Hello and Welcome!

Please understand that this website is not affiliated with the Prince Matchabelli Company any way, it is only a reference page for collectors and those who have enjoyed the classic fragrances of days gone by.

The main objective of this website is to chronicle the history of the Prince Matchabelli fragrances and showcase the bottles and advertising used throughout the years.

However, one of the other goals of this website is to show the present owners of the Prince Matchabelli perfume company how much we miss the discontinued classics and hopefully, if they see that there is enough interest and demand, they will bring back these fragrances!

Please leave a comment below (for example: of why you liked the fragrance, describe the scent, time period or age you wore it, who gave it to you or what occasion, any specific memories, what it reminded you of, maybe a relative wore it, or you remembered seeing the bottle on their vanity table), who knows, perhaps someone from the current Prince Matchabelli brand might see it.

Also, this website is a labor of love, it is a work in progress and is always being updated with new information as I can find it, so check back often!

Looking for Vintage Fragrances?

Monday, May 20, 2013

Duchess of York by Prince Matchabelli c1934

Duchess of York by Prince Matchabelli: launched in 1934. Dedicated to Mary Beatrice, Duchess of York, 1658-1718.








Fragrance Composition:


So what does it smell like? It is classified as a floral fragrance for women. It was described as "the unforgettable sweetness of purple English lilacs and slipper flower bottled for the woman of impeccable breeding and quiet good taste".

Also said to be an "English garden bouquet."

Another advertisement claimed it was ""Persian lilac from the Black Sea Riviera. A scent as stabbing to the masculine heart as a fair face with a tragic past."

I would need a better sample to tell you what it smells like.
  • Top notes: lady's slipper 
  • Middle notes: lilac and jasmine
  • Base notes:

Home Journal - Volume 84, 1927:
"Prince Matchabelli's Duchess of York perfume (lilac) in coroneted bottles, $10, $18, $35."

The New Yorker - Volume 11 - Page 47, 1935:
"Matchabelli : The best still is Duchess of York (lilac), but Grace Moore (tantalizing and spicy), Princess Norina, and Empress of India (very exotic and Oriental) are in great demand."


Bottles:


bottle, green glass (not flashed), gold trim, 2". Photo from Richard D. Hatch & Associates

2 oz clear and gilded bottle. Photo from worthopedia



Unusual bottle shape and opaque red color for Prince Matchabelli. Bottle designed for the fragrance Duchess of York. Bottle stands approximately 3.75" tall. Red glass bottle is acid marked Made in France, Prince Matchabelli on the bottom. 




Fate of the Fragrance:


Discontinued, date unknown.

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