We Love…1920s Perfume Bottles

“With the commercial boom in the 1920s perfume sales rocketed.  Ladies would apply their perfume before a night of dancing, to allure as well as to feel individual in a time of  new found freedom. To reinforce branding, manufacturers designed elaborate and beautiful glass bottles filled with the scent. Naturally France led the way with René Lalique designing opalescent styles for his own range as well as for cosmetic houses such as Nina Ricci. Czechoslovakia also produced pastel and amber coloured bottles with ornate stoppers which the lady would use to dab the perfume behind her ears. The more premium styles were made from malachite.

The design of the actual bottle mirrored other art deco styling with fanned strips of glass creating a geometric shape. An atomiser would be attached to gently pump the mist across the neckline.

Pressed glass bottles with matching powder pots were mass produced for a more affordable version.”

-Style Your Modern Vintage Home

 

Cleaning Tip

“To clean perfume bottles and remove all the previous scent, empty all existing fragrance. Pour in equal amount of white wine vinegar and water, and then shake after the lid is replaced. Leave this in for an hour then remove fully. Refill the bottle halfway with warm water, some washing up liquid and some uncooked rice. Shake this again and leave for an hour.  Empty the bottle and rinse out. Leave to dry fully before pouring in any other perfume.”

Photo by Simon Whitmore for FW Media, Style Your Modern Vintage Home

And here are some from my own collection. The glass cut one on the left was the first one I bought years ago from a car boot sale. It is silver with a heavy glass stopper. The middle pot was my grandmothers and sat on her dressing table for most of her life. And lastly the stainless steel one was a Christmas gift from Adam last year.

Lalique photo source: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6372491