Lemmable opaque black packaging for a selection of Serge Lutens fragrances (Fumerie Turque, Tubéreuse Criminelle, Bornéo 1834, Cuir Mauresque, Serge Noire, Louve, Chêne, Fille En Aiguilles, Muscs Koublaï Khan and De Profundis). $375 (!) each for 100 ml at Barneys.
I once heard perfumer Thomas Fontaine say he considered orange blossom an American note. (Iris and galbanum were French, he said.) Right away, I thought of bars of soap, brides, and piles of white laundered towels. Is that what Americans are about — cleanliness and innocence? Maybe I should have asked, is that what orange blossom is about?
Orange blossom is a lot more expressive than its association with laundry detergent would have you believe. Here are five relatively easy-to-find1 orange blossom-centered fragrances that explore a variety of non-Girl Scout takes on the note:
Serge Lutens Fleurs d’Oranger: Fleurs d’Oranger kicks off as bright and juicy as a grove of Florida Ambersweets in spring…
Brrr! This winter has outdone itself already, and it’s only mid-January. I started my year of vanilla last fall, and today I’ve got five suggestions for vanilla perfumes to keep you cozy and warm while winter does its worst. And as always, do add your own picks in the comments!
Guerlain Shalimar: Duh, you knew that, right? If you’re not sure which one to buy, see Angie’s Shalimar Face-Off, and you might also consider the flanker Guerlain Shalimar Ode à la Vanille…
A (bottle-oriented and Serge-less) video for the reorganized and repackaged Collection Noire from Serge Lutens. (There is some discussion in the review for Dent de Lait, if you missed it.)
Changes are afoot at French niche house Serge Lutens, in case you didn’t get the memo. What was once the “export line”, that is, the scents you could buy in the rectangular 50 ml bottles, is soon to be “Collection Noire”, in 100 ml for €180.1 Some of the fragrances from the export line have been shuffled into what was once the “exclusive line”, that is, the bell jars. The Vapo series, in which “exclusive” fragrances were made widely available in 30 ml travel sizes, is possibly gone. Maybe some scents have been discontinued altogether, maybe they haven’t, I’ve heard both cases stated with authority.2 Reports of the brand’s fragrances being significantly reformulated have been around for years now, and that is true of so many brands that perhaps the time has come when you should never replace a bottle of anything without smelling a new tester first.
None of this really matters much to me. I haven’t adored a new Serge Lutens scent in years,3 and I have so much perfume that I’ll possibly never need to replace any of my old Lutens favorites…