Caron, Tabac Blond, 'Blond Tobacco', 28 ml. or 1 oz. Flacon, Limited Edition, L'Année Russe, The Russian Year, Parfum Extrait, 1918, 2000 ..

Established by Ernest Daltroff in 1904, Parfums Caron was originally located on Rue de la Paix in Paris. Daltroff purchased the perfumery from Anne-Marie Caron and kept the original name. At the same time, he met Félicie Wanpouille, who became his partner and an important contributor to the rise of the house. While Daltroff created fragrances, Wanpouille designed bottles and served as an artistic director.

Caron is the second-oldest Parisian perfume house still active today, and one of the last great houses devoted entirely to fragrances. Caron’s fragrances respond to, and capture the spirit of their times—from WWI to modern women, their scents reflect both personal emotions and historical moments. The company has been able to adapt to changes in society while staying true to its own tradition. Even Caron’s modern perfumes continue to be both unique and timeless.

From the beginning, Parfums Caron was the house dedicated solely to fragrance, unlike houses like Chanel or Christian Dior that were first and foremost fashion houses. While the perfume houses produced more fragrances than fashion houses, by the 1920s women started to look at perfume the same way they regarded new fashion styles. However, as the couture fragrances became more and more popular, they provided a stable point in the ever changing world fashion, therefore the pace of perfume production began to decline. Subsequently, however, Caron has burst back into the front runners of a very elite and niche market perfume business. Bois de Jasmin.

A homage to women’s liberation, this subtly ambiguous and provocative fragrance combines leathery top notes usually found in men’s fragrances with an eternally feminine floral bouquet. As such, it can be shared by men and women.

The great perfumer and the founder of the house of Caron, Ernest Daltroff, created Tabac Blond in 1919. It is a fragrance for women who smoke cigarettes, since a cigarette was, at that time, the perfect symbol of freedom and chic of a Parisian woman. The perfume elegance is based on the unique combination of leather, tobacco leaves and vanilla. This is a “dry” perfume with an intense note of smoky tobacco.

Ernest Daltroff created Tabac Blond to complement French women who, after World War I, picked up American women's acceptance of smoking in public. It was released the same year as Guerlain Mitsouko. Both Tabac Blond and Mitsouko are icons, but while Mitsouko stands revered and beautiful but not always very approachable, Tabac Blond is as easy to wear as a perfectly-cut trench coat. It is not about smoke, but more about the smell of the tobacco leaves and leather.

The Caron website lists Tabac Blond as "a great emotional perfume" and goes on to describe it as "mild and powerful, coppery overtones combined with a floral heart note … It posseses the troubling sensuality of a woman in a dinner jacket. A touch of masculine nonchalance."

Top notes are Lime Blossom, Linden, Carnation, and Iris
Heart notes are Ylang Ylang, Cedar, Patchouli, and Lime Tree Leaf
Base notes are Leather, Tobacco Leaves, Amber, Vanilla, and Ambergris

Offered here is a beautiful one ounce flacon of this extremely coveted perfume. This bottle was part of a limited edition release entitled L'Année Russe, or The Russian Year. Only 300 bottles were created, using the model of the Nuit de Noel flacon. No box.

If you can't quite manage to afford Tabac Blond, you might want to consider the beautiful and unctuous Molinard Habanita, another Tabac perfume. It is really rich and delicious!