Jean Patou Joy

>Today’s perfume has a back story that’s almost as interesting as the scent itself. Shortly after the stock market crash that led to the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929, Jean Patou commissioned perfumer Henri Alméras to make an extravagant fragrance for his customers who could no longer afford his fashion line. He wanted it to be indulgent, so the women who wore it would not feel they were entirely without luxury. The scent that Alméras delivered the following year used 336 roses and 10,600 jasmine flowers in every ounce of perfume extrait, and was the costliest fragrance in the world. That scent was Joy, which went on to become one of the most iconic fragrances ever, worn by the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Josephine Baker, and Jacqueline Onassis, and second in sales only to the indomitable Chanel No. 5.

It seemed only right that I wear it today, after the recent fears of a crumbling global economy, to bring a little of that luxury into my life, as did generations of women before me. Despite being 80 years old, Joy does not smell dated to me. The first notes are bright greens and aldehydes with a shock of tuberose that would be vulgar if it didn’t quiet down almost instantly, softening into the lovely jasmine and rose blend that is instantly recognizable to anyone who’s ever smelled it. The drydown contains sandalwood and civet, which brings depth and character to the florals. True joy is a complex emotion, and so is this fragrance, being at turns subtle, calm, optimistic, and unabashedly beautiful, while remaining classic, timeless, and adaptable.

Joy requires emotional maturity to wear well, in my opinion. There is nothing here for the flighty teenager or young woman with little life experience and no knowledge of her own feminine power. The scent respects the difficulty and pain of life while still looking forward with certainty to better times, and it remains just as fresh and relevant as it was when it was first introduced, in times that appear to foretell our own future.