Thursday, October 27, 2016

Si by Schiaparelli c1957

Si by Schiaparelli: launched in 1957. "Si" got its name from the "Valse des Si." dedicated to her by composer Henri Sauguet. "Si" can mean both the musical note B and "it" — it also consists of the first and last letters of Schiaparelli). The perfume is also said to be from Juliette Greco's song "Si". Notice the musical notes on the advertisement below.



Fragrance Composition:


So what does it smell like? It was classified as a heavy, piquant floral oriental fragrance for women, described as "vibrant with spices". I need a sample to complete the note pyramid.
  • Top notes: citrus
  • Middle notes: rose, carnation, clove, cinnamon
  • Base notes: ambrette, vanilla, musk, amber, patchouli, myrrh, sandalwood


Billboard, 1957:
"Juliette Greco's new one, Si, will enjoy all-out promotional tie-ins with "Si," Schiaparelli's new perfume, in all stores carrying the Schiaparelli line, in radio stations, and in record stores."

Réalités, 1958:
"Schiaparelli's new perfume "Si" got its name from the "Valse des Si." dedicated to her by composer Henri Sauguet. "Si" can mean both the musical note B and "it" — it also consists of the first and last letters of Schiaparelli). It's scent is heavy, flowery and distinguished and comes in a bottle like a gilded column wrapped in a leaf of sheet music which is inscribed with the melody of the waltz, of course. "

Fodor's France, 1958:
"Schiaparelli...Meanwhile, there's a new one, "Si," which the French describe as "violent." Better Si for yourself."


Paris Personal, 1963:
""Si by Schiaparelli. Exceptionally good for brunettes. This is a very piquant perfume, and terribly sexy. At first contact, it is too screaming and violent. However, it assimilates so well that in a few minutes you think it had been born in the skin."



Bottles:


Presented in a gilded figural bottle representing a chianti flacon sealed with red wax.




Baccarat Cube Stoppered Bottles:


First presented in 1938 and used throughout the 1940s, this clear glass bottle was created to hold the pure parfum, and was not only used for Shocking, but served as a standard bottle for several other Schiaparelli perfumes such as So Sweet, Sleeping, Salut, Le Roy Soleil, Zut, etc. I believe that this sober bottle style was used in response to World War II restrictions on importations, especially glass bottles and supplies from Czechoslovakia and Italy.

This bottle is a domestic French product, Baccarat model #788, manufactured for Schiaparelli only. It is a tall, upright rectangular shape and features a faceted glass cube as the stopper. The smallest size features a stopper that has an attached dauber. The base of the bottle is usually molded with "Schiaparelli" and "French Bottle". 



Fate of the Fragrance:


Discontinued, date unknown.

CLICK HERE TO FIND SI PERFUME BY ELSA SCHIAPARELLI

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