Great Lady by Evyan (1957) was a perfume conceived as both a tribute and a statement. Baron Walter Langer von Langendorff, known professionally as Dr. Walter Langer, had already made a lasting mark on American perfumery with White Shoulders in 1940. In naming his 1957 creation Great Lady, he paid homage to his wife, Evelyn Diane Westall—affectionately remembered as Lady Evyan. The choice of name itself is steeped in reverence and grandeur: Great Lady conjures an image of dignity, poise, and refinement, a woman whose presence commands respect not through ostentation, but through elegance and self-assured grace. To wear such a perfume in the 1950s would have been to wrap oneself in an aura of sophistication that resonated with the aspirations of women in postwar America.
The late 1950s marked a fascinating moment in cultural history. The austerity of the war years had given way to prosperity, and with it came glamour, luxury, and an emphasis on polished femininity. Dior’s New Look had redefined fashion in 1947, with cinched waists, sweeping skirts, and an emphasis on womanly curves. By 1957, women’s wardrobes were filled with rich fabrics, cocktail dresses, and pearls, and Hollywood icons like Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor set the tone for beauty and elegance. Against this backdrop, a perfume called Great Lady would have appealed deeply: it suggested not only refinement, but also a certain grandeur—an aspirational identity for women who desired to embody both softness and authority.
