It’s a little-known story, overshadowed by the first matches of the football World Cup in France, which will lead the Blues to victory, a month later. In the night of June 11 to 12, 1998, a few kilometers from Clairefontaine (Yvelines), the training camp of the tricolors, a commando of hooded, gloved and armed men broke into the home of Jean-Paul Guerlain, the famous French perfumer.
The drama takes place in the peaceful village of Mesnuls (Yvelines), near the forest of Rambouillet, in this wealthy west of Paris where the Guerlain family has established its stronghold for three generations. The picture is violent, because the armed robbery goes wrong: twenty hostages are kidnapped for several hours, shots ring out, two men are shot and wounded, valuable jewelry is stolen.
Jean-Paul Guerlain, then 61 years old, was a very prominent personality. It bears the name of a family perfume brand, created in the 19the century and of worldwide reputation, of which it is the nose – considered exceptional. To his credit, a string of creations, and not the least: Vetiver (1959), Habit Rouge (1965), Nahéma (1979), Samsara (1989) with oriental scents… If the brand was sold in 1994 to the LVMH group of Bernard Arnault for nearly 2 billion francs, Jean-Paul Guerlain remains the soul, the image and the nose of the house.
“Jean-Paul Guerlain’s behavior has often denoted his people. He is louder, more boastful than the others and leads a more expensive lifestyle” –Elisabeth de Feydeau, historian
His fortune is no secret. Neither did his reputation as a don Juan. This divorced father is a socialite gravitating in high society. He is also an emeritus rider – dressage category. Child of 16e arrondissement of Paris, he flits from cocktails to dinners, passing by equestrian awards ceremonies, and likes to show off. A little too much, whisper family members. “The Guerlains are a big family from the North, silent, even ultra-discreet. With them, propriety and work take precedence. The behavior of Jean-Paul Guerlain has often denoted within his own. He is louder, more boastful than the others and leads a more expensive lifestyle.points out the historian Elisabeth de Feydeau in The Guerlain novel (Flammarion, 2017).
A few hours before the hold-up, Jean-Paul Guerlain presents at the boutique at 68, avenue des Champs-Elysées, his latest baby, Guerlinade, a very floral fragrance with a dominant lilac. ” A perfume of love that I dedicate to all women and in particular to those who have shared my life and who have inspired my most beautiful creations »he said. Around 9:30 p.m., he left the premises with his friend Decia de Pauw – she inspired Samsara in him – they had a quick dinner at the Saint James Club, a few minutes from the Champs, then returned to the immense property of Les Mesnuls in a black Twingo.
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