Rebecca Phillips
Daisy by Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs
Perfume
"The effortless charm and youthful elegance of Marc Jacobs Daisy transports you to a place that is optimistic, beautiful and pure.” Marc Jacobs
The signature daisy used in Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume is known as the California Daisy, or the Shasta Daisy. Created by the world-renowned American horticulturist Luther Burbank at his property in Santa Rosa, California in 1901. Initially inspired by the wild oxeye daisy and the common daisy, his goal was to create a hybrid that reflected the qualities he sought in the perfect daisy-- pure white petals with a bright yellow center and a sweet, fresh scent.
Daisies are believed to be more than 4000 years old, known as Asteraceae in flowering plants. Many flowering plants also share the name "daisy," so to distinguish this species from other daisies it is sometimes qualified as the common daisy, oxeye daisy, lawn daisy or English daisy. The common daisy is known as the scientific name, Bellis perennis which are native to north and central Europe but have been widely naturalized in most temperate regions including the Americas and Australasia.
Around 2,200 B.C., daisies were among the flowers that grew in ancient Egyptian temple gardens. These gardens typically accommodated an array of plants and flowers that were cultivated for their herbal and medicinal properties. The Oxeye daisy is a herb which was known for its medical and herbal properties, was introduced accidentally to North America by the Pilgrims. The common daisy can come in an array of colors, but white is the norm. The daisy generally blooms from early to midsummer and occasionally produce a few flowers in the middle of mild winters.
The name "daisy" is from mispronouncing of "day's eye" meaning coming from ‘the whole head closes at night and opens in the morning.’ In Medieval times, Bellis perennis or the English Daisy was commonly known as "Mary's Rose" or the bone flower. Bellis may come from bellus, Latin for "pretty," and perennis is Latin for "everlasting." Daisy is used as a girl's name and as a nickname for girls named Margaret, after the French name Marguerite for the oxeye daisy. Common Daisy is also considered to be a flower of children and innocence. Other meanings include innocence, purity, and beauty, and because of their dizzying array of bright colors they come in, they also mean cheerfulness.
The daisy has led to many legends and fortune telling. For instance, in a Celtic myth, if children died at childbirth, their spirits would sprinkle daisies on earth to cheer their grieving parents. Another example is during the Victorian times, it became a practice for young ladies to pluck the petals of daisies one by one, simultaneously reciting, "He loves me, he loves me not." The last petal left would be the prophetic one.
For Marc Jacobs Dasiy, which is the California Daisy had the perfect combination of the Common Daisy and Oxeye Daisy for their innocence, beauty, and femininity.