Scentzilla!

Iris Gris* was released in 1946/47, and per Bois de Jasmin is credited to Vincent Roubert. Roubert also created Green Water for Jacques Fath. (Additionally, he’s credited on work with and/or for Francois Coty, such as A Suma, L’Aimant, L’Or, and Vertige.)
I’m not sure which perfumer is responsible for another Fath fragrance from the era, called Canasta, but I have to wonder if he didn’t have something to do with it as well - there’s something in the feel of Iris Gris that reminds me of Canasta. (Some sort of fruit up against a wall kind of thing. Sweet but not light.)

I believe my poor little parfum of Iris Gris has likely lost most of its top notes, so do take that into account when reading this, please.

Iris Gris exercises strange contrasts. The cool dusk-steaked earthiness of orris washes over me just as I get accostomed to Iris Gris’ warm orangey fruitiness. I can’t help but notice a note that I characterize as the smell of my father’s grapevines after he’s finished harvesting. Walking by his vines you smell an abundance of green leaves hanging off the dry woody vines, with just a few half mutilated grapes left for the birds to peck at and consume.
It is a crisp note, whereas the rest of the perfume comes in slow curving waves. Hard and rather dark woods exist as shadows under surprisingly soft folds of what smells animalic (civet, musk?), lending Iris Gris a pleated texture. I sniff something that smells almost caramelized in the mix, too. What sticks at the very end to my skin is like the smell of scotch cross-breeded with the taste of a dessert wine. Rather unusual, I think.

I am piqued by a small detail of information on the bottom of the box. It lists it as “No. 22;” My box of Fath de Fath lists it as “No. 58.” I can only wonder at all the numbers in between, and what they must have been like! On the back a line of text informs me “Box Made in France,” which makes me giggle. Guess it must have been pretty important for folks back then - gotta know if that box is domestic or import, heh.

Alas, I have yet to find any old print ads for Iris Gris - there must have been some, but they appear to be as hard to find as Iris Gris itself. I like looking at older perfume ads in general, however I’d especially enjoy seeing the visual depictions Fath chose for this scent.

Jacques Fath was quite a character, who loved hobnobbing with Hollywood stars and attending dinners and wild parties with those famous faces of the movie-making city. Yet his designs seem characterized with a certain restraint. They all seem so wearable, and it is not hard to picture yourself in any of his outfits. Even the more wild ones seem doable. I suspect this quality earned him a fair share of scorn back in the day from his contemporaries, but it is what I admire most about them.

They are beautiful creations that are actually meant to be worn, rather than simply admired. Oh, and his suits! They are pehaps the best thing he made, and I cannot help but prefer them to, say, the slightly more foofy suits that Dior was making around the same period. Fath’s smart form-fitting suits credit the woman who wears them for having sensibility and intelligence. This is not to say others’ from the era aren’t also lovely, of course, but I don’t find them quite as appealing.

One fun find from the era (I love you Internet!) is a brief promotional film from Amsterdam about Fath clothing from 1955. I don’t understand a word of the Dutch language, but I do enjoy seeing the models move about in his clothes. If you have Real Player installed on your computer, you may click here to watch, or please go to this site and scroll down the right hand sidebar to choose the Windows Media Player format. The same site also has promo films from other designers you might enjoy as well, so take a gander if interesed.

I find it a shock that there is but one book available about his designs in English, and no biographical works. Out of all the countries he sold clothing in, it was the English speaking United States where he found the most success. Someone needs to write this book. Uh, not me, though, heh. I would, but I have neither the training nor the resources, obviously. The book covering his designs is rare, and I’ve yet to stumble across a copy even in Portland, which a city that takes books seriously.

If you wish to read a little about him, click here for a short bio and details of his work on the movie The Red Shoes, or click here for another brief bio.

*According to Nigel Groom in his book, The New Perfume Handbook (2nd ed. 1997), Iris Gris was not Fath’s first forray into perfume. He cites one called Chasuble from 1945. If anyone reading this has seen or smelled Chasuble, or has inklings of what it might be like, please share. I would appreciate it so much! Also, he writes 1946 as the year of release for Iris Gris, yet other citations I’ve seen list 1947. I’m not sure which is correct.

Images: Top, still from 1948, source forgotten as I’ve had it on my computer forever (sorry!), and the second entitled Duet by Sherry Casper from Beppu Gallery. Third image is of a proof released to the Associated Press in 1950 announcing Fath’s as an “exponent” of “The Puritan Look,” and fourth is of Tiger Lily from Disney’s Peter Pan. Fifth image is a still from a 1955 campaign Cadillac ran utilizing the stylish image in the States of Jacques Fath’s house, and sixth image is called Tiger Lily Bud by Laura Ingraham from postershop.com. Seventh image is a photo by Herve Bruhat contracted for in 1992 to celebrate the Jacques Fath house from hervebruhat.com, and eighth is a photo by Jerry Uelsmann, title unknown, and source forgotton because I unfortunately have also had it on my computer for forever.