Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Jardanel by Jean Desprez c1938

Jardanel by Jean Desprez: originally launched in 1938, relaunched in 1944. 

Jardanel's history begins in 1917, when it's basic formula was originally created by Jean Desprez. He started working for Parfums Millot in 1920, as their chief perfumer. The Jardanel fragrance was put on hold while he was involved with Parfums Millot. Its composition may not have been fully developed the first time around and was probably improved upon over the years until Jean, true to his stubborn nature, felt he had gotten it right. The perfume had notes of citrus, leather, myrrh, Peru balsam, vetiver and oakmoss and may have inspired his creation of Crepe de Chine for Parfums Millot, which turned out to be a major success. 

While he was still with Parfums Millot, he started creating his own perfumes, and finally released the Jardanel fragrance, as well as a few others, under his own name in 1938. This may have been the start of the disagreement he had with the Millot side of the family. They may have felt since the perfumes were created while he was still working for them as chief perfumer, that they should have been launched under their name. My speculation is that they were probably upset that he was now competing against them. As a result, he left Parfums Millot in either 1940 or 1942 to start his own perfume business, Parfums Jean Desprez, but unfortunately, the strains of the second world war halted his production.  


Formes et couleurs - Volume 7, 1945:

"ÉTOURDISSANT - VOTRE MAIN - JARDANEL can only be found in Paris at Jean Desprez, 17, rue de la Paix, and at the best perfumer in the major cities of France."."

Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, 1946:
"Ser. No. 494,040. Jean Desprez, Paris, France. Filed Dec. 29, 1945. JARDANEL FOR PERFUMES AND ROUGES. Claims use since November 1944. Ser. No. 494,000."

La France libre, 1946:
"Jardanel by Jean Desprez, you will be assured not only of not making a mistake in taste, but of also affirming to those who will feel you pass the reputation of elegance and taste which is your most beautiful halo."

The Bermudian, 1946:
"Suggestions for Christmas PERFUME ... A wide selection from $3.79-$188.00. But especially suitable for the festive season are Votre Main, Etourdissant and Jardanel the perfumes of Jean Desprez, exquisitely presented in white with trimmings of Xmas red and green . . . from $8.00 to $78.00."

Shapes & Colors, 1947:
"JARDANEL can only be found in Paris at Jean Desprez, 17, rue de la Paix, and at the best perfumeries in the big cities of France. PERFUMER OF PEACE." 

 

 Book of Friendship, 1947:

"Jean Desprez Parfumeur, 17, rue de la Paix, Paris, presents its perfumes: ETOURDISSANT, VOTRE MAIN, JARDANEL, GRANDE DAME and its POUDRE DE BEAUTÉ for all seasons. Jean Desprez certifies all his perfumes to be imported from France. They are entirely bottled, packaged and sealed in the country of origin."

La DĂ©pĂȘche tunisienne, 1949:
"A perfume is a symbol and like all symbols, it means nothing, it expresses: it expresses what it is made of. If it is made of nothing, it expresses nothing, like man that God created from nothing and which means nothing because it has nothing to say except that the weather is beautiful and that the perfumes of Jean Desprez: Etourdissant, Votre Main and Jardanel will please you. Madam, how they please in Paris and all over the world to the most difficult women."

 



 



I believe Jardanel was removed from production sometime in the 1950s. In 1953, a French company named "Jean Dorlys" brought out a imitation eau de cologne of Jardanel by Jean Desprez.. The font and style of the packaging mimics that used by Jean Desprez at the time. If one didn't pay enough attention to the label, one may be duped into buying what they thought was a Jean Desprez fragrance.









In 1968, Jean Desprez mentioned that the National Office of French Perfumery registered and recorded close to 40,000 words reserved by manufacturers for future use. He said he did not patent the name Bal a Versailles immediately because he felt it was "too obvious." He said that the newest name he registered was Jardanel, but said that he had not yet found the right blend for the scent. He said the scent is meant to evoke the heady scent of a spring garden, drowsy under the midday sun. Its composition had a basic structure composed of a costly mix of opulent floral essences including jasmine on an oriental foundation of vetiver, patchouli and sandalwood.


He finally perfected the chypre blend in just a few months before he died, and sadly, never got to see its relaunch. 






The perfume was relaunched again as a limited edition in 1972. Specially created for Stanley Marcus of Neiman-Marcus for a special event called French Fortnight. Organized by the Neiman-Marcus Company, in cooperation with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, it was held during the last two weeks in October. The event showed off the couture clothes from the great Paris designers, French accessories, French perfumes (including Jardanel), furniture and furnishings, wines, cheeses, tinned foods, periodicals and books.  


In 1973, as a silent tribute to his father, Jardanel was relaunched to the public. "French women are too unenterprising and routine minded," said Denis Desprez in 1974. "We need reactions from more adventurous girls, with a sense of initiative." This is why he said he was testing his new perfume, Jardanel in America first. "When a new scent works in the US, we know we can sell it in France," he said.

Desprez described the fragrance as a "romantic, unique and sensual scent, composed of rare essences from the flower fields of Grasse and the Far East." As for the name Jardanel, he said it is a reminder of a charming old estate located in the center of France where his father Jean once visited. "He so loved the people, the place, the gardens and the house that he decided to name his perfume Jardanel so that he could keep alive the pleasant memories."


"When I introduce a new perfume such as I am doing with out Jardanel, I do not offer it with the fanfare of a lot of advertising and promotion and trust it to succeed on this, I give it advertising only after it is acceptable. Then I have a true reading on its excellence," said Desprez in 1976.  "I come to the store as my own agent, because this way I can keep my distribution selective. My fragrances are at home only in such fine stores as this (Rich's). Because we feel that it is very exclusive and expensive ($100 an ounce), it has to have the right audience. We are only in 140 stores in the US."

With respect to its price at $100 an ounce, Denis Desprez said, "Do I have to justify it? Still, I can try. When you can make Rolls Royce, you don't make Cadillac. In my opinion there is room for luxuries even in a depressed period. Fragrance buys a bit of a dream, and during the time you smell it, it keeps away the bad. Once I was away from home, a young college student in America and mostly broke, but from time to time I would indulge myself in a good French restaurant. I was crazy to do it from the financial point but it helped keep me alive psychologically."


Unfortunately, Jardanel was soon discontinued after the 1970s relaunch, because the cost of reproduction was too exorbitant.


Fragrance Composition:



So what does it smell like? It is classified as a powdery aldehydic floral woody chypre fragrance for women with rich balsamic notes. It starts off with a fresh aldehydic top, followed by a classic, elegant floral heart, resting on a sensual, sweet balsamic base. 
  • Top notes: aldehydes, neroli, orange, bergamot, fruity note
  • Middle notes: lily of the valley, carnation, orchid, ylang ylang, myrrh, patchouli, Bulgarian rose, jasmine, honey, narcissus
  • Base notes: vanilla, benzoin, Tolu, incense, cistus, civet, tonka, patchouli, leather, oakmoss, ambergris, Tonkin musk, vetiver, Indian sandalwood, labdanum and Peru balsam

Playbill, 1977:
" Great perfumery: In the damn-the-expense class there's now Jardanel by Jean Desprez. Like his earlier success, Bal a Versailles, the new Jardanel is an absolutely sumptuous classic floral, woven together like eclat. Deep and rich, like its price."

Soap, 1977:
"Jardanel— parfum from Jean Desprez. In the brochure the manufacturer calls Jardanel "retour au classique" (back to classic). The package style indicates something around 1910. Jardanel is a heavy perfume of the old school, showing the technique and concepts of the same hand which created Bal a Versailles. Jardanel moves smoothly through several phases, starting as a dry floral with mossy notes, then goes to a heavy chypre-like character, and winds up with a strong labdanum note which is extremely lasting."

Bottles:


PARFUM:


Modele Pratique: The original bottle for Jardanel was a square French crystal flacon fitted with a ground glass stopper. This bottle was also used for the other early Jean Desprez perfumes: Etourdissant, Grand Dame, and Votre Main. I believe this model was used during the war period as the expensive flacons were unattainable due to cost and supply restrictions. The base of the box reads "All my perfumes, regardless of the original models, are presented in the 'Practical Model.' These creations are my property and any imitator will be prosecuted in accordance with the law. Etourdissant - Votre Main - Jardanel - Grand Dame - Parfums de Jean Desprez. 17 rue de la Paix. Made in France."

The bottle used for Jardanel has a lovely paper label depicting an openworked marble flower basket resting atop a decorative marble pedestal. The shape of the pedestal will be repeated in the 1969 limited edition Janusette bottle made exclusively for Bal a Versailles.

The other Modele Pratique flacon has a wooden label, very unusual.





The classic Jardanel flacon from the 1973 relaunch has a long neck and a bulbous base. The parfum flacon is fitted with a ground glass stopper, the 0.25 oz bottle can also be found with a plastic screw cap. Its bottles bore round paper labels with a polychrome image of an Art Nouveau styled woman, suggestive of the Edwardian period, a nod to its original creation date. 

The 0.25 oz parfum flacon does not have the paper label, but rather black serigraphy. The fragrances are housed in green boxes, some have the round paper labels, others have a hot stamped images. I believe the earliest have the paper labels on the boxes.

Soap, 1977:
"Jardanel— parfum from Jean Desprez. In the brochure the manufacturer calls Jardanel "retour au classique" (back to classic). The package style indicates something around 1910."

The parfum flacon was available in several sizes:
  • 1/8 oz round smelling salts bottle (retailed for $18 in 1975, $20 in 1977, $23 in 1981)
  • 1/4 oz bottle stands about 3" tall.  (retailed for $35 in 1977, $37.50 in 1977, $42.50 in 1981)
  • 1/2 oz bottle stands 4" tall. (originally retailed for $50, $60 in 1975, $65 in 1977)
  • 1 oz bottle stands 5 1/8" tall. (originally retailed for $65 in 1972, then $80 in 1974, $100 in 1975, $115 in 1977)
  • 2 oz bottle stands 6” tall  











PARFUM DE TOILETTE:


The parfum de toilette is the same long necked bottle as the parfum. It made its appearance in 1974. The Parfum de Toilette bottle can be found with either with a frosted glass stopper or the plastic screw cap. Its bottles bore round paper labels with a polychrome image of an Art Nouveau styled woman, suggestive of the Edwardian period, a nod to its original creation date.  The fragrances are housed in green boxes, some have the round paper labels, others have a hot stamped images. I believe the earliest have the paper labels on the boxes.

The Parfum de Toilette bottle:
  • 2.5 oz Parfum de Toilette Splash bottle stands 6 1/8" tall (it originally retailed for $35, $45 in 1976, $50 in 1977)
  • 5 oz Parfum de Toilette Splash bottle stands 8" tall (it originally retailed for $65)  





EAU DE COLOGNE:



The Eau de Cologne Deluxe is housed inside of a luxurious crystal bottle and dates from the 1970s and into the 1980s. This bottle was also used for the Parfum de Toilette Deluxe (for Bal a Versailles). It is molded with "Jean Desprez Made in France" on the base and came in several sizes:
  • 9 oz. crystal flacon stands 8.5" tall 
  • 4.5 oz. crystal flacon stands 7.5" tall
  • 2.5 oz. crystal flacon stands 6" tall 
  • 1.5 oz. crystal flacon stands 5.25"



Jardanel was also presented in a narrow, rectangular bottle with a gold tone screw cap. This bottle held the Eau de Cologne Splash, launched in 1977.  It was presented in white boxes embossed with the Jardanel lady head image. It was available in the following:
  • 2 oz Eau de Cologne Splash (originally retailed for $12.50)
  • 4 oz Eau de Cologne Splash (originally retailed for $20)
  • 8 oz Eau de Cologne Splash (originally retailed for $30)



EAU DE TOILETTE:


The Eau de Toilette was available in spray form. Housed in white opaline bottles and fitted with an aerosol spray mechanism, and presented in green boxes.
  • 5.5 oz Eau de Toilette Spray



Fate of the Fragrance:


Discontinued, date unknown. Still sold in 1983.

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