Ma Liberté! Vivid lavender fields, the purple flowers imbued with the piquant sweetness of aniseed and the velvet mystery of heliotrope. A feather soft vanilla infusion, with leathery and animalic tonalities, enriched with skin hugging musks, softens and enlivens the composition making it alluring and kind of electrifying. Jean Kerleo sure left his mark in the house of Jean Patou, and Ma Liberté is one of his last creations before exiting to form the Versailles Osmotheque. Ma Liberté, which was at the time considered an inferior Patou, and which time has given it its rightful status of masterpiece, starts with a very true and vivid lavender. Slightly herbal and medicinal, but with a sweet ‘violet candy’ aspect that is offset with some spiciness. While my nose tells me anise and heliotrope are wrapped around, the effect is like smelling a freshly bottled fougère! Vivid, energizing and invigorating. A tonic for the senses! The lavender never really goes away, but it slowly fades into a rich vanilla tincture with some spicy nutmeg and cloves, that marry perfectly with the warm and slightly dirty musks. The whole effect, just like in all Patous, is of rich tinctures and infusions in which the best of notes are added. The heavy basenotes don’t take away from the lighter notes, but instead form a spine in which the rest of the notes can anchor. In a way, Ma Liberté smells universal, genderless and timeless, although I can easily see it as a 70’s creation. Maybe that’s why it never took off. And while modernizing Moment Supreme, it had to be reincarnated a third time, Pour Homme Privee, to take off and make the latter a highly sought after (and expensive) unicorn. All while Ma Liberté bottles still abound on the secondary market, most still sealed and in very good prices. Like all Patous, quality is off the charts, and sealed bottles shine like freshly bottled ones. Sillage is radiant and longevity even in edt form is remarkable. A Jean Patou perfume made prior to the sale of the house to P&G is a masterpiece, an investment, but most importantly a voyage to a time when quality was the driving force, marketing was a far away term and Patou was up there with Guerlain, Caron and Lanvin. Even better than them, and that’s saying something! For those who miss the Patou pour Homme Privee and even the more elusive Patou pour Homme, Ma Liberté is a very worthy alternative. While not a clone, it heralds the same quality and many olfactory traits that make it a standout among vintage perfumes. A solid 10/10 yet again! Review based on a 200ml edt from 1987.