The basenotes here read like they would just be overpowering: musky, warm, oriental woody and earthy...but alongside the flowers, and the bright top notes; they are just divine. Mixed carefully with a light hand, they add a rich (but sheerly clean) slightly animalic and earthy feel to the overall stunning composition. The ancients used to believe that when a god or goddess ahd walked among them they could smell a heavenly trace of flowers and balms...this EDT makes me feel like I have been touched by something from a higher sphere, one that is pure and full of light and healing...Bliss!! Jean Patou remained a family-owned business until September 2001 when it was bought by P&G Prestige Beaute a division of Procter & Gamble, which also market perfumes for Jean Kerléo and Karl Lagerfeld. Fragrance for men Patou Pour Homme was introduced in 1980 celebrating men’s elegance. This fragrance is truly masculine—authoritative and layered. Top notes provide us with a blend of bergamot, lemon, galbanum and pepper, which give way to lavender, jasmine, rose, tarragon and violet in the heart. Robustness and crudeness come from base notes of patchouli, olibanum and amber. Composed in a classical 1920s manner, Chaldée is a blend of white flowers on an ambery base. The initial accords are dark and heavy with the oily richness of hyacinth dominating, however the composition lightens as soon as the sunny mist of orange blossom and jasmine weaves in. Powdery warmth of amber made deliciously sweet by a haze of vanilla constitutes a base upon which delicate white blossoms fall. It has an appealing richness that could translate as powderiness, however smooth greenness of hyacinth provides a beautiful counterpoint, which balances out the dark warmth. if you like an original fragrance always ensure that you aren't buying the revised version, which can be to attar what dribbles in the cat box are to the product on the counter.

In 1924 the legendary designer, JEAN PATOU was widely perceived as the world’s most innovate and successful fashion designer. When he launched his first fragrances in that same year his rationale was brilliantly simple. Patou adored women ... all women and so as an homage to brunettes, blondes and redheads all over the world his first foray into fragrance matched scents to hair color and appealed to everyone. Ever since then, the House of JEAN PATOU has shaped the world of fine perfume with iconic scents such as JOY, SUBLIME and 1000 that have immortalized its reputation as a symbol of quality and prestige. By the way, I have one other Heritage Collection Patou. It's Vacances. It's also very well done, in my view.)I start to feel after the first outburst some kind of soapy notes and I must say I'm not a fan of soapy notes, but in Sublime they are hidden well, so I don't feel that they are too much and it does not resemble expensive soap as so many soapy fragrances does for me. The original Chaldee was a mix of orange blossom, narcissus, and vanilla predominantly over a musky base meant to evoke sun warmed skin. When you sniff the 1927 or the re-released 1984 Ma Collection version it is mostly the deep musky aspects which predominate. My small sample of 1927, or so, Chaldee and my Ma Collection bottle both smell very similar so I am guessing that somewhere after around 20-30 years of aging the oils have hit their steady state. That is something that should always be taken into account when doing these comparisons. Any vintage fragrance has had tens of years to continue to evolve. In essence it has continued to macerate in the bottle which means it has changed somewhat. This was especially brought home to me when Patricia de Nicolai of the Osmotheque shared with me their freshly made versions of vintage perfumes. There is an essential brightness that is lost upon aging for an extended period of time, although an extra level of depth is probably commonly added. Which brings me to the new version of Chaldee. Luscious orange top notes blended with cinnamon and green nuances is what opens Sublime. Surprisingly this fragrance smells quite clean and refreshing. As the orange settles, jasmine, carnation and ylang ylang provide a sweet, feminine bouquet. I bought this because I fell head over heels with Joy and on first impressions it smells very similar. On the dry down this one is brighter, almost like hazy sunshine in a bottle. It has a very addictive edge to it and I can't stop savouring it on my wrist as I delight in searching out its intricacies. It reminds me of a new lover - the frisson of anticipation, the way they dress, and move and breathe. This is pre coitus ; Joy is afterwards when you lie entwined and your body smells are heady and you wonder just what sorcery brought you here. At the heart part for me the most dominant notes are green notes, orris root and carnation. For me the carnation is a strange flower, I never were happy to receive them as a gift, but I tend to enjoy them in fragrance. It's a strange flower and more gives a "green" feel, not a floral.

Colony: For those who love leather but leather that is elegant, not brash, like many leather perfumes can be. An almost aldehydic (bergamot, orange blossom) twist at the top is unmistakably retro-sounding but introduces the prettiest, sunniest, yet light and creamy ylang that shines with femininity; a warm loving hug instead of a passionate kiss. In short period of time the glorious Ylang fades merging with amber/rose, gliding towards the powdery drydown (musk). A safe departure from the glistening opening I would say, still can't deny the absolute diva-quality of this sublime sun ray. (EDT) Chaldeé is the oriental relative to the English botanic sibling (Ostara). The former has plenty of development from medicinal to floral-faecal to floral indolic (narcissus and jasmin) to floral-vanilla to resinous-ambery warm. There is an ever so slight undertone of that sandalwood accord reminiscent of 'Opium' by YSL. It's such a pity that Sublime no longer graces our shelves anymore. I managed to grab a lotion on sale a few months ago, but since then, Sublime and its body products are nowhere to be found.All these, with the exception of Le Sien, were re-released during the 1980s (under the name Ma Collection), and were available until recently, all in a 50ml Eau de Toilette Spray, 75ml Eau de Toilette bottle, and 30ml pure perfume bottle, each with a unique art deco box. A Jean Patou silk scarf, printed in a pattern complementing that of the box was included with the pure perfume. Joy remains the world's second best-selling scent (the first is Chanel No. 5), Joy was created by Henri Alméras for Patou at the height of the Great Depression (1935) for Patou's former clients who could no longer afford his haute couture clothing line. I absolutely love vintage Jean Patou -- I love vintage fragrances in general and collect many -- and have a number of originals and 1984 Ma Collection Patou editions: Normandie, Moment Suprême, Que Sais-Je, Amour Amour, Colony, Sublime,1000 and Joy. The house of Jean Patou has recently launched the new fragrance for women Joy Forever and presented the well-known collection in new bottles repeating the form of Ma Collection. Joy Forever was created by perfumer of the house, Thomas Fontaine, who started his work at Jean Patou with various reformulations of the fragrance Sublime, 1000, Joy, Jean Patou pour homme, Eau de Patou and Chaldée. Patou was born in Paris, France in 1880. Patou's family's business was tanning and furs. [1] Patou worked with his uncle in Normandy, then moved to Paris in 1910, intent on becoming a couturier. Why and how to restrict perfume materials is a popular if confusing debate today, but in the 70s-90s the discussion of the hazards of aromachemicals and botanicals took place behind closed-doors. The general public didn’t know what went into perfumes in the first place or who made them, so discussions about restricting oakmoss or refining bergamot had little significance. They did have a stifling effect on perfume composition, though it might not have been readily apparent in 1992.

If I could have only one, I'd choose the vintage Chaldée, as I would in most cases of vintage versus its modern reformulation. I just like experiencing the original ingredients as they were created by the perfumer, even if the composition is a little tired from being in the bottle for so many years. But if you missed the old Chaldée, I think you might really appreciate this version and enjoy wearing it and feeling some of the old feelings you remember from a long time ago. It's one of the best reforms I can think of. And if you've never owned Chaldée, and you enjoy deep, rich, amber-y floral orientals with orange blossom and narcissus as prominent notes, a classic structure, a touch of incense from the myrrh and a certain vanilla-tonka sweetness underneath (vintage Ysatis has a similar vibe), I'd honestly recommend giving Chaldée a try. I'm very glad I took the chance and bought it.Steele, Valerie, ed. (2010). The Berg companion to fashion. Oxford: Bloomsbury Academic. pp.553–555. ISBN 978-1-84788-563-0. I adore this and if this reformulated version is already impressive enough, I am dying to know what the original must have been like.

Seriously, the alcohol is so strong in this. I feel like I have drenched myself in vodka and then rolled my body all over dirty asphalt. Not glamorous at all.I sadly never got the chance to smell the vintage formula of this fragrance, so I am now testing the re-release of Chaldée launched in 2013. I wish I could take the opening minutes and sillage performance of the new one and fuse it with the vintage. Then we'd have the perfect Chaldée: the best of both worlds. In 1924 the legendary designer, JEAN PATOU was widely perceived as the world’s most innovate and successful fashion designer. When he launched his first fragrances in that same year his rationale was brilliantly simple. Patou adored women....all women and so as a homage to brunettes, blondes and redheads all over the world his first foray into fragrance matched scents to hair color and appealed to everyone. Ever since then, the House of JEAN PATOU has shaped the world of fine perfume with iconic scents such as JOY, SUBLIME and 1000 that have immortalized its reputation as a symbol of quality and prestige. The first fragrance called Chaldée was a scented oil, a fragrant companion to spend time on the beach with: Huile de Chaldée (1926). Chaldée was named after the Chaldean region of ancient Babylon where, as legend has it, incredibly beautiful women lived. Beautiful women with golden or bronze skin tones ... I have to mention that Jean Patou was one of those people who made Mediterranean beach holidays and the Côte d'Azur fashionable and famous. He designed the first swimsuitm, and he created a fragrant oil for the beach. Because Huile de Chaldée was oil-based, its scent would remain on the skin, even after swimming. Chaldée was neither a tanning product, nor did it offer protection from the sun. It just had a seductive and exotic scent and an oily texture. In 1927, Chaldée (Huile de Chaldée) was supplemented by an eponymous perfume; Jean Patou suggested that ladies would love to be reminded of the beautiful summer days throughout the year. Henri Almeras combined a floriental ambery fragrance with narcissus, orange blossom, vanilla and opoponax resin. I am fairly certain there was a woman in my early surroundings wearing this classic - a bright, luminous, creamy ylang with the warmest, motherly, comforting base. A true citrus powdery classic, like a timeless cashmere sweater or angora shawl - almost too simple for the niche-spoiled olfactory appetite of today in constant search of bold and different, dark, complex or provocative. Still, for me Sublime proved to be memorable in its unadulterated beauty and simplicity.