WHEN PERFUME FELL FROM THE SKY

What would you do if perfume fell from the sky? Well, women on 5th Avenue in New York City got to find out on March 31, 1941. Makeup queen Helena Rubinstein had a flair for the dramatic and a deep rivalry with Elizabeth Arden.

Helena Rubinstein

The two would take turns one upping each other and stealing employees, so when Rubinstein launched her 1941 perfume Heaven Sent…she did so with dramatic flair.

500 balloons affixed to wicker baskets were released from the roof of the famous department store, Bonwit Teller, the same store seen in the reflection Audrey Hepburn admires herself in in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The baskets held a note that said, “Out of the blue to you,” and a sample vial of the perfume.

It caused a commotion as women were fighting for these baskets.

Heaven Sent allegedly got its name when Rubinstein sniffed it and exclaimed, “What a heavenly scent!” This was an extremely popular fragrance that came in many formats including soaps in the shape of angels, dusting powder, even solid perfumes.

What perfume would you like to fall from the sky?