Absolutely Magazines: November 2016: Scent of a Diva: Josephine Baker + E Coudray

One night in 1951, outside the Stork Club in New York, a friendship was formed that would last almost a quarter of a century. After performing a successful show Josephine Baker was seated with her entourage in the bohemian hotspot, but the staff refused to wait on her table. Affronted at this racist slur Ms Baker left, along with her companions. In a gesture of solidarity for a woman she did not know another diner, Grace Kelly, summoned her table to stand and leave too. On the street the lifelong bond was cemented. 

I was told this story in the gift shop of the Château des Millandes, the castle in the Dordogne that was home to Baker, until she lost it in penury and was rescued by Kelly. It was from this castle that Baker ran the local branch of the French Resistance, for which she was awarded Croix de Guerre and was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur. It was also home to twelve, adopted, multi-ethic orphans, Baker wanted to show that "children of different ethnicities and religions could still be brothers". She was a civil rights campaigner and activist, refusing to play to segregated audiences in her native US, and the first black woman to star in a major movie, Zou-Zou, 1934. She achieved all of this with no great start in life, in fact quite the opposite. She had no formal education being from a poor and troubled background in St Louis, Missouri, where she endured extreme conditions; as a child she was burned out of her home. It is a tale that should make most modern day celebrities want to hang up their selfie sticks in shame.

Despite this by the twenties Baker was the decade’s most decadent, defying and defining divas. The fêted style-icon ruled the Parisian cabaret scene of the art deco age complete with her pet cheetah, ‘Chiquita’ and she did this in a cloud of ‘Nohiba’ (formerly ‘Tulipe Noire’) by E. Coudray. 

French perfume house E. Coudray also enjoys an interesting pedigree dating back to 1822. During the reign of Louis XVIII a Parisian physician and pharmacist, Edmond Coudray, began supplying the royal courts of Europe with curative potions and balms. Soon he started to develop scented products and by the end of the century E. Coudray was one the five top perfume houses in France alongside LT Piver, Lubin, Houbigant and Guerlain. 

Today more than just a perfume line E. Coudray offers a complete fragrancing experience, a literal immersion. Their beautiful pearlised foaming and moisturising bath creams are designed to be applied to the body before entering the bath, their rich body creams seal in another layer of scent before the eau de toilette or dry body oil is applied. The complete E. Coudray bath and beauty experience truly is an indulgent and luxurious one, that is reflected in the scents. Nohiba is a spicy-oriental, but one would struggle not to find anyone a scent amongst this clever collection. From Iris Rose, a traditional full bodied floral by Randa Hammami, who created Cruel Gardénia for Guerlain, Epic Man for Amouage and Orchidée Vanille for Van Cleef & Arpels, to the modern, bright fresh floral of Givrine by Evelyne Boulanger, the same nose who gave us the stunning Comme des Garcons Series 2 Red Eau de Toilette: Carnation. 

However, it is not just the scents that seduce, the packaging must be amongst the most alluring around, gold and cream tied up with fuchsia pink and art deco inspired bottles by Thierry Lecoule, the bottle creator responsible for such stunning silhouettes as Daliflor and the amazingly conceptual vessel for Versace V’E. 

Those who discover E. Coudray return time and time again, as Josephine Baker said; ‘The things we truly love stay with us always, locked in our hearts as long as life remains’.

Discover E Coudray on the Roullier White website here.