Vague Souvenir by Guerlain c1912

 Vague Souvenir by Guerlain, launched in 1912 and created by Jacques Guerlain, evokes a poetic, dreamlike sentiment through its very name. The phrase "Vague Souvenir" is French, translating to "vague memory" or "faint recollection," and is pronounced [vag soo-vuh-neer]. It conjures images of fleeting thoughts, elusive memories that linger just at the edge of consciousness, much like the sensation of a familiar scent that brings a rush of emotion but remains just out of reach. The name alone evokes nostalgia, romance, and a longing for something lost to time. Guerlain, renowned for his ability to craft perfumes that connect with deep emotional undercurrents, may have drawn inspiration from such a poignant concept. The song "Vague Souvenir" from Leo Delibes' 1881 opera Lakmé may have influenced this choice, given the similar sentiments expressed in the opera.

The plot of Lakmé, set in British-colonized India, revolves around Lakmé, the daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her ill-fated romance with a British officer named Gérald. The opera explores themes of forbidden love, cultural clashes, and sacrifice. In the aria "Vague Souvenir," Lakmé reflects on the haunting pull of distant memories, touching on the fragility of emotions and moments that cannot be fully grasped but are deeply felt. In naming the perfume Vague Souvenir, Guerlain might have captured the essence of fleeting beauty, passion, and an exotic allure akin to the character of Lakmé herself.

The fragrance Vague Souvenir is classified as a fruity floral tobacco scent, which adds a tactile, grounded layer to its ethereal name. Fruity florals are often bright, sweet, and lush, while tobacco brings warmth, depth, and a touch of mystery. Together, they create a complex narrative of emotions, much like the bittersweet memories hinted at in the name. The fruity notes could represent joyful, lighthearted moments, while the tobacco adds the weight of nostalgia and lost time. This balance of fleeting joy and deeper, melancholic tones would have resonated deeply with women in the early 20th century, a time when emotions were often expressed through both personal fragrances and cultural references like opera.

In 1912, when Vague Souvenir was released, the world was on the cusp of great change. This was the era of the Belle Époque, a period of artistic flourishing, elegance, and an increasing fascination with exoticism. Opera was a significant influence on the arts, and it deeply impacted the world of perfumery. Operas like Lakmé, with their dramatic storytelling and rich cultural settings, fueled the imagination of audiences, transporting them to faraway lands. Women of this period, who often looked to fashion, art, and music to express their individuality and desires, would have been captivated by a perfume like Vague Souvenir. It promised to envelop them in a cloud of mystery and elegance, allowing them to embody the refined, emotional depth conveyed in operatic performances.

Jacques Guerlain's choice to create a perfume with such a name suggests his desire to evoke not only a sensory experience but also an emotional one. Vague Souvenir would have appealed to women who sought to express their inner complexity—those who were both wistful and daring, who longed for beauty and mystery but were also grounded in reality. In scent, Vague Souvenir may have conveyed the delicate, transient sweetness of flowers, perhaps jasmine or rose, blended with the ripe juiciness of fruits, like peach or apricot, and anchored by the rich, earthy undertones of tobacco. The perfume’s composition would mirror the notion of memories—sweet, yet shadowed by time and distance.

In this context, the perfume becomes a bridge between past and present, reflecting the growing cultural fascination with memory, art, and the blending of exotic and familiar themes. The influence of opera on perfumery during this era cannot be understated, as both art forms sought to create immersive, sensory experiences that moved people beyond the ordinary. Just as a particular aria could transport an audience to another world, Vague Souvenir could transport a wearer to the dreamy world of half-remembered moments, romantic longings, and the intoxicating beauty of fleeting memories.

Fragrance Composition:

What does it smell like? It is classified as a fruity floral tobacco fragrance for women.

• Top notes: plum, anise, jasmine, absinthe, lavender, bergamot, peach
• Middle notes: gardenia, carnation, jasmine, rose, orange blossom, ambrette, clove, marjoram, tobacco
• Base notes: musk, ylang ylang, tonka bean

Journal des Dames et des Modes, 1913:

"Thus, on the subject of perfumes, we learn that the year's new products from the Maison Guerlain are called 'Vague Souvenir', 'Pour Troubler', and 'Kadine'."

Harper's Bazaar, 1956:

"Vague Souvenir" — sweet and sun-blessed as a peach just ready to pluck. By Guerlain. 1/2 ounce, $86.50"

Recently I was lucky enough to have experienced the beauty that is Vague Souvenir. A friendly reader sent me a small sample and I was able to make out lush orange blossom, punctuated by hints of herbal lavender and licorice notes of anise and and wormwood (absinthe). Definite warm and sunny peach note mixed with bright bergamot, resting on a beautiful base incorporating powdery tonka bean, slightly animalic musk, ambrette seed, and tobacco, my overall impression is that this is a very smooth, sweetened composition. Scroll down for my complete review in the Scent Profile.

Scent Profile:

Vague Souvenir, a fruity floral tobacco fragrance, unfolds like an intricate tapestry of memory, each note evoking a specific mood, image, or sensation. As you first approach the perfume, the top notes greet you with an immediate burst of fruit and spice, drawing you into its complex world.

The initial scent is the luscious, juicy plum—dark, velvety, and ripened by the sun. Its sweetness is rich, almost syrupy, balanced by the intriguing sharpness of anise, which adds a licorice-like spiciness. This unexpected spice offsets the fruitiness, giving the opening an exotic, almost mysterious quality. Jasmine follows closely behind, its heady white petals softening the sharper notes with a sensual floral heart that feels almost narcotic. 

There's also a hint of absinthe, an herbal bitterness that conjures visions of smoky rooms and clandestine gatherings, providing an intriguing contrast to the sweeter elements. The cool, slightly medicinal scent of lavender emerges, adding a clean, crisp layer that blends with the citrusy brightness of bergamot, giving the composition a lift. The final note, peach, is like biting into the soft flesh of the fruit—juicy, sweet, and slightly tart, evoking warmth and summer.

As the perfume settles, the middle notes begin to unfurl, revealing a garden of florals and spices. The velvety, creamy scent of gardenia dominates, its thick floral richness complemented by the peppery, spicy undertones of carnation. The jasmine from the top notes continues to weave through the fragrance, now more deeply blended with the romantic, powdery sweetness of rose. 

The delicate, floral notes are brightened by the fresh, slightly sweet citrus of orange blossom, a scent that dances between innocence and sensuality. The warmth of ambrette, with its musky, nutty undertones, adds a comforting depth, while clove introduces a spicy warmth that feels like an embrace. The inclusion of marjoram, an herb with sweet, slightly floral qualities, balances the composition with a subtle earthiness. 

The most unexpected note in the heart is tobacco, which brings a soft smokiness, enveloping the florals with a hint of something deeply mysterious and grounded—evoking images of well-worn leather and distant memories.

Finally, as the fragrance settles into its base, the lingering notes of musk add a sensual, animalic warmth, blending seamlessly with the creamy, floral-spiced ylang-ylang. The perfume becomes softer, warmer, as the sweet, almost caramel-like scent of tonka bean joins the mix, imparting a smooth, velvety finish. 

The base notes are the fragrance’s foundation, grounding the vibrant florals and fruits with a cozy, comforting depth. The dry down is long-lasting and intimate, like a whispered memory of something beautiful yet slightly out of reach.

Overall, Vague Souvenir is a rich, multi-layered fragrance, each note adding a new dimension to the story. It starts with bright, bold fruits and spices, then moves into a warm, floral heart before settling into a comforting, slightly smoky finish. The scent is like a fleeting memory, sweet yet shadowed by time—a perfect embodiment of its name.

Scent Story:

I like to imagine story-like vignettes when I smell perfumes for the first time. 

Vague Souvenir conjures the image of a late 19th-century woman, elegantly dressed in the latest orange blossom and tonka bean fragrance, stepping into a dimly lit café with her handsome lover. His scent of musk lingers in the air as they take their seats. A waiter approaches with a carafe of ice water and a bottle of absinthe. Her lover, suave and attentive, pours the emerald liquid into her glass, placing a sugar cube on a slotted spoon and slowly dripping the cold water over it. The absinthe swirls into a milky, opalescent drink, releasing its intoxicating aroma of anise and licorice.

She nervously takes a sip, the cool, fragrant drink brushing her lips as her eyes linger on a single rose in a vase at their table. Lost in a mischievous thought, a small dribble escapes her lips, sliding down her chin and neck, mixing with the warm, powdery scent of her perfume. "Good girls don’t dance with la fée verte," she silently reminds herself, but the thrill of the moment fills her senses.

Across from her, her lover adjusts the spicy carnation in his buttonhole, a cigarette now dangling from his lips. The room fills with thick tobacco smoke, the rich, smoky tendrils swirling around them. The air hums with the scents of other patrons—musk, tobacco, and ambrette mingling with the herbal hints of lavender and marjoram from men's colognes, while the women laugh, their perfumes laced with jasmine and ylang-ylang.

He offers her a slice of ripe peach, fragrant with cloves and drizzled in honey. She gazes at him coyly as he places the succulent fruit between her lips. The heady combination of the narcotic absinthe and her swirling thoughts makes her giddy, and she closes her eyes, enveloped in a symphony of scent and sensation. The café, the perfume, the man—all meld together in a dreamlike haze of intoxicating pleasure.

Bottles:

Presented in the quadrilobe bottle (parfum). In the mid to late 1920s, it was presented in the beurre flacon (parfum), created by Baccarat for the 1925 Art Deco Expo in Paris. The label represents the crystal fountain created by Lalique for the expo's Grand Pavilion. Vague Souvenir was also available in the Flacon Capsule (lotion vegetale). It may have also been presented in the Goutte flacon (eau de toilette).

photo by ebay seller katybgood1

Fate of the Fragrance:

Vague Souvenir, a creation of Jacques Guerlain, was discontinued at an unknown date, but records show it was still available for purchase in 1963. This suggests that the fragrance, with its evocative blend of fruity, floral, and tobacco notes, resonated with women for nearly five decades. As it remained on the market through mid-century, Vague Souvenir likely appealed to a generation of women who cherished its nostalgic and luxurious aroma. By 1963, perfumery was evolving, but this Guerlain classic retained its place among those who favored its unique composition, which blended traditional elegance with a whisper of intrigue. Its continued presence into the 1960s speaks to the timelessness of Guerlain’s artistry, capturing a sense of romantic reverie that endured through changing times and tastes.