Friday, May 9, 2008

Mother's Day

This bottle belongs to Kimy's mom, who just decided to save this particular bottle, rather than open it. She's an elegant woman who has had a number of favorite perfumes, and this is one of them.

The House of Caron introduced Bellodgia in 1927. The perfumer, Ernest Daltroff was inspired to create this perfume after a trip to Italy. He was vacationing in Bellagio on Lake Como and visited the gardens of Villa Serbellnio. A creamy soli ~ floral, sophisticated and romantic, Bellodgia is almost seductive, but takes a slight detour to lighthearted. Daltroff called it his "Carnation in the morning sunshine." The bottle was designed by Félice Wanpouille Bergaud.

Daltroff's love of perfume began when he was a small boy watching his mother at her dressing table. As she prepared to go out for the evening, she turned to her young son and playfully dabbed a bit of perfume behind his ear. It was a moment in time he would never forget, and these moments were like small poems to him. Each scent he created was based on a happy moment in his life.

Head notes: Carnation
Heart notes: Bulgarian Rose, Carnation, Jasmine
Soul notes: Vanilla, Sandalwood


Carnations were always considered the symbol of mother's day. Wearing a white carnation was a tribute to a deceased mother, while pink carnations honored all moms. The first Mother's Day was celebrated in 1907, where the tables were decorated with vases filled with carnations. The flowers get their name from the word coronation. (Certainly many mothers are deserving of a crown.)
In 1914 Woodrow Wilson made Mother's Day an official holiday, and later a postage stamp depicting Whistler's mother with a vase of carnations was issued.



This quote below reminded me of my own mother, who was beyond generous. (She was outspoken, street smart and tough, with a wicked sense of humor, but never had any trouble with neighbors, co-workers, strangers or in-laws. I noticed that everyone seemed to like her a lot. She was open minded and elegant, I never saw her act condescendingly towards anyone or boast about anything. She forgot her troubles by nurturing others trusting that things would work out okay in the end.)

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie."
~Tenneva Jordan

(My mother liked pie a lot and was a gifted pie maker, but her specialty was éclairs .)

Perfume photo by Kimy