Once upon a time the famous Rue de la Paix and place Vendôme in Paris were the center of fashion and beauty. If today they are the epicenter of jewelers, in the first part of XXth century it was the fashionable place for perfumers and great couturiers. Before Sephora was invented women went to their perfumer as to a fashion house and buying a fragrance was an act with rituals different from today's fast smell era. Guerlain was located for a very long period at 15, rue de la Paix and a perfume with this name was created to honor the street as a symbol of elegant taste. But something terrible happened just before WWI. 15 was not Guerlain property but the owners were Doucet family (who also had the very famous fashion house). For still unknown reasons Doucet did not want to renew the contract. Guerlain was forced to move its business to the actual Champs Elysées. It was a scandal in that era and the 2 parts went into court for a long trial (something like 9 years!). Newspapers like L'Illustration or Le Figaro reflected those events.
Today Guerlain has a store in Rue de la Paix, but it's located in the other side of the street, far away from the original place.
Also, the Champs Elysées building, once the house were the family lived, is not today 100% Guerlain. A very small plate near the entrance to Guerlain Spa shows who is near to Guerlain symbolic palace. One of them is the famous russian GAZPROM. Scented vapors and money making vapors, one fuel for the soul, another fuel for the economy and from time to time strong headache for UE.
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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art
