THE HOUSE THAT PATOU BUILT…
(…is still around and full of joy…Joie…that is)

An article in the Epoch Times about Jean Patou’s legacy to the world of high fashion and perfumery caught our eye the other day…because we hadn’t heard mention of his name in a very long time. With the possible exception of a few golden oldies ladies, we doubt if many Americans today might even recognize the name of – Jean Patou. We mention all this because, back in the day, our late mother was the fashion editor for the Paris Herald Tribune, and as such, she got to know most of the leading lights of French haute couture of those times, such as Coco Chanel, Jean Patou, Lanvin, and others, and with many of whom she had long time personal friendships. Patou, however, was her favorite, and his key fashion photographer Georges Bernard, was a close personal friend there.

Later, after WWII, when she had the opportunity of returning to Paris to visit all her old haunts…the Café Flore…la rue Bonaparte, where she had lived, etc., that old connection let her acquire several outfits custom-made for her by her old friends at Patou (these are now part of the museum collection of Stevens College’s School of Fashion & Design in Columbia, Missouri). While the Patou label might not have had the same popular flash and celebrity of its rivals, such as Chanel, Lanvin, and others, it was generally preferred and worn by the inner circles of the then money-elites of society because of its distinctive understated elegance and style, which quietly stated that the wearers had the class status of…old money…not…nouveau riche. Such was the haute couture environment of those times.

Half a century later, frankly, as we look around at today’s scene, we only see lots of “fashion” but very little “style”, and even less in the way of “class.” Instead, the world of “casual” seems to rule the day in what might be best described as “panhandler chic”… along with the occasional outlandish passing itself off as being “unique.” As to perfumes, here too a similarly dismal scene prevails, with celebrity-sponsored “scents” popping up all over the place like toadstools after a good rain…and with aromas best described as “essence of ersatz”. Walk into any brand name department store’s cosmetics section and you’ll understand what we mean by that…as you find yourself immersed in a pot-pourri of purely chemical fumes.

Well, a certain gentleman named Thomas Fontaine is apparently attempting to revive or replicate some of Patou’s classic perfume recipes. We wish him well in that endeavor because it will not only be a blessed relief from all of that, but also, give us the greatest pleasure in knowing that the house Patou built is still around and full of joy…Joie…that is.

CENTURION