Jean Patou, Colony, Leathery Chypre, 60 ml. or 2 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, 1933, Süe & Mare, Paris, France ..

Jean Patou was born in Normandy, France, in 1880. Patou's father was a leading tanner and leather maker, and his uncle owned a fur business which Patou joined in 1907. In 1912 Patou opened Maison Parry, a small dressmaking salon in Paris, and sold his entire 1914 collection to one American buyer. In 1967 Jean Kerleo, the legendary perfumer, joined the house and since then has created all the great perfumes for which Jean Patou is famed. They are expensive because they are made with authentic Patou extravagance, out of the most precious natural ingredients. "Joy" is advertised as the most expensive perfume in the world.

From the 1600’s into the 1960s, France was a leading player on the world stage, with colonial possessions extending as far as West Africa and Southeast Asia and to numerous points in between. Well into the 20th Century, the global reach of France was second only to the British Empire, eventually claiming 8.6% of the world’s land area. French was thus the official language of some 47 nations, and the governments of those nations were beholden to France by varying degrees.

Opposition to and criticism of the French colonial enterprise began much earlier, and the French Colonial Exhibition of 1931 was intended in part as an answer to people on the left and right alike, who either felt France’s paternalism went a little too far, or not far enough.
When people discuss Colony, the perfume released by Jean Patou in 1938 to commemorate the exposition, they tend to characterize it as a snapshot of a certain period in perfumery, as if perfume were made in a vacuum, untouched by current events and popular trends, and might best be evaluated simply by looking at fragrances themselves. These snapshots draw on notions of the past which are more often about now than then. Thus, the imagery used to describe Colony tends to center around blonde women in haute couture khaki, sipping cocktails from decorative coconut shells on the veranda of some unspecified exotic locale; an Agatha Christie novel populated by Grace Kelly lookalikes, set in a Ralph Lauren Safari ad.

Pineapple was an interesting choice, highly symbolic. The original bottle for the perfume, designed by Baccarat, was in the shape of the fruit which resembled both a hand grenade and a pine-cone, reflecting among other things the imminence of war. The pineapple was a particularly loaded icon, perfectly apt as a symbol of cultural trade and the impact exports could have on their receiving cultures. Colombus is said to have been the first European to come into contact with the fruit, which he discovered on his second voyage to the Caribbean region.

Patou’s Colony spoke to a new public consciousness, embodying the conflicted ideas of colonialism in the 20th century. It illustrated in the form of perfume the erosion of boundaries and distinctions which takes place when two very specific forms or entities merge, sacrificing their individuality for a more elusive ambiguity, a third thing neither of them would achieve or be by themselves. If one must use Grace Kelly to articulate the quality of Colony, a more fitting image for the fragrance is the story of Josephine Baker’s rebellion against the Stork Club, New York’s pre-eminent nightclub and the apogee of 1950s segregated celebrity. Josephine charged the club with racism for refusing her service.

Launched in 1933, Colony was created by Henri Almeras as an homage to the French colonies. It is described as a warm and exotic fruity chypre perfume. Personally this is one of my absolute favorite cuir perfumes.

Top notes are Aldehydes, Pineapple, Ylang Ylang, and Bergamot
Heart notes are Carnation, Iris, Oak, and Opoponax
Base notes are Leather, Vetiver, Oak Moss, Castoreum, Sandalwood, and Costus

"Colony" was launched in 1938, and the pineapple crystal flacon is from Brosse glassware, and comes in the form of an amphora resting on pedestal. It has a frosted and gilded floral stopper. The model is designed by Süe & Mare. The flacon has been opened and the magnicent perfume has been gently used. A wonderul flacon, heavy and beautiful, resembling a pineapple. This is a collector's dream .. Beautify leathery fragrance .. so rare now.