Modern Que Sais-Je? - Too Much is More

by: Miguel Matos

It's been almost a year since I got my bottle of the 2014 edition ofJean Patou's Que Sais-Je? and only now I feel prepared to tell you my thoughts about it. This is part of the Heritage collection, where perfumer Thomas Fontainetries to bring back some of the vintage iconic fragrances of the house. The Heritage Collection by Jean Patou is growing each year. First of all there was Eau de Patou,Patou Pour Homme and Chaldée in 2013. As part of the second act in this reedition action we had Adieu Sagesse, Colony, Deux Amours, L'Heure Attendue, Que Sais-Je? and Vacances in 2014. Que Sais-Je? was originally launched in 1925 as part of a trio dedicated to three kinds of women. Adieu Sagesse was for the red haired ladies. Deux Amours was for the blonde girl. This one, Que Sais-Je? was created for the brunette woman and to me it is one of the most daring editions of the line.

“I had to smell the old materials and find out how they were done, in order to replace them or even reproduce them. It's kind of an archeology of perfume, what I was doing.” - Thomas Fontaine

I have never smelled the original Que Sais-Je? from 1925, so I cannot tell you how faithful the new one is in relation to the vintage. But I can tell you it smells vintage to the bone. Only true vintage lovers can appreciate this offering as it is dense, oldfashioned and syrupy like perfumes used to be in the old glorious days. I was presented to this almost a year ago and I was immediately seduced by its deep floral heart drenched in honeyed animalic sweetness. But somehow, when I started wearing it, I always found it too quircky. And that can be good or bad, depending on what your mood is. There is this boozy opening, something very balmy and thick going on with indolic jasmine and orange blossom. Something lightly smoky smells like a small piece of burnt rubber was sunk inside the bottle. Sometimes it's like a drop of gasoline... It only makes the scent more interesting, but not very easy to wear, as far as my experience goes. However, even though I rarely wear this fragrance, my mind goes there from time to time and I feel like smelling it for the sake of intellectual pleasure and nostalgic glamour. Later on I discovered that this is perfect for a fancy night out, when you want to impress people with a luxurious and unusual scent. It smells pretty rich.

The first thing that struck me in Que Sais Je? was that smell of old ambery perfumes that have just started to decay. I like that smell of old perfume that is not exactly turned but accuses its age. Like vintage Bal a Versailles or Chanel nº5 Eau de Cologne with patine. The following key elements that appear evident to my nose are honey and styrax and the combination of these strong accords with flowers and peach. The result is a very sweet, oily, dense composition. It seems impossible to wear it in the summer, but it surely is a warm treat for the cold days ahead of us. Luxury seems to be in its DNA and there is a clear vintage aura to it. While I was comparing the list of notes in the original and the new versions, there was something in the vintage formulation that made it clear to me, regarding that gourmand oily element I was feeling: hazelnuts. Although there is no nutty element in the pyramid of the new version, there is a nutty gourmand element to it. Loads of honey, juicy peach, a strong flower bouquet, almonds, suede and leather with styrax: this is what I smell in the modern Que Sais-Je?. The animalic tone of this scent, along with the sweetness and fruits, reminds me of other fruity leather chypres like Balenciaga's Quadrille or Rochas Femme gone oriental gourmand. Actually, if you want to have an idea of this perfume, imagine that you take equal parts of Quadrille and Femme, mix it with Lancôme Tresor and a drop of Balenciaga Rumba, let it macerate for 50 years in a vat that previously contained Cuir de Lancôme and you should get something close to this.

I feel that everytime I smell this I get a different idea of it. As I am writing I am spraying it again and for the first time I got whiffs of oak moss and carnation. Yes, it screams vintage and I am tired of modern vintages that smell too modern. Does this seem too much to handle? Well, it is a maximalist scent and sometimes it smells like too much going on. But in my dictionary too much is more!

Vintage Que Sais-Je? Notes:

Peach, Honey, Hazelnut

Perfumer Henri Almeras

Modern Que Sais-Je? Notes:

Top notes: Peach, Apple and Orange Blossom

Middle notes: Rose, Carnation and jasmine

Base notes: Honey, Styrax and patchouli.

Perfumer Thomas Fontaine