Lucien Lelong, Orgueil, 'Pride', 7.5 ml. or 0.25 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, 1946, 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, Balaika .. and of course Orgueil!

Launched in 1946, the name 'Orgueil' means "Pride" in French. Created by Jean Carles after the liberation of France from German occupation, this perfume expresses the country's pride for the French victory. It is described as an aldehydic fruity floral chypre fragrance with soft floral and spicy oriental undertones.

Lucien Lelong Orgueil is a different take on the end of the war than say Jean Patou's famous 'L'Heure Attendue' or 'The Awaited Hour'. Richard Stamelman's book, Perfume, tells the story of Charlotte Dalbo, a French woman imprisoned at Birkenau in 1943. Dalbo smuggled a bottle of Orgueil into a rare shower at the concentration camp and poured it between her breasts, being careful not to rinse it away. "What a fine name for that day," Stammelman reports Dalbo later wrote. Of course, Orgueil wasn't released until three years later, but it's a telling story all the same.

Orgueil's expression of the end of the war is both passionate and assertive. After is fruity opening, Orgueil relaxes into civet-laced, dry, white flowers. The flowers feel celebratory, but the forceful, animalic undercurrent of the scent seems to say, "You're gone, but I'm still here, and I've come back stronger than before."

Top notes are Aldehydes, Plum, Peach, and Sweet Pea
Heart notes are Carnation, Tuberose, Jasmine, Iris, Rose, Cloves, and Nutmeg
Base notes are Oak Moss, Sandalwood, Ambergris, and Leather

Offered here is a charming little golden flask, still sealed in in its original presentation box of this wonderful perfume. Hard to find and very collectible .. A gorgeous fragrance .. Damages to box ..