Mood Scent 4 Golden Oldies
It is Mood Scent 4 Time again! Our monthly blogging project where Portia, (on A Bottled Rose) , Samantha (I Scent You A Day) and Megan (Megan In St Maxime) write about a different subject linking perfume to mood or occasion. This time we picked Golden Oldies, those classic perfumes we hold fond memories of and have been with us for some time. Or those iconic old school classics which are well worth to try.
This time Samantha is with us again fortunately, although she is in her second lockdown in Wales as is Megan in France. Luckily we are not in lockdown in The Netherlands but things are fairly restricted and restaurants/cafes are closed. Portia is lucky to be more free to go outside, living in Australia. These are exceptional times for many of us to navigate. Back to Golden Oldies again, starting with iconic Jean Patou Joy.
Jean Patou Joy
‘Joy is a floral bouquet based on a very rich accord of two natural notes: jasmine and rose.’ Jean Patou
According to Jean Kerleo, former in house perfumer of Jean Patou and Osmoteque founder, Joy was a simple combination of jasmine and rose. It combined the richness of Bulgarian Rose and jasmine from Grasse. These two materials were used to create a very rich floral bouquet. Joy was launched in 1930, one year after the stock market crash of 1929 to become an icon in modern perfumery.
Two years after acquiring Jean Patou in 2018, LVMH has sadly decided to discontinue all Jean Patou fragrances. This is not very surprising. As Dior (which is part of the LVMH) launched a perfume in 2018 called Joy. If you want to try Jean Patou Joy, 1000 or Sublime (another golden oldie love) grab a bottle from a discount store while you still can, otherwise you will have to visit the perfume archive Osmoteque in Versailles to smell one of these fragrances. I don’t know how these ‘newer’ versions smell though and if they were reformulated to be a shadow of their former selves.
Personally I haven’t worn Joy as much as I have Jean Patou Sublime. Joy feels like wearing a very precious dark brown long mink coat, rich and luxurious to be enjoyed in the past but not from this era any more. Sublime however was created in the late eighties by Jean Kerleo and is reminiscent of this period when I was a student just living in Amsterdam.
Hermes Caleche
Notes include aldehydes, bergamot, mandarin, orange blossom, jasmine, lily of the valley, rose, gardenia, iris, ylang-ylang, oakmoss, sandalwood, cedar, vetiver.
Named after a special type of light carriage, Hermes Caleche invokes a feeling of Parisian sophistication with classic silk dresses, expensive leather bags, beautiful handmade silk scarves and soft leather gloves. Created as an elegant easy to wear fragrance by Guy Robert, the newer Caleche which is now sold in the shops, has a become a more agressive aldehydic soap floral but still a refined fragrance. Soie de Caleche (the bottle on the photograph) was launched in 1992 and meant as a more easy to wear version to appeal to a younger audience. Both feel elegant and luxurious. Caleche was launched in 1961. As a little side note: Kelly Caleche is a completely different fragrance from Hermes.
Puig Aqua Lavanda Colonia
Notes include Lavender, Rosemary, Spike, Petitgrain, Bergamot, Clary Sage, Geranium, Musk, Tonka, Cedarwood and Moss
Aqua Lavanda (lavender water in Spanish) is very well known in Spain as many grew up with the soap bars and eau de cologne from this scent. Large plastic cologne bottles are sold in Spanish supermarkets (or online) for a song. Which doesn’t make the fragrance particularly attractive. One wouldn’t expect such a masterpiece to be sold at this price in these large plastic dishwasher like bottles. But no wonder Aqua Lavanda is such a fabulous fragrance. Aqua Lavanda was created by master perfumer Jean Carles!
These are my 3 picks for Golden Oldies Perfumes. Have a look on Samantha’s blog I Scent You A Day Megan’s blog Megan in St. Maxime and Portia on A Bottled Rose, to read their choices too.
I Love To Hear From You
There have been some troubles with leaving comments before. I hope you are able to leave your choice for Golden Oldies fragrances. Those fragrances you love to revisit from long gone era.
Disclosure: all fragrances were bought by me and all photographs were made by me as well. The two ads were found online.
November 2, 2020 @ 12:06
Hey there Esperanza
JOY! LVMH has a lot to answer for. There is a small stash of Patou fragrances here, old and new. None of them sing to me in the same way JOY does though. I love it. Bet you smell terrific in Sublime too. When my friend Michael and I went to the Osmotheque for a masterclass in 2014 Jean Kerleo was our host and teacher. It was an amazing ride through the history of perfumery. What a gent.
Portia xx
November 2, 2020 @ 13:08
Portia! I can imagine Joy smelling fabulous on you. Remember you visiting the Osmoteque, is it 6 years already? Sublime smells great on me if I say so. Truly love this. Hope you are well and enjoy Spring 🌷🌷🌷! XxxEsperanza
November 2, 2020 @ 13:15
Wow! I can’t believe Agua Lavanda was made by Jean Carles! Lucky them to get such a maestro. It just goes to prove that the noses behind ALL fragrant products should be appreciated. I’ve been using Fairy washing up liquid in Rose Satin and I always think “I wonder who made this?” Even my saucepans smell good. You’re right about Joy and Jean Patou. I could almost forgive it if Dior Joy was worth the trouble, but it lasted about 10 minutes on me. Caleche of course is always a classic! Great piece as always and a pleasure to write with you! xx
November 2, 2020 @ 15:40
Hi Esperanza. So sad that Joy is discontinued as it is a perfume icon and as you said we all knew that was coming unfortunately. I loved your choices and had never heard of Agua Lavanda – I need to spend more time in Spain. xx 🌸