Reviews of Eau de Patou (1976)
by Jean Patou

Excellent. The other reviewers have described it much better than I ever could. The bottle I purchased definitely leans toward masculine and I could tell immediately that it is related to Patou PH in a lighthearted way.

What strikes me most about Eau De Patou and PH is the quality ingredients apparent from the top to base. Jean Kerleo rocks.

The best creamy citrus there is I would say, and yes wonderful in the heat of summer like running nude through a citrus orchard with a sprinkler going.
A must in your fragrance wardrobe.
Can still be found from time to time at discount fragrance store so keep an eye out.

I instantly liked and can#T add too much to what has been so competently said. So I'll furnish some facts:
Did you know there was a male and a female version of Eau de Patou?
Eau de Patou pour homme from 1976 is listed in the H&R Duftatlas from 1989 with these notes:
Top:Lemon, Lime (Bergamot, Mandarin, Basil, Aldehyde)
Middle:Jasmin, Patchouli (Iris, Clove, Fruit note, Cedarwood)
Base:Moss, Musk (Amber, Civet, Labdanum)

The presently discussed female version contains (according to parfyym.pri.ee):
Top: Sicilian Citrus, Guinea orange
Middle: Tunesian orange blossom, pepper, honeysuckle, Ylan Ylang, nasturtium
Base:Musk, Moss, Amber Civet

The midnote florals somehwat remind me of Dukes of Pall Mall Cotswold, though that has quite a different citrus top.

I do find Eau de Patou rather feminine in the middle courtesy of the pronounced Ylan Ylang notes. I like Ylan Ylang, thankfully and there is nothing suffocatingly heavy here, of course.

Those florals create a certain (hand)creamy sensation which I also get in Casran (no good), Sander Background, Esper Graphite (soso). Here it's quite pleasant, though I can't help seeing a well-groomed attractive woman in a pastel spring or summer outfit before me when smelling this. As foetidus says, it gets less feminine as it dries down. Wonderful, but I really would like to try the men's.

Eau de Patou is an incredible fragrance. It opens with a light and delicate citrus with the elegant addition of petitgrain. It has a wonderfully refined and restrained floral middle—sophisticated and transparent. Add to this the classic, discreet base of moss and amber, which exhibits its close relationship to the two classic masculine Patou’s, and what it results in is one of the best designer fragrances I have ever encountered. I certainly can’t improve on calchic’s description of the scent and I agree with Griff that this wonderfully elegant fragrance is wearable by men: There are a few minutes when the middle notes seem to move a bit to the distaff side, but that is no threat against masculinity. The top and the dry down are wonderfully unisex. Excellent sillage and longevity. Eau de Patou is a peerless classic creation.

I love this fragrance. I first tried it in winter, and decided that I didn't care if it was snowing, this fragrance was amazing in any season. The Petitgrain is both sweet and cooling, and the pepper and labdamum warmed it. I was heartsick when it was discontinued until I found Iskander by Perfumes Empire. It is as close as I can get to Eau de Patou without the real thing, and I'm in heaven again--and we are heading toward winter.

Calchic's review below on the complex composition is spot on. I would only add that this now out-of-production citrus and spice gem is is definitely suitable for men. It even out-classes Eau Sauvage in the fresh citrus category. Eau de Patou is like a smooth, silky citron cousin to Caron's L'Anarchiste. Shame it is no longer available.

The ideal in truly chic summer scents, and what makes it different from so many others that are similar - i.e. hesperides-based - is the presence of petitgrain as a topnote. Petitgrain is powdery sweet and has a very cooling feel, and here it plays against the citron and orange so that you get a splash of tartness and a dusting of talcum. Black pepper and nasturtium lend a little spark and character, and the body of the fragrance comes from a very smooth moss-amber-labdanum base rounded with basically imperceptble dashes of musk and civet that are there simply to help out the staying power, which is more than decent for a hesperides. I've gone through two bottles of this fragranve and definitely consider it a hot weather staple; it's magnificent.