Somewhere
Avon (1961)

Somewhere by Avon (1961) is a simple vintage beauty that came in a complete range of parfum, cologne, and eventually a spray eau de toilette "ultra cologne" alongside a host of beauty and skincare accessories. Somewhere is of a time not contemporaneous to itself, as is the case with many mid-twentieth century Avons, feeling closer to something like Caron Fleurs de Rocaille (1934) than say, Climat de Lancôme (1967), which women of the generation which initially bought it considered it an alternative for, due to price. I personally see a bit of L'Air du Temps by Nina Ricci (1948) in Somewhere, although that shouldn't be construed as this being a clone or dupe of any particular scent. As with most Avons from just about any period up until 2014, what we have is something that offers a pastiche of popular styles at the time, sitting in the wheelhouse of several fragrances rather than being a cheaper alternative to just one, made with comparable quality and just sold for less since overhead and distribution were done ad-hoc by commissioned sellers.

The opening of Somewhere is of the classic aliphatic aldehyde variety, which means tons of bloom for what's being pushed into the fore, almost golden and resplendent, yet somehow also drier and more mute than Chanel No. 5 (1921). This dryness comes from a focus on green notes of styrallyl acetate and iris-tinged ionones and irones since Avon wasn't spending bank on orris butter even in the 1960's. Still, plenty of real oakmoss and some sandalwood to be had, underneath civet and dusted with coriander spice. Oddly, there is no rose or anything of the sort to be found in Somewhere, instead going for a carnation note that pulls the scent into somewhat of a unisex territory to my nose, although I'm sure in 1961 it wasn't seen so, as The Baron by Evyan (1961) had just reintroduced American men to carnation after decades of staunch citrus and woods exercises postwar. On the whole, Somewhere is powdery, mossy, woody, musky, perfectly green, and soapy. Performance as tested in splash cologne format is mild as expected, and the oily sheen of the overall dry down gives more than enough "base" to layer on top other products from the range, as intended.

One asafoetida note shy of being a sibling of Carven Ma Griffe (1946), and in some ways a softer, more demure take on what eventually would be Private Collection by Estée Lauder (1973), it's no wonder Somewhere remained a popular Avon catalog item well into the 70's, when mean and green chypres dominated the women's perfume counter. I also feel some connection to Chant d'Arômes by Guerlain (1962) which would land a year after this in the higher-end market. In the perfumed roller, the pure parfum, and higher-power spray, I'm sure Somewhere has a bit more kick in its step, as is definitely the case with other Avons from the period I've tested, although I rather like the wispy nature of the standard cologne splash I've tested for this review, as it leaves a soft and somewhat-transparent (for the era) scent profile that feels nice, clean, and structured. The civet here is very judiciously-applied in the classic way, and not dosed to be all sexed-up like in some other things from the period (including things from Avon), so Somewhere is a safe bet around strange company, assuming they can abide vintage smells in general. A wonderful hidden treasure! Thumbs up

Another beautiful scent by Avon, I just loved the little pink jewelled jar that you could get it in and the talc. once again Avon has now lost its imagination 2010 the products now are dull.

This is a nice aldehydic floral, I find it to be closer to vintage Arpege.

Along with Ariane ... similar to L'Aire du Temp. Very demure, a tad soapy & fresh. Like it lots as an everyday scent though discontinued is reissued once in a while by Avon.