My nose is on a mini-vacation, but I found this beautiful vintage perfume ad with the goofy name and just had to share it.
I’ve never sniffed an Evyan perfume, but I do have an appreciation for the perfume house’s campy names, many of which evoke film melodramas, romance novel titles, and in a few cases, sex toys and paraphernalia.
Among Evyan's offerings? Menace (along with Enchanting Menace and Moonlight Menace); Stolen Heaven; Tiny Waist (!); White Shadows; The Baron; Satin Glide; Treasure Trove; and My Pet.
And then there’s…Gay Diversion. 1945 seems a tad late for the adjective “gay” not to connote homosexuality to mainstream readers. A quick look at the word’s etymology, however, suggests that “[s]lang meaning 'homosexual' (adj.) begins to appear in psychological writing late 1940s, evidently picked up from gay slang” and still carried the word’s centuries-old meanings: “full of joy, merry; lighthearted, carefree” and “wanton, lewd, and lascivious.” (From Etymonline.)
In any case, I hope this post provides its own kind of gay diversion for you, and if you’re interested in reading more about the etymology of the word “gay” (and who wouldn’t be?) check out this link. I was particularly taken with the 19th century epithet “gay cat," which also meant a “young hobo,” or someone who is new to the road and only occasionally works.
(Ad courtesy Vintage Ad Browser)
Hehe. That is a funny name. Now tell me, have you tried Molinard's 1937 perfume Homoerotic Musing? It's a "woody" chypre...very *woody* indeed. lol! ;-)
Posted by: robin | January 03, 2011 at 05:35 PM
Nuh uh!! You almost had me there, Robin! Hilarious.
Posted by: Perfumaniac | January 03, 2011 at 06:23 PM
My sweet, sheltered and clueless grandmother used to say, with a sigh, "That was such a NICE word!"
Posted by: Olfacta | January 03, 2011 at 08:41 PM
Satin Glide? Treasure Trove?? My Pet???
And why is my mind in the gutter? :)
Posted by: Mals86 | January 03, 2011 at 10:04 PM
Olfacta: I had a high school French teacher in Texas who used to RAIL about the word gay and how it was "hijacked by the homosexuals." Sounds like she did it in a less charming way than your grandma...
Mals: Satin Glide, especially. Although I guess that is also a dental floss? ;)
Posted by: Perfumaniac | January 03, 2011 at 10:47 PM
White Shadows? I think Evyan's most famous perfume is White Shoulders. Lots of women, including my mom, still wear it.
Posted by: rednails | January 04, 2011 at 08:44 PM
Hi rednails. According to Perfume Intelligence, which I linked to above, there was a White Shadows in '43 and '46. White Shoulders, orig. by Evyan and later Elizabeth Arden (or the other way around depending on the source), debuted in 45. I didn't include it in my campy name list because it seemed too familiar.
Posted by: Perfumaniac | January 04, 2011 at 09:29 PM