Last stop on the Fabergé train after Flambeau, Woodhue, and Aphrodisia: Tigress.
Given its name, I thought Tigress was going to be an all-out, knock-me-over the head sexy (and maybe tacky?) scent. Just look at this faux-tiger fur cap and tell me I didn't have reason to assume this, or the 70s ad here featuring Lola "The Black Tigress" Falana, with the tagline, "Are you wild enough to wear it?" I mean, yes, I am...but Tigress was more of a languid, purring kitty cat than a wild animal.
According to Fragrantica, Tigress is an oriental fougère* with aldehyde, citrus, floral and spice notes, as well as oak moss, vanilla and amber.
Tigress starts off with a sharp blast of bergamot and a strong amber component undergirding the florals. I’m bad at guessing middle/heart notes, but I think it’s safe to say that rose, and maybe hyacinth, jasmine and carnation are among them. (Maybe orris?) It has a momentary soapiness/powderiness that makes it a lot more ladylike than you would think a perfume called “Tigress” would be.
That soapy/powdery Lady is quickly thawed out by a cinnamon note that gets this spicy fragrance cooking again. Although you can smell the vanilla and amber in the dry down, Tigress isn't cloying or overpowering. In fact, one of the things I like best about it is how it develops this amber/vanilla/cinnamon/spicy aspect into something fairly dry and mossy with incensey and even chalky facets.
As it dries down, a civet note lurches forward, only to retreat back into the shadows. (Lordy, I love civet.) I say this so much about so many fragrances that don't list civet in their offical notes, that I’m beginning to wonder if I should summon Oliver Sacks to perform some neurological tests on me to determine if “phantom civet apprehension” has not become a side effect of my obsessive sniffing.
In any case, with all this going on (aldehydic mossy incensey Oriental fougère, etc. etc.), Tigress should be a cacophonous mess. Instead, the notes are married together so well, and it feels like a coherent riff on Tabu, the ür-amber Oriental. After trying four Fabergés — Flambeau, Woodhue, Aphrodisia and now Tigress — I think the latter, especially in its dry down — is the one that holds up as "modern" more than the others. Perhaps it's modern in a niche sense, however, rather than in a commercial one.
Last but not least — a commentary on the advertising for Tigress over the years. I’ve included an ad from the 30s or 40s that says that Tigress is “the perfect perfume for furs.” Later, in the 60s, there’s a blonde woman with stripes covering her and the surrounding wall that reads “Wild! Is the word for the uninhibited jungle beat of Tigress Parfum Extraordinaire…made in France by Fabergé.” And then there's the tie-in for Cats, the musical, which I will refrain from snarking on.
But it’s the ad with singer Lola Falana that really interests me — and sort of depresses me. First off, it’s the first vintage ad in all of my searches that features a black woman. Before we all start golf-clapping that at least there’s one, let’s note that she’s depicted in a racially stereotypical way — as an “animal,” as “wild” sexually, etc. I mean, I realize that she was dubbed “The Black Tigress” for a while, but wouldn’t it be nice to see an ad with a woman of color just being a beautiful, elegant woman?
Anyway, stay tuned for Octavian Coifan of 1000Fragrances to give us definitive notes for these Fabergé fragrances. I definitely smell Tabu ("the perfume for prostitutes") quoted in Tigress, and he mentioned that he thinks Jean Carles, Tabu's composer, was behind these Fabergés. If any of these sound interesting to you, I would grab vintage versions off eBay, where they're relatively cheap. Some Fabergés are discontinued, but I hear Tigress is still in production and is supposed to be awful. Also, avoid The Vermont Country Store's reproductions.
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*Fougère is a fragrance category meaning "fern-like," but whose smell isn't akin to ferns. It has herbaceous notes on a base of mossy notes, and usually comprises bergamot, lavender, coumarin, and oakmoss. (Coumarin is the primary chemical in the tonka bean and has been described as smelling like vanilla and/or newly-mown hay.)
** (The Lola Falana Tigress ad is from the fabulously named blog, Temple of Schlock.)
Thanks for your series on these wonderful old Faberge fragrances. I love Tigress and I think your notes are right on. The development is wonderful--dryish and spicy. I can really wear this one. BTW,I agree about the ad with Lola in a tiger suit...beautiful, but sad too, from a sociological point of view. I like Woodhue also (and again, your notes make much sense to me) but it doesn't seem to last as well on me. I don't own Aphrodisia and don't know when I will but you never know, when collecting vintage frags. These vintage versions are definitely high-toned and on a par with Guerlain and Coty, IMHO. I am curious about another Faberge fragrance, Act IV, that I sometimes see. Any thoughts?
Posted by: Elizabeth | October 05, 2010 at 06:57 AM
Enabler! The hunting begins!
Cheryl
Posted by: Cheryl | October 05, 2010 at 10:12 AM
Actually also forgot to say...I can't wait to hear more about Jean Carles. He seems to be behind many of these fantastic self-assured vintage (or should we say classic) fragrances.
Posted by: Cheryl | October 05, 2010 at 11:08 AM
Unfortunately Faberge is not available here in Germany, except the man's perfume "Brut". I will have to "hunt" in US, which makes it difficult :-) but not hopeless.
BTW - I was intrigued by YOUR Blog to create a new one in German ( with translation button, of course) - if you like visit me there:
http://duftreise.blogspot.com/ Thank you, kind regards, Martina
Posted by: Martina Rosenberg | October 05, 2010 at 01:50 PM
Decant # 3 - Tigress: opens with orange and clove, to my nose it resembles Constant Comment tea! A little later, a gorgeous but quiet spicy rose comes through, just lovely. I caught vanilla and cinnamon in drydown. Not particulary long lasting, just a whiff under my nightshirt when I awoke.
Posted by: julie | October 24, 2011 at 11:20 AM
Just wanted to say I love your writing, but most of all love how you relish these vintage lovelies! my new fave blog for perfume knowledge enrichment. Tigress is one of my go-to's; and now I need to find Flambeau to try, thanks to your writeup on that one. Thanks for guessing on those unknown notes, I'm not as good at recognizing which notes blended to create ea fume's unique.. uh, song? =]
Posted by: lisaandtheword | April 16, 2012 at 04:15 PM
Hi lisaandtheword - thanks for liking the blog and letting me know! It's really gratifying to have a) readers b) readers who enjoy/learn from the writing and c) readers who let me know they enjoy Y's P! As for notes, I can only detect two or three at a time in perfume; the notes that I list on the blog generally come from books or other blogs. Thanks for stopping by, and if you get Flambeau, let us know what you think!
Posted by: Perfumaniac | April 16, 2012 at 04:38 PM
I need some help please and thank you. Brought up in the 50's and 60's my friends wore Faberge Tigress and I wore and love the Faberge that was green. Three were sold together, Tigress, Woodhue and my favorite the green one.. Do you know what the name of it was?
Posted by: donna pasqualini | January 14, 2014 at 06:09 PM
Hi Donna, Maybe Aphrodesia? I wrote about that, too. F Sharp? Maybe you can google Perfume Intelligence, and Faberge, and their list of perfumes will be something you recognize. Good luck!
Posted by: Perfumaniac | January 15, 2014 at 01:20 AM
I wore Tigress through the 70's and 80's. When I purchased a new bottle in the 80's, it had changed. Here I am 30 years later, still searching for a new fragrance that I can love as I did Tigress. I like Tresor, but cannot get Tigress out of my memory. Why oh why did they stop making the original?
Posted by: Cheryl | August 04, 2015 at 01:50 AM
Tigress was always my favorite. It stayed with you all day. Barbara Feldon of "Get Smart" also did a commercial. My second favorite from Faberge was Straw Hat. You could only buy it in the summertime but it was worth waiting for. The cap on this one was made of straw. Later they came out with a Straw Hat II that had a round green cap. I don't know if it was as good as the first Straw Hat which in my opinion was gorgeous.
Posted by: Paulette | March 24, 2016 at 04:50 AM
Ive always wanted to try Straw Hat! Now I want to even more...
Sent from my iPhone
Posted by: Perfumaniac | March 24, 2016 at 06:05 AM