Jolie Madame by Balmain (1953)

Another amazing scent composed by Germaine Cellier. Jolie Madame has a leather base which assures, as Cellier fragrances do, that even if it's sweet like candy, there is still a tough gal you're dealing with under her perfectly fitted dress suit.

Jolie Madame is not my favorite Cellier, but like many of her fragrances, it contains a contradiction in the notes which fascinates and must have reflected what it was like being a woman in the '50s. The almost sickly sweet top notes of tuberose, gardenia and jasmine undercut with the butch notes of leather, musk, castoreum and civet, demonstrate in perfume form that a '50s woman may have appeared all smiles and pleasantness but underneath she could be the toughest person around, or, to be less literal, more complex than those florals would suggest.

Conceptually, this sounds right. But with Jolie Madame drying down on my skin right now, and the sweetness fading into leather and tobacco, I picture, instead, a beautiful woman who is also a tomboy, a hyperfeminine-looking woman who surprises you when she speaks with a raspy voice. (When asked which perfume she would take with her to a desert island if she could only choose one, Tania Sanchez, co-author of Perfumes: The Guide, chose Jolie Madame.)

Top notes: gardenia, artemisia, bergamot, coriander, neroli

Heart notes: jasmine, tuberose, rose, orris, jonquil

Base notes: patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, musk, castoreum, leather, civet

Comments

[rochambeau]

This is a fragrance that reminds me of my beautiful mother. This smell reminds me of her in my childhood. Once, 18 years ago, I found a half used bottle at a resale shop. I bought it and once again she wore it and I enjoyed it as her essence. I wish you will wave your magic wand and bring back Jolie Madame for me please.

Constance

[Perfumaniac]

Thanks for the lovely comment, Constance. There is a quote from Proust about how perfume is both fragile and yet faithful and enduring. It is so special that you can remember both your childhood and your beautiful mother when you think of or smell Jolie Madame. I dont need to wave a magic wand to get you closer to Jolie Madame; the vintage version is around, in decants on theperfumedcourt.com, and on eBay. If I were closer to my vintages (a friend is safe-keeping them for me), Id send a decant for you. Thanks for stopping by!