JEAN PATOU

Jean Patou has left his mark on the history of fashion in France and around the world. Avant-gardist, hard worker, always in a hurry, he developed a style and a company.

His timeless style, which deftly blended chic and casual, morning and evening, was expressed through fashion for all ages that reflected above all an absolute modernity, just like his life. His company, which expanded rapidly from its inception, catered to a cosmopolitan clientele from 1924. America called him "the most elegant man in Europe".

He had a sense of marketing before the letter. He launched the first "Chaldea oil" sun oil in 1927. He created many perfumes, including Joy the perfume that has become mythical today. He was the first to organize fashion shows and to recruit American models to parade in France.

In 1924, he opened a branch of his Parisian fashion house in Deauville. The "Pavillon des Bains", a short-lived boutique located just a stone's throw from the sea, opened only during the season. For the famous couturier, it was a showcase for a sporty fashion that allowed a new freedom of movement.

A regular at the Deauville casino, where his silent presence at the gaming table in the company of André Citroën or Charles Hennessy is the talk of the town, he does not hesitate to drive his luxurious sports car, a Farman, a convertible car that he drives with gloves and a leather helmet. In Deauville, he can be seen on the terrace of the Bar du Soleil, wearing light gabardine pants, two-tone shoes, a white shirt and striped tie under a simple cashmere cardigan. A masculine version of "sportswear" as propelled by him and his colleagues in the early 1920s.