Arlequinade by Les Parfums de Rosine was launched in 1919, a moment when the world was reawakening from the trauma of the First World War and throwing itself into the glittering, decadent energy of the Jazz Age. This was a time marked by bold artistic experimentation, theatricality, and a longing to escape through fantasy, color, and movement. The name Arlequinade, pronounced “ar-leh-kee-NAHD” in French, was perfectly in step with the spirit of the age. It refers to a comic interlude or short pantomime performance featuring the character Harlequin—Arlequin in French—a mischievous, nimble figure from the Italian commedia dell’arte, whose colorful diamond-patterned costume and clever antics had become symbols of playful seduction and theatrical wit.
Paul Poiret, always drawn to the stage, pageantry, and the reimagining of history, chose the name Arlequinade with theatrical flair. It conjured a world of masked balls, painted faces, and the whimsical performances that delighted audiences across Europe. Harlequin, the archetypal trickster and romantic suitor, embodied the flirtatious and mysterious mood Poiret adored. To wear a perfume named Arlequinade in 1919 was to embrace a flirtatious elegance, to cloak oneself in an air of playful intrigue—perfect for the modern woman who rejected the rigid rules of the Edwardian past and welcomed the freedom of the 1920s.
The scent itself mirrored the idea of performance and transformation. Created by the brilliant perfumer Henri Alméras, Arlequinade was classified as a piquant, woody floral amber fragrance for women, deliberately crafted to be as multifaceted and elusive as the Harlequin character. The heart of the fragrance was dominated by spicy carnation, its clove-like fire softened by a bouquet of powdery white flowers, all resting on a warm, animalic base. The composition was built around a rare material called Opoponax LG, a specialty resin accord produced by Givaudan, which lent a velvety, balsamic warmth—rich, sweet, and faintly medicinal—that anchored the perfume in luxurious depth.
