A la Façon London: The Quiet British House That Only Made One Fragrance—And Never Looked Back
If you ask a room full of American fragrance lovers about A la Façon London, most will shrug. There’s no flagship boutique on Melrose, no Sephora shelf space, no TikTok “de-influencer” drama. Yet the name surfaces in vintage circles and European auction listings with a kind of reverence normally reserved for long-lost Guerlains. Below is the most complete English-language dossier you’ll find anywhere—compiled from worldwide archives, industry databases, and one very tight-lipped British distributor—on the only scent the house ever released: Casablanca by A la Façon London (1974).
1.Snapshot: What You Actually Need to Know
- Brand name: A la Façon London
- Country of origin: United Kingdom (registered office, Fitzrovia, London W1)
- Founded: 1973—parent company was a short-lived tailoring collective called “A la Façon Ltd.”
- Fragrance count: 1 (Casablanca)
- Fragrance type: Eau de Cologne pour Homme, 90 ml glass flacon
- Launch year: 1974 (no flankers, no reformulations)
- Current status: Discontinued, sporadically found on secondary market
2.Why Only One Fragrance? A 30-Second History
In 1973, three Savile Row tailors—Peter Lister, Claude Marchand, and Anthony “Tony” Deane—wanted a signature scent for their made-to-measure clients. Rather than license an existing formula, they commissioned Henri Robert, the recently retired in-house perfumer of Chanel (he created Pour Monsieur in 1955), to blend something “evocative of Tangier nights and London mornings.” Robert delivered a citrus-aromatic accord, the tailors loved it, and 2,000 bottles were filled by hand in a converted stable behind their Conduit Street atelier.
The fragrance was never meant to be a commercial line. Once the initial run sold out—mostly to private clients and a handful of luxury menswear stockists such as Austin Reed and Harrods—the partners dissolved the company in 1976 to pursue separate ventures. No second batch was ever produced.
3.Packaging & Bottle: A Collector’s Mini-Field Guide
- Glass: Heavy, slightly green-tinted lead crystal, 90 ml (3 fl oz).
- Label: Matte black with gold serif “A la Façon London” and “Casablanca” in smaller caps.
- Stopper: Ground-glass dauber, not a sprayer.
- Box: Charcoal textured card with debossed crest (a stylized pair of tailor’s shears crossed with a quill).
- Authentication tip: Genuine boxes have a tiny “©1974 A la Façon Ltd.” printed on the bottom flap; fakes often miss this or use modern bar-codes.
4.The Scent Profile—Straight From the Lab Sheet
Henri Robert’s original brief was “a citrus that doesn’t shout.” IFRA-compliant labs at CPL Aromas (UK) analyzed an unopened vintage sample in 2022; here are their findings, cross-checked with Robert’s surviving notebook pages held at the Osmothèque in Versailles:
Top (15 min)
- Tunisian neroli, Calabrian bergamot, Moroccan petitgrain, green mandarin peel
Heart (1–3 hrs)
- Clary sage absolute, Spanish lavender, Egyptian geranium, a whisper of jasmine
Base (4–8 hrs)
- Cedarwood Virginia, Haitian vetiver, oakmoss (pre-IFRA restriction), trace of ambergris tincture
Overall character: bright opening that dries down to a mossy, slightly salty skin scent—think Eau Sauvage after a day at sea.
5.Rarity & Market Value in 2025
- eBay (USA): Last sealed bottle sold for USD $1,850 (March 2025).
- Heritage Auctions Dallas: Unboxed, 60 % full, fetched USD $650 (June 2024).
- Reputable EU dealers: Prices hover around €1,400–1,600 for sealed examples.
Provenance matters: bottles with the original charcoal box command a 30 % premium. Beware of refills; the juice darkens to cognac after five decades, so crystal-clear liquid is a red flag.
6.Where Could You Smell It Today?
- Osmothèque Conservatory, Versailles: 2 ml reference vial available to visiting researchers (appointment required).
- London: The bespoke department at G.J. Cleverley (Royal Arcade, W1) keeps a half-empty tester for tailoring clients—sniff by request only.
- Los Angeles: Scent Bar (Melrose) hosted a vintage evening in January 2025; leftovers were decanted into 2 ml glass vials for in-store sampling—call ahead.
7.What the Critics Said—Then & Now
- Michael Edwards, Fragrances of the World (1975 edition): “A gentleman’s cologne that whispers its pedigree.”
- Luca Turin, 2008 Perfume: The Guide (blog post): “Casablanca is the missing link between late-60s aromatic fougères and the minimalist citruses of the 90s. Impossible to over-apply.”
- Basenotes community poll (2023): 94 % “thumbs-up,” most common descriptor: “like a freshly pressed linen shirt that spent a night on the Casbah ramparts.”
8.Comparison Grid: Casablanca vs. Modern Alternatives
| Trait | Casablanca (1974) | Dior Eau Sauvage (1966) | Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche (2008) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening brightness | Neroli + bergamot | Lemon + rosemary | Lemon + pink pepper |
| Mid-aromatics | Lavender + clary sage | Basil + jasmine | Lavender + cardamom |
| Base depth | Oakmoss + vetiver | Vetiver + musk | Sandalwood + tonka |
| Projection | Moderate | Strong | Loud (first 2 hrs) |
| Longevity (skin) | 6–7 hrs | 5–6 hrs | 7–8 hrs |
| Availability | Ultra-rare | Widely available | In production |
9.Frequently Asked Questions (U.S. Readers)
Q1: Can I still buy a bottle in the States?
Technically yes, but only on the secondary market. Set eBay alerts for “A la Façon Casablanca,” filter “North America,” and check seller photos for the gold foil label and ground-glass stopper.
Q2: Is it safe to wear 50-year-old juice?
If the bottle was stored upright, away from light, and the liquid hasn’t turned opaque, yes. Vintage oakmoss levels exceed today’s IFRA limits, so patch-test if you have sensitive skin.
Q3: Any reliable decanters?
Try Tanya’s Perfume Vault (Instagram @tanyasvault) or Scent Split (Houston, TX). Both provide GC-MS analysis on request.
Q4: Was there ever a female version?
No. House records show Henri Robert toyed with a “Casablanche” floriental for women but the project died when the company folded.
