Does anyone embody film noir more than Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart? Of course, there are many actors that starred successfully in this brooding, mysterious cinematic genre, but Bacall and Bogart still remain my idols. As I was going through the photo archives on my computer, I came across this shot of Lauren Bacall lighting up as she enjoys a cup of coffee. Yes, I know, smoking is a bad bad thing and ours is a non-smoking household. However, in the film noir genre, smoking is as ubiquitous as private detectives and femmes fatales!
This beautiful photo of Bacall, glamorous even at her most casual, made me wonder what perfume would she wear? Or, if you were to perfume her as she appears in this picture, what would you pick?
I will pick two winners: one winner chosen at random and one whose submission is most unexpected/creative. I will mail each winner a sample of the perfume that I would choose for this photo. The contest is now closed, I will announce the winners next week. Thank you to everyone for your beautiful, thoughtful comments!
Photo from imdb.com archives
She'd wear Timbuktu, by l'Artisan Parfumeur, austere, exotic, sensual.
Posted by: Sabina | January 21, 2012 at 10:27
Vintage Tabac Blond. I don't think I'd have recognized that as Bacall--when I saw the thumbnail on Facebook, I thought it was Romy Schneider.
Posted by: Francesca B. | January 21, 2012 at 10:44
I think I'd put her in what I'm wearing today: Chanel No. 19. I think the cool fragrance would match her "I don't give a damn" hauteur.
Not a fan of smoking either, but she does look fantastic here, doesn't she?
Posted by: RMF | January 21, 2012 at 10:47
one of the latest Miller Harris, perhaps?
rien or la fumee I would like to think
Posted by: Irina | January 21, 2012 at 10:53
I would have her wear Robert Piguet's Bandit. Not many women can pull it off, but the fabulous Lauren certainly could!
Posted by: Barbara | January 21, 2012 at 11:09
L'Artisan "Tea for Two", given the cup-and-saucer and the cigarette.
Beautiful Betty could wear dishwater and make it fabulous, frankly!
Posted by: Anna in Edinburgh | January 21, 2012 at 11:16
Oh, this is fun!
A dry chypre, with leather and some smokiness. Maybe some white flowers. Iris would be good. Not too glamorous or chic, she looks like a decent working class girl. Not too edgy, but something that makes her feel grown up and rebellious. I would say Cabochard by Grès (if only for its name).
Of course she herself would pick something completely different, something young women like to wear to shock, she could choose Angel e.g (if only for its big, big sillage).
Posted by: Annemarie | January 21, 2012 at 11:22
Magie Noire. Betty was a true dame.
Posted by: Nancy C. | January 21, 2012 at 11:40
In contrast to the casual image...She would wear green and powerful in a confident way... Ormonde Woman.
Posted by: Ceil | January 21, 2012 at 11:43
This is a photo of a very young Bacall and the setting (and her photo persona) are, in my opinion, low-rent (deliberately so - remember, I am talking about the 'character' here, not Miss Bacall herself). The styling of this photo suggests drugstore beauty counter aspiration (the 50s version of 'Bonwit Taylor':-)....I would put the character portrayed in this photo in Coty L'Aimant.
xoA
Posted by: Musette | January 21, 2012 at 11:46
* Jasmin et Tabac by Etat Libre d'Orange...smokey, tea, spicey and some floral for an unusual, quirky mix of everyday and gorgeous.
* I need to build! I only have two right now that I feel good about. Why do our body's chemistry's have to change? : )
* The Help.
* Thanks! I appreciate your blog. It's been educational and enjoyable....I am addicted, in the nicest possible way.
Posted by: wallynsyl@centurytel.net | January 21, 2012 at 12:02
I'm going with Malle's Dans Tes Bras - it's floral, salty, and fleshy.....like the skin of someone who just had a bath and then started to sweat a little (as they sat down with a cup of coffee, lit a cigarette and started going over their next script).
Posted by: Marko | January 21, 2012 at 12:04
Musette has hit it on the head when she talks about beauty counter aspirations (none of the other responses so far seem to have matched the fragrance to the young woman in the photo, but rather to Betty B in the fullness of her prime). But maybe not L'Aimant. I'd have gone for something like Lipstick Rose, or maybe Jasmin Noir? The latter's whisper of absinthe seems appropriate. The Coty, though, was at least of the period.
Posted by: Martyn | January 21, 2012 at 12:12
//laughing// I like your characterisation! I bet that's tea, though.
Posted by: Martyn | January 21, 2012 at 12:14
This is a beautiful photo. Dark and brooding film noir coupled with the casual and natural beauty of LB sounds like FM Une Rose to me. But I can see her in a radiant white floral a la Un Lys or Lys Mediterannee as well. Fun idea!
Posted by: Mo | January 21, 2012 at 12:49
Has to be Bulgari Black. Just like Bacall, it's edgy, beautiful, big city and full of character. And what else but Black for a film noir star?
Posted by: Shabbus | January 21, 2012 at 12:50
Antilope, by Weil.
Posted by: Beatis | January 21, 2012 at 12:55
Because Bacall embodies beauty, grace and strength.
Posted by: Beatis | January 21, 2012 at 12:56
Gee, that's a difficult one. I like the picture very much so I'd like to come up with something, but charming as she is, Bacall here is so not my type that I don't know what perfume would match, as I'm rarely interested in the kind of perfumes that I imagine would go with this kind of image. Still, choosing from the perfumes I do know, I'd say it would be Like This Etat Libre d'Orange （soothing and casual, yet very distinctive), or New Haarlem Bond no 9 (fits the coffee, and it's a warm scent).
Posted by: Xiaoxiongmao | January 21, 2012 at 12:56
Ah, Bacall. And I'd like that fab ring, too.
It's tempting to put her in a vintage leather chypre--that's always noir for me--or something new and quirky like Jasmin et Cigarette, but I do agree with comments above, there's a coolness to Lauren that suggests something green. So. Going with Niki de St. Phalle, in extrait, deep green and completely original, made by one fearless dame for another.
Posted by: alyssa | January 21, 2012 at 13:23
Or--why the hell not--Yatagan!
Posted by: alyssa | January 21, 2012 at 13:24
Lauren Bacall is wearing Acqua di Parma so she is ready for everything...coffee, cigarettes, aqua di parma and off she goes...for more adventures, standing by her man Humphrey! The unisex fragrance is just right for a femme fatale relaxing before the evening. For the evening she wears a silk dress and Angelique Encens!
Posted by: Nikki | January 21, 2012 at 13:29
I know it's not unexpected, but I just can't get beyond Tabac Blonde.
Posted by: Elisa | January 21, 2012 at 13:29
Alyssa: thanks! just tried the st phalle extrait, great choice!
Posted by: Nikki | January 21, 2012 at 13:30
Musette is right about the time and setting fitting the photo: then I would choose Tabu for her.
Posted by: Nikki | January 21, 2012 at 13:33
Tabac Blond or Tobacco Vanille. Both suitable for femme fatale like her.
Posted by: Melisa | January 21, 2012 at 13:40
Though I'm not usually one for layering, in this case I can't help myself. I'd pair the richness of vintage Arpege with the modern leather of Bulgari Black. Strange sounding, I know, but what's more noir than purringly animalic florals and dissonant leather? At once classic and modern, sensual and vivacious--I can't think of anything better!
Posted by: Matt | January 21, 2012 at 14:00
Chanel No. 5
Posted by: Tulip | January 21, 2012 at 14:00
Mr Tulip said OJ Ta'if. Couldn't resist asking him.
Posted by: Tulip | January 21, 2012 at 14:01
Hmmm. Something I can't help but incorporate when I see this vintage of Bacall is how darn young she was. Wasn't she something like 19 years old when she was shooting To Have and Have Not?
Which means I'm going to do something I don't often do in real life, and layer her. She's going to need an underpinning of something young but aspirational, but a smokey veneer over (not because of her cigarette, but because of what her cigarette represents -- the attempts to be fully grown up, an era of clubs with cigarette girls wandering the aisles, and, of course, they way she used that cigarette to steady her nerves, which made us all think she was made of steel. Of course, turned out she was. With that...
MODERN INTERPRETATION: Remnants of Juicy Coture on the sweater, a dab of recently acquired Amouage Homage Attar on her wrists.
VINTAGE/CONTEMPORARY: It's remnants of a department store floral on her sweater, some Lanvin My Sin on her wrists.
I'm enjoying all the ideas here, btw. I love the idea of her in something green as well.
Posted by: ScentScelf | January 21, 2012 at 14:06
My first instinct was tabac blond, but that seems too obvious. I would put her in something tender, that complements her appearance and toughish expression.. something that complements the picture rather than repeats it..a crystalline white floral..I think I'd put her in something like Ellie D or diorissimo -the tender vulnerability that she's trying to hide.
Posted by: Lavanya | January 21, 2012 at 14:07
I meant something that 'completes' the picture
Posted by: Lavanya | January 21, 2012 at 14:08
:) Oh, Mr. Tulip has a great taste! Not surprising, of course, considering that he has Mrs. Tulip as his guide.
Posted by: Victoria | January 21, 2012 at 14:11
Since Luca Turin compared smelling Aromatics Elixir to watching Bacall in the Big Sleep, that's what I will always associate her with.
Maybe too bold a fragrance for the Bacall in this photo, but it would most certainly suit some of the characters she portrayed.
Posted by: Austenfan | January 21, 2012 at 15:29
Caron Le 3eme Homme is the first thing I thought of.
Posted by: sheri | January 21, 2012 at 15:35
I think she's wearing Jolie Madame, with its dry, smokey leather over lush green florals and the animalic note which adds to the surprising complexity of the fragrance. A study in contrasts, like Bacall herself.
Posted by: carter | January 21, 2012 at 15:59
Couldn''t help but notice how contemporary she looks in that photo. Her hair, clothes and make-up would not be out of place for a young woman at a city cafe today.
Anyway, I will put her in Corday Toujours Moi for its beautiful tobacco notes.
Posted by: vinery | January 21, 2012 at 16:35
I agree. This photo is one of my favorites for this very reason.
Posted by: Victoria | January 21, 2012 at 16:41
What a great picture of Betty! She appears to be all business in this photo, sleeve precisely rolled up once; cigarette competently lit (she doesn't need a man offering a light), coffee waiting to be drunk, that tiny crease of concentration in the middle of her forehead. And check out the size of her ring!
Yet, the way she holds her head, the poise of the hand holding the lighter and her wisps of hair escaping the "bun", the way the cigarette is held between her lips, all underscore her beauty, with the hint of the femme fatale.
Maybe she is wearing Shalimar.
Posted by: TaffyJ | January 21, 2012 at 16:48
I would say L'Artisan "Tea for Two", because of the tea and the cigarette, (since I know many people get a cigarette note from this fragrance though I never have). It is a warm and sensual fragrance, to contrast with her cool beauty.
Posted by: Michelle Hunt | January 21, 2012 at 16:57
Very thoughtful.
Posted by: Kym | January 21, 2012 at 17:17
Me likey! Like DTB as well....
Posted by: Kym | January 21, 2012 at 17:18
Something in this picture reminds me of Paris in the 1940s, and although it is not of that period, I am reminded of the now sadly discontinued Deneuve fragrance; warm, classy, sensual, with an interesting spicyness that attracts the senses. (the long lost perfume version, "Cannes", is not a bad reproduction).
Posted by: Melancholybaby | January 21, 2012 at 17:22
Oh, Piguet Futur, for sure. Bracingly green and seemingly haughty... But with a warm and empathic heart of jasmine.
Posted by: Lily | January 21, 2012 at 17:30
I think she'd wear Creed 'Creed Royal English Leather 'It is warm and seductive like Miss Bacall
( Top notes are mandarin and bergamot; middle note is ambergris; base notes are leather and sandalwood. )
Oh and it's from the Mens range..She has the balls to carry it off..
Diana
Posted by: Diana | January 21, 2012 at 17:41
Great contrast in that photo - the lovely lady lighting up next to a cup of coffee in that delicate cup…it has to be Bois des Îles. The juxtaposition of florals on a slightly resinous base would be a natural fit here (or at least I think so!).
Posted by: MK | January 21, 2012 at 17:42
Vintage JM, to be clear.
Posted by: carter | January 21, 2012 at 18:29
Lighting up her first of the day over a cup of coffee. Looking glamou
rous and casual at the same time, I suspect feeling a touch delicate from the previous evening's events. She'd be looking for a pick me up to go along with the nicotine and caffeine. All-American, I think she'd have gone for for Blue Grass by Elizabeth Arden, which was new at the time. Coming forward to today, I think she'd have fallen in love with and remained loyal to EL Private Collection. My own pick for her would be Chanel Cristalle EDT.
Posted by: sunsetsong | January 21, 2012 at 18:53
Some time ago I scored a vintage Miss Dior on Ebay. It is a fierce creature with a prissy name. I see the beautiful Lauren wafting waves of Miss Dior, which would have the added effect of helping to mask her nasty cigarette habit!
Posted by: Cynthia | January 21, 2012 at 19:21
The casual hair and simple sweater say girl next door, but that serious finger bling quietly screams libidinous bon vivant. Ms. Bacall is a Carnal Flower, ultra feminine with a kick of no-nonsense green and musk priced at a level oh so much more than most fools could ever comprehend.
Posted by: samberg | January 21, 2012 at 19:59
Diorella! I don't know exactly, why, but Diorella was the first fragrance that came to my mind. There is a certain free spirit that shines through. I don't see her as femme fatale, or formally elegant. More like a "who cares, I live my life for myself" attitude - from her messy up-do, slightly rumpled sweater, to her smoking. My second choice would be Cristalle EdT, more or less the same spirit.
Love this contest by the way, so much fun :)
Posted by: irem | January 21, 2012 at 20:39
Nice!
Posted by: alyssa | January 21, 2012 at 21:35
Love all these comments. I smell a regular feature, V. <3
Posted by: alyssa | January 21, 2012 at 21:36
Love the comments too! Reading this thread is such a pleasure.
Posted by: Victoria | January 21, 2012 at 21:54
Oooh! you know, I thought about Tabu but was turned off because the lady who runs the laundry here wears current Tabu and it's enough to take the paint off your nails! But I went back and sniffed a vintage and...yes! I can definitely see this photo-gal in the 'real' Tabu!
xo
Posted by: Musette | January 21, 2012 at 22:19
Classic beauty, sophisticated with an edge and a "natural hair" depricting creativity in motion.......so fumerie turque, daim blonde,(by themselves or combined) l'arte de gucci.
Posted by: hongkongmom | January 21, 2012 at 22:35
I would say Vent Vert.
Posted by: Federico | January 22, 2012 at 02:40
She is wearing HABANITA by MOLINARD, so austere but extremly elegant, a woman sure of herself.
Maria
Posted by: Maria | January 22, 2012 at 03:25
I think she appears low key, but that's not her true self-- she's a smart cookie. I'm imagining a warm, come-hither fragrance with a lot of moxy. Got to be Dzing!
Posted by: Cristine | January 22, 2012 at 04:23
It would have to layer really well with the cigarette and coffee. I'd go with Cabochard Grès. My mom's perfume while I was a child. She was a chain smoker back then, and drank loads of coffee. No fancy bags, but Cabochard took care of it. (For the record, the tobaco bits in her otherwise beautiful lipsticks prevented me from becoming a smoker myself. Sometimes things are more complex than moralists usually assume.)
Posted by: solanace | January 22, 2012 at 04:58
what a fantastic idea!-absolutely adore the photo,it is so expressive one can almost smell the perfume-because it is early in the day can't be too dark,must be strong and assertive yet have warmth and passion...SCHERRER!(the vintage edp)Enjoyed so much reading everybody's comments!!
Posted by: Arianna | January 22, 2012 at 05:01
I would say she wears Carnal Flower. I certainly can't imagine her wearing a perfume that's too fruity/floral.
Posted by: Raluca | January 22, 2012 at 06:17
Balmain de Balmain
Posted by: vaiduakhu | January 22, 2012 at 06:30
Are you sure this is a photo of Lauren Bacall? The photo remembersme of Romy Schneider.
Lauren Bacall is an elegant, modern woman. She knows what she want an she get it. Her parfume may be Chanel's Cuir de Russie.
Posted by: Ingelinda | January 22, 2012 at 06:36
To me it could be Vent Vert
Posted by: Federico | January 22, 2012 at 06:44
I love this photo! She was so beautiful, but has a haunted, even desperate, expression on her face. I could see her wearing Coty Emeraude or Rochas Femme.
Posted by: Ann C. | January 22, 2012 at 06:56
I imagine her wearing Un Fleur de Cassie or in this picture something fresh and sensual to cut through (and compliment) the scent of tobacco: Equipage by Hermes.
Posted by: Nick | January 22, 2012 at 07:31
Cabotine by Gres ... though I wouldn't be surprised if she also just slapped on a bit of whatever Bogart had on his dresser.
Marvelous photo. Women were so sophisticated back then, even when they were barely out of girlhood.
Posted by: Marsi | January 22, 2012 at 08:24
I meant Cabochard and said Cabotine. Big difference ....
Posted by: Marsi | January 22, 2012 at 08:24
Amazone by Hermes
Posted by: Beth | January 22, 2012 at 08:25
Beautiful photo! Etheral! So i 'd love to think she might have been wearing grey flanel by giafranco bene. But i would put her as tom ford's muse, and think she would wear Violet BlOnde!!!
Posted by: Anne | January 22, 2012 at 09:07
Miss Balmain (the el cheapo rental facette) or Le Dix for the class?
Posted by: Andrea | January 22, 2012 at 09:33
Ingelinda: yes, I remember a photo of Romy similar to this as well but Romy was so much softer, more feline...than Bacall.
Posted by: Nikki | January 22, 2012 at 09:39
I completely see what you mean! She does remind me of Romy from this angle. But it is Bacall, this photo used to be on her official page.
Posted by: Victoria | January 22, 2012 at 09:40
It's a teacup people. A TEACUP!! Coffee mugs rarely have a saucer. She has a certain vulnerability in this photo, and perhaps her cigarette was a confidence builder? I'm going with 'Cuir d'Russie', which coincidentally was released the year Miss Bacall was born...1924. However, I am choosing this fragrance for what it embodies: natural elegance, blues/jazz night club, fine kid gloves placed casually on the table, her moist skin emanating the aura of deep red roses tropical memories of jasmine.. such a contrast from the smokiness of where she is. I have the feeling that she would be the type of woman who would commit to a favourite fragrance for quite a while, and in doing so, would leave the aura of herself after vacating the physical space of where she had just been. She seems both pensive and vulnerable in this photograph, and the photographer has completely captured this.
Posted by: Adrienne | January 22, 2012 at 10:01
I am thinking that it's so easy to envisage the husky voice, cigarettes, the sexy look, and interpret everything that Lauren Bacall came to stand for, into this photo. If I were to see it that way I think Habanita or Tabac Blonde are great choices. However, I was thinking of how I once tried to find some perfumes for a friend of mine whom (because of a fondness for Japanese design and culture, and an edgy designer herself)I thought would like things sleek and green, actually loved original Fendi. So, with all the choice that we are spoiled for today, I could imagine this young Bacall wearing Philosykos or perhaps Un Jardin en Mediterranée. Thanks for the fun :-)
Posted by: Asali | January 22, 2012 at 10:35
Tabac Blond (of course vintage) or Paloma Picasso.
Posted by: Alica | January 22, 2012 at 10:39
While I have BEEN that photo, albeit with much less beauty, grace, moxie, etc. I was wearing Sandlewood for Men by Elizabeth Arden and that's what came to mind seeing this picture. I still have some and dab it on when I need an extra layer of armor for a particularly trying day...
For present day, I can see Poivre Samarcande, JM Pom Noir or Straight to Heaven....
Thanks V, for a fun Sunday exercise!
Posted by: Rina | January 22, 2012 at 10:51
Hum.. I grew up in NY, and coffee was never drunk in a mug- most always served at home or in dinners, cafes, etc in a cup with saucer even the old heavy restaurant ware.
Posted by: Tulip | January 22, 2012 at 10:57
Just for the record, not the contest, Mr Tulip first said Jicky, and I first thought Cabochard.
Posted by: Tulip | January 22, 2012 at 10:59
straightforward cool: Lime Basil Mandarin (Jo Malone) I am thinking especially of the pleasant drydown's clear message of clean and effortless (unobvious)
masculinity fits both her youth and attitude.
Posted by: Cybele | January 22, 2012 at 11:32
She would wear Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois. Deep and mysterious.
Posted by: Ursula | January 22, 2012 at 12:11
I realize this isn't vintage but if she could wear anything, I'm going to say Jasmin et Cigarettes by Etat Libre d’Orange.
Posted by: Sujaan | January 22, 2012 at 12:18
Oh, it doesn't have to be vintage or from her time.
Posted by: Victoria | January 22, 2012 at 12:21
Youth Dew in its vintage bottle. It's more the photograph than Bacall herself that suggests that to me.
Posted by: marika | January 22, 2012 at 12:58
I think she would have loved Balenciaga Paris EDP. She was young, and looking at the gentle curl of her hair, the softness of her knit, and the fragility of her bracelet, I think she would have chosen a soft and familiar fragrance to draw comfort from as she stepped into the world of Hollywood and Projected the Screen Goddess image...and since we can choose anything without regard to historical accuracy, I am also pretending that it was a gift from Bogey himself!
Posted by: Andrea | January 22, 2012 at 13:08
Féminité du bois or CDG Avignon.
Posted by: Paola | January 22, 2012 at 13:12
I totally see the Tabac or the Tabu but I am thinking Rochas Femme. She is a idol of mine. She was so tough but real and vulnerable at the same time. That is rare on the big screen these days! Have a wonderful day all!
Posted by: Mare | January 22, 2012 at 13:13
I'd say Habanita, because it's smoky and rosy at the same time. It reminds me of a girl in a 40's nightclub.
Or maybe Jolie Madame, because it's vintage, tough, and pretty at the same time.
Posted by: Joan | January 22, 2012 at 13:17
I'd say Guerlain Vol de Nuit or Lucien Lelong Tailspin.
Posted by: Julie | January 22, 2012 at 13:44
I would try CERRUTI 1881 for its warm woody notes so well-balanced with the sensible floral notes on the top!
Posted by: Louisa Koulas | January 22, 2012 at 14:13
What a great contest,thank you,Victoria!
Looking at this gorgeous photo makes me think about Memoir Woman by Amouage or Back to Black by Killian,cant wait to hear what you have chosen yourself :)
Posted by: Katya | January 22, 2012 at 14:39
Definitely Scherrer by Scherrer.
Posted by: pam | January 22, 2012 at 15:31
Jasmin et Cigarette by Etat Libre D'Orange! Jasmine for the tea and Cigarette for the smoking!
Posted by: Joshua | January 22, 2012 at 15:39
I'm highly unoriginal, so I'm going to say Tabac Blonde....
Posted by: OperaFan | January 22, 2012 at 15:40
I would put her in Fracas
Posted by: dremybluz | January 22, 2012 at 15:51
fleur de cassis by malle
Posted by: umechie | January 22, 2012 at 16:13
Habanita, that's the first perfume that came to my mind when I saw the cigarette but then I thought it would be perfect for Lauren Bacall and the kind of films she made with Humphrey Bogart.
Posted by: Patty | January 22, 2012 at 16:13
If she had to choose one perfume it would be le baiser du dragon, no question about it. If she were to get creative to amuse her boredom she would put on turtle vetiver with a drop of jasmine absolute
Posted by: Amer | January 22, 2012 at 16:20
Let me just add that after I commented, I read some things about Bacall online, which lead to getting her bio "By Myself and Then Some" on Kindle, and I am frittering away the afternoon learning about her life... This contest has taken my day captive!:-). (I want to also correct my previous "Bogey" with "Bogie", now that I have immersed myself in Bacall-lore!)
Posted by: Andrea | January 22, 2012 at 16:53