Fath de Fath

While not reaching the mythic status of its predecessor Iris Gris, Fath de Fath, released in 1953 is a lovely green thing of a fragrance, another in the long list of those which has suffered at the hands of reformulation. The Fath fashion house, created and headed by Jacques Fath, was part of the post-WWII triumvirate, which along with Dior and Balmain, paved the way for more feminine women’s fashions after the austerity of wartime attire.

While Fath de Fath is described nearly everywhere as an oriental fragrance, it immediately calls to mind the mossy green fields of the chypres. In fact, it reminds me slightly of Ma Griffe, though with more emphasis on florals than on moss and green spice.

The fragrance opens with lush orange notes that remind me of a softer Idole by Lubin (vintage version) but quickly softens to a golden, floral heart. Fath de Fath is both bold and luminous, with a comfortable sillage that wears fairly close. The fragrance then proceeds to a lovely mossy, animalic base, a throwback to the time when a woman’s scent was not complete without a hint of the body. Looking through photographs of the elegant, ladylike fashions of the time always strikes me. It is as though fragrance was intended to serve as an earthy, corporal counterbalance allowing cosseted and corseted women to let down their proverbial hair.

Unfortunately, I was only able to obtain a tiny bit of Fath de Fath for sampling purposes from a generous fellow perfume collector, but this lovely gem is worth seeking out in its original form.

Jacques Fath and his wife Geneviève Boucher de la Bruyère

Chypre

Notes: Orange, floral and moss notes.