Mitsouko

In 1919, the Great War was over, leaving France greatly changed. In this effervescent context, Europe was to discover an incredible infatuation with Japan and the culture of the far East. It was hardly a surprise, then, when Jacques Guerlain named his new creation “Mitsouko”, after the name of the heroine in the bestselling novel La Bataille, written by his friend Claude Farrère.

Mitsouko, a beautiful, married Japanese woman, secretly loves a British officer. In 1905 the Russo-Japanese war broke out, Mitsouko awaits with dignity the outcome of the battle, nobly dominating her feelings. It is a story that echoed the post-war context.