Launched in 1934, Lucien Lelong’s La Première entered the fragrance world during a moment of cultural elegance and cinematic escape. Originally introduced under this French name—La Première (pronounced lah preh-MYER), meaning "The First" or “The Premiere”—the fragrance was poised to celebrate both the glamour of a grand debut and the sophisticated poise of a woman stepping into the spotlight. However, a complication arose when it was prepared for release in the American market: another perfume company, De Hériot, had already secured the name La Première for a different fragrance in the U.S. As a result, Lelong's perfume was rebranded as Opening Night for American audiences, and Orage (oh-RAHZH, meaning "storm" in French) for distribution in Canada and the U.K.
Each name—La Première, Opening Night, and Orage—carries a distinct emotional and visual character, yet all are deeply theatrical in tone. La Première suggests elegance, precedence, and a moment of poised arrival. It conjures the image of a woman entering a theater or ballroom just as the curtain is about to rise. Opening Night retains that same sense of anticipation and spectacle, echoing the hushed excitement of an audience waiting in the velvet-lined dark. In contrast, Orage, meaning “storm,” shifts the mood. It evokes a sudden intensity—a romantic, emotional tempest—suggesting drama, passion, and power beneath the polished surface.
The year 1934 placed this perfume firmly within the interwar period, a time of both fragility and flowering in the arts, fashion, and perfumery. The world was still recovering from the shock of the Great Depression, and in France especially, luxury had become a form of escapism and expression. Hollywood glamour dominated the visual imagination, and French couture and perfumery responded in kind with elegant silhouettes, luxurious materials, and rich, complex compositions. It was the Golden Age of Perfume, an era when scent was expected to be both statement and signature.
