Baccarat Crystal Monocle Bottle c1925

The earliest Lanvin perfume bottles embodied the refinement and clarity of French Art Deco design. These were square-shaped flacons made of clear crystal, their geometry precise and dignified, echoing the clean lines of 1920s modernity. Each was crowned with a flat, disk-shaped stopper, a surface large enough to showcase the now-famous Lanvin mother-and-daughter logo, rendered in either blue or black enamel. This emblem, conceived by Paul Iribe and Armand-Albert Rateau, became the visual shorthand for Lanvin’s house identity, symbolizing both maternal devotion and couture elegance. When placed on a dressing table, the clear crystal caught and refracted the light, while the enameled stoppers offered a striking, graphic contrast.

Among the most prestigious of these early bottles was one produced by Baccarat in 1925. This rectangular-bodied flacon bore the distinguished “Baccarat” mark on its base, affirming its pedigree. Its monocle-style stopper, circular and slightly convex, was decorated with the same iconic image of Jeanne Lanvin and her daughter attending a ball, enameled sharply in black. This design married the artisanal expertise of Baccarat with the elegance of Lanvin’s branding, resulting in a bottle that was as much a collectible object as a vessel for perfume.

These Baccarat bottles were made in various sizes, with documented examples measuring 19.5 cm and 24 cm in height. Their substantial scale gave them a presence suitable not only for private vanity tables but also for display in boutiques, where they would have signaled luxury and permanence. They were used for several of Lanvin’s eaux de cologne formulations, including Cross Country, Friction Jeanne Lanvin, Après Sport, and Où Fleurit l’Oranger. These colognes, often fresher and lighter than the house’s signature extraits, paired perfectly with the clarity of the crystal, the bottles themselves evoking purity and vitality.

Together, these early crystal and Baccarat flacons demonstrate how Lanvin, even from its first forays into perfumery, elevated the presentation of fragrance into an art form, aligning with couture-level craftsmanship and setting a standard for beauty that extended well beyond scent alone.

Le Chypre (1923)

In 1923, Jeanne Lanvin introduced Le Chypre, one of her earliest perfumes and an important statement of her entry into the world of fine fragrance. The name she chose, “Le Chypre,” comes from the French word for “Cyprus” (pronounced “luh SHEEP-ruh”). For French speakers, the word instantly calls to mind the fabled island in the Mediterranean, long associated with exoticism, trade in resins, and the ancient cult of Aphrodite. To contemporary listeners of the 1920s, it would have suggested romance, mystery, and refinement—an alluring name that promised a sophisticated scent in keeping with Lanvin’s couture aesthetic.

The perfume was launched at a pivotal moment in history. The year 1923 falls squarely in the Années folles (“crazy years”) in France, or what Americans called the Roaring Twenties. Post-war Europe was brimming with energy: jazz was flourishing, Art Deco was becoming the dominant style, women’s fashions were shifting toward shorter hemlines, looser silhouettes, and a freer lifestyle that symbolized independence. Perfumery, too, was in a transformative era, with great houses experimenting boldly with new fragrance families, synthetic notes, and luxurious presentations. For a woman of the period, wearing a perfume called Le Chypre would have felt sophisticated and worldly, a way of connecting to both tradition and modernity. It suggested a scent that was complex, cosmopolitan, and unmistakably French.

Baccarat Crystal Cheval Bottle c1923

Another important early Lanvin perfume bottle was produced by Baccarat in 1923, and it reveals how closely the house aligned itself with the finest crystal makers of the time. This design, known as the “horseshoe” model, featured a softly curved body whose outline recalled the shape of a horseshoe, a form both protective and elegant. The crystal surface was cut and polished to a flawless clarity, catching light across its rounded planes.

The bottle was fitted with a faceted lapidary stopper, cut like a jewel, its angled surfaces refracting the light and adding a sense of preciousness. Unlike the later flat, enameled disk stoppers, this early piece emphasized the brilliance of crystal craftsmanship itself. The front of the bottle was decorated in intaglio, with the now-famous Lanvin mother-and-daughter logo—Madame Jeanne Lanvin and her daughter at a ball—applied in black enamel. The sharp contrast of the dark stencil against the luminous transparency of the crystal gave the bottle both modernity and visual gravitas.

The base was marked with the Baccarat acid stamp, affirming its authenticity and luxury pedigree. Standing at 14 cm in height, the flacon was modestly scaled yet imposing enough to carry a sense of distinction, suitable for Lanvin’s early perfume presentations.

As one of Lanvin’s earliest Baccarat bottles, this 1923 design holds particular historical significance: it predates the more geometric square and rectangular Baccarat models of the mid-1920s and represents a transitional style, balancing Art Nouveau softness with the emerging sharpness of Art Deco. Through this bottle, Lanvin signaled her dedication to not only scent but also visual elegance, commissioning artisans of the highest caliber to embody her brand’s refined aesthetic.