Jalique Margaret Astor 1975 Eau de Cologne

In 1975, I was still wearing Elizabeth Arden's "Blue Grass" as my "signature scent," already forty years old at the time, and yet "Jalique" reminds me very much of it upon first contact.
However, the fragrance notes of both are quite different: It is more of a kind of "feeling of life" that "Jalique" conveys to me.

I encounter a skillfully composed floral chypre fragrance from a reputable house for its time.
For that was the brand "Margaret Astor" even then; it was founded in 1952 by the company Blendax in Mainz.
The name comes from the founder Wilhelm Boelcke's mother-in-law, a relative of the German-descended Astor family from Walldorf, a town in Baden-Württemberg.
We also encounter their name in the famous Waldorf-Astoria hotel, now not only in New York.
The Margaret Astor KG has been sold several times, now only carries the name "Astor," and is currently part of the Coty group.
I confess: Until today, I considered Margaret Astor to be just another one of those women who made cosmetics and fragrance their life's work, like Helena Rubinstein, Elizabeth Arden, and also Estée Lauder.
But enough of the background story!

"Jalique" is a quite graceful and charming woman, without wanting to be particularly capricious.
A fruity start, in which the aroma of ripe white peaches plays a leading role and corresponds very well with the sensually white jasmine flowers, receives fresh green support: Not only juicy grass, but I also suspect leaf green here.
A very pleasant opening, to which the floral scents of enchanting lily of the valley, white-blooming tuberose, very fragrant feminine roses, and quite spicy hyacinths attach themselves nicely.
Thus, an extremely wearable creation emerges, which receives the finishing touch through finely dosed oak moss, smoky amber, and cozy musk notes.

"Jalique" is not an extraordinary or particularly exciting fragrance, but it was composed with craftsmanship and was therefore not only wearable back then.
Gelis found a miniature bottle of this fragrance in a nearby store selling items from estate clearances.
Since she knows my love for nostalgic chypre fragrances, this charming companion has now come to me and will reside in my display case, surely also spreading on my skin from time to time.
I thank her and look forward to this pleasant scent companion throughout the day.