How well I remember it!

I personally did not like or wear it. My favorite at that time was Chantilly Toilet Water.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Chantilly

I can remember my grandma getting Evening in Paris perfume in a little blue bottle every Christmas. She died on New Year's Day in 1948 so it has been around a long, long time.

It graced my gram's dresser for many years, so did the tiny bottle of Joy that she had.

Chantilly has certainly been around a long time. I remember White Shoulders too. And of course DH had to wear English Leather.

Susan, that's a funny story. I'm sure you liked Evening in Paris because it sounds "fancy" and the bottle is pretty. On the other hand, maybe you didn't think too much of your step-mother? (Forgive me if this is an inappropriate comment.)

S

Oh, I remember buying my mother Evening in Pairs for Christmas. Got it @ the Ben Franklin 5 & 10 cents store. Also remember buying her a "diamond" necklace & earrings from there. ::Big smiles::

No, that's fine, Socks/Susan. I was happy to have a mother again at that point. I thought we were giving her something special. A gift set! After a while we had our conflicts, though--which had nothing to do with Evening in Paris LOL--and we fought for years. It was pretty bad. Looking back, I have sympathy for both of us; we were both very different, and both found our situation difficult for different reasons. In the end, though, all was forgiven. We really loved each other, and I was with her when she died. She was my mother for 41 years. I miss her.

I remember very, very small bottles of that cologne that was given to my grandmother one Christmas as a gift from one of her students. She gave it to me, which I was into Ambush...faberge?? at the time. Do not remember whatever happen to it though. I think I remember I was not fond of the smell.

Every time I get the scent of Estee Lauder's "Youth Dew" I can just close my eyes & think of my Dear Mom as that is what she wore for years. I miss her so.

I saved my allowance and bought myself Evening in Paris when I was a young teen. My mother didn't like and always wore Coty's products. My next one after Paris was Tweed by Lentheric(sp?). Anyone remember that? I still remember the shape of the bottle. Then I moved on to Chanel No. 5. Funny how smells can take you back. When she was old, my mother and her house had a smell . It was pleasant and my daughter and I didn't know what it was. I was in Target one day and put some sample hand lotions on and that was it though it really wasn't. I met DD for dinner and held out my hand and she said..Grandma.

It was still around in the early sixties.......I sooo remember saving up to buy my Mother one of the gift sets from the local drugstore - the blue bottles with the gold lettering looked so elegant .... I was absolutely sure that this would be a Perfect present, to this day I have no idea what the scent was like. LOL

I don't know this perfume. My mom always got Chanel #5 from my dad back in the 60-70's. So are you all dissing it? Did anyone actually LIKE the smell? Growing up we bought my mom Tigress, and another cheaper one I cannot remember the name of. It was all about the packaging!! Avon products were also a hit, again it was all about the packaging!!

Speaking of perfume scents, years ago I bought regularly, from my local Avon lady. I bought a perfume after smelling the sample, called Timeless. I was wearing it shortly after getting it, (maybe too much on) and I could smell a dirty ashtray and hunted the house for it, then realized the dirty ashtray was me. I didn't smoke but that was how the perfume reacted with my body chemistry. I went on to wearing Tabu for a time then found Xia Xiang, don't know who made it, but I loved it. Then it was discontinued. Now I wear Red Door or White Diamonds.

As I mentioned in the "Midnight in Paris" thread, my 3 bottle set was bought by my then 16yr. suitor. We never became a couple, but he tried his best for many years and even into adulthood. I think the set consisted of a bottle of perfume, a bottle of what they used to call "toilet water" right? Sounds like some of you will compare the scent? ;), and then a smaller bottle of perfume but not sure of the third. I liked the scent, but you know I don't think I used much of it. In those early days, I was a bit of a tom-boy, perhaps that's why.

Now I wish I had that set. Whatever possessed me to get rid of it after all those years? At least I don't THINK it's in a drawer or cubby somewhere.

So are you all dissing it? Did anyone actually LIKE the smell?

I don't think we're exactly dissing it Arcy, it's just that it probably cost all of 59 cents back in the day. Of course, the 3 piece gift said would have been LOTS more money... say $1.50??... LOL It brings back fond memories for me... you know,,, child buying cherished mama the *perfect* gift with heart overflowing with love. :-))

I don't really remember how it smelled, but probably would recall it if I had the opportunity.

Good answer, Bee!

Alisande, being a step-mother cannot be easy, nor can being a step-child. Must have been very worrisome for an 11-year-old. Glad you mended the fences over time.

Actually--maybe Evening in Paris wasn't too bad. I don't want to pay $30 to find out.

I don't remember my mother wearing any perfume or getting any for Christmas or birthdays either. Money was always an issue in our family so I guess it just would've been impractical. Later on she wore Red Door or Fiama.

I liked Shalimar when I was young. Now I wonder how I could stand it. It's overwhelming, to say the least.

I like reading about and remembering these old perfumes.

I remember Evening in Paris, and thought I was really hot stuff when I bought a bottle at Woolworth's 5 & 10. It didn't take me long to figure out it really smelled bad (in my opinion!) When I was a young working gal I wore Arpege exclusively and everyone would comment on how wonderful it smelled on me.

Now I don't wear any perfume as I have discovered how much a scent on someone else would sometimes go so far as to even turn my stomach. I wondered how I smelled to others when I wore perfume, so I just stopped, even though I have five bottles of good perfume on my dresser.

My mother wore Chanel #5. Once I gave her a carrot to hold for me until my riding lesson ended. She wrapped it in a handkerchief and put it in her purse. Big mistake. The horse wouldn't eat it!

When I was graduating from high school a lady appeared on our doorstep, bearing a large bottle of Shalimar perfume in a purple velvet fitted case. I was astoundeed to learn that her son had had a huge crush on me throughout school, and she was giving me this 'for him'. (He had died of leukemia the summer after eigth grade -- first 'wake' I'd ever attended.) The scent was much too strong for a young woman, and I gave it away. However, the purple velvet case came in handy years later when DS's long-lived goldfish, Flash, died and was in need of a 'casket'.

I recall a book in which a young girl searched for years to find the 'perfume' she associated with her late mother. It turned out to be Pond's Cold Cream.

My favorites were Joy and Fiamma.

If we are going to reminiscence about our "scents" I'll chime in here with this.

As I said, I preferred Chantilly Toilet water. Couldn't and still can't bear those strong perfumes.

So Valentines day was coming and my "Steady" at that time was away so I didn't get a Valentine gift. Two days later he brought me a gift. Nicely wrapped was the Chantilly Toilet water. He had also enclosed a poem that he wrote.

Here is the poem:

The gift is late, and I'm late, too.
The scent is sweet,. and so are you.
So please accept this gift of mine
And be my lovely Valentine.

Romantic, right? I was 18 at the time.

Sue

I'm enjoying all your responses. When I was 17, my boyfriend's best friend, who was in the Navy, brought me a bottle of Chanel No. 5 from France. I still love it all these years later, and occasionally my daughter buys it for me.

For some years my signature scent was Givenchy's Amarige. People always asked me what it was, and said they loved it. I bought myself a bottle at Sam's Club last Christmas because the price was affordable for me, but it "turned" after a short time.

After that, I used a gift card to buy Design by Paul Sebastian. Very floral, very nice. I had never heard of it, so I was surprised when my cousin emailed me a few weeks later to say she had smelled a perfume called Design on someone, liked it, and now she's wearing it.

I just received a bottle of Amarige as a Christmas gift, so now I'll be back to wearing that.

I hope that's fresh stock of Evening in Paris that VCS is selling. I've found most of the time scents turn bad before I've finished the bottle.

Oh, and I always loved Joy, too. I read yesterday that Arpege, Joy, and Chanel No. 5 are the three best known perfumes in the world.

Chisue, wasn't Fiamma the best smell ever? It was made by Princess Marcella Biorghese and they quit making it. My sister found some on line--and I told her NOT to buy it because it had to be 15 years old or more. But she did and it, surprise, surprise, was rancid. She paid big bucks for it, too. I sure wish they'd bring it back. You're the only person I know who's heard of it.

When I wear any these days, I wear Ellen Tracy.

alisande; About twenty years ago my husband bought me some Design for Christmas. After being asked to describe me, the saleswoman suggested Design. I loved it and again got comments when I wore it. Several men later told me that they got some for their wives but it didn't smell the same on them. I guess body chemistry makes all the difference.

I loved Design too. Too bad you can't get it anymore.

Good news, Maxmom--Design is still available. I saw it at Macy's last year, and at Walmart recently. My cousin just bought hers in Connecticut. I think Amazon has it, too.

I loved the little vial with the navy blue tassel. It seemed so feminine, luxurious, and seductive. They sold it at our local dime store, and I bet I bought one for my mother at one point or another.

I had 2 sisters and a brother, and the gift exchanges at school at Christmas often were the cheap perfumes from the dime store for us girls. As we got older, we would throw it out, but my brother, whose chore was garbage detail, set it aside for later use. When he washed out the garbage cans, he would deoderize them with a gurgle or two of Lillies of the Valley or Evening in Paris.

I still wear Joy, pretty much everyday (when I'm not in clinicals). I also love Creed's Spring Flowers.

But in the day--Love's Baby Soft. Or Love's Fresh Lemon

Oh, Lillies of the Valley....I SO remember that one. My Dad bought some perfume for my Mom one Christmas (very expensive) and she didn't like it and NEVER let him forget how much she hated it. I remember sneaking into her room to test it, and didn't think it was so bad. Evening in Paris I well remember as well. The Faberge one that was my favorite was Woodhue and I still have the box of powder (refilled many times with other talcs) and many of those teeny sample bottles of fragrance that Avon used to give away. (Somewhere) Thanks for the memories. (Susan: an interesting topic to add to our creative writing project, huh?)

Omigosh, Nanny, I hadn't thought of that. But you're right!

Thanks, alisande. As I mentioned earlier, I don't wear scents of any kind now as I have realized how others sometimes react negatively to them. However, if I can find Design I might relent a bit. It was a woman in Dillards some years ago that told me it was no longer made. Wonder if the stuff you can get at Walmart still smells the same.

BTW, is there any reliable way you can use a scent and know how you smell, if it is too much, without someone being there to give you the sniff test before you go out?

Brings back memories. My Mom had a big bottle of evening in Paris on her bedroom dresser for about 40 years. I don't know where she got it. She also had a bottle of Chanel No. Five my father gave her back in the 1940's . I don't think she ever wore the Evening in Paris but I do remember trying it myself so I recall the scent. Very strong.

I found a small bottle of Evening in Paris in my Mom's things. Don't know who gave it to her, but she held onto it. Certain things just make you stop..and that bottle brought back a lot of memories. I think I will bring it home.

Evening in Paris was reformulated in the early 90s and is still being made. It's now owned by Chanel, IIRC. Am pretty sure that the Vermont Country Store sells new bottles.

My mother never wore EIP; her favorite was Shalimar, which was way too strong for her. My father loved buying it for her every Christmas. I've been allergic to perfume for a few decades, so no longer wear it. I did love Joy, L'Air du Temps, Chanel#5, and Miss Dior. My favorite was L'Heure Bleue, another Guerlain fragrance. It's very sultry and moody, not me at all, but I'd still wear it, at least at home, if I could.

Below is a link to a very enjoyable site all about perfume.

Here is a link that might be useful: Perfumes we love

I still wear Chanel #5. Have lots of Avon Timeless around but don't often wear it. Even have Xia Xiang and L'Air du Temps. Never quite understood the big deal about L'Air du Temps. I hate it but can't throw it away because someone paid good money to give it to me. I've probably had it 35 years.

When I was in high school (late 60s early 70s), I took some magazine poll that would tell me the perfect perfume for me. The perfume was Intimate by Revlon so I went out and bought some ... absolutely hated it.

Jodi-

Remember in the early 70's "Musk" became really popular. It was very heavy. And some people just slathered it all over. OMG! It got soooo sickening.

I don't wear scent often but to this day I like Chantilly. I always get compliments on it. One male friend once told me I smelled nice and didn't "stink" like other women.LOL My best scent as a teen was Woodhue by Faberge. I also wore Stradivarius by Prince Matchabelli.

I have always relied on the male reaction to what I wore. Did you know that musky scented perfume was developed to appeal to a woman's senses? Most guys don't care for it and many can't stand it. Women are said to be a 1000 times more sensitive to musk.

I remember when the scent Cachet came out. I was dating DH at the time. Ended up squeezed in a friend's Volkswagon Bug going somewhere with him and four guys. One of the guys went, "Eeww which one of you drowned yourselves in the Aqua Velva?" Last time I wore that stuff. LOL

Maxmom, Design is still made, I can't tell you if it's been redesigned but many fragrances have since some ingredients have been taken off the market. I smelled it not to long ago and it's a very gardenia-ish type scent. You may want to try Burberry if you like that scent...readily available. I see Design at TJ Maxx all the time, it is still in production according to basenotes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Burberry for women

Tabu! That was the one my mom liked. I have smelled it in the high school halls so it must still be out there somewhere.
I have always been a flower girl. Tatiana, now Sand and Sable, a small oil purchased by my brother at a garage sale when we were kids go me started. It said Xang Xang on it but it didn't smell anything like the one I see sold now. Lily ov the Valley and Jasmine are nice. Musks, lemon,spices not me. The strongest scents I notice on ladies smell like bug spray to me!!

Neat website, Arkansas Girl! It gives all the I went from Burberry For Women to Design, and then to Amarige. I got a kick out of the Amarige consumer comments, as they echo my feelings about the scent. I once read one of those magazine articles about choosing the best perfume for you, and they categorized Amarige as "sporty." I thought Huh?? I always felt it was best for evening occasions, and very sensual. As a French woman put it some years ago, "Mmmm.......sexy!!"

Maxmom, Design from Walmart smells the same as the Design I remember smelling (and loving) years ago.

Great thread! I remember loving most of these scents, but I don't remember Evening in Paris for some reason. I wonder if it is the scent my beloved aunt always wore - to me, it smelled of apples and pears. I can still "see" her bottle in my mind's eye, but I cannot "read" it.

My mom wore nothing but White Shoulders, and I love Channel #5 but will try others; recently my dtr gave me GreenTea. Very nice.

I got my first bottle of perfume (Evening in Paris) for my birthday...maybe my 10th? When I went to school, my youngest sister decided she would put some on and dropped the bottle. I got to use it once. But our bedroom reeked of it for a looooong time!

Patti -- We should petition Revlon to re-issue Fiamma. They're the parent company for Borghese. (Who *their* 'parents' are, I can't guess. Doesn't Nestle own half the world?)

I posted a picture here a while back when we were talking about things we collect. I collect Evening in Paris bottles. Some of them are still full and it smells just like it did way back then. Some perfumes lose their fragrance or it changed over the years, but Evening in Paris is the same. I can't find the picture on my computer right now, and I'm too lazy to take another one right now, but I have a pretty extensive collection, I sort of quit because I realized by children don't have the same interest in it that I do and they won't want it after I'm gone, so I will just enjoy the collection I have and not accumulate more. We used to give the little vials and a hankie for a gift...I have four of those vials. I love to look at my collection and "go back in time"...I also have a bottle of Blue Waltz and it also still smells the same...

Anyone remember "coty"? if you do you are old as me.

I remember the '70's Musk scent well, beeohio. I worked on the 8th floor and the scent was so overpowering in the elevator I almost gagged every time I had to take it. Your right, a very little bit went a long way and most people used way too much. If I remember correctly there was a mens version too. Made the elevator doubly stinky.

Jodi,
Once in a while I still wear my Chanel #5.
And my teenage daughter asked and Santa brought her, her
own mini bottle too.
I love the scent.

Goldy,
YES!!! I remember Coty and proud to be your age.
: )

Sue-Va,

Chantilly, sadly I wore this so often I think I stunk
up the neighborhood.

Does anyone remember the horrible ads for Lovs baby soft?

I begged my mother for this perfume. Maybe because I have
teen daughters this ad just annoys me.

~bp

I wore Love's Baby Soft! I think in Jr. High...it was the 80s, then I got Exclamation and wore that for awhile. In high school I wore CK One. It was supposed to be for men or women.

My mom always wore Calvin Klein's Obsession. I never smell that on anyone anymore.

I don't wear any perfume now, it makes me sick. But I still have nostalgia for some men's cologne that I really liked in high school...Cool Water, Drakkar Noir, Nautica, and I think my favorite was Eternity for Men. My friends and I would go to the Dept. store at the mall and spray it on the little paper slips and then carry them around smelling them, hahahaha.

BP, I think your daughter has classic good taste. :-)

I wear different fragrances for different moods or settings. I always wear Tuscany when I will be seeing my daughter as this is the fragrance she associates with me.

There are a couple people who associate me with Ciara, so, like Tuscany, I wear Ciara when I'm going to see those people.

I wear Chanel #5 when I'm feeling nostalgic and vulnerable. To me the scent is light and not too much of any one note.

JenMonkey, I can tell you're a youngster (in comparison to many others at the KT) just by the men's colognes you listed.

These colognes will bring back a few memories for the older folk... English Leather. Russian Leather. Old Spice. Polo (a bit newer than the first three). Back in the 80's I swear every guy I encountered wore Polo and my boss at the time, I'm certain, bathed in it.

Jodi-

I loved ALL Love products. I wore them exclusively. When did they stop making them? My daughter cracked up recently because her 13 year old son wanted Old Spice which she considers an old man fragrance since my father wore it. But he loves it. I used to love a man wearing Mennen's skin bracer. Very clean preppy smell.

Continuing the men's scents theme... My uncle wore Bay Rum. His shaving soap was Bay Rum too -- a little cake of soap that he used to create a lather with a wet shaving brush. He also used a straight razor!