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Cartier Brings Back A Perfume Tradition From The ’20s

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Beauty

Cartier Brings Back A Perfume Tradition From The ’20s

The new Les Necessaires a Parfum fragrance cases from Cartier may take direct inspiration from the house’s archives, but don’t get it twisted: They make for a totally modern way to experience perfume.

by Gordon Ng  /   May 20, 2021
cartier perfume

A thing of beauty. Credit: Cartier

When you think of Cartier, you think invariably of a house that King Edward VII dubbed “jeweller of kings and king of jewellers”. It might surprise you to know then that the august maison actually has a treasure trove of lifestyle objects and accoutrements in its archives.

It was, after all, Jacques Cartier – grandson of brand founder Louis-Francois Cartier – who said “we are equally qualified to embellish a woman’s neckline with a dazzling necklace as we are to fill her bag with a compact, a mirror, a small comb and even visiting cards”.

READ MORE: Maillon De Cartier Is Your New Cartier Wrist Candy

These accompanying objects were, of course, informed by the bold and pioneering design spirit that Jacques Cartier suffused the house with when he led its London operations from 1909 to 1941.

One such object that’s getting a reboot is the vanity case, or what the house calls necessaires (French for “required”). In the early 20th century, these little cases were highly desirable objects of both beauty and utility.

READ MORE: Tick Talks: Investment Watches And The Value Of Good Horology Design

Conceived as a stylish way of carrying around lipstick, powder and even cigarettes in the roaring ’20s for a generation of women newly liberated and free to go out on their own, they’re as good as precursors to the dinky micro-bags of today, so to speak.

This month, Cartier is taking direct inspiration from that history and reviving the grand tradition of these as a collection of perfume cases that it calls Les Necessaires a Parfum.

READ MORE: A Classic Bag Debut At Cartier That’ll Be For Keeps

True to the brand’s dedication to craft, the house has even brought back the use of hand-applied lacquer and enamel, influenced by the Art Deco, Oriental and Islamic designs that it created in the ’20s and ’30s.

Nine of the brand’s signature fragrances (Declaration, L’Heure Mysterieuse and Baiser Vole among them, though the brand intends to expand its library of scents with time) have had their glass bottles updated to fit into these slender metal holders.

Simply slide one into a Necessaires a Parfum case and it’ll be secured magnetically, ready for slipping into a bag to bring on the go – or to proudly display on a shelf.


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https://www.femalemag.com.sg/gallery/beauty/cartier-les-necessaires-a-parfum-vanity-cases-perfume-20s/
Cartier Brings Back A Perfume Tradition From The '20s
Golden Gadroon metal case, $690
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Cartier
Silvery Gadroon metal case, $640
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Cartier
Savoir Faire metal case, $830
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Cartier
Savoir Faire metal case, $1,200
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Cartier
Savoir Faire metal case, $1,200
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A version of this article first appeared in the May 2021 Lust For Life edition of FEMALE

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