Mr Selfridge S04E01

mrselfridge_s04e01_bornunicorn (3)Kitty’s perfume counter is packed with Jean Patou fragrances. We can see several bottles of Joy and three smaller bottles.jeanpatou_joy_bornunicornOne of the most famous white floral perfumes, Joy was created by Henri Almeras and launched in 1930. jeanpatoucolony_bornunicornColony, launched in 1938, is another creation by Almeras. The bottle originally had a peculiar pineapple shape.

jeanpatoumomentsupreme_bornunicornThe miniature on the left is another Patou perfume, but it’s impossible to tell which. This bottle, with rounded shoulders and stopper, was used for several fragrances. The fourth season of the show is set in 1928, so we can make some assumptions: it could be Amour AmourQue sais je? or Adieu Sagesse (all launched in 1925) or even Chaldee (launched in 1927). The point is that these assumptions are not really correct: Joy is widely shown in this scene, which is historically inaccurate (the perfume was launched in 1930, two years after the events told in the season), so the miniature above could actually contain any Patou perfume, even one launched after 1928.

mrselfridge_s04e01_bornunicorn (4)

Joy+Jean+Patou_vintagead_bornunicornLater in the episode, a poster for Joy can be seen. Le parfum roi had a simple bottle decorated with gold leaf and gold thread around the bottle.

2 thoughts on “Mr Selfridge S04E01”

  1. Yassss! Patou Queen here! I’d say the wee bottle on the left is Que Sais-Je? Am foxed by the bottle with the blue/green stopper on the right: my completely unscientific hunch is that it’s Adieu Sagesse, but I also have an old Amour Amour in a similar bottle (seemingly, it’s one of those little berry-shaped bottles they did).

    1. Hi, Patou Queen 🙂 Yes, I think you’re right. Patou calls those bottles pineapple-shaped, but they honestly look more like a berry to me. I’ll see if I can find one with the green stopper (the colour was apparently connected to the fragrances Moment Supreme and Vacances).

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