Jean Patou Chaldee Heritage Collection Eau de Parfumee Spray for Women 100 ml

Product Information

I'm thinking maybe around May time, when you might still have an overnight frost before the day warms up. One of those simple pleasures in life, where if you are up and about early enough, even in the city, you can walk along a main road and see no other people or traffic, and revel in the fresh, sparkling clean feel of newness and potential. As though the new day was made entirely for you alone. Definitely a chypre, but warmer than most, with a golden aura. The ylang is dominating together with gentle aldheides and a spicy carnation; indeed spices are there with sweet note that resembles apricot (or osmanthus). For those who read last week’s Boot or Reboot on Patou pour Homme I can understand if you might be unsure about my confidence in perfumer Thomas Fontaine’s ability as the keeper of the Jean Patou flame in the 21 st Century. Patou pour Homme was a good opening statement if not entirely successful in recreating the original. My confidence really comes from M. Fontaine’s work on the 2013 version of Chaldee.

Chaldée – Patou's Huile de Chaldée sun oil had become so popular, many customers were buying it purely for its smell, therefore, Chaldée the perfume (a dry musk) was produced I just got the 2013 version, blind-bought at a good price. I was concerned it might be thin or cheap-smelling, but it’s a very nice warm amber, slight vanilla, and opopanax at the base, while the floral heart is not sharp or pissy. It’s fairly soft and melds well with my skin. Chaldee was originally a suntan oil, so the veil-like quality is understandable.

7 Comments

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. It opened with smoky citruses and burst of sweet flowers, extremely powerful and I must say - I'm pleased. You can't find that kind of quality in perfumes that are made nowdays. This is definetely not "old" or "dated".

The original Sublime is a creamy, buttery yellow floral - so rich I feel you could get away with calling it oily, with a touch of oriental spice within a chypre base. Having been released in the early ‘90’s, it appears a deliberate move away from those powerhouse 80’s releases. 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.

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. By the time the base notes take center stage, the gorgeous vintage version is at its finest. The opoponax, vanilla and tonka blend together seamlessly; they smell elegant, natural and harmonious, they're very fine in texture, and they last for many, many hours. This is when the reformulated version shows its limitations and when a little roughness to the texture is revealed. Up close, it's a touch louder and harsher, less "blurred" and beautiful. But it's still clearly Chaldée -- and from a distance, the sillage is wonderful, truly authentic, and carries more than the vintage. All in all, it's just too mature for me. Maybe the weather plays into my dislike for it, as I'm from somewhere very hot and humid, and I will try it again in the winter. As it stands, this perfume literally stings my nose when I wear it.