Sublime

The last Descendent of Jean Kerleo MY TAKE: It opens up with huge blast of Ylang sweetness, alongside an amalgamate of white florals possessing a dusty, porous quality. A non-indolic jasimine coupled with a dusty tuberose builds an accord reminiscent of the talc powders our mom used to bear us on, universal nostalgia right in the initial 20seconds(for the anti-powders, bare in mind, this is just the initial spray, we still have a lifetime). A hyacinth like herbaceous green aroma blooms, giving it an almost transparent green feel. The ylang follows a traditional route(creamier with time), which therefore attenuates the dusty aspects of tuberose, subtending the overall jasmine-tuberose coupling with its intrinsic fruity constituents. An authentic orange peel tone starts to lift along with an extremely high quality mysore sandalwood oil. It almost feels as if dried up orange peel was macerated on vintage Mysore S. oil. The dusty white floral aspects tone down. The bright, creamy orange tone starts to coalesce with an enveloping styrene aroma; which acts as a stabilizer to the pre-existing floral materials present, leading to a benzoin(perceived) heavy floral chypre direction. This transition sparks the animalics, with ambergris and civet under the resinious suede+floral base. I get sudden impulses of an apricot marmalade thing, when paired with the leather; smells like some quality osmanthus concrete(Hermitage Osmanthus.C). With body heat, the acidic elements dissipate emerging a soft honey(without being sticky) like facet alongside carnation. Imagine bees foraging muget flowers in a landscape of carnation flora, with sunrays bouncing off of our landscape. A musky, slightly hazy orris concrete joins, which plays a pivotal role in uplifting the pre-existing creamed out yellow floral orchestra. Super complex mid, with an invariant elegance throughout the span. The white yellow-floral along with the clean greener facets persists till the very end, which floats over trace amounts of ambergris and civet. The animalic showcase their functional properties rather than odorous, which I feel was cautiously interpolated by the perfumer. Even after comprising the more traditional, chypre strcture; with the subtended animalics in the base. It bare minimal similarities to the drydowns we see today in the chypre gamut. This share connection to the prior descendants of J.Kerleo, i.e Joy and 1000 comes to mind, with added complexities. The lifespan follows a classical french oriental styled structure which today might be defined as a chypre. An authentic vintage, that projects orientals of the past to modern chypres, yet being unique to this day. The emergent cloud transports the “mind” to a spiritual realm, a space no human has a decent grasp of; perhaps it acts as a transcendental operator. If you like these: Sadly, as most original forms of art, this has been modified due to the heavy naturals used back then. In 2005, Jean Patou was sold to Proctor&Gamble, before which they smelled relatively similar; or to say well “re-orchestrated”. So I’d recommend you to find a bottle from before 2005, with the tulip bottle and continuous border on the boxes(image) with short “ingredient” list. That is till when the J.Kerleo signature persisted. What to look for: Sadly, as most original forms of art, this has been modified due to the heavy naturals used back then. In 2005 Jean Patou was sold to Proctor&Gamble, before which they smelled relatively similar; or to say well “re-orchestrated”. So I’d recommend you to find a bottle from before 2005 with the tulip bottle and continuous border on the boxes (image) with short “ingredient” list. That is till when the J.Kerleo signature persisted. For more information on the boxes, check my recent article on instagram

Sublime! OMG what a scent! I love love love this extremely feminine, complex and absolutely elegant perfume and for some reason I don't wear it. I had a good decant of it in the EdT and used it up, but never repurchased. Why? I don't know. Patou's fragrances hit me with their elegance and complexity, then I find they're not so easily wearable. Sublime definetely needs a good chemistry match otherwise it's not a happy alliance. Please try before you buy. In spite of its beauty some people think it's awful on themselves. I wore it with great personal pleasure, but I'm a daring perfume lover and I often wear perfume just to smell myself and let my fantasy travel. Sublime was pure pleasure. I felt like a babygirl who hugs and smells her beautiful elegant mom on a sunny terrace on holiday. I felt like letting myself go in that embrace and feel beloved and safe. It smells of confidence and well-being. Weird, I know. It must be something related to my childhood in the '70s, something similar-smelling. Actually Sublime is a sophisticated scent that could have been released in the '70s instead of 1992 or better it smells like a '90s scent inspired by the '70s. A male friend told me it smelled like garlic!!! Garlic??? No, I don't smell garlic, but Sublime is not an easy to wear scent anyway. Aldehydes in first stage are very crisp and a little on the harsh side, giving a feeling of hairspray, very outdated yet original. I'm not fond of aldehydes so I prefer to wait second stage where flowers bloom in a triumph and are almost serious flowers, not frilly ones. Honestly I can't smell all the listed flowers singularly.They're all there, but I just can't pick one by one. Only carnation comes out very obvious and slightly incensey. Carnation for me is associated with a mature attitude in a woman, very elegant and matronly. If there's a minus in this fragrance is a sense of seriousness, ladylike attitude, no frivolous or playful edge. It smells expensive and luxury even if you don't like it. Do I smell peaches? There is a very light hint of ripe peach enveloping the flowers and making them softer, like a touch of sudden gentleness. It also warms up after the first 30 minutes and leaves the initial coldness behind. After 1 hour it is to die for. The basenotes are intriguing, extra rich, ambery animalic with no dirty edge and not sweet. What impresses me most is the blend itself more than singular notes. I can smell the vanilla in the drydown yet there is no vanilla sweetness in the scent. This is typical of old good perfumery where all the notes are blended to conjure a final impression but not meaning to smell like something i.e. rose, peach or vanilla. Sublime is in the line of elegance of Shalimar and like Shalimar it can be irritating from time to time. It can be heavy, loud, too powdery/harsh and yet being absolutely above average close to the stars. The bottle is gorgeous and feminine, it looks like a juicy perfect fruit that's so beautiful to hold in your hands. The yellow/gold box is also radiating, but I would associate that colour to gold/jewelry/richness not only sunny motherly happiness. I don't know anyone who wears this in my aftermaths. It was something special for me alone when I wore it in small doses. I can easily see how it can be a signature fragrance. Not for me at the moment, but it could be in time.

I'm verklempt! I stumbled upon a sealed box of the vintage Sublime EDP, pictured in this thread. Up to now I've only had the latest/last formulation. My vintage Sublime's citrus top has blown off. It opens on the heady ylang, intense jasmine, patch and amber. Two sprays now provide the base to any number of my contemporary concoctions that are lacking in foundation. Worn alone, the top must be added because it needs some sparkle and lift to be complete and sublime. In 2022, this vintage EDP smells similar to Opium EDP without oriental touches. Which is a surprising connection as Sublime has no spice but perhaps the age of the molecules brings out the piquant shades of these notes. The impact is a tight glowing golden ball of indole and amber. I had given up on vintage but saw this for 25 bucks and took the chance. It might cost several hundred to find a recently mixed perfume in this category of "parfum" quality. It out "parfums" several beautiful modern formulations of extrait parfum in my collection. They are NOT this Sublime. Perhaps my vintage Paloma Picasso is similar but it's expansive and Sublime is tight. I've always found Patou fragrances conceived as balls of energy, perfume solar systems of various sizes, molecules orbiting and dancing among each other and a core concept. Chanel perfumes radiate vertically, from deeply grounded energy, with rays shooting up, often soaring, then back to earth. The attention is rising and falling. Not Patou. They are always their own contained round "bouquet" - large or small. Still, Patou and Chanel are sisters in that they are designed in the decorative logic of perfumes and fragrances. My beloved Guerlains spring from similar creative impulses and structural systems as cinematography and story-telling. L'Heure Bleu, Vol de Nuit and Shalimar are journeys, and I am not referring to evolution of the fragrance over it's wear. I mean Guerlain's greats tell stories, create mis-en-scenes, and inspire journeys in the wearer's imagination. Guerlain perfumes are more distanciated, and in that sense more symbolic, than Chanel and Patou. A lot of today's perfumery, if it's any good, and particularly luxury and niche conceptions, is story telling as well. So it seems indebted to Guerlain's artistry. In my rough estimation, the story telling style of fragrance gained traction in the 80s. Mugler a major practitioner. All the French design houses at least put their feet in this water. So Sublime EDP - no story to tell. Rather, a fabulous pulsing golden ball of bouquet-like perfume.

Imagine wearing a perfume and every second person makes you compliments be it at the office, on the street or in a bar - would it not be just sublime? Indeed it would. Even though "Sublime" was released in 1992, unlike many other "vintage" perfumes it transcends the years with effortless ease. Green notes and bergamot, sharpened by cardamon make a great opening accord. It is fresh, zesty, sweetened by mandarin, and ever so piquantly spiced so as to peak one's attention and curiosity. Carnation builds up on the cardamon, opening its crimson petals, adding to the earlier golds and greens. She is perfect, not too much and not too subtle, she is her honest self and opens up the heart of the composition with her usual confidence and class. Ylang-yland and orris root add powdery accord, easing in rose and jasmine, without any discord or misalignment between the florals. Orange blossom and LOTV are lost in indolic facets of the jasmine and carnation's spicy staccato. Not a problem for me, I am sure they are playing their roles as intended, but my nose is blind to them in this particular bouquet. And then the heart expands and pulses with (what is technically the base), but in my opinion is a pulsing beat of something higher, something passionate, eclectic and quick step-like. Vetiver and oakmoss are so beautiful here that one's breath is stolen. The blend is perfect, complimentary and perfectly framed with musk and styrax. The fragrance remains animalistic and lascivious, balancing on the edge of a very fine stiletto blade and never going over the lewd side. "Sublime" is all about switching between elegant and smooth flowing motion and then quickening with a few bounces around the ballroom. Cedar and sandalwood add dry and fresh woodiness, shining bright as yet another facet, and keeping the whole composition fresh and bright. I do note see patchouli, and I am pleased, as it would be too much, bearing in mind confident and rich projections of both bergamot and vetiver. Tonka and vanilla lighten up the spices, sprinkling them with sparkling cloud of sweetened dreams. "Sublime" a perfect embodiment of "When you are smiling - The whole world smiles with you", through its brilliant composition, perfectly combined notes and undertones and ageless beauty. P.S. And this is why I shall never forgive Dior and LVMH for killing the entire Jean Patou perfumery line and heritage once they realised that would never be able to compete with the sheer genius of his creations.

Sublime indeed is this creation from Jean Patou...Lauren: I could kiss you! Thanks for all the rich samples and decants you have sent me!! :-) From the notelist and some tiny sniffs of the vial, I thought man! what a powerhouse eighties scent; more like Smashing! than Sublime. Wanting a true "on the skin" review, I decided to fill the hollow vial cap and let it's sheer golden juice cover my wrist (enough came out for both wrists and my neck!) and experience it fully... To my surprise, this was actually very refined and much less "loud" than I had expected. Greens and citrus and herbs are what I initially got, but the more it dried the sweeter and fuller it got, yet it never came anywhere near cloying or overwhelming. It reminds me of a beautiful song, playing somewhere in the distance; enchanting and wonderful, but not right in your ears and deafening. I feel awash with sheer and true beauty, refined and elegant but not snooty or "better than". I actually feel a blush coming to my cheeks from this amazing and sensual scent. Is it even legal to smell this good?! If I could, I would spray all my bed linens in this scent and just luxuriate in it, as I fell asleep to dreams of fragrance shopping in Paris or frolicking in the fields of Grasse... The basenotes here read like they would just be overpowering: musky, warm, oriental woody and earthy...but alongside the flowers, and the bright top notes; they are just divine. Mixed carefully with a light hand, they add a rich (but sheerly clean) slightly animalic and earthy feel to the overall stunning composition. The ancients used to believe that when a god or goddess ahd walked among them they could smell a heavenly trace of flowers and balms...this EDT makes me feel like I have been touched by something from a higher sphere, one that is pure and full of light and healing...Bliss!! Sillage: good (EDT) Longevity: very good Overall: 5/5 Heavenly!! I would type a longer summation here, but I can't keep my wrists from my nose! I'm not kidding! But I must say this: I have heard much of JOY and 1,000 and that Patou released masterpiece perfumes...but had NO idea! This is a very classic scent, without the usual vintage bombast of aldehydes and oakmoss so prevalent in its contemporaries. Anyone who wants to smell paradise should try this... Today, it is like I smelled perfume for the first time and fell in love all over again!!