Maxim’s de Paris – the historic Parisian restaurant, the book, and its perfume

Dear readers, I don’t even remember exactly when, it was a long time ago when I started to develop an interest in historic art objects from Paris (and France), one day I found something on the internet by accident, and I was mesmerized by it for some reason, it was a hand-drawn illustration depicting an elegant social scene, all men were in their formal attire with black dinner jacket and hats, and women in their elegant haute couture and accessories, in a restaurant which the interior is in ‘art nouveau’ style. This particular illustration, although it was not in meticulous detail like some of the master painters such as da Vinci or Monet, the intriguing technique interpreted in a light-hearted and sophisticated way, adding an understated literature wittiness and sense of humor, to depict such an elegant and stylish social scene in the bygone era, it was something that I find it intriguing! And that’s how I learnt about this famous late French caricaturist, Mr. Georges Goursat, he was known for his illustrations by the intellectual circle depicting the elite and famous back in the French Belle Époque period, which his work somehow reminds me of those caricatures that appeared in the old French newspaper “Le Rire”. Born and raised in an upper-middle class family Périgueux, this French caricaturist has an interesting way of signing off his work, and that is, he usually used the initial “SEM” instead. Now back to this particular illustration, as much as I love it a lot, I was keen on finding out where this stylish scene took place, and it led me to get to know about this famous Parisian historic gastronomic and social establishment – Restaurant Maxim’s de Paris.

Photo source: Tripadvisor

Photo sources: Tripadvisor

It might sound a bit cliché, but still, I’d like to outline a bit of the history of this historic Parisian restaurant. Its story should be traced back to the fin de siècle Paris, in 1893, an attractive courtesan named Irma de Montigny, opened a small bistro at 3 Rue Royale in Paris, and shortly after, Mr. Maxime Gaillard, a former waiter, then founded Maxim’s in the same address, initially it was barely a bistro for coachmen, thanks to the intelligence of Maxime to associate his establishment with beautiful and glamorous people such as the elite and courtesans, it then became a charming and stylish rendezvous for the Parisian elite and famous during the Belle Époque period. The subsequent owner, Mr. Eugene Cornuché, brought more artistic elements into this restaurant by installing a piano, the richness of Art Nouveau décor in the dining room, filling up by the most beautiful people, in particular women, in the city; even the late French artist, Mr. Jean Cocteau, once described the patron of Maxim’s de Paris in 1913, as this: “It was an accumulation of velvet, lace, ribbons, diamonds and what all else I couldn't describe. To undress one of these women is like an outing that calls for three weeks' advance notice, it's like moving house." Besides it has attracted so many stylish and glamorous people, from art and literature to the world's rich and famous, to dine and get together in this fabulous spot, it even attracted the aforementioned late French caricaturist, Mr. Georges Goursat, to capture the scene of this Parisian restaurant in one of his illustration work to express the art of living of the fashionable Parisian lifestyle back then, which that drawing later became an iconic art of Maxim’s de Paris that appeared in multiple products of the brand, from chocolate box to restaurant menu etc.

Photo source: Tripadvisor

While business has its ups and downs, especially after the traumatic WWI, Maxim’s de Paris was bought by the late French restauranteur, Mr. Octave Vaudable, who operated this historic restaurant through WWII and maintained its prestige and glamour, with world-famous figures patronized in this restaurant included late business magnate Mr. Aristotle Onassis, late famed opera singer Ms. Maria Callas, the stylish late Duke and Duchess of Windsor and late American socialite and heiress Ms. Barbara Hutton, etc., even up to a more current time, world-renowned celebrities such as American singer Ms. Barbra Streisand, actor Mr. John Travolta, as well as French actress Ms. Brigitte Bardot, and the late French fashion designer, Mr. Pierre Cardin, had passed through the door of this historic restaurant, and the list can go on. Besides the existing restaurant business, the French restauranteur also expanded the name of Maxim’s de Paris through different product offerings and outlets, within and outside France, to make the name known abroad. Their confectionery products in elegant and iconic red and black color packaging, can still be found inside the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, as well as multiple duty-free shops inside the airport in France up to this day. In terms of the restaurant, besides the original one in Paris, there are two Maxim’s de Paris restaurants operating outside France (up until now), both located in Beijing and Tianjin China respectively.

Photo source: Tripadvisor

Photo source: Tripadvisor

I didn’t exactly go inside Maxim’s de Paris restaurant, nor having a proper French meal there in my past visits, yet, I managed to visit their boutique which is located right next to their restaurant back in one of my Paris visits a couple of years back. I still remember how exhilarating it was to see the bygone art nouveau interior inside the boutique, yes indeed it’s very old-world Parisian elegance (or you can say it’s dated), but that’s exactly what I love about it as I can finally be there to experience the fashionable heyday of the glamorous Parisian joie-de-vivre, which it can no longer be replicated nor existed except to see them in old movies or library books, news archives, or lifestyle illustrations from the French magazines and newspaper from the past. Through my fantasy on site, it took me traveling back in time, and imagining those elegant Frenchmen who dressed in the most dapper Parisian outfits in a formal black dining jacket, decent wool trousers, and black leather shoes, strolling through the product fixtures inside the boutique with dozens of beautiful Maxim’s de Paris products, displayed artistically in its modernized Belle-Époque themed packaging, under the artistic and nostalgic setting, adding the early-20th century French music played in the background, which created a such elegant ambient that stole my heart away.

I still remember that during that time, the Maxim’s de Paris boutique and the restaurant on Rue Royale were still owned by the late French designer Mr. Pierre Cardin (which back then he was still alive; and the Vaudable family sold the restaurant to the French fashion designer in May 1981, the same year which the French government declared the restaurant’s Art Nouveau interior as a historic monument), and I have a strong desire to pay a visit to their legendary Musée Art Nouveau “Collection 1900”, which showcased a range of objects, fashion, even interior design, that are authentic and rich in the historic French history of the fashionable Belle Époque, an actual time capsule that requires no time traveling machine, that enables one to re-see the beauty and the art of living, as a glamorous and elegant Parisian in that period, in the city of Paris. In the past, one can make a visit booking online, but after the passing of the French designer owner in 2020, also the ownership of the restaurant has changed hands, sadly I didn’t know about the fate of this museum anymore. While my attempt to visit Musée Art Nouveau “Collection 1900” in the past few times proved to be a failure (as my visiting date didn’t exactly match their opening hours), deep down in my heart, I still wanted to have a piece of history about this elegant and historic establishment that I can physically own and take home with me besides a box of Maxim’s de Paris chocolate, eventually, I got something very special which it can’t be bought anywhere else except in their Paris boutique, and that is, a silk pocket square in violet color border and the color-printed illustration by “SEM”, and a bottle of room spray in antique rose fragrant.

Since returning to my home city after that visit to Maxim’s de Paris boutique, I haven’t touch that bottle of room spray, instead, I did use the pocket square as a touch-up accessory for my suit a couple of times right before the pandemic, serendipitously, in 2011, a luxurious copy of coffee table titled “Maxim’s: A Mirror of Parisian Life” was released, published by Assouline and written by Mr. Jean-Pascal Hesse, this book offers a more comprehensive story about this legendary restaurant, a symbol of Parisian luxury lifestyle and art of living, from time of its birth back in the Belle Époque, to the modern time that we are living in that still bringing countless of beautiful and stylish people to visit, paying homage to this historic and legendary place that becomes the immortal icon of Parisian chic and style that throughout the century, and still shines until now. I adored the luxurious red velvet cover, not only it shows its thoughtfulness by using the restaurant’s iconic color, but the richness of the fabric makes this copy feel so luxurious and elegant, a great collector piece of a book if you are into Parisian lifestyle and fine books, inside the book, of course there are a series of valuable and rare photos of the restaurant, from the old days back in the Belle Époque Paris, the historic artifacts, the interior, as well as the elegantly dressed patrons back then, to the up-to-date version of the glamorous figures and celebrities, who passed through the door of this historic Parisian restaurant. Besides, this book also contains selective recipes that represent the culinary style of the restaurant, enabling readers to revisit the essence of the bygone Parisian gastronomic artistry, and how it still became relevant up until now with the updated cooking method and ingredient combination. To me, this sumptuous coffee table book is undoubtedly a beautiful retrospect about the history of this legendary gastronomic establishment, and a resourceful photo album that witnesses the evolvement of the elegance and glamour of the high society Parisian chic, as time passes by in this very place.

Apart from any other historic Parisian restaurants in the city, Maxim’s de Paris has something very unique that captured my heart, as this elegant establishment is way beyond solely offering delicate French cuisine and its spectacular setting, it is an immortal symbol of the Parisian joie-de-vivre; during the ownership under the late French fashion designer Mr. Pierre Cardin, he turned this historic restaurant into a quintessential Parisian lifestyle brand, by offering different fashion-related products to enrich the heritage of Maxim’s de Paris as the historic and pinnacle style of Parisian chic, and its steep relationship with fashion and beauty. One of the perfect examples is when the designer unveiled his collection named “Maxim’s la Nuit”, which consisted of both women's and menswear, back in 2013 to celebrate the restaurant’s 120th anniversary.

When it comes to high fashion, besides the beautifully made clothes and accessories, one of the most crucial elements is fragrance; during the reign of the late French fashion designer, Maxim’s de Paris has a couple of perfumes launched for both men and women, including “Maxim’s de Paris” for women in 1984, “Maxim’s pour homme” in 1988, both were created by reputed French master perfumer, Mr. Dominique Ropion. After that, another men’s perfume named “Orphee” which launched in 1998, with a relatively modern bottle design in a male-bust-form-like shape with simple lines, I remembered that I saw all those three fragrances when I was visiting the Maxim’s de Paris boutique couple of years back, while I didn’t get them back then, for some reason I have the desire to get them solely for perfume collecting purpose (as it seems that they have been discontinued). Fortunately, I found both “Maxim’s de Paris” for women, and “Maxim’s pour homme” in two separate places in my city.

“Maxim’s de Paris” is a floral chypre perfume with top notes including Hyacinth, Cassis, melon, and mint, a complex floral middle notes including rose, Carnation, Narcissus, Geranium, Jasmine, Mimosa, Dyer’s Greenweed, African orange flower and Tuberose, then the perfume dries down in Oakmoss, Amber, Musk, Sandalwood, French labdanum, Patchouli, Heliotrope, and Vanilla. For “Maxim’s pour homme”, a woody chypre perfume that opens with Carnation, Lavender, Bergamot, Clary Sage, and Amalfi lemon, then comes with middle notes including Rose, Clove, Sandalwood, Jasmine, Virginia Cedar and Amber, the fragrance then dries down in notes included Oakmoss, leather, Patchouli, musk, and vanilla. Despite both are not exactly the kind of perfume, nor something that I will put on, I respect the olfactory style of these fragrances as it reflects the fashion at that time, as well as the artistic perspective from both the late fashion designer and the perfumer about how they see the style of Maxim’s de Paris should be back then given the glamorous and elegant history from the past. To me, it is valuable to have something that captures this historic gastronomic establishment, its bygone elegance of fashion, and the century-old history that comes from the point of view of Pierre, and how he expresses such immortal Parisian glamour in his fashion and artistic vision, by looking at the nostalgic inspired packaging and bottle design, to even a sniff of these sumptuous fragrances that represent the Parisian elegance of his time, it truly fulfilled my fantasy to let me travel back in time, to experience the heyday of Parisian elegance and style from the Belle Époque period of the early 20th century, to the modernity of French high fashion in the 60s during the heydays of Pierre Cardin through these fragrances. This will always be a great archive that enables me to revisit the history of Maxim’s de Paris in multiple senses, and its influence to the fashionable Parisian way of living and style in 360-degree.

Besides the earlier perfume editions, Maxim’s de Paris has launched another series of perfume for both men and women back in 2017, they are “Maxim’s pour femme White Dream I”, “Maxim’s pour femme Angel and Heaven II”, “Maxim’s pour femme Rose Musk III”, “Maxim’s pour homme Leather Night I”, “Maxim’s pour homme Earth & Fire II” and “Maxim’s pour homme Myrrhe & Leather III”, all these came out during the reign of Pierre the French fashion designer before his passing. During my recent trip to Paris, I was planning to get some of them to see how the fragrance style of Maxim’s de Paris evolved to a more contemporary version, sadly I couldn’t able to get them during that trip, hopefully, I hope I’ll be able to get them eventually as part of my collection.

In my fantasy, if Georges Goursat is still living in our time now, I would love to see his illustration about how he depicts the social scene takes place in today’s Maxim’s de Paris restaurant will look like, especially the fashion, style, and people’s interaction and see how different will this new generation of illustrations be under the same hand of this legendary caricaturist, even how the way he will dress to match with this historic restaurant, and what he has to say about the changes. As for myself, while I wasn’t able to make it back to this legendary restaurant on Rue Royale during my last Paris visit (as the road was blocked due to the Olympic games), I truly look forward to setting my feet inside Maxim’s de Paris, either the restaurant or the boutique (if it still operates), to experience the beauty of the bygone Parisian glamour and joie-de-vivre, its profound association about high-end French gastronomy with fashion, style, and even the quintessential Parisian art of living, and take a closer look with the spectacular art nouveau interior in person, before it vanishes in the real world and becomes merely a cultural and historic reference that we can trace back in the news archive photographs or from the internet.

Maxims-de-Paris