Jean Patou, Cocktail Dry, 118 ml. or 4 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, 1925, 1940, Paris, France ..

When couturier Jean Patou arrived on the Paris scene, in the 1920s, the world was changing .. especially for women. No longer corseted, bound by convention or whalebone ‘stays’, there was a spirit of freedom in the air .. and Jean Patou captured it.

He was born in 1887, in Normandy, where Jean Patou‘s father was a renowned leather tanner, known for his bookbinding skills. And it was his father who taught Jean Patou all about color.

After going to work for an uncle in the fur trade, Jean Patou launched his own venture as a dressmaker and furrier, moving into tailoring. And in 1914, just before the war broke out, he established his own couture house. Sadly, his first collection had to be mothballed: Jean Patou left Paris to serve as a captain in the French Zouave regiment, fighting as far afield as Anatolia. But in 1919, Patou returned to Paris, and did indeed launch a collection, including long-waisted shepherdess dresses. He became famous for ‘sportif chic’ .. clothes designed to move, to flutter, to flirt gorgeously .. and to show off brazenly bare legs, in short hemlines.

In 1922 .. a slight career sidetrack, perhaps .. Jean Patou opened a nightclub, with fellow designer Edward Molyneux. It was named Le Jardin de Ma Soeur (My Sister's Garden). The highly social writer Anita Loos called it ‘the most elegant place in which to greet the Paris dawn'.

From 1925, Jean Patou was also creating the most desirable of perfumes. His debut perfumes were designed to complement women with a particular hair colour: Que Sais-Je? was for brunettes, Amour Amour was for blondes, and Adieu Sagesse was for redheads. In 1927, Jean Patou also delighted women with the introduction of Huile de Chaldée, the world’s first suntan oil.

In the late 1920s, Jean Patou installed a special cocktail bar in his showrooms, which, he said, "is to quench the thirsts of bored husbands and other men during fittings". Three cocktail themed perfumes created by Henri Almeras .. Cocktail Sweet, Cocktail Dry, Cocktail Bitter Sweet .. as well as 'Angostura' perfume .. were available to the general public about a year later. This concept was resurrected in a mini bar presentation dubbed the 'Cocktail Bar a Parfums', it came in three sizes: Le grand bar, Le petit bar and Le baby bar, all consisted of several fragrances, meant for women to play with at home.

Made up of faux Loupe d'Amboine wood Bakelite, the Grand bar included the three Cocktail perfumes were included as well as a large empty bottle labeled 'My Own Cocktail' used for mixing. Also in the barette there were also seven smaller bottles of scents, each was labeled Angostura and given a Roman numeral from 1 to VII, and given a different colored side label to distinguish one from the other. These smaller bottles looked like pie wedges and slipped into a rack which held them upright.

Some of the Angostura bottles contained the essential oils of Opoponax, Sandalwood, Jasmine and Incense. Meant to be mixed into one's own bottles, especially the 'My Own Cocktail' bottle or onto the skin, much like playing bartender and making one's own cocktail of scents. A super cute idea! Two drawers contained blotters titled "Jean Patou", seven pipettes, and a graduated cylinder. All bottles were made by Verreries Brosse.

Cocktail Dry is a very complex and slightly masculine perfume, it has a pronounced green note with Lavender, Geranium, Oak Moss, Jasmine, Galbanum, Clove, Petitgrain, Mimosa, Chamomile, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Bergamot, Patchouli, Rosa Centafolia, Orris, Osmanthus, Apricot, Peru Balsam, Tolu Balsam, Benzoin, aldehydes, Vetiver, Honey, Verbena, Black Tea, Anise, Amber, and Incense. It was described as being suitable for morning.

"Cocktail Dry is extremely complex and dark, yet with a decided “lift” (a combination to my nose of galbanum, clove and honey). It is a round, unctuous, green chypre with a sweetness that is not cloying. It keeps opening up like a flower in lapse dissolve photography. This is a rich, full, gorgeous scent that both I and my spouse agree deserves the epithet, “stunning.”

This is unisex for the mature woman or man. The dry down gives the impression of a well -worn leather without precisely fitting that genre. It is an amazingly comfortable scent, bringing a feeling of safety and security. A true classic." Basenotes review. Jack Twist

Offered here is an almost full 4 ounce flacon of this amazing perfume. I had an eight ounce bottle of this stunning stuff that broke, but I was able to save most of it and decant some into this four ounce bottle and fill it completely. A wonderful fragrance! So I have decanted the Parfum Extrait into the Parfum Cologne bottle, so what you are getting here is an amazing 4.4 oz. of the parfum. The label has some colour loss and smudges.