Adieu Sagesse Jean Patou for women

Doc Elly: couldn't have said it better myself!

I think classic French perfumes are a little like jazz. I, like other people of my generation, started out hating them because they belonged to my parents’ or grandparents’ cultural milieu and were something that should be rejected for that reason alone. However, having ended up studying both jazz and perfumery enough to understand their underlying structure, I now realize the incredible genius that went into the creation of both the music and the perfumes.

Adieu Sagesse, originally released in 1925, has sadly been discontined. It starts out with a burst of floral aldehydes that reminds me of my mother’s or grandmother’s perfumes. There’s no doubt at any point that this is an old-fashioned, synthetic, French perfume, but it turns out to be one that’s surprisingly wearable in a contemporary setting. After the first few minutes the sillage is a gorgeous powdery-fluffy medley of spring flowers that envelops me and makes me feel as if I’m a flapper wearing an elegant fur coat, back in the days before real fur became politically incorrect. As it dries down, it mellows into a gauzy cocoon of lovely scent that lasts all day.

It is never heavy, cloying, or in-your-face. I could wear this anywhere and not be offensive. I’m beginning to think that some of these old perfumes are more in keeping with modern tastes than perfumes from more recent times, especially the 1980s. I like it and will have to look for a larger decant!