Jean-Charles Brosseau PERFUMES & COLOGNES

After graduating from a Parisian fashion school, Jean-Charles Brosseau founded his namesake fashion house in Paris's bohemian Left Bank. Though he was only 25 years old, Brosseau set out to capture the discreet elegance that defined the city and the women who call it home. In 1970, Brosseau moved his shop to the Place des Victoires, a historic neighborhood graced with 17th century mansions that would later evolve into a destination for elite fashion houses. Eight years later, Brosseau began his first experiments with fragrance. He combined musky notes that are traditionally used as a base to bind a perfume together, such as vanilla, rosewood and heliotrope. However, Brosseau found the base notes so captivating that he parted with convention and launched his unique creation. He named the scent Ombre Rose. The fragrance first appeared on the shelves of Bergdorf Goodman in 1981, where it promptly flew off the shelves. The perfume's popularity spread from New York to Paris and the rest of the world. Ombre Rose has earned its place as a timeless scent, on par with other classics like Chanel No. 5 or Yves Saint-Laurent's Opium. Brosseau continued his fragrance experiments with Fleurs d'Ombre Ombre Bleu, launched as a limited edition in 1987. The scent combines some of Ombre Rose's musky base notes with delicate carnation and orange blossom, along with the almost culinary aromas of dried fried and honey. Today, the Fleurs d'Ombre line has expanded to include Nymphea, Jasmin-Lilas, Violette-Menthe, Bergamote, Orientale and Platine.