Carven Perfume Guide: Ma Griffe & the Green Chypre That Started a House
Madame Carven, the striped frock, and the 1946 classic collectors still hunt
What Is Carven Perfume?
Carven is a French couture house founded in Paris in 1945 by Carmen de Tommaso — Madame Carven — whose debut fragrance Ma Griffe (1946), composed by Jean Carles for Roure, remains one of the most influential green chypres ever made. It was followed by Robe d’Un Soir (1947), Vetiver (1957), Eau Vive (1966), Guirlandes (1982), Intrigue (1986) and Carven Homme (1999) — an archive that is now almost entirely discontinued.
Madame Carven: Couture Cut for Petite Women
Carmen de Tommaso (1909–2015) opened at 6, Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées in 1945. Barely 1.55 m tall, she built a house that flattered petite women rather than ignoring them. Her signature was a green-and-white striped frock the press called her griffe: in French, ma griffe means “my signature” or “my claw.” Her first perfume took that name in 1946, and legend says miniature bottles were dropped over Paris on tiny green-and-white parachutes.
Top 5 Carven Perfumes Every Collector Should Know
- Ma Griffe (1946) — Jean Carles. A sharp green chypre of aldehydes, clary sage and galbanum over gardenia, jasmine and ylang-ylang, drying to vetiver, tonka bean and cinnamon.
- Robe d’Un Soir (1947) — floral aldehyde: peach, mandarin and neroli, a carnation and May rose heart, an amber and sandalwood base.
- Vetiver (1957) — Edouard Hache’s woody chypre of lemon, clary sage and lavender; Carven’s first masculine.
- Guirlandes (1982) — a white-floral aldehyde in the airy “eau fraîche” style of the era.
- Carven Homme (1999) — lavender, juniper and rosewood over cinnamon, cedar, tobacco and labdanum.
Also: Chasse Gardée (1950), Monsieur Carven (1978), Madame Carven (1979) and Vetiver Dry (1988).
How to Identify a Genuine Vintage Carven Bottle
- Lettering. Ma Griffe flacons read “ma griffe” and “carven paris”; the classic presentation has a green cap and a striped box.
- Concentration wording. Older bottles say Parfum, Parfum de Toilette (PDT) or Eau de Toilette (EDT) — the PDT spelling helps date 1970s–80s stock.
- Glass and fill level. Genuine flacons are substantial, with crisp label typography; expect some evaporation after forty years, so buy from listings showing the real bottle.
- Ignore recreations. Listings sold as “inspired by” or “type” are modern interpretations, not Carven’s own juice.
Frequently Asked Questions About Carven Perfume
Is Carven Ma Griffe discontinued?
The original 1946 composition is discontinued; the bottle sold new today is the 2013 re-release, a modern chypre floral. Original-formula parfum, PDT and EDT bottles from the 1940s–1980s are vintage collectibles, and the rest of the archive — Guirlandes, Robe d’Un Soir, Intrigue — is no longer made.
What does Ma Griffe by Carven smell like?
A green chypre: aldehydes, clary sage and galbanum over gardenia, jasmine and ylang-ylang, drying to vetiver, oakmoss and tonka bean.
Why is Carven’s first perfume called Ma Griffe?
It is named after Madame Carven’s signature striped look: ma griffe means “my signature” or “my claw,” the maker’s mark.
Carven Perfume for Sale at TrendyGround
We stock authenticated vintage and discontinued Carven bottles, photographed individually:
Carven — In Stock Now
Authenticated and date-checked by hand. Discontinued bottles sell out — each one is a single piece.
