d'Orsay
France PronunciationThe Parisian brand Parfums d'Orsay refers to Comte Gabriel Alfred Guillaume von d'Orsay (1801-1851), a dazzling dandy icon who led an artistic as well as luxurious life and, as... Read more
Interesting Facts
The Parisian brand Parfums d'Orsay refers to Comte Gabriel Alfred Guillaume von d'Orsay (1801-1851), a dazzling dandy icon who led an artistic as well as luxurious life and, as a dedicated perfumer, left behind many preserved recipes and ideas.
The Count achieved fame above all through a triangular relationship that was highly disreputable by the standards of the time: having grown up between Paris and London and in constant social and amorous contact with artists, the aristocracy and the rich bourgeoisie, he met the wife of his best friend Lord Blessington, Marguerite, in his mid-twenties and fell in undying love with her. Since this is mutual and the husband does not want to lose either his heart's friend or his wife, they decide to henceforth pay homage to love and indulge in passion together, which they do immediately during an extended trip to Italy. The lord becomes the count's patron and turns the elective kinship into a real kinship: he becomes his father-in-law. The daughter, just 15 years old from her first marriage, is married to a house friend. At first, she had no idea of the background and entanglements, but when she found out, she left her husband in a quarrel. Two years later, the lord died, and his widow lived openly in a wild marriage with the count.
In 1908, the Count's family, opening up a young market and, in honor of the fragrance-loving and -creating Chevalier d'Orsay, founded the Compagnie Française de Parfums d'Orsay and had a share in the pioneering achievements of perfumery in the first half of the 19th century. Great fragrances have since marked Parfum d'Orsay's path to success as milestones.
Since 2007, the storied house has been run by Marie Huet. She had some of the classic fragrances updated for the present and reformulated with a breath of fresh air in old formulas, which now together with completely new compositions continue the legacy of the famous count.
The Count achieved fame above all through a triangular relationship that was highly disreputable by the standards of the time: having grown up between Paris and London and in constant social and amorous contact with artists, the aristocracy and the rich bourgeoisie, he met the wife of his best friend Lord Blessington, Marguerite, in his mid-twenties and fell in undying love with her. Since this is mutual and the husband does not want to lose either his heart's friend or his wife, they decide to henceforth pay homage to love and indulge in passion together, which they do immediately during an extended trip to Italy. The lord becomes the count's patron and turns the elective kinship into a real kinship: he becomes his father-in-law. The daughter, just 15 years old from her first marriage, is married to a house friend. At first, she had no idea of the background and entanglements, but when she found out, she left her husband in a quarrel. Two years later, the lord died, and his widow lived openly in a wild marriage with the count.
In 1908, the Count's family, opening up a young market and, in honor of the fragrance-loving and -creating Chevalier d'Orsay, founded the Compagnie Française de Parfums d'Orsay and had a share in the pioneering achievements of perfumery in the first half of the 19th century. Great fragrances have since marked Parfum d'Orsay's path to success as milestones.
Since 2007, the storied house has been run by Marie Huet. She had some of the classic fragrances updated for the present and reformulated with a breath of fresh air in old formulas, which now together with completely new compositions continue the legacy of the famous count.
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