Hélène Rochas and her feminine touch

Hélène Rochas, the French elegance icon, died at 84.

“After 30, you get the face you deserve.” Said Hélène Rochas paraphrasing George Orwell and Coco Chanel.

Hélène Rochas said the clothing had to match your age

Madame, as she was called, was determined to age with grace, to accept ageing process as natural. There was no sense in hiding, or fighting, those could do even worse.

“I’m against the idea of dressing young – that shows fear. When you see a woman with long, loose hair, a slender silhouette, and she turns and you see she no longer has the face for it.” She said in 1977 to W magazine.

Hélène loved natural beauty and belived that everyone could find her or his own style, “create a personal atmosphere, one to refine yourself in”.

“I don’t like creams…. In the summer, it’s fruit, like crushed grapes, to nourish my face.” (1987 W magazine).

Hélène Rochas had a strong will and she ignored the global obsession on rejuvenation. “It’s so boring” she said about exercising. She refused to underwent a facelift. “I’d rather keep myself the way I am.“
“Young women are never elegant.“(People magazine 1980)

When it came for the social interaction:

“A dinner for six has to be for very close friends,” (W magazine 1981)

Her perfect menu: eggs en cocotte with truffles, lamb with baby vegetables, salad and cheese and about her chef’s sorbets: “They’re not heavy, because we use only fruit and sugar, never milk”.

About motherhood Hélène admitted her career was an impediment: “I was not a good mother.” (People magazine 1980)
She an Marcel had two children: François and Sophie.

Hélène Rochas kept the traditional French conception on the woman. Like in a lot of cultures, woman was perceived as a tender, needing protection person.

“I work, but I don’t want to get taken for a women’s libber,” (People magazine 1980)
“Women should have a fragile air, even if they are not.” (W magazine 1984)

Madame Rochas second edition. The first was signed by Hélène Rochas herself.

Madame was highly appreciated for her work, for her intuition and her cleverness.

“She is our nose, our intuition, our mirror,” said Jacques Pecqueraux Rochas’ president in 1980, when they asked her to come back to Rochas and she accepted.

“She was the spirit of Rochas and she will put them back on top” said Oscar de la Renta.

However, Hélène Rochas elegantly declared that she was Marcel Rochas’ creation and he was her mentor even after he died.
She was taking acting lessons when she met Marcel on a Paris Métro in 1942. He was a designer and he suggested her to be his model.

“I was very vexed because he didn’t think I was old or elegant enough to model his dresses.” she said and added with a smile: “I was a good student.”(People magazine 1980).

In 1960 Guy Robert created “Madame Rochas”. Perfume’s bottle was replica of an 18th century one that Hélène discovered in a Parisian antique dealer. The “Parfum de toilette” (Pdt) was signed by Hélène Rochas herself. The perfume has aldehydes, bergamot, lemon and neroli at the top, flowery notes in the middle and woody tones at the base. Its second edition appeared in 1989.

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