Tuvaché (pronounced TOO-VAH-SHAY) of New York City. Established in 1932 by American perfumer Bernadine de Tuvaché (born Bernadine Angus, also known as Bernie Angus), originally a writer of several plays. Angels Island, Brown Sugar and Pie in the Sky, made it to Broadway. She changed her name to Bernadine de Tuvaché and preferred to be known as Madame de Tuvaché, which is a character from Gustav Flaubert's novel, Madame Bovary. Bernadine often used the name as a pen name and because of this, many people mistakenly thought she was of French origin. Though this worked in her favor as she didn't correct them, but instead, capitalized on the American women's preference for "French made" perfumes.
Ever since Bernadine de Tuvaché discovered that "perfume was the reason Cleopatra had such luck with Antony" she was interested in scents. It has been reported that her publicity girl found her experimenting with the mixing of perfume oils she picked up in the far places around the world such as Morocco and Tangiers.
The famous glass maker Verreries Brosse manufactured her perfume bottles, which often had interesting suede labels with pinked edges. Don Schreckengost, a ceramic artist designed some of her packaging from 1942-1945, in particular, the African head sculpture for the perfume Zezan.
She fiercely resented the fact that perfumes were being marketed with a "sexy" angle. "Do not lilacs in the rain stir emotions that are often prayerful and will not a bouquet of violets remind you of the tender kindness of your mother when you were very ill so long ago?"
Tuvaché's best known perfume was the 1932 classic Jungle Gardenia, though some of her rarer ones include the exotic Algiers and Zezan perfumes.
Dunkirk Evening Observer Details, 1945:
For many years Bernadine made a collection of rare and antique perfume bottles, her earnest hope was that when World War II ended, she could have them beautifully copied in France and hold her precious fragrances.
Press-Courier, 24 Aug 1946:
Tuvaché was sold in the late 1960's, after the death of Bernadine and her husband, and the company merged into Germaine Monteil. The Germaine Monteil scent, Laughter was then branded under the Tuvache name.
In 1967, the British-American Tobacco Company, LTD acquired such names as Yardley of London, Morny, Scandia, Germaine Monteil, and Tuvache for $60-million. These brands were lumped into a subsidiary British American Cosmetics (BAC), selling in more than one hundred and forty countries, with local manufacture in thirty-four countries.
In 1979, Beecham Cosmetics purchased Jovan, Yardley of London, Vitabath and other, more obscure brands such as Lentheric and Tuvache.
The fragrances of Tuvache were still held under the Germaine Monteil umbrella. A reformulated version of Jungle Gardenia was released in 1986.
Product Marketing, 1986:
In 1984, the perfume Laughter was handled by the Beecham name, but still under the Yardley of London parent company. By 1989 Tuvache was sold to the Jovan division of Coty who discontinued Jungle Gardenia and used the bottles for a different fragrance under the Jovan name.
In response to the many letters from loyal fans of Jungle Gardenia, Coty brought back the scent with the same name in the 1990s. Much to the demise of those loyal fans, this turned out to be a disappointing reformulated version. The easiest way to differentiate the original version from Coty's is that Coty had removed the Tuvaché name from the Jungle Gardenia brand and replaced it with their own. Because the new version was not well liked, it sold poorly and was quickly discontinued.
By 2004 the original Jungle Gardenia scent is being made again in the USA. It is no longer associated with Coty which is now owned by a German firm, GMBH.
Some interesting notes: Jungle Gardenia was given away by Bob Barker as a consolation prize to the losers on the daytime quiz show Truth Or Consequences from 1950-1958. Jungle Gardenia was a favorite perfume of Liz Taylor.
One unopened one-dram bottle of Lilac perfume was given away during the 1960 Presidential Campaign, made by Tuvache and in original red plastic folder imprinted: Saks Fifth Avenue Palm Beach, Fla., together with a one-page mimeographed biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy from the White House Office. The other perfume given out was Algiers.
From 1957, "With one whiff of Tuvaché Air Mist in each room you can drive stale tobacco smoke and odors away. Made by the creators of. the costliest perfumes in the world."
Ever since Bernadine de Tuvaché discovered that "perfume was the reason Cleopatra had such luck with Antony" she was interested in scents. It has been reported that her publicity girl found her experimenting with the mixing of perfume oils she picked up in the far places around the world such as Morocco and Tangiers.
Country Life, 1941:
"AN IDEA YOU CAN SMELL: a novel thought but true. More romance is what American perfumes need, said Bernadine Angus. While on a trip through Spain and North Africa, a whiff of a strange fragrance set her off. Result, de Tuvache perfumes: exciting, exotic - rare. Blending under her skilled direction is done in limited quantities to ensure perfection. At Bergdorf Goodman, Fifth Avenue. Have a sniff, and they'll have your money!"
The famous glass maker Verreries Brosse manufactured her perfume bottles, which often had interesting suede labels with pinked edges. Don Schreckengost, a ceramic artist designed some of her packaging from 1942-1945, in particular, the African head sculpture for the perfume Zezan.
She fiercely resented the fact that perfumes were being marketed with a "sexy" angle. "Do not lilacs in the rain stir emotions that are often prayerful and will not a bouquet of violets remind you of the tender kindness of your mother when you were very ill so long ago?"
Tuvaché's best known perfume was the 1932 classic Jungle Gardenia, though some of her rarer ones include the exotic Algiers and Zezan perfumes.
Dunkirk Evening Observer Details, 1945:
"OPA OKAYS $75 AN OUNCE CEILING ON PERFUME ZEZAN" By JOAN YOUNGER
New York, June 15 --(UP)-Bernadine de Tuvache, or Mrs. Howard Angus to her friends, sat in the scented suite today and discussed the simplicity .of getting OPA approval for a $75 an ounce (plus tax) ceiling price for perfume. "It was no 'trouble at all," she said. "I simply submitted the cost sheets on the rare oils' I used okay on the Zezan- --and got their price." The perfume was named Zezan. Madame de Tuvache likes the sound of Z's.-The OPA has nothing to do with this. It was put on the market last week, and doing very nicely, she said. According to Madame de Tuvache the perfume was compounded from oils imported "from all over the world" in a secret formula which took years of back ground and a year and a half of experimentation to work out. It was then aged for another year and presented to the public in one ounce bottles. The bottles are shrouded in gold-burnished sculpted African heads "for a romantic touch." It was not, however, the most expensive perfume in the world. An earlier Tuvache model, ''Jasmin of Egypt," topped it. Brought out in 1941, "Jasmin" sells for 100 an ounce (plus tax.)"
Madame de Tuvache, who formerly wrote plays, said that she became interested early in life in he history of perfume, and began collecting rare perfumes and rare perfume bottles. It became her business when friends asked that he compound perfumes for them, she said. "To me, perfume has existed largely because perfume makes women desirable to men," she said. "Perfume has an emotional quality--as powerful as music. It has also held religious significance. "It is an art with me. I am happy that people appreciate my art enough to want my perfume."
For many years Bernadine made a collection of rare and antique perfume bottles, her earnest hope was that when World War II ended, she could have them beautifully copied in France and hold her precious fragrances.
Press-Courier, 24 Aug 1946:
"The OPA took a sniff of perfume, a look at the cost sheets and set a ceiling price - $75 an ounce, plus tax. That was more than a year ago, Bernadine de Tuvache said yesterday, and her Zezan has been selling like crepes Suzette ever since.
"Men," says its creator, "are mad about it." She gave us a drop on a bit of cotton to try out on some. "Like a breath from the goddess of love," murmured a poetic male, sniffing our arm. "Be careful," warned our boss, "where you wear that stuff." The smell is an indefinable blend with a light spice tinge - as near as we can describe it. Miss de Tuvache, of course, won't say what's in it.
To wear it - or any other perfume - dangerously, she suggests you put a drop on a piece of cotton, twist it into a wisp of chiffon, fasten it to your garter or tuck it into your stockings. Tuck another amulet into your bra. Touch a soupcon to your ankles and knees, another whiff at the back hairline, a smidgen inside your elbows and at the wrists. Put another scented amulet in your handbag. Then, says Miss de Tuvache, you can do what perfume is supposed to do - "become a part of you, be so subtle, create such a mystery....it's not safe at all."
Zezan comes in a one ounce bottle only, set in a wood stand. Covered with a gold ceramic replica of the head of a primitive princess, packed in a wooden crate, tied and sealed with wax.
Its success doesn't surprise Miss de Tuvache. She got over that six years ago when she successfully presented a smell marked at $100 an ounce.
That's Jasmin in Egypt, which smells like its name. In addition, she markets eight other scents at prices ranging from $15 to $40 per ounces. None is designed to appeal to a teen-age market. She prides herself on their lasting qualities. "If you get it someplace where you don't want it," she says, "heaven help you."
Tuvaché was sold in the late 1960's, after the death of Bernadine and her husband, and the company merged into Germaine Monteil. The Germaine Monteil scent, Laughter was then branded under the Tuvache name.
In 1967, the British-American Tobacco Company, LTD acquired such names as Yardley of London, Morny, Scandia, Germaine Monteil, and Tuvache for $60-million. These brands were lumped into a subsidiary British American Cosmetics (BAC), selling in more than one hundred and forty countries, with local manufacture in thirty-four countries.
In 1979, Beecham Cosmetics purchased Jovan, Yardley of London, Vitabath and other, more obscure brands such as Lentheric and Tuvache.
The fragrances of Tuvache were still held under the Germaine Monteil umbrella. A reformulated version of Jungle Gardenia was released in 1986.
Product Marketing, 1986:
"The big news this year is from Tuvache, distributed through Chicago-based Yardley of London. The relaunched Jungle Gardenia will be available in gift sets this Christmas. “Jungle Gardenia Gift sets this Christmas."
In 1984, the perfume Laughter was handled by the Beecham name, but still under the Yardley of London parent company. By 1989 Tuvache was sold to the Jovan division of Coty who discontinued Jungle Gardenia and used the bottles for a different fragrance under the Jovan name.
In response to the many letters from loyal fans of Jungle Gardenia, Coty brought back the scent with the same name in the 1990s. Much to the demise of those loyal fans, this turned out to be a disappointing reformulated version. The easiest way to differentiate the original version from Coty's is that Coty had removed the Tuvaché name from the Jungle Gardenia brand and replaced it with their own. Because the new version was not well liked, it sold poorly and was quickly discontinued.
By 2004 the original Jungle Gardenia scent is being made again in the USA. It is no longer associated with Coty which is now owned by a German firm, GMBH.
Some interesting notes: Jungle Gardenia was given away by Bob Barker as a consolation prize to the losers on the daytime quiz show Truth Or Consequences from 1950-1958. Jungle Gardenia was a favorite perfume of Liz Taylor.
From 1957, "With one whiff of Tuvaché Air Mist in each room you can drive stale tobacco smoke and odors away. Made by the creators of. the costliest perfumes in the world."
No comments:
Post a Comment