Vintages

Jean Patou

09/07/08 08:29:17

Jean Patou was born in 1887 in the Basque region and died in 1936 at the age of only 49. By the age of 23, he moved to Paris and was already a successful dressmaker and tailor. He purchased a small shop, Maison Parry, and had adopted the Patou name. His popularity grew among a loyal, private clientele and he subsequently founded his fashion and perfume house where he presented his premiere collection in 1919. This proved to be such a great success that he opened an office in New York to fill the demand from his American clients. He also expanded his business to the Coin des Sports boutique, a shop in Deauville and a summer house of couture in Biarritz.

He was the first to introduce sportswear for women, including tennis skirts, tennis shorts, knitted bathing suits, jersey cardigans and introduced complementary accessories for his clothes, putting his monogram on them where it would be seen.

Another first was the invention of suntan lotion. Coco Chanel & Josephine Baker both influenced women of the 1920s and started sunbathing to attain the bronzed glow from the sun, as a result, Patou introduced Huile de Chaldee.

Huile de Chaldee was named after an ancient city in Babylonia that was legendary for its beautiful amber- skinned beauties. Huile de Chaldee 'was made with the most expensive oils and perfumed with a warm, sensual mix of narcissus, orange flower and amber' says Jean Patou's house perfumer Jean-Michel Duriez.

Patou was among the first couturiers to include perfumes as part of a collection. He introduced his first three perfumes together in 1925, and each perfume was assigned for women of three different hair colors; Amour Amour (for brunettes), Que Sais-Je? (for blondes), and Adieu Sagesse (for redheads), created with the help of Paul Poiret's perfumer, Henri Almeras.

Patou also installed a cocktail bar for the gentlemen's entertainment while their ladies were being fitted for their haute couture. In 1930, he created a perfume bar for the amusement of his clients, encouraging them to concoct their own fragrances.

Jean Patou wanted to send a gift of appreciation to his many regular international clients who would be unable to visit Paris in that first year of the Great Depression. He asked Almeras to create something very strong, yet simple, no matter what the cost. This lead to the creation of the costliest perfume in the world, Joy.

The predominant ingredients of Bulgarian rose and jasmine-one ounce, it is said requires 10,000 jasmine flowers and 28 dozen roses. The bottle was produced in three different designs. The first one was designed to classical proportions by Louis Sue, the second was inspired by Jean Patou's own collection of antique Chinese snuff bottles, and the third was a cut crystal flacon produced by Baccarat.

Some info about certain Patou fragrances:

Amour Amour: the first fragrance by Patou, was also the first of his "love trilogy" presented in 1925. It was followed by Que Sais-Je? (What Do I Know?) and Adieu Sagesse (Farewell Wisdom).

Huile de Chaldee: introduced in 1927, and named for a region in ancient Babylonia. It is a spicy, flowery fragrance with orange blossom, hyacinth, jasmine and narcissus producing the top and middle notes, underlined by a soft, powdery base note.

Normandie: created for the maiden voyage of the ocean liner in 1935. Each passenger was presented with a sample, set in the middle of a stylized steamer. Normandie has a dominant note of carnation, evolving into an intense bouquet of jasmine, rose and moss against a warm, sensual background.

Colony: was introduced in 1938, amid the threat of impending war. Patou chose the name to evoke the tropics and to suggest a happier, more prosperous time. A fruity chypre, it is comprised of pineapple and ylang ylang from Nossi-Be which unfolds to a woody green character over strong base notes of leather and musk.

L'Heure Attendue: created by Patou to celebrate the end of the war and the liberation of Paris from Nazi occupation.

The Perfumes of Jean Patou:

(1994) Voyageur

(1992) Sublime

(1987) Ma Liberte