Flèches by Lancôme was launched in 1938, during an era marked by both artistic innovation and looming global tensions. The name Flèches, French for “arrows,” carries rich symbolic meaning, evoking the image of Cupid’s arrows of love—swift, piercing, and full of romantic promise. Pronounced roughly as "flehsh" in English, the word conjures images of passion, desire, and the sudden, often unpredictable nature of love. It captures a timeless allure that would have resonated deeply with women of the late 1930s, a period when elegance and emotion intertwined closely in fashion and culture.
The late 1930s was a complex moment in history, a time often described as the interwar period or the tail end of the Art Deco era, transitioning toward more restrained wartime aesthetics. Women’s fashions emphasized femininity with structured silhouettes and luxurious fabrics, but beneath this elegance was an undercurrent of uncertainty due to the geopolitical climate. In this context, Flèches offered a sensory escape—an olfactory metaphor for love’s hopeful, vibrant energy amidst the tensions of the time. For the sophisticated woman of 1938, a perfume named Flèches suggested not only romance but also a bold statement of modern femininity and emotional complexity.
