Vertes Faire!

While I am on a Schiaparelli roll here (bear with me, Savoir Faires), I am constantly inspired by Marcel Vertes who did most of the advertising copy for Schiaparelli Perfumes in the 40’s and 50’s.

In Vertes Schiaparelli recognised the talent and the means to convey the image of her perfumes that would create the most impact. The drawings are fresh, simple and just plain fun. Each ad usually features the Schiaparelli perfume in question, as either a living entity or something that the young lady in question cannot do without. The drawings are by no means politically correct for this current day and age. It really helped that Schiaparelli’s perfume bottles took on the forms of the top half or bottom of a woman’s torso or other everyday objects, such as pipes, candles and wine bottles.

Naked women abounded in the ads which must have been quite shocking for the day, even in the drawn form, prominently displayed in magazines.

Two of my favourites are the ones below, with the bottle of Shocking doubling for a young sailor’s current object of affection. They are full of sexual innuendo, however unlike today’s adds are not using sex to sell.

Again in the ad below the bottle is the object of this young man’s affection as he plies her with champagne.

Numerous times it is inferred that a bottle of Schiaparelli perfume is all that one needs to survive, whether being marooned on a beach or leaving home with your swag.

It wasn’t all sex and innuendo as we have below an incredibly chic young woman wearing her naval inspired beret holding a bottle of Salut.

Men (whether you were Santa or a playboy) always got the girls (all tongue in cheek of course), with the help of the bottle of perfume.

Adds for Snuff celebrated the Masculinity in all its glory, especially for the American male, who was not used to scenting oneself.

I have been collecting these ads for years and have framed quite a few and they are hanging in my hallway. They always gather some comment from friends and visitors alike.