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Serge Lutens Fourreau Noir ~ new fragrance

Posted by Robin on 29 June 2009 69 Comments

Serge Lutens Forreau Noir perfumeSerge Lutens will launch Fourreau Noir, the latest addition to the brand's exclusive range, this fall:

Two white hands emerge against the light, moving so slowly that they re-define the shadows, making them look darker.

The contours of the body, illuminated by a gleam of light seeping through an open door, offer contrast.

She moves forward, trampling the stars beneath her feet, her smile broadens.

With all the virtue of vice, this tight black dress had such a fluid shape that I could revel in its language…

Per Osmoz, Fourreau Noir "is a dark, silky scent revealing a tonka bean with lavender, musky, almond and slightly smoky accents".

Serge Lutens Fourreau Noir will be available at the Salons du Palais Royal in 75 ml for €110. (first quote via press release, second quote and additional information via osmoz)

Filed Under: new fragrances
Tagged With: serge lutens

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69 Comments

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  1. krokodilgena says:
    29 June 2009 at 12:11 pm

    I guess it sounds interesting, but I don’t really like almond in perfume

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 12:19 pm

      I do sometimes. Hard to get any idea of what this smells like though.

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    • miss kitty v. says:
      29 June 2009 at 12:19 pm

      I was just going to say the same thing. And if you take out the almond, it sounds exactly like Gris Clair. But the bottle is lovely. (And the ad copy absolutely hilarious.)

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      • MollyG says:
        29 June 2009 at 9:24 pm

        I adore Gris Clair, so this one sounds promising!

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        • parfumnut says:
          26 September 2009 at 1:34 pm

          It is exactly like Gris Clair with a slight smokey sweetness. I purchased a bottle and normally i do not LOVE SL fragrances, this one is a WINNER.

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    • Daisy says:
      29 June 2009 at 12:31 pm

      I like the almond but can usually pass on the lavendar and smoke and for goodness sake the strangely creepy descriptions! egad, what are they thinking ?

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      • krokodilgena says:
        29 June 2009 at 12:35 pm

        It might be less weird in French.
        The smokey is what interests me!!!!

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        • Daisy says:
          29 June 2009 at 12:37 pm

          …or seem less weird TO the French ! (snicker!)

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  2. Robin R. says:
    29 June 2009 at 12:12 pm

    I’ll pass on the purple prose, but I’ll take a bottle! 🙂

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 12:20 pm

      I do wish they’d release something like a fragrance description. Oh well.

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  3. boojum says:
    29 June 2009 at 12:21 pm

    Ok, that gave me the creeps. Fortunately, SL just hasn’t worked for me, so I can try to put the nightmare out of my head, lol!

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    • Daisy says:
      29 June 2009 at 12:29 pm

      Ohmigosh….I was imagining horror movies with the hands coming up out of the grave…grasping…and the zombie/vampire/ghoul (you pick) fighting it’s way back to terrorize/eat the living….eek! (where’s the popcorn, now I’m ready for a horror flick!)

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      • bergere says:
        29 June 2009 at 3:14 pm

        Yes! Like a zombie coming out of a crypt! A vampire digging out of the coffin! Sheesh, going for the Twilight crowd.

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 1:01 pm

      It is pretty creepy. Always hard to tell if it’s meant to be or not.

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      • Rappleyea says:
        29 June 2009 at 5:59 pm

        My first thought on that prose was when people make shadow animals with their hands. But then I remembered a horror movie from when I was quite young called, I think, The Hand. My brothers used that to scare me for years after!

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        • Daisy says:
          29 June 2009 at 6:57 pm

          OHMIGOSH! I remember that movie!! I was absolutely terrorized! Eyeballs glued to the screen for the entire movie ….and my older brother made fine and frequent use of my fear….sheesh, with 3 older brothers it’s a wonder I survived (and without the benefit of therapy too!)

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          • RossM says:
            30 June 2009 at 9:57 am

            LOL but I think I might actually need a stint in therapy after having to endure 5 YEARS of my sister watching Anne Of Green Gables when I was growing up. Yes that’s 5 YEARS of every Sunday and most days during school holidays! And you thought that hand thing was terrifying.

  4. mireille says:
    29 June 2009 at 12:26 pm

    This is the first SL I’ve been interested in trying in a long time. And it has nothing to do with her trampling the stars. xoxo

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    • Daisy says:
      29 June 2009 at 12:42 pm

      If someone is planning to trample stars…I’d like to request that they begin with Paris Hilton…..just a suggestion…

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      • boojum says:
        29 June 2009 at 12:46 pm

        LOL!

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        • Daisy says:
          29 June 2009 at 12:59 pm

          well Boo, you know how dedicated I am to improving the world…

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      • Rappleyea says:
        29 June 2009 at 5:59 pm

        ROTFL!

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        • Haunani says:
          29 June 2009 at 11:38 pm

          Ha! 🙂

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 1:01 pm

      LOL!

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  5. SmokeyToes says:
    29 June 2009 at 1:20 pm

    Hmmm, sounds interesting with tonka bean, lavender, musky, and smoky notes. But I’m not sure about the almond. We’ll have to try and see.

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 1:54 pm

      Could be interesting…really hard to tell. I have no “scent picture” in my mind at all.

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  6. Joe says:
    29 June 2009 at 1:37 pm

    I’m always interested in a new Serge. I still don’t have a good handle on what tonka itself is like (though I have samples of Hermes Vetiver Tonka). Smoky can either work for me or not, but you’re right, the description leaves much to the imagination.

    However, this will NOT be in the export line if I’m reading you correctly, right? In that case, lemming is futile (not that domestic availability has always made a difference, lol).

    I thought Nuits de Cellophane was nice if a bit floral for me. I have to confess I’m lemming a bottle of Serge Noire — may give my mom a bottle for birthday/xmas and steal a healthy decant from her (I guess that’s technically not nice, eh?).

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    • Joe says:
      29 June 2009 at 1:41 pm

      And I looked it up myself: Fourreau can mean either “sheath dress” or “sheath” (for a knife, as in scabbard) or “case”. I assume this is the [upscaled] SL version of Guerlain’s “La Petite Robe Noire”? I never did hear whether that one was ok or a total bore.

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 1:55 pm

      No, this one is exclusive. The export this year will be Fille en Aiguilles, which I might manage to post today but possibly not til tomorrow.

      Guerlain’s Petite Robe was ok. Very sweet, sort of charming, nothing worth getting excited about.

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      • bergere says:
        29 June 2009 at 3:16 pm

        Which is another vaguely creepy reference–at first glance it’s “girl in needles”, but really “girl among pine needles”

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        • Daisy says:
          29 June 2009 at 6:59 pm

          because her zombie corpse is buried in the woods!!!

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  7. March says:
    29 June 2009 at 1:47 pm

    You know what? I don’t even care what a new Lutens smells like any more (and twenty bucks says this one’s dull.) But I live for those descriptions! “Two white hands emerge against the light…” etc. had me giggling with glee. Serge does a Twilight scent?

    Oh wait. Sorry. I see from the comments it’s a ZOMBIE scent.

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 1:55 pm

      A zombie scent works for me, LOL…at least it isn’t dull. One hopes.

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    • melisand61 says:
      29 June 2009 at 4:37 pm

      Zombies? Did someone say zombies? That makes it a must buy, at least for my son. I’ll have to ask him whether they like lavender, almond and smoke. Methinks so.

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  8. lovethescents says:
    29 June 2009 at 1:50 pm

    I really look forward to trying it…for two reasons really: the tonka and smoke swirl sound fantastic, although I’m picky with lavender; second, because the description is so elusive, it’s intriguing me all the more! What marketing!

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 1:56 pm

      The smoke part is about all that’s kept me interested, so far.

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  9. Absolute Scentualist says:
    29 June 2009 at 2:40 pm

    Do want. At the very least, I really want to sample this one. Lavender and smoke, never mind all the other notes together…. It sounds really intriguing. My favorite SL at this moment is Daim Blond, and this sounds like a far cry from that one.

    @Daisy, lol on the Paris Hilton bit. At least this particular star-trampling may shrink the out of control fragrance launches by roughly 5% annually, which would make keeping up a wee bit easier.

    And yeah, that add copy… It didn’t say anything about *sparkling* hands emerging in the light, so I suppose the sparkly Twilight “vampire” is out. But it made me laugh out loud as many of these so often do. Well done, or not, depending on precisely what they’re trying to inspire. Maybe they can buy some ad space with the next Resident Evil movie launch.

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 4:58 pm

      I’d like to sample it too. But have to say the SL line is not inspiring the sort of mad rush it used to…perhaps just because there are so many other launches now.

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  10. Jill says:
    29 June 2009 at 2:49 pm

    “Dark & silky”, smoky and tonka are words that hook me … I haven’t been very excited about Lutens in a while though. But I’ll try, of course!

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 4:58 pm

      Dark & silky does sound quite nice!

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  11. bergere says:
    29 June 2009 at 3:19 pm

    The notes may work well together, but they don’t seem as though they would on paper. Lavender, almond and smoke? You never know. Worth a shot.

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 4:59 pm

      Just lavender & almond is enough to discourage me…can’t say it sounds like a great combination. But you never know!

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  12. meggie67 says:
    29 June 2009 at 4:01 pm

    Purrrrrrr. Sounds great to me….the juice, not the ad copy.

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 4:59 pm

      Hope some will find it’s way to you then!

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  13. perfumeshrine says:
    29 June 2009 at 4:10 pm

    FN sounds interesting to me, it’s FEA which leaves me with some wonder as to how it should play out.
    The Limited Edition bottle is a first though: I haven’t seen such a bell jar before, it opens up a whole new vista to Serge Lutens’s mind 😉

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    • Joe says:
      29 June 2009 at 4:53 pm

      E, I think El Attarine was also put out in an LE decorated bell jar.

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 5:01 pm

      Have not seen the LE yet. El Attarine’s was gorgeous, you’re right Joe!

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      • Joe says:
        29 June 2009 at 5:39 pm

        The Fourreau is a little too cutesy for me — check E’s site to get a look.

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        • boojum says:
          29 June 2009 at 6:51 pm

          OH! And there, the text is stairs, rather than stars… a black cat w/ white mittens? would fit the bottle. It’s much less creepy now. LOL!

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  14. alotofscents says:
    29 June 2009 at 4:12 pm

    ….Good Grief.

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 5:02 pm

      🙂

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  15. thenoseknows says:
    29 June 2009 at 5:45 pm

    Serge Lutens pretty much can do no wrong in my book…. so, this sounds again, perfectly captivating.. hell they could put spaghetti sauce bolognese in that SUMPTUOUS Bottle and i’d wear it!

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 9:04 pm

      LOL…maybe spaghetti sauce is up next 😉

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  16. greenfigsea says:
    29 June 2009 at 5:50 pm

    sounds divine; while I may be in the minority, I really like the almond in Louve, and the promise of smoke and lavender is compelling…I hope there won’t be any hint of smoked almonds though: barbecue chips with your lavender, madame? ick.

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 9:05 pm

      I would like the almond in Louve if I didn’t like the almond in Rahat so much better!

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  17. Nlb says:
    29 June 2009 at 8:10 pm

    Oh, don’t care if it could be a total let-down—I get a thrill seeing a new bell jar of SL fragrance being released! His stuff moves me, even if half of it would disturb people around you if worn in public (“…do I smell The Apocolypse? What is that?…”). Even though some of their recent releases have been a tad limp, I can’t help but think “Yeah! A new adventure!”. I don’t know if I look forward to signature scent-types in new SL scents; it’s more like anticipating the next work of a favorite novelist. I’m guessing “Fourreau Noir” is going to smell like a chocolatized, velvetier version of “Gris Clair”—for some reason, I imagine a “Gris Clair”/”Santal Blanc” hybrid. I’m excited! Plus, as surrealistically bizzare SL press type is, you have to admit, it’s a distinctive, recognizable element of the brand ;).

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 9:07 pm

      It is true that it’s a distinctive, recognizable element of the brand, but it’s not one I appreciate, I guess! I’d rather know simple things like the fragrance family & the notes….to me, this idea that people should not have basic information because you don’t want them to be “influenced” is all about control, and you ought not to be trying to control your customer’s experiences.

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      • Nlb says:
        1 July 2009 at 12:30 pm

        Touche! I never thought of it that way. People ought to at least have an idea of what they are getting into, especially when it involves a fragrance purchase exceeding $100.

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        • Robin says:
          1 July 2009 at 1:44 pm

          Exactly…it’s as though they only want to sell to people who have so much $ they don’t care…like JAR.

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    • boojum says:
      29 June 2009 at 11:06 pm

      There must be something horribly wrong with either my nose or my skin… do you really find SL’s frags to be so jarringly different? While I haven’t cared for many, I’ve found most of the ones I tried to be highly wearable. Maybe my skin eats all the weird parts and smooths it all out…

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  18. carmencanada says:
    29 June 2009 at 8:11 pm

    Ok, so, I’ve actually smelled this, though only on a paper strip. And I’m considering throwing out the notebook where I left that strip. Fourreau Noir smells (not only to me but to the other French bloggers/perfumistas who were present) like a masculine oriental fougère, in the YSL La Nuit de l’Homme style. I practically never say this about a perfume and I’ve certainly never said it about a Lutens, but I loathed it.
    It may smell quite different on skin, of course. But I don’t think I’ll ever get past that cliché masculine opening.

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    • Robin says:
      29 June 2009 at 9:07 pm

      Sounds utterly blech. In my own perverse way now I’m intrigued, LOL…

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  19. Haunani says:
    29 June 2009 at 11:41 pm

    Is it just me, or are there entirely too many new and recent fragrances with “noir” in their names? I’m thinking that the target audience sees that word and thinks “hip”.

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    • Joe says:
      30 June 2009 at 2:54 am

      Now that you mention it, you may be onto something. Doesn’t someone have a searchable database we could query?

      In addition, seems like most of Serge’s line is something either Noir, Nuit, or Bois.

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    • Robin says:
      30 June 2009 at 11:42 am

      Yes!

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  20. Nile Goddess says:
    30 June 2009 at 8:21 am

    A bizarre sounding fragrance.

    I adore lavender products for the home, tribute to the sachets slipped between laundry sheets in our home and Granny’s home. Lavender water from L’Occitane for easy ironing, lavender spray for my pillow, drops of cooling lavender oil to lighten up a hot and heavy summer afternoon.

    But … I don’t want to smell like lavender. Or like anything that sounds like a room spray, albeit an exquisite one.

    Besides, almond and spice equals Hypnotic Poison to me and, like the James Bond song goes, “Nobody does it better”. Sniff-worthy by all means, because of the tonka & smoke combination. But purchase-worthy? I don’t know.

    Still, if they change their copywriter they may sell a few bottles.

    PS Am going to MAC’s launch-party of their new honey scents this afternoon!

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    • Robin says:
      30 June 2009 at 11:43 am

      Have fun at the launch party!

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  21. parfumnut says:
    1 July 2009 at 2:11 am

    Ok…this is going to one of those “Must Have!!!!!!” fragrances for me.

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    • Robin says:
      1 July 2009 at 11:59 am

      Then I hope you shall have it 🙂

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