name might indicate. The wood and musk basenotes appear fairly early on, giving the fragrance a distinct earthy odor, reminiscent of ancient tomes in a vast library. Despite the strong opening, the fragrance is fairly mild-mannered and light, but remains essentially delicious, sweet, and feminine.

Top note is simply Mandarin Orange
Heart notes are Violet, Gardenia, and Palisander Rosewood
Base notes are Woody Notes, and Vanilla

Offered here is a charming little quarter ounce of this delicious fragrance. A most delightful sweet and feminine fragrance. A favourite of mine! I am listing a bottle of Balalaika cologne as well to go with this treasure. Comes with its original presentation box.