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 The
seventies may best be described as a period of transformation.
Caught between the "free love" generation of the hippies and
the "me" generation of the yuppies, the '70s were the era
of Watergate and bra burning, of Vietnam and roller-skating,
of radical days and boogie nights. Freedom, opulence, and
drugs were the themes for the decade with an identity crisis.
For the perfume industry, the '70s were a coming of age, continuing
the trend away from small, exclusive perfume houses and toward
big business. The decade began with the revival of an industry
giant. December 1970 saw the release of some test samples
of Chanel Nș19, which was only the second new release by Chanel
since 1931. It was also a defining moment in the life and
growing legend of Coco Chanel. In a move that still puzzles
the fashion world, Coco Chanel closed her couture house in
1939. Then in 1954, Chanel made her comeback with a highly
anticipated new collection.
The critics were not kind, but by 1959, Chanel's
fashion philosophy had permeated the fashion world. It was
an amazing return to form for Chanel, and it raised her status
to legend within the industry. She then began to push Parfums
Chanel to launch a new fragrance. Parfums Chanel balked at
the release of the perfume for fear that it would undermine
the success of Nș5. But Coco Chanel's determination would
bring Nș19's launch to pass. She threatened to launch the
perfume on her own, which would only hurt the house. They
eventually gave in to Coco. In January of '71, Coco Chanel
passed away. While Nș19 was considered to defy classification
in the traditional ranges, it is generally considered to fall
within the class of floral-green fragrances. During the '70s,
the most popular perfumes typically came from two categories
of fragrances - florals and chypres.
A few famous fashion names offered floral perfumes
in the '70s, including Oscar de la Renta and Bill Blass. Bill
Blass had a floral heart combined with woody base notes and
top notes of pineapple, bergamot, and galbanum. Oscar de la
Renta was an ambery floral with a heart of jasmine, tuberose,
May rose, lavender, and orchid, combined with fruity top notes
and base notes of clove, myrrh, and amber. In 1972, Christian
Dior Perfumes launched Diorella, which has been described
as an ethereal chypre blend. Dior Perfumes would try to capitalize
on the trend of women wearing men's fragrances by making a
stronger, more aggressive scent marketed for women. Diorella
helped to establish the chypre fragrance as the other predominant
fragrant class in the '70s. While the term chypre originally
referred to perfumes produced on the Mediterranean island
of Cyprus, the modern definition refers to fragrances that
follow the general composition of the classic Chypre by Coty,
released in 1917.
The '70s saw many successful chypre fragrances
hit the shelves. Halston, released in 1975, was a best seller
and continues to be today. This signature fragrance from Halston
Borghese was considered a floral-chypre, based on its heart
notes including jasmine, rose, marigold, and carnation. Another
chypre-floral launched in the '70s was Coriandre by Couturier.
Launched in 1973, Coriandre followed the basic chypre formula
with the addition of a large percentage of magnolione, a material
similar to hedoine but with more of a jasmine quality. With
famous fashion labels flooding the market, a perfume with
the world famous Yves Saint Laurent signature seemed like
a sure success. 
However, with such a revolutionary designer
involved, a revolutionary perfume should have been expected.
With Opium, that is exactly what the world got. Opium was
the first perfume of importance to further develop the Oriental
theme by combining the two existing types of Orientals found
in Youth Dew and Shalimar. The composition for Opium was developed
according to American proportions, using one part oil to four
parts liquid.
The '70s was a decade of success for stylish
signature perfumes. It opened the door for trendy perfumes
of many genres and in all price ranges. Gone were the days
of small perfumeries that sold based on their reputation.
Instead, large distributors looked for famous fashion names
and flashy advertising campaigns to sell as much perfume as
they could, as fast as they could. For the perfume industry,
the decade was the end of the innocence.
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