Cotillion
Avon (1933)

Cotillion by Avon (1933) was formerly one of the longest-enduring women's perfumes the company had made, having a market span from 1933 until 1983, with its last edition being the 1983 "Golden Anniversary" bottle that celebrated 50 years of constant manufacture. These days that crown has since been absconded by a men's market Avon fragrance, the almighty Avon Wild Country (1967), which has as of this writing become the new longest continually-produced Avon fragrance, and has surpassed Cotillion's 50 years on the market as of 2017. I'm not sure why Avon decided to make the cut-off at exactly 50 years, although deep research shows they kept the trademark active on the scent until at least 2006, where it lapsed. Maybe the market had just dried up for this old girl by then, and her Golden Jubilee was literally a ride off into the sunset? Fitting I suppose, since jubilees were often celebrated with the Cotillion in the 18th century, as a dance popular among aristocratic Europe much like the Waltz, often leading to "cotillion balls" for both young debutantes and old madams alike. By the 1930's when Avon rolled out Cotillion perfume, the name came to mean little more than high-society dress and decorum, likely being attractive to the middle-class homemakers buying Avon, which itself was still known as The California Perfume Company then. The earliest original bottles of this therefore were released by "a different house", so the "deep vintage" snobs can have fun hunting down antique specimens of Cotillion by the California Perfume Company if they want, hoping whatever they find hasn't evaporated into resin or turned to varnish in smell. These weren't kept with the same diligence as old Guerlains because they were bought by the common folk. Smell-wise though, Cotillion is anything but common.

From what I can tell, Avon in those earliest years as the CPC, was still operating closely off of founder David H McConnell's self-taught less-is-more style, not too dissimilar to what Ernest Daltroff did with Caron's broad-strokes aesthetic, but clearly without the same level of blending and finesse. I am reminded most of Parfums D'Orsay Etiquette Bleue (1908) and perhaps a bit of Guerlain L'Heure Bleue (1912), a fragrance I always considered an embellishment on the former and its unofficial successor. If that is to be the case with the Guerlain, then the Avon (or more specifically the California Perfume Company) scent is the "downmarket" take on the style, trimming the fat and zeroing in on what people love about those higher-end forerunners. Orange blossom greets the initial nose feel, followed by little else but some carnation. There isn't much of a heart so to speak, as the scent immediately falls into a soup of orris, sandalwood, vanilla, frankincense, and Avon's soon-to-be-famous house amber. That's really it. Sweet floral opening, a bit of vanilla, and then a mush of oriental notes rounded by that vanilla. Funny that the quality of the natural materials in this scent would be absolutely to die for in today's market where everything is synthetic, unless you're selling an ounce of perfume compounded from hand-distilled naturals for $500 on Instagram, and marking them with "II" and "III" with each new dole-out. Orris butter is probably not being used here because it has always been expensive and difficult to procure, unless you're Chanel and cultivate your own fields; but everything else from the citrus oils to the sandalwood is undoubtedly real, even if the vanilla likely is not thanks to recent breakthroughs with ethyl vanillin a few years prior. Cotillion is warm, cozy, very classic, but also a scent out of time unless you're into history.

My guess is Cotillion was likely everyone's mom's perfume in the 50's and 60's the same way Bourjois Evening in Paris (1928) was, which is why only the very first magazine ads from Avon dating back to 1940 mention "Avon’s gay Cotillion fragrance has exciting newness". Already by 1960 the tune had changed dramatically to: "A fragrance classic by Avon, an elegant scent that keeps the promise made by the enchanting pearly pink packaging. Avon’s Cotillion, dancing, entrancing blend of wood notes, rich amber, and florals, is one of the most esteemed fragrances”. Witnessing this shift in marketing tone within just 20 years tells me that Avon was not so interested in preserving their own legacy at the height of their popularity as more-prestigious French houses tend to do, and only kept something on the market for longer than the usual few years because of demand from lifelong customers; this being something that would dwindle after the 1980's when last we saw Cotillion, due to a plethora of economical options presented by the spread of shopping malls and mid-tier department store chains. Poor Cotillion, the hard-working MIddle America equivalent to the fancy French stuff seen in Golden Hollywood movies, ended up with its own "Baby Jane" moment then was sent packing in a gold coffret that admittedly makes a nice collectable. If you like the old D'Orsays, Guerlains, Cotys, and Lanvins from the pre-war years, there is really no reason you wouldn't like Cotillion too as it basically mirrors them, only more humbly in smell if not packaging. Avon wasn't quite at their gaudy best with Cotillion's various bottles throughout the years, outside maybe the pink 60's presentation I could take or leave. Whether or not you wear this to a ball is your own business, however. Thumbs up

Just received this as a surprise "extra" with a recent ebay purchase. I have no experience with Avon, and this is just lovely. Old-school, not old-lady, with a floral start and a drydown that I would call oakmoss + vanilla ice cream. Clearly quality ingredients in this vinatge fragrance.

Thumbs WAY up for this utterly lovely, completely ladylike fragrance. I don't understand letting a fragrance this good die.

A true classic and one of the best that Avon ever put out. It is a true testament of it's time. Lovers of carnation and vanilla need to smell this glorious creation. I love it.

This is now discontinued. This perfume is one of my favorites. I loved the last box & the bottles it came in. It really works with my body chemistry. Yes it is old fashioned, but I am old-fashioned. I think of it as a traditional & sophisticated scent without the high price tag. Yes you will need to touch up your scent; but at $7-$10 a large bottle it is really worth it!