Lucien Lelong, Carefree, Fougère, 120 mls. or 4 oz. Flacon, Eau de Cologne, 1940, Paris, France ..

Born in Paris in 1889, Lucien Lelong learned the finer points of luxury, style and sophistication from his father, a thriving textile shop owner. At the age of 22, Lelong attended the Hautes Etudes Commerciales in Paris, and by 1914 had designed his first complete collection. In 1919, Lucien Lelong opened the couture house that would eventually become the training ground for fashion luminaries like Jean Ebel, Pierre Balmain, Christian Dior, and Hubert de Givenchy.

Success seemed to come overnight. Within a few years, Lucien Lelong had become undeniably influential in the Parisian fashion industry. Aside from serving as the President of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture for many years, he was widely recognized by his peers for his keen intuitive understanding of fabrics and their integral importance in the creation of a dress.

In 1924, as Lucien Lelong approached the pinnacle of his career, he began experimenting with fragrance. The inspiration for his perfumes, which he considered to be an integral part of a woman's style, came from his designs and the individual, enigmatic traits of the women who wore them. Initially, the man who would become known for his elaborate, collectible bottles and flacons, made no attempt to decoratively package his unique scents. However, when requests for his perfumes started coming in from as far away as America, Lelong became inspired. The Société des Parfums Lucien Lelong was born and would continue to thrive well after Lelong closed the door to his famed fashion house.

While there is little remaining about Carefree in my books or on the Internet, I find I love this fragrance. It is a classic fougère and was launched in 1940. Even though it may not seem obvious, a whole class of fragrances is named after ferns, and is known as the 'Fougère Family'. Fougère means "fern-like" in French and designates the whole class of modern fragrances inspired by the classic Fougère Royale by Houbigant, designed by Paul Parquet in 1882.

Fougère types of fragrances, which are especially prized as fragrances for men, typically have herbal lavender top notes with oak moss coumarin bases. Fragrances belonging to the Fougère family are characteristically fresh, mossy, cool, herbaceous and damp. The inspiration behind them is green lush woodlands where ferns are typically found, especially in the area known as La Couronne in France.

This Fougère is a green and herbaceous fragrance and has an underlying layer of gentle floral notes, particularly lavender, violet, and geranium. Tempered by some soft sandalwood, the result is a wonderful complex, and very discreet perfume with moderate sillage.

Top notes are Bergamot, Citrus, Neroli, Geranium, and Lemon
Heart notes are Lavender, Violet, Green notes, and Oak Moss
Base notes are Vetiver, and Sandalwood

Offered here is a very rare bottle of Lucien Lelong's lovely Carefree. It is the only one I have ever found. It comes in a wonderful masculine partially frosted flacon, which perfectly fits the hand of a man, and it is presented with a golden green bakelite screw top . The box is beautiful, chocolate brown with silver trim. A little worn on the bottom edges. It has been gently used by a previous owner and perhaps has experienced some evaporation. I would classify this as a fragrance suited both to men and woman alike.