On the Scent of a Fragrant Museum

Remember all those kooky perfume and cologne commercials from the ‘70s and ‘80s? “Canoe--not for the man who knows what places to go, but for the man who makes the place he is the place to be.”

And then there was the ad for Hai Karate cologne that featured a woman karate-chopping her boyfriend as the voice-over warned: “First they told us they had a right to wear pants. . . . Stand up for your rights. Don’t let your Hai Karate become hers.”

I had lots of laughs watching a tape of these commercials at the Annette Green Museum at the Fragrance Foundation the other day. The museum, which opened in November at the industry association’s Midtown offices, claims to be the only fragrance museum in America. How could I not stop by for a sniff?

In celebration of the foundation’s 50th anniversary, the museum’s inaugural exhibition, “50 Years of Fragrance,” presents a timeline of American olfactory history from 1949 to 1999, with more than 250 fragrance flacons.

I liked the “smelling scenter,” offering samples of popular notes used in fragrance making, including vanilla, jasmine, rose, citrus, chocolate and leather. After exercising my olfactory muscles, I must say the notes by themselves are no great shakes. The secret must be in the mix.

Foundation President Annette Green told me the organization was created to boost sales of fragrance to American women. In fact, in 1949, two of three scents introduced in this country were for men.

Perfume became more popular after World War II, when servicemen returned home with bottles of Chanel No. 5 and Joy for their wives.

By the 1960s, things had changed. “Musk was the scent of America’s youth quake,” the exhibit says, and women began to accept the idea that different fragrances could be worn to suit their different moods.

American fashion designers entered the fragrance industry in the ‘70s. “Women couldn’t afford their fashions, but they could afford their fragrances,” Green said. “Today . . . it’s a huge part of their business.”

In the opulent ‘80s, more than 400 fragrances were introduced--with evocative names like Poison, Eternity and Passion. The 1990s offered perfumes that promised psychological benefits: Clinique’s Happy, among others.

As people prepare to go into space as tourists, predicts Green, there will be odor devices for spaceships and living pods. “Buzz Aldrin said to me, ‘Annette, you have to do something about the odor delivery systems.’ ”

And perhaps space travel will inspire the next theme in fragrance names. I’m partial to Chanel No. 93 Million.

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Brrr! It’s cold here and fur is out in force.

In the early 1990s, many New Yorkers hid their minks away, afraid to wear them for fear they’d be spattered with paint by animal rights activists. Well, the movement has chilled considerably, and Women’s Wear Daily reports that fur sales are climbing again. Several designers--including Anna Sui, Cynthia Rowley and Oscar de la Renta--will show fur on the runways for fall.

“I know in the past few years, Fur-Free Friday, which is the day after Thanksgiving, hasn’t been a big deal,” said Shaya Strager of the Fur Information Council of America.

“Naomi Campbell [a former spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals] has been wearing fur for three years now. She’s a perfect example of how everyday people have been turned off by the extreme measures PETA was taking.”

By the way, celebs might want to note: Now that animal rights has fallen out of vogue, the online publication Fashion Wire Daily reports that the hot causes are children’s charities and cancer research.

(I must work on improving my cynical outlook!)

Booth Moore can be reached at booth.moore@latimes.com.