Serge Lutens has launched Serge Noire, the latest fragrance to join the lines' export collection:
A phoenix, the mythical bird of legend burns at the height of its splendour before emerging triumphant, reborn from the ashes in a choreography of flame, conjuring the shapes of yesterday in a dance of ashes.
The swirls of oriental grey enrich the twilight with depth and intensity while windswept memories hint at the beauty of transformation.
An ode to everlasting beauty under cover of night’s rich plumage.
Styled a "gray oriental", the fragrance includes notes of patchouli, cinnamon, amber and black woods.
Serge Lutens Serge Noire is available in 50 ml Eau de Parfum Haute Concentration and can be found now at Senteurs d'Ailleurs (Brussels) and La Mure Favorite (France). (quote via senteursdailleurs, additional information via osmoz) Update: see a review of Serge Noire.
Coming in October from L'Artisan Parfumeur will be the fourth in their series of travel-inspired fragrances (see Bois Farine, Timbuktu and Dzongkha). The new fragrance, Fleur de Liane, was inspired by perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour's travels in Panama; it hopes to capture a "lush forest intoxicated with rain".
The green floral scent features ozone, marine and green notes, marigold, tuberose, magnolia, woods and mossy notes.
L'Artisan Fleur de Liane will be available in 50 and 100 ml Eau de Toilette. Also coming in October will be an as-yet unnamed fragrance in collaboration with Scent Bar and aiming to capture the smell of "Southern California's dominant dry shrub plant community". (first quote via osmoz, second quote and additional information via wwd) Update: see a review of L'Artisan Fleur de Liane.
Rain forest! Could be good.
A gray scent is always welcome. I don't see how cinnamon would fit in in that concept, but OK. I am cautiously hopeful about Serge Noire
Could be! I'm not as excited about it as I would be w/o the ozonic & marine notes, admittedly.
WOW! I thought something ispired with “phoenix” would be rich, red, fire-like. Well maybe the grey is suppost to evoke Phoenix's ashes, but I'm sure it's gonna smell juest great. L'Artisan's new masterpiece sounds perfect. I love the idea of a forest intoxicated by rain, I love the smell of rain. I also think it's gonna be interesting to have a L'Artisan's fragrance feature ozonic note! I'm sure it's not going to be chemical, or Acqua Di Gio-like but still it just sounds so different. Can't wait!
Might be nice!
I'm sure Liane will be interesting, but not sure I will like it — I am still getting over buying Hermes Mousson unsniffed
I'm wondering the same thing, but change out “cinnamon” for “amber”.
I really love that Luckyscent and Aedes are getting their own scents from L'Artisan. Thumbs up on cross-pollination and collaboration in that tight little world…
Agreed
I agree, without the cinnamon, I'd be very excited. But who knows, perhaps the spice will add a clean *snap* to the fragrance??
I don't think of “clean snap” in conjunction with Serge Lutens — but of course you could be right!
I've had a chance to try Fleur de Liane, actually, and it doesn't come across particularly ozonic or marine to me – mostly white floral, with some light greenness. Kind of like Sa Majeste La Rose, except with white florals instead of rose.
Thanks!
I've been wondering when LA's next launch was going to be. I'll be hoping that Duchaufour can pull out an ace even with “marine” and “ozonic” in the mix. Marigold is an interesting note to have thrown in there, and white florals aren't my thing, but of course I'll be anticipating a sniff.
And, as someone who lives amongst “Southern California's dominant dry shrub plant community,” I can't say that concept exactly wows my socks off… at least on paper.
Wow! I need to ask my friends at luckyscent what the scoop is. I am so excited for them.
Actually all three of these fragrances sound fascinating and worth a test.
Hugs, babe!
black woods? intoxicated rain forest? Admittedly I'm drawn to both based on description only. I got an immediate imaginary wiff of the SL scent, is this a good sign?
I wonder if “Serge Noir” will smell anything like “Gris Clair”…I'm surprised by the unusual moniker—the name seems a little unusual for a Serge Lutens release.
Oh, wanted to ask about that – do you like Mousson any better with time?
I just smelled it today at a store – and like it much more than I anticipated, mostly because there's very little aquatic and melon, and lots of spices and ginger on me. Itching to buy a whole bottle now, but restraining myself for the time being. Will have to sniff again.
I also thought the name odd given past names of SL juices.
Like R, ozone and marine (unless salty rather than watery) accords turn me off. Everything else about the new L'Artisan sounds great to me. Hmmm. Mossy!
It's not Serge Noir, it's Serge NoirE. Serge in this case does not refer to the perfumer, but to the fabric (the French word is feminine, hence the 'e' on the end of the adjective), which was used mostly to make uniforms . It's a fun play on words absolutely in the line of the other perfume names, I think.
I hadn't heard about the reference to material and I'm not used to the Serge Lutens line listed under playful names; most of their names seem steeped in sensibility or an attempt to portray elusiveness and mystery. It just seemed different to me!
They're not hilarious, obviously, but quite a few are clever and fun: Tubéreuse Criminelle, Mandarine Mandarin, Clair de Musc (which sounds like Clair de Lune = Moonlight), Five o'Clock au Gingembre…
The cinnamon comes mostly from the benzoin, I think. It's an odd, beautiful scent, not nearly so austere as the Lutens copy would suggest, beacuse of the warmth of the benzoin and the powdery fieriness of the clove/carnation accord. I tried it yesterday, reviewed it a few hours later… I'm sure there'll be a lot more to discover as I wear it — I'm getting a full bottle tomorrow. It's impressed me much more than the recent export releases, though there is a common thread. It's closer to the soul… Primeval.
“Tubereuse Criminelle” is certainly funny and very fitting. There is a sort of off-kilter mischeviousness about some of his choices. “Five O'Clock Gingembre” makes me think of stories like “Paddington Bear”. However, “La Myrrhe” always sounds a bit serious to me.
I love Paddington Bear!
Perhaps the name may be less about fabric and more about Serge Lutens. It's hard to image a prestigious line naming a fragrance for material mostly made for use in uniforms (or even playing with the term). Maybe it's like 'Serge Black,' since “black woods” is part of this fragrance. My two cents.
No, it cannot possibly be about Serge. Serge is a masculine name. As I said in my other post, 'Noire' in 'Serge Noire' is the feminine form of the adjective 'noir' – the 'e' on the end indicates it. Serge', the fabric, is a feminine word and that's why 'noire' is in the feminine form. Languages whose words have genders, like French, are a great help cases like these, LOL!. I am French and the name Serge Noire doesn't look ambiguous to me at all. I look at it and I know instantly what it means (because of that 'e' on the end of 'noire'). There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Serge here refers to the fabric of that name. ('Serge Black' doesn't actually mean anything, does it?)
Thanks, sounds worth trying!
No, I sort of like it less every time I try it. I think because I've stopped “trying” to like it — it just isn't me. Sounds like it is “you” though!
The dry shrubs sound better to me than Liane, but I also love the smell of Southern California (when it isn't mostly exhaust).
Yes, get the scoop! Hope they've got a great name.
Gosh, could be a good sign! In my case, it never seems to be what I expect, LOL…
The mossy part does sound good
I've got a theory. I'm just wondering if Serge refers to Serge himself, and the NoirE — feminine — to the fact that the fragrance is, while “dark,” is also capital F Feminine? Could be, you know. That's even more playful, actually, than the fabric theory. . . Of course, what do I know? Guess we'll have to ask Serge to get the answer.
Not sure I understand this at all 'and the NoirE — feminine — to the fact that the fragrance is, while “dark,” is also capital F Feminine?' The French word for 'dark' is not feminine.
Anyway, all the French articles I've read about the scent have mentioned the fabric. It's not a theory. French is not a terribly flexible language: you cannot make it say what it doesn't, if the grammar, etc. doesn't support it, and in this case nothing else works. Serge Noire = Black Serge (the fabric – it's the same word in English). As I said, I am French (French is my mother tongue) and I understand what Serge Noire means, even if others don't.
I'm actually losing the will to live now. :-/
Black Serge it is!
just let me know when Aedes will have it and I can get a sniff I'm all about the blackness
Serge Lutens has always celebrated sexual ambiguity, the Noire thing is not just about fabric, it definitely goes beyond that! Serge Lutens is an artist in touch with his feminine side, I 'm sure this will delight some and offend others but that 's reality, if you click on this link you 'll find photographs by Serge Lutens which capture androgynous females and males:
http://typogabor.com/serge_lutens/
Thanks!
Oh–the exhilaration of Serge Lutens scents! To think that only three years ago I'd yet to dip into them. I have this blog, its extraordinary reviewers and its faithful legion of nose knights to thank for my enlightenment. I wipe away a tear of gratitude before saying “So, how thrilling will Serge Noire be for those fresh October nights”?
The strangest thing–it's been a crisp, New England night and I've layered “Douce Amere” and gingercake-spice-bomb “Five O'Clock Gingebre”. Both are often super spicy-sweet; excepting “Douce Amere” with it's usual “naughty-absinthe” kick. I thought the combination would knock me on the floor before shoving my head in a spice bin. Not so–both seem to recognize eachother and as if improvising a choreography, mellow out into a soothing, clear breeze, reminiscent of that gloriously hazy, sterilized fume of “Gris Clair”. How weird is that? The Lutens' are also some of the best to reapplying throughout the day. Like maintaining a fire, the scent evolves as you throw more “fuel” on it—“Douce Amere” might smell bright and sweet upon a morning application, as it ought to, only to smell richer when an evening application is re-applied over lingering base notes. It should all be too much, but it rarely is. I anticipate finding a long term fragrance mate from this house.
Hey, what a nice tribute to Serge! Thanks.
I like Serge Lutens perfumes, but this one for me is absolute strange scent.
After a first spray it is a pure incense. But not this holy smoky incense of Russian Orthodox Church, that surrounds you with blue sweet cloud and lifts up you spirit… This is some toxic substance, that is almost intolerable!
But I've been very brave and waited long hour for the perfume to open. After about 40 min it became softer, with some slight sweet note, and after an hour or a bit more it disappeared from my skin without leaving a memory…
Even if the aroma would be long lasting, WHERE would one wear it?…