In French, volage carries both flirtatious and romantic connotations. It evokes images of silken scarves caught in the wind, candlelit encounters, champagne laughter, and fleeting passions. There’s a freedom in the word, and a touch of danger. It conjures emotions of sensual restlessness, glamour, and mystery.
The late 1970s was a fascinating moment for perfumery and for fashion more broadly. The era, often referred to as the "Decade of Decadence," was marked by the sensuality of the disco age, the rise of empowered femininity, and a cultural pivot toward self-expression and indulgence. Studio 54 was in full swing. Metallic fabrics, plunging necklines, and sultry silhouettes defined the fashion of the moment. Women were dressing with more daring than ever—embracing glamour, drama, and sexuality. Perfumes followed suit.
It was in this climate that Volage emerged. Its classification as an oriental fragrance for women placed it firmly in the same family as iconic contemporaries such as Opium by Yves Saint Laurent (1977), Cinnabar by Estée Lauder (1978), and Shalimar in its ongoing reign. Like these powerhouse scents, Volage featured a deliciously spicy, woodsy heart, enriched by a warm, ambered vanilla base. This was the scent profile of a woman who was not afraid to be noticed.
While Volage may not have broken new olfactory ground—its composition echoed the opulent, resinous trends of the era—it fit perfectly within the luxurious, sensual perfume movement of the late '70s. What distinguished it was likely its presentation and the cachet of Neiman Marcus: a name synonymous with elite fashion and exclusivity. In that context, Volage wasn’t just a perfume; it was a statement of sophistication and seductive intent.
To a woman in 1979, the name Volage might have felt both playful and liberating. Feminism was in the air, but so was fantasy. Women were balancing independence with allure. Wearing Volage could have been an act of self-styling—choosing to be unpredictable, passionate, and unforgettable. In scent, Volage translated to a warm and spicy embrace—sensual, rich, and just a little bit dangerous.
In the grand olfactory landscape of the time, Volage fit comfortably among its richly spiced peers, offering an accessible luxury with a flirtatious twist. It was a fragrance that captured a fleeting moment in culture—when fashion, feminism, and hedonism all shared the same dance floor.
Neiman Marcus Fragrances:
It may seem unusual for a department store to produce its own line of perfumes, but Neiman Marcus—known for its sense of exclusivity and style—has a long history of doing just that. The Texas-based luxury emporium began its venture into fragrance as early as 1926 with a perfume called A’Toi. This name, meaning “Yours” in French, already hinted at the elegant and refined image the store sought to project. While little is known about the scent itself, its early debut speaks to the store’s ambition to offer a full sensory experience to its clientele.
In 1951, Neiman Marcus introduced a new house perfume simply named N-M, a classical floral fragrance designed to reflect the timeless sophistication of the brand. By placing their initials on a perfume, the store made a bold statement—this scent was the very essence of the Neiman Marcus identity: refined, fashionable, and cosmopolitan.
A decade later, in 1962, Neiman Marcus released Fauve, a name that translates from French as “wildcat,” suggesting something untamed and alluring. The fragrance was described as “a modern potpourri of flowers,” but it was far from traditional. It was enlightened with fresh, clean balsam, grounded in Indian vetiver, and deepened by the subtle, alluring mystery of rose, orange blossom, and jasmine. This was no sweet floral—Fauve balanced elegance with an edge of the exotic, projecting a complex, worldly aura. The scent echoed the early 1960s' growing interest in faraway places, sensual textures, and the sophistication of layered, mysterious perfumes.
By 1973, Neiman Marcus reimagined the scent as Fauve II, a tangy citrus blend that bore little resemblance to its predecessor. This reformulation reflected shifting tastes of the 1970s, when lighter, fresher, and more casual perfumes began gaining favor. Citrus notes, bright and brisk, replaced the denser floral-resin combinations of the previous decade. With this launch, Neiman Marcus showed its awareness of fragrance trends and its ability to adapt to a new era while maintaining the prestige of its in-house lines.
Finally, in 1979, Neiman Marcus released Volage, a perfume that perfumers at the time would have described as “modern”—not merely in the sense of contemporary, but rather as a new take on the Oriental fragrance style. Volage combined rich spices and woods with a sensual vanilla base, echoing the heady intensity popularized by fragrances like YSL’s Opium. This was a scent designed to embody confidence, independence, and seduction—qualities reflected not only in the composition but in its French name, which means “fickle” or “capricious.”
Through its series of perfumes—from the early A'Toi to the sultry Fauve and the bold Volage—Neiman Marcus consistently mirrored the evolving tastes, fashions, and cultural moods of the decades. Each fragrance was more than just a product; it was an olfactory expression of the store’s identity and its ongoing conversation with its discerning clientele.
Fragrance Composition:
So what does it smell like? Volage by Neiman Marcus is classified as an oriental perfume for women, with deliciously spicy, woodsy notes with a warm, rich vanilla base. A lot like Opium by Yves Saint Laurent!
- Top notes: Italian mandarin orange, Calabrian bergamot, Szechuan cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon leaf, Zanzibar cloves, French carnation, Malabar black pepper, West Indian bay leaf
- Middle notes: Provencal lavender, Egyptian jasmine, Grasse rose, Florentine orris, Somalian opoponax, Colombian tolu balsam, Maltese labdanum, Singapore patchouli
- Base notes: Virginian cedar, Haitian vetiver, Sudanese myrrh, Omani frankincense, Bourbon vanilla, Siam benzoin, Mysore sandalwood, Canadian castoreum, ambergris
Scent Profile:
To smell Volage by Neiman Marcus is to be transported—layer by layer—through distant lands, exotic markets, and opulent boudoirs. A true oriental composition, it opens with a spirited brightness, unfurling into a rich and sensual heart, and finally settling into a sumptuous, long-lasting base that lingers like a memory.
The first impression is a burst of Italian mandarin orange, its juicy sweetness immediately vibrant and effervescent, tempered by the more tart, slightly bitter nuance of Calabrian bergamot, known for its luminous freshness. Calabria’s sun-drenched coast produces bergamot with a particularly green, floral edge—brighter and more refined than its counterparts. This citrus duet is then warmly encircled by the heat of Szechuan cinnamon—dry, effervescent, and almost numbing to the senses. Its unique spice buzz is more aromatic than sweet. Alongside it, Ceylon cinnamon leaf brings a greener, more camphorous note than cinnamon bark, adding a sharper warmth that is tempered by the rich depth of Zanzibar cloves. These cloves, from the islands off Tanzania, are among the finest in the world—oily, potent, and pungently warm, adding a distinctive richness.
Next comes a surprising floral flash: French carnation, with its peppery-spicy clove-like scent that bridges the opening’s warmth with the developing floral heart. The Malabar black pepper, sharp and citrusy, hums just beneath the surface, lending brightness and piquancy, while West Indian bay leaf, reminiscent of allspice and dry woods, evokes a sun-warmed herb garden. This top accord is not merely aromatic—it is deliberately tactile, enveloping the skin in a dry shimmer of spice and citrus, preparing the senses for what follows.
The heart of Volage blooms with decadence. Provencal lavender emerges not as a typical soapy note, but herbaceous, resinous, and slightly sweet—imbued with the sun-baked character of southern France. Egyptian jasmine adds lush sensuality—dense, narcotic, and slightly indolic—paired with Grasse rose, a prized and multifaceted variety with green, spicy, and slightly honeyed nuances. The florals are softened by the buttery richness of Florentine orris, derived from the aged rhizomes of iris plants. It imparts a soft, powdery elegance, at once woody and floral.
Anchoring these opulent blooms is Somalian opoponax, or sweet myrrh—warm, balsamic, and slightly smoky, it glues the florals to the deeper notes below. Colombian tolu balsam, with its syrupy, cinnamon-vanilla undertones, adds softness, while Maltese labdanum, a cornerstone of oriental perfumes, contributes an ambery, leathery intensity. Singapore patchouli, known for its exceptionally smooth, clean quality, veers away from the earthy-musty patchouli of other regions, instead offering a velvet darkness that smooths out the heart with restrained richness.
As Volage descends into its base, the composition becomes darker, deeper, and hauntingly sensual. Virginian cedar brings a dry, pencil-shaving woodiness, while Haitian vetiver, grassy and smoky, threads green elegance through the resinous warmth. Sudanese myrrh and Omani frankincense, both rare and ceremonial, lend sacred, resinous tones—frankincense with its lemony-pine brightness and myrrh with its deeper, medicinal warmth.
The Bourbon vanilla, from the islands of Réunion and Madagascar, is not just sweet—it is complex, with tobacco, leathery, and rum-like facets. Siam benzoin, with its creamy, caramelized balsamic softness, enriches the vanilla without overwhelming it. Mysore sandalwood, now rare and regulated, provides the base’s milky, incense-like smoothness—creamy, sacred, and enduring. Canadian castoreum, once derived from beaver glands, offers a faintly animalic, leathery note (now often replicated synthetically), giving the base its animal warmth. Lastly, ambergris, a fabled oceanic resin often synthetically recreated, lends an almost indescribable radiance—salty, sweet, and musky, acting as a fixative that holds the whole fragrance together with otherworldly smoothness.
The interplay of natural ingredients and carefully selected synthetics ensures Volage’s complexity and longevity. The synthetic analogs—used for ingredients like ambergris and castoreum—not only honor ethical and environmental considerations, but also lend precision and consistency, enhancing the richness of the natural materials without overpowering them. These synthetics refine the rougher edges, polish the florals, amplify the spices, and extend the sillage, giving the perfume its unforgettable aura.
In the end, Volage is not just a perfume—it is an experience. Spicy, opulent, and deeply feminine, it embodies the richness of its time while transcending it, whispering tales of far-off places, passion, and the ever-changing heart of a woman.
Product Line:
The Volage fragrance line by Neiman Marcus, launched in 1979, was not only conceived as a luxurious perfume but also presented as an elegant and thoughtfully developed collection. It spanned a range of sizes and formats, making it accessible to both casual buyers and dedicated collectors, while reinforcing its identity as a refined, gift-worthy fragrance.
At the smallest end of the spectrum was the 0.08 oz Parfum, housed in a clear glass micro mini bottle with a plastic stopper. These tiny bottles were often offered as samples or as part of gift sets, and are now particularly prized among collectors of miniature perfumes.
The classic Parfum Splash was available in 1/8 oz and 1/4 oz sizes, both presented in frosted glass bottles, with the 1/4 oz size featuring a butterfly-shaped stopper, a scaled-down replica of the elegant closure used on the larger flacons. This butterfly motif added a whimsical, feminine touch to the presentation and helped set Volage apart visually.
For those who preferred the convenience of a spray, the line included a 1/4 oz Parfum Spray, set in a clear cylindrical glass bottle topped with a brass cap, a simple but refined contrast to the soft frosted aesthetic of the splash bottles. The 1 oz Parfum Splash also came in a frosted glass bottle, complete with a butterfly stopper and often accompanied by a gold-tone atomizer attachment, marrying old-world elegance with modern usability.
Volage was also offered in larger toilette forms for daily wear. The 4 oz Eau de Toilette came in a frosted glass bottle, continuing the design language of the parfum line but in a more generous size suited for liberal application. A 2 oz Eau de Toilette Spray was also available, offering the scent in a portable and practical format.
Beyond perfume, the Volage collection extended into luxurious body care items, including a Body Lotion and Perfumed Guest Soap, enhancing the experience of layering the fragrance and reinforcing the opulent image of the line.
A standout accessory was the porcelain pomander, an ornamental item designed to delicately diffuse the scent into a space or closet. It added a decorative, perfumed accent to any personal environment and exemplified Neiman Marcus’s attention to luxury lifestyle details.
In terms of pricing, the Parfum retailed for $65 for 1/2 oz, and $40 for 1/4 oz, reflecting its high-quality formulation and prestige positioning. The 2 oz Eau de Toilette Spray was $17.50, and the 4 oz Eau de Toilette Splash was priced at $27.50, making it more accessible while maintaining the brand’s upscale appeal.
Overall, the Volage product line was clearly designed to offer a complete and immersive fragrance experience—one that balanced elegance, versatility, and a touch of theatrical beauty in every presentation.
Bottles:
Fate of the Fragrance:
Discontinued, date unknown.