Charles Frederick Worth established the renowned couture fashion house, House of Worth, during the 1850s. Before this, Worth gained valuable experience working for Swan & Edgar, a highly regarded department store located in the heart of London’s vibrant Soho district. Swan & Edgar specialized in luxurious wool and silk items.

During his six-year tenure at Swan & Edgar, Worth honed his skills before eventually relocating to Paris. There, he served as a draper for Maison Gagelin for a decade. It was during this time that Worth’s genius shone through, as he introduced ready-made and ready-to-choose muslin cloth samples. These innovative designs were prominently displayed in-store, capturing the attention of customers.

Among those customers was Marie Vernet, a model who often showcased Worth’s creations. In 1851, Vernet became Worth’s wife, sealing their connection both personally and professionally.

Worth’s contributions to the fashion world extended beyond his designs. He was instrumental in popularizing the concept of sewing brand labels into garments, establishing a practice that is ubiquitous in the industry today. Additionally, Worth revolutionized the fashion show by organizing elaborate showcases at Maison Gagelin. Women would model his latest creations, and customers had the opportunity to handpick their favorite designs. This feedback allowed Worth to cater to specific preferences in terms of shapes, designs, and colors, marking a departure from traditional bespoke tailoring towards a more accessible ready-to-wear approach.

Upon Worth’s passing in 1895, his sons Gaston-Lucien and Jean-Philippe assumed control of the business. They upheld their father’s unwavering commitment to excellence and presented the house’s inaugural collection in 1936.

The House of Worth, as a respected couture house, was one of the pioneers in expanding into the perfumery market. In 1924, they launched their first luxury fragrance, Dans La Nuit. The fragrance was contained in an exquisite bottle designed by the renowned glass-maker René Lalique. To continue producing captivating fragrances, Jacques Worth, Charles Frederick Worth’s grandson, enlisted the perfumer Maurice Blanchet. Blanchet collaborated with Lalique to create four additional fragrances for Les Parfums Worth: Vers le Jour, Sans Adieu, Je Reviens, and Vers Toi.

The legendary debut fragrance of Les Parfums Worth, Dans La Nuit, is an alluring composition of intense notes, including carnation, lily of the valley, cinnamon, tonka bean, vetiver, rose, bergamot, vanilla, ylang-ylang, aldehydes, and other predominantly floral and animalic accords. Another Blanchet creation, Vers le Jour, presented in 1925, featured predominantly fruity and floral notes such as bergamot, red berries, rose, angelica root, narcissus, cyclamen, jasmine, osmanthus, may rose, peony, peach, pineapple, cedar, sandalwood, and musk.

In 1929, Blanchet and Lalique collaborated once again to introduce Sans Adieu. The classic scent Je Reviens, launched in 1932, boasts a composition that includes aldehydes, narcissus, violet, hyacinth, ylang-ylang, cloves, and various floral and animalic accords. Over the course of more than 80 years, Je Reviens has remained a beloved fragrance among many women. Finally, in 1934, Vers Toi, an oriental-floral composition, was unveiled.

While Dans La Nuit was reintroduced in 1985, it has since been discontinued. Courtesan, an oriental vanilla fragrance launched in 2006, represents the most recent release from Les Parfums Worth. In total, designer Worth has created 17 distinct perfumes. Worth’s legacy lives on, as the earliest edition dates back to 1924, and the most recent fragrance was released in 2017. Worth fragrances are the result of collaborations with esteemed perfumers Honorine Blanc, Pierre Bourdon, Maurice Blanchet, and Odette Breil-Radius.