Jean Patou
(1880-1936)
French couturier Jean Patou was born in Normandy, France in the year 1880. His father was a successful leather tanner and his uncle owned his own fur business. Patou entered the fashion industry by first working for his uncle in 1907.
In 1912, he opened his own dressmaking shop in Paris, and called it Maison Parry. His work received international praise, and the following year a buyer in the United States bought his entire collection. He had to close his shop when he had to serve as a Captain in the Zouave Corps, in World War I. He served in the French regiment until 1918, and as soon as he was back reopened his couture workshop.
Patou is best known for his use of the color beige, his love of geometric patterns, and together with Chanel, the “garconne look.” He introduced bell-skirted, high-waisted shepherdess-style dresses, many embroidered in the Russian style. He designed for actresses such as Constance Bennett and Louise Brooks but his finest achievements were in the field of sporting wear; which always occupied an important part in his collections. Garments like the calf-length pleated skirts and sleeveless cardigans that still are popular today. His design philosophy was simplicity.
In 1922, he finally rendered the style that would make him famous emphasizing a casual and modern elegance that found particular expression in “chic” sportswear pieces like pleated kilts and cardigans. His sweaters included some famous Cubists, works of Picasso and Braque that became all the rage and were extremely popular internationally. In 1925, he opened a special division of his couture business dedicated to different sports such as golf, tennis, horseback riding, and fishing and called it “le coin des sports”. Patou was the first designer to place his initials “JP” monogrammed on clothing, which was the predecessor to the subsequent logo craze. In 1929, Patou showed a princess line dress which was molded from a high waist, giving the impression that the hips were level with the waistline.
Perhaps his house is most known for its fragrances, especially the perfume Joy, which was launched in 1929 and is still considered one of the top ten fragrances in the world. Together with Chanel and Guerlain, Patou is one of the only houses that created their own perfumes.
Jean Patou died in 1936 at the age of fifty six. He will always be known as the founder of one of the greatest fashion houses between the two World Wars.
The management of his house was taken over by his brother Raymond Barbas. Over the years many designers have tried their hands at reviving Patou with greater or lesser success including; Marc Bohan 1953-1957, Karl Lagerfeld (1958-1963), Michel Goma and assistant Jean-Paul Gaultier 1963-1974 to name a few.
