Pretexte by Lanvin c1937

Pretexte by Lanvin: launched in 1937, created by Andre Fraysse.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It is classified as an ambery floral chypre fragrance for women. It is a perfume with the classic bouquet of jasmine and roses against a chypre base of fresh greens and warm, precious woody notes for women.

" Prétexte, a cheerful fragrance, harmonizes its smile with yours. It smells of  jasmine, amber, hawthorns, daffodils, rose d'Anatolia, slight touch of Russian leather, and the chypre nuance of precious woody essences. Varied, it adapts to all natures. Light fragrance, Prétexte will be especially loved by blondes who will preferably use it during the day."

• Top notes: aldehydes, broom, cyclamen, seringa, linden blossom, daffodil, bergamot, hyacinth and narcissus
• Heart notes: orange blossom, Asian stephanotis, hay, Anatolian rose, carnation, jasmine, hawthorn, opoponax and iris
• Base notes: Russian leather, castoreum, patchouli, rosewood, ambergris, Mysore sandalwood, tonka, vetiver, civet, oakmoss

Marie-Claire, 1937:

"Pretexte by Lanvin: Spicy, subtle. Dominant note: amber, moss, flower of the woods. Do not use it with eau de Cologne, lotion or other perfumes. For the socialite; little notebook cluttered with fittings, bridges, teas, dinners in town.""

Drug and Cosmetic Industry - Volume 41, 1937:

"The box in white and burgundy, with modern lettering completes the package. "Pretexte," a fresh provocative perfume is the first perfume to be presented by Lanvin in three years. The fragrance is rich and unusual. It has a modern quality."

Le Petit Parisien : journal quotidien du soir, 1941:

"At Lanvin, Prétexte smells of precious wood. It is the enveloping hymn of the wet forest that exhales in an April smile all impregnated with the scents of roses, chypre and jasmine.

The New Yorker, 1947:

“Lanvin, always a great champion of femininity in her scents, offers Pretexte, which was first put together just before the war and almost immediately had to be withdrawn.”

Home Journal - Volume 102, 1948:

"For those individualists who make no concessions to seasons and prefer to wear lighter versions of winter pets, Lanvin’s haunting Pretexte is again available. It is called Eau de Lanvin in the Pretexte fragrance. Its reappearance should bring joy to many.”

Femme, 1950:

"When we mention a Lanvin perfume we almost always name Arpége. Without wishing to criticize this admirable composition, we believe that Prétexte is perhaps even better suited to fall and current fashion. Here's what a very qualified person thinks: Pretext, cheerful scent, harmonizes his smile with yours. It smells of precious woods, chypre, jasmine and roses; he sings of the wet forest. Varied, adapting to all natures, it is always your perfume. Chic and intimate, Prétexte proves you right. We can not say it better!"

L'Amour de l'art, 1950:

"A pretext for a smile and cheerfulness. With its fragrant contradiction of precious wood and jasmine, chypre and wet forest: it's a pretext for youth that will prove you right."

Cue, 1953:

"Velvety-textured Talc de Lanvin, encased in a really handsome black and gold plastic shaker, is just out in all five Lanvin fragrances— Arpege, My Sin, Scandal, Pretexte and Rumeur."

Combat, 1954:

"Pretext of Lanvin. An extract that summer tolerates, because if it is captivating by its jasmine depth, and luxurious by its muted leather accents, it has a spiritual and flowery start where we find hyacinth, cyclamen and daffodil. It requires a generous complexion, but also a great deal of finesse, and perhaps a touch of snobbery. It is a perfume that one dreams of encountering in an Italian museum or at the Saltzburg festival, but also in a lunar garden where specious talkers would linger."

Combat, 1959:

"Walking among the sparkles and the music of a gala night, the senses fulfilled, under the blue, gray, mauve, green or golden gazes of women who inspire pleasure, it happens that the sense of smell in turn picks up a uplifting message. No perfume harmonizes better than Prétexte de Lanvin with this adventitious quest. Ambergris gives it a kind of carnal fullness that makes one think of the aromatic pulp of Titian's nudes. It in no way blurs the delicate spring intoxication of broom and daffodils, finely jasmine and full-bodied by the intellectual aroma of Anatolian roses, which evokes, as if superimposed, the image of a majestic little girl measuring her height at the height of a hawthorn hedge. Smell of happiness."

Playbill, 1960:

"The fragrance more men admire, more women desire — Arpege— now in a refillable spray mist. Measured to give you just enough fragrance with every spray. Now in all Lanvin fragrances, My Sin, Pretexte, Rumeur, Scandal and Spanish Geranium."

Vogue - Volume 142, 1963:

“There’s a new concept of spray scents introduced by Lanvin in its Eau de Toilette. It’s push-button pure fragrance: no propellent necessary to make scented mists. More effervescent news; a refillable bottle, $5 plus tax for 2 ½ oz of Lanvin’s Natural Spray in Eau de Toilette of Arpege, My Sin, Crescendo, Scandal, Pretexte, Rumeur and Spanish Geranium.”

Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued in 1969.