Colony

I absolutely adore this one. Of the brilliant Ma Collection, Colony and Vacances are the very pinnacle in my estimation. Colony is the most luxurious creamy pineapple scent imaginable. Before smelling the edt, I had no idea I needed to smell like luxurious creamy pineapples but I really do. I've being trying to find replacements due to its scarcity, and Caron's Acaciosa, Montana's Just Me, and Dali's Le Roy Soleil do not cut it. I wish Thomas Fontaine would reissue Jean Kerléo's Colony without changing a note and, hear me out, rename it Martinique. Here's why a name change would not be empty PC whitewashing: Martinique was the French colony Colony referenced. It's the one with a major pineapple industry. "Martinique" is more specific, in addition to being much more glamorous. The word "Colony" evokes clueless bureaucrats, and who wants to smell like them? The name was a mistake from the start. (Speaking of colonizing, Fontaine won't be able to resist making Colony his own, of course, as he did Chaldee. I do not care what the man does to Chaldee, but Colony needs to be left alone structurally and made available.)

The best pineapple accord I've smelled in a perfume is here, in Colony. It's not that it's the most realistic, complex, or juiciest, but it just makes sense here. I recall first having the pleasure of smelling the Ma Collection version at Colonial Drug in Newton MA some time ago, and was immediately hooked. A tangy, creamy ping pong that titillates the nose, but what is quite curious is when the pineapple is eclipsed with ylang ylang and rose, rendering it fattier, riper, more tropical. I feel convinced that I am smelling banana daiquiri and piña colada in a smoky Tiki bar, and a dark, brooding quinoline leatheriness closes in—a remarkable turn of events, while the pineapple remains, growing more ripe, sticky, even carnation-inflected. I even detect in the dry down what my mind registers as costus within the musks. I am floored by every minute of it. [From 1984 Ma Collection mini]

I'm not sure that I would have known I'm smelling pineapple without fragrantica to enlighten me, but indeed there is a slightly sweet, slightly tangy fruity note on top of a somewhat typical smelling vintage fragrance. Very interesting and I don't regret the purchase. It's nice to have a vintage tropical scent that isn't overly sweet like current fruity fragrances. A fun note - I bought a factory-sealed bottle from an eBay seller. As I reached in the box, I felt something soft and thought, "Oh, the seller stuffed some tissue paper in the box for extra protection." Then it registered, "No wait. I just opened the cellophane wrapper." Well, out I pulled a 100% silk Italian-made (per the label) scarf in the same print as the box. What fun! A vintage bonus gift :)

Colony is such a delicious perfume. A gorgeous creamy delight!! The best pineapple, a real rich creamy sweet juicy pineapple, which changes itself from really creamy, to less creamy and more tangy, at various times during the day. Completely mouth-wateringly delectable! And there are a lot of other lovely smells as well, like a soft smooth animalic dreamy leather, a woody smell, lovely gentle flowers and beautiful soft soothing musk with the very gorgeous smoky vetiver. Oh it's just divine!!!! And I love both Gjilchrist's (I completely agree!!) and kiristarr's reviews!!! Wonderful!!!

I heard Colony was inspired by Josephine Baker. Colony has a fruity-chypre structure. EDT's pineapple flavor is sour and sweet but light, with yellow powdery floral aromas of ylang-ylang, iris and carnation as the main axis, interspersed with smoky, dry vetiver-patchouli accord, and finally ending with Jean Patou's signature creamy musky wood base (I also smell smooth, soft suede). It has a tropical feel and the name is just right.

I like this vintage very much, all of the “faces” it shows when I wear it. Namely, fresh pineapples, canned pineapples, or something else, without pineapples. This “something else” is anise, tobacco, and a hint of liquorice on my skin. All three “faces” are there whenever I wear Colony, and they show themselves in whatever order they choose. It feels like such a cheerful scent... I enjoy it a lot.

This EdT starts out with an odd, rubbery scent along with the standard florals. A sort of quasi-pineapple note then appears, along with some leathery, slightly powdery chypre notes. After a while it dries down to a typical Patou base - warm, woody, musky, and lightly floral. For some reason it seems a little bland even though sillage is good for an EdT, and longevity is excellent, over 8 hours. I’m not crazy about the weird opening, but I like the rest of it. I’m not exactly sure why, since I love a lot of the other old Patous, but don’t think Colony is something I’d want to wear often.

6.5/10. Colony is a feel good fragrance. More people should try this hidden gem. Christmas incense followed by burning wood, and musk. Dark, low key. Soothing, not overstimulating. Sweetness later on. I feel so comfortable wearing it. Like casual clothes around the house, but still looking nice. Visions of a weekend with friends at a log cabin in the woods.

I feel like this should be a fruity chypre. It reminds me slightly of Kors by Michael Kors w/o the boozy, exceeding blood alcohol content, top notes. What I get is pineapple straight off the bat that is so reminiscent of Dole's canned pineapple slices that my mouth is watering. The sweetness and tang of the pineapple is grounded by the leather (which I can actually smell!) and oak. I feel a bit uncomfortable with this perfume b/c I feel like it's wearing me. Instead of being one of those go-to, wear anywhere scents you really need to figure out where/when this perfume would be most suitable to wear. Ok, after all that rambling-- I do like it! I don't need a full bottle of it, but I will wear it again.

This one dont get along with my skintype. Wonderful deep flower-scent when someone else wears it. I guess I have bad luck with some fumes. En härligt djup blom-doft som tyvärr inte funkar med min hud. Den slår över till manligt på mig, ett återkommande problem jag har.