Last February, Serge Lutens launched Des Clous pour une Pelure, a new fragrance in the brand’s Les Eaux de Politesse collection. (You may remember that Les Eaux are designed to be “light, fresh, devoid of the heady, sticky, overly masculine notes of colognes.” I didn’t, and had to check.) Lutens himself says, “I use the word ‘clous’ — meaning nails, or things that are practically worthless — metaphorically, because this Eau is dear to me! The orange peel pricks your eyes, and by nails I mean cloves, of course.” Of course.

We also learn that “[t]his invigorating and spicy fragrance traces its roots back to the medieval tradition of clove-studded pomanders” — now, there’s some information I can work with…

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