Ah, if only an emperor would build me a Temple of Love with an amazing garden! And so goes the story of my favorite Perfume, Shalimar. (Shalimar means Temple of Love in Sanskrit) When Guerlain launched this wonderful fragrance in 1925 it came with a wonderful story full of romance and possibilities.
Once upon a time......In Northern India, four centuries ago, Shah Jahan, so dazzled by the beauty of Mumtaz Mahal, was determined to make her life a perpetual garden of delights. And so sprang from the earth the Gardens of Shalimar.
Meet the Shah and his Beloved...
Shalimar was created by Jacques Guerlain at a time when fascination with the Orient was sweeping Europe.
The Shalimar Garden does indeed exist! And the structures have been the inspiration of the bottles created by Baccarat .
Jacqueline Kennedy with President Mohammad Ayub Khan of Pakistan at the Shalimar Gardens, Lahore, Pakistan, March 22, 1962 - John F. Kennedy Library and Museum
Even the spray bottle evokes the railing here where we find the lovely Jacqueline Kennedy on her visit to the gardens in 1962. These spray bottles have evolved over the years picking up details found throughout the gardens.
In this series I am highlighting great designs, but design is not just a bottle or a beautiful garden with amazing structures. Design is pure delight when you can imagine that Jacques Guerlain could develop a scent that is feminine, oriental and frankly smells more and more like Crème Brule as the day goes on and the skin warms.
The fragrance can be described as vanilla, powdery, and sweet. It contains Bergamot, Lemon, Jasmine, Rose, Iris, Incense, Opopanax, Tonka Bean, and Vanilla.[4] It is considered to be an Oriental perfume which was popular during its conception. The top note of the fragrance is Bergamot. The middle notes are Iris and Opopanax. The base note is vanilla.[2]
It sounds like a great recipe to some - to me is smells like great design!
