Jeanne Lanvin, Arpège, Arpege, 'Arpeggio', 30 ml. or 1 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, 1927, 1940, Paris, France ..

The story of the house of Lanvin started with the founder of the fashion house, the milliner Jeanne Lanvin, who was born on the 1st of January of 1867 in Paris, and was the eldest of eleven children born to the poor family of Bernard-Constant Lanvin and Sophie-Blanche. Luckily for them, Jeanne's grandfather, Jacques-Firmin Lanvin, was friends with Victor Hugo who helped them along every way he could.

At the age of 13, Jeanne entered the workforce as a seamstress and milliner. As the years passed, her work became greatly admired, and she earned her apprenticeship at Félix and later at Cordeau's, working in Barcelona. Upon returning to Paris, Jeanne Lanvin became mistress of her own affairs, and she founded her own millinery fashion house at rue du Marché Saint-Honoré. Her next address upon expanding her headquarters would be 16 rue Boissy d’Anglais, while the final destination for her business, still standing to this day, is at 22, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

Arpège .. this famous perfume was made by Andre Fraysse for Lanvin in 1927. The name was chosen by the daughter of the perfumer, since she had been involved in music, and she chose the name “Arpège”, as it related to the musical term ‘arpeggio'. The original 1927 formula incredibly corresponded to its musical term, where the notes of the perfume play their theme alternately. In 1993, the perfume was reconstructed and that was also highly successful. The composition was mostly well preserved, and it resulted in a second great perfume. The bottle was lovely, too. The beautiful figures on the black misted background representing mother and daughter .. wife and daughter of the perfumer .. who are getting ready for the ball.

When Lanvin asked Fraysse to make this perfume, he enlisted Paul Vacher’s help, and together they reportedly blended 62 notes for the fragrance. According to Roja Dove in 'The Essence of Perfume’, Dove said he talked to Richard Fraysse about his father’s creation of Arpège, and Richard reported that Jeanne Lanvin insisted on using the finest materials available for the fragrance, no matter the cost. Dove adds that when he first started selling perfume, he noted it was “always the most refined, elegant, and wordly wise men that purchased the scent as a gift to their lovers and mothers.” “Refined” and “elegant” are the best words to describe vintage Arpège

Top notes are are Bergamot, Peach, Orange Bloom, Lily of the Valley, Honeysuckle, and Orris
The heart notes are Rose, Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Coriander, Tuberose, Violet, and Geranium
The base notes are Sandalwood, Vetiver, Patchouli, Nutmeg, Vanilla, and Amber

Offered here is a beautiful vintage one ounce flacon of this iconic and beloved perfume, in its original presentation boxes. It's strings have not been cut, and it has never been opened or used. . It shows little evaporation over the years. A lovely collectible piece of this divine fragrance . . This model is very early, most probably from the 1940's, and the original formula .. The later models do not have the crystal stopper that you see here, but rather a gold and black twist off lid. Highly desirable .. such a beautiful fragrance ..