Flashback: Perfumed Fans ("évantails") Used to Be a Thing

As regular readers of this blog know, I'm as interested in perfume culture as I am in perfume itself. So imagine my delight when I was reading one of my favorite blogs, World of Wonder, and came across this awesome excerpt from Arlene Dahl's 1965 advice book, unfortunately titled Always Ask a Man: Arlene Dahl's Key to Femininity.*

Mother to actor Lorenzo Lamas, this once Hollywood star-turned-advice- columnist/astrologer-paper-doll-maker (to read more about her, check out Bradford Shell Hammer's blog) provided a "useful" list detailing what Chic Is and What Chic Is Not.

Let's start with What Chic Is Not. It's not "Diamonds at breakfast." (Damn! I guess I'll have to clutch my pearls instead over my morning eggs and bacon.) It's also not "More than three colors in any ensemble" or "An aggressive manner." Among the things she thinks Chic Is: "A gay dinner hat."  "Taupe." And intriguingly — "Perfumed fans."

Really? In 1965? Perfumed fans seem like a thing from Louis XV's Perfumed Court era. A perfumed fan is also something I imagine a Southern Belle, back in the day, fluttering in front of her face while sitting in a swing on a plantation veranda. 

But I'm trying to imagine someone in Arlene Dahl's time (picture Joan Holloway from Mad Men, which is set in the early-to-mid-1960s) pulling out a perfumed fan! When would you do this? Wouldn't it look weird and unmodern?

Internet-trawling for perfumed fans netted some interesting information, though.

Perfume Intelligence tells us that from the 17th century onward, until perfume atomizers made their appearance in the second half of the 19th century, fans scented with perfume were one way of assuring you were in a fragrant environment. In the early part of the 20th century, many French perfume houses, including Rigaud and Parfums de Rosine, advertised their perfumes on perfumed fans. (See pics below.)

After the atomizer came out, perfumed fans became a means of advertising anything from funeral parlors (!) to champagne. I find it so interesting that perfume was once a vehicle for advertising homely, completely unrelated services and product. In my post on perfume nips, I discovered that even telephone companies sent out little plastic boxes of perfume nips to their customers! It's hard to imagine someone now handing you perfume as a means to sell you — I don't know — car insurance or something.

If you have any anecdotes or stories or information about perfumed fans and their use, do tell!

Comments

[david lincoln brooks]

I loved her as she played the sexy, ultra-glam trophy wife in 1955's WOMAN'S WORLD. Poor June Allyson couldn't keep up with her.

I've never sniffed MAIS OUI by Bourjois... have you? Correct me if I'm wrong, but even in the early 60's Bourjois was something of a dimestore/drugstore house, no?

[Perfumaniac]

Hi david lincoln brooks (speaking of what Chic Is: that name!). I will have to check out "Woman's World." Sounds like a camp classic! As for Mais Oui!, I just fished it out an put it on. It's a really beautiful aldehydic floral chypre with (possibly) a leather accord. From the looks of Bourjois ads, I think the perfumes were targeting a more modestly-budgeted woman, so you might be right about it being a drug-store brand. (Bourjois famously made Evening in Paris, after all.) The scent though? I'd die if we could get anything of this quality in the drugstore now! Thanks for stopping by.

[brie]

Loved Lorenzo Lamas in "Falcon's Crest" but did not know the history of his mother (knew about his father ,though). And I loved Chantilly as a child although in my time it was bought in the drug store-was it once a more prestigious perfume? I would have definitely loved a Chantilly scented fan for myself :) !! I totally agree with you, Barbara, the dime store scents of the past were glorious and would sell as niche today for over two hundred dollars a bottle!

[brie]

oh goodness, just caught the "sleeveless dresses on overweight women"- a faux pas for many nowadays and on the side of CHIC IS-"acting your age": not exactly something I do!

[Lucy]

yes, I will have to implement the "dos" immediately.

[Perfumaniac]

Lucy, does that mean youre going to get a gay dinner hat? Because if you do, I need pictures please.

[david lincoln brooks]

I sometimes wonder, don't you, about these "classy advice" book written by Hollywood movie stars during the Midcentury period. Joan Crawford also wrote a book about impeccable living during this period, offering detailed accounts of what the European aristocracy wore and favored and ate, what operas they attended, etc. She describing these things in an airy, offhanded way, as though they were second-nature to her.

I think such books may well be ghost-written--- the book simply using the star's visibility and perceived (concocted) image to sell. Because I think most Hollywood stars actually come from rather humble--- even sometimes tawdry--- families-of-origin.

[fleurdelys]

Goldurnit, Arlene, if I don't wear my diamonds at breakfast, where WILL I wear them? And taupe - really? Snore!

Seems that she's contradicting several of her own maxims with the un-chic #13, "playing it safe". Therefore I will strut around in multicolored tight pants and white plastic shoes, speaking in a loud, aggressive voice.

I kid. By the way, Arlene's husband Marc Rosen is a well-known bottle designer.

[julie]

As it happens, I just bought a fan. New, suitable inspired, I shall scent it. I think Mitsouko will be a good choice. To me it has that "mom's scarf drawer" accord that causes me to prefer it sprayed on something other than myself. Might as well endure menopause in style!

[Perfumaniac]

I think scenting a fan with a perfume that has "mom's scarf drawer" accord is a fantastic idea! Happy scented hot flashes! ;-)