Jean Patou is a prestigious, historic luxury brand. "The costliest perfume in the world": Jean Patou himself already did the work for you! (ie. brand equity, market positioning). For the informed, Jean Patou stands up there with Chanel. Christian Dior was there too. Around when 'Christian Dior' rebranded to 'Dior', it adopted a mass marketing strategy. All good, but that left a gap in the LVMH prestige brand offerings. (Which seems to be partially filled by brand Exclusifs now.) Jean Paul Gaultier began his career with Jean Patou during Michel Goma’s time there. He joined the studio in 1972 at the age of 20, completing his apprenticeship there. He left the house in 1974 to work at Pierre Cardin. Jean Patou as a company suffered from going through the years of economic recession, but it had a contradictory approach: when things got tough, luxury was boosted. Even when the company was in difficulties, and so was its clientele, Patou's approach was always to surprise the market with seemingly nonsensical products. That was the case of Joy, the quintessence of rarity and supreme opulence. When in 1929, Jean Patou smelled the unreleased sample of what was to be Joy, he loved it, but the perfumer told him it would be impossible to release it in the marker, for the essences that had been used were too expensive, and impossible to use commercially due to the prohibitive price. Jean Patou took this answer and turned this perfume into a marketing strategy, announcing Joy as "The World's Costliest Perfume." It was a success! Mitsouko I have have started to maybe like – having tried a recent edp – but may need to think about it more. Adieu Sagesse, Que Sais-Je? - these two and Amour Amor were released at the same time; Patou's idea was that the light floral Amour Amour was suitable for blondes; the tart, spicy Adieu Sagesse for redheads, and the heavy floral Que Sais-Je? for brunettes

Joy was different from the previous Patou perfumes. First of all, unlike all the precious releases from the house, this bottle was very simple, austere and geometric, much in sync with the Art Deco style, and following the footsteps of the hit of Chanel Nº5. Second, the composition was for all women, more universal and not directed at a specific skin color or a particular event. It was a simple name, but very meaningful for everyone, everywhere. Joy was also jumping in the floral rose-jasmine trend initiated with Chanel Nº5, but whereas Chanel's take depended on artificiality and illusions, Patou's approach was mainly about naturalness and tradition. From the start of my perfume love affair I have loved aldehydic florals with a mossy sandalwood drydown. I find that a lot of classics were reformulated with a heavier dose of vanilla at the base to compensate for the reduced sandalwood and oakmoss. Consequently, I end up with a preference for the vintage versions of fragrances like First and No 5. This review is based on my one year old bottle of Eau de Parfum, the formulation available at counters today. If you’ve tried the older versions of 1000 and compared them to the new one, please comment. Patou was discovered unresponsive in his home the night of March 8, 1936 and died less than an hour later. He had been found to have suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage nearly 24 hours earlier. He died 4 months after his 48th birthday. His sister Madeleine and her husband Raymond Barbas continued the House of Patou.

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The only individuals that would seek interest of this scent would be those from blogs, individuals looking to smell a ghost from the past, but never do they buy a bottle. Maybe an exceptions here and there, but on a global scale, they probably sell a bottle a month.

The best known of Patou's perfumes is " JOY", a heavy floral scent, based on the most precious rose and jasmine, that remained the costliest perfume in the world, until the House of Patou introduced "1000" (a heavy, earthy floral perfume, based on a rare osmanthus) in 1972. Before JOY, the House of Patou released many other perfumes, many which were to celebrate particular events. For example, Normandie (an oriental forerunner to perfumes such as Yves Saint Laurent's Opium) celebrated the French ocean liner of the same name, and Vacances (a mixture of green and lilac notes) celebrated the first French paid national holidays. Strangely, Mitsouko now feels nostalgic, like something I’ve known forever, but I’m pretty sure I’d never smelled it till a few years ago.Old Spice is probably the only iconic product for men (in cologne or aftershave version) that was widely used. And it certainly does not have the glamour of a Joy, a N0.5, or a Shalimar. That worry aside, I am well on the way to loving No. 5 in parfum, though I need to be in the right mood. I’m not yet sure about the EDT. I loved Miss Dior Original from the beginning though, again, I wonder if it’s a ghost. An ounce of Joy had a retail price of 40 dollars, the most expensive perfume at the time. As told by Emmanuelle Polle, "What the clients would soon learn was that this ounce of perfume was produced through the extraction of some 10,600 jasmine flowers and 28 dozen roses. It was a gargantuan perfume, requiring huge quantities of fresh flowers. The couturier-perfumer was not one for artifice, be it in the way silk was worked or the walk of a model on the runway, or the ingredients of a perfume. The same line of conduct prevailed in his perfumes and his fashions: the quest for naturalness and the very best raw materials." Created by Jean Kerléo in 1972, 1000 is from the generation of perfumes that followed the dictum of “more is more,” and you have to be prepared for it. You have to like the starchy crinkle of aldehydes, the buttery richness of rose and iris, the heft of creamy woods, and the inky darkness of oakmoss. It skimps on nothing, which makes it both fun and challenging. No5 might be one of my most complimented smells – especially if I happen to wear a rose body oil with it. I am always surprised as I would not expect it to be so well received still and yet it has an aura all of it’s own which I reach for whenever I need to feel just so for work or anything else.

About 30 years ago, it was very rare that the same name was taken given - chosen for fragrances by different companies, but nowadays it is so very frequent. And I do not like it at all. (I'm thinking about the "Guess" by Guess and the "Guess" by Marciano or "Idole" by Giorgio Armani and now by Lancôme. Nothing alike, nor in bottle designs nor in smells, by 2 companies that have nothing to do with each other neither. Etc...

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I think that a list for men would be quite difficult and would show fragrances that are historically much more recent. Stewart, Mary Lynn (2008). Dressing Modern Frenchwomen: Marketing Haute Couture, 1919–1939. JHU Press. p.209. ISBN 978-0-8018-8803-8. Jean Patou should have been incorporated into the company at the pointy end of LVMH's prestigious brands. I'm sure that was the intention at the time of the acquisition.

In 1925 Patou launched his perfume business with three fragrances created by Henri Alméras. [4] In 1928, Jean Patou created "Huile de Chaldée", the first sun tan lotion. Kerleo stepped down in 1999 [6] appointing Jean-Michel Duriez as house perfumer. Duriez creations include "Un Amour de Patou" (1998), "Enjoy" (2003) and "Sira des Indes" (2006). Joy" was voted "Scent of the Century" by the public at the Fragrance Foundation FiFi Awards in 2000, beating its rival " Chanel No. 5". [10]

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In the 1920s, women were breaking the mould with their wardrobe, and Jean Patou was at their side. He proposed a whole new way to experience garments and the idea of leisure and relaxation. Freedom, in short.... Jean Patou shared romances with Louise Brooks and members of the European aristocracy but never married anyone. The press release was ecstatic. “Grasse Rose, in both Essence and Absolute form, as well as heady Jasmine, blend with these delectable fruits [bergamot and mandarin] in a vibrant smile. Warm and creamy sandalwood embraces us in softness.” That Dior needs to hire a good copywriter is obvious, but even more so the fact that besides the name, Dior also took the main idea of Jean Patou’s Joy, rose and jasmine. What would be the result, I wondered? I will always have a soft spot for Joy, but 1000 is easily my favorite. Previous posters are calling it a gender bender, and of course, to each their own! Their experiences may be different from mine. But to me, I find 1000 to be unabashedly feminine. I would love to acquire the vintage perfume in the green flacon, but fear if I don't act soon, it will only be a matter of time before it becomes out of reach. In the 1920s, he shortened the hemline, marketed a pleated skirt to wear in the city, and designed jersey sets with geometric patterns. A visionary fashion designer, Jean Patou invented the monogram, slipping his initials onto jersey swimwear, marked them with the "JP" of the house.