But I assure you, it’s not cologne. I hate cologne. Nor is it truly perfume. It’s more like an eau de cleanliness. Refined, nuanced… It’s like stepping out of the bath. Like putting on a freshly ironed shirt, or slipping into a bed with clean sheets…
— Serge Lutens talks to Osmoz about his upcoming fragrance, L’Eau Serge Lutens.
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Wow. This is quite striking for an SL, unless you count Clair de Musc, which has to be one of the prettiest and long-lasting musks I’ve tried and evokes a similar fresh from the bath experience. I can hope for a little edge since it’s Serge, but I hope this isn’t a trend. I love how complex and sometimes hard to wear his fragrances can be, like developing an acquired taste that you didn’t know you were missing until you try it.
I am thinking there will be no edge at all. Not sure I find any in Clair de Musc, for that matter.
True. At least it isn’t a fleeting wisp of a musk. I’m glad of that.
I can believe he doesn’t wear fragrance very often. What an engaging read. I look forward to the ad copy for EdS. His are always so amusing…
I don’t blame Uncle Serge for not liking cologne-who could blame him when he’s around scent constantly. For edge, we’ve got MKK. That’s a huge-furry musk with teeth and claws…..
Really enjoyed the article. Felt like I’d just sat down and had a cuppa tea with him, very personal.
I was shocked to hear that he never wears fragrance (or only does~ 3 times a year). Perhaps it’s like that summer I worked scooping ice cream. By the time autumn rolled around I had a Popeye-sized forearm and didn’t think I’d care if I never saw ice cream again. I was, of course, wrong, thankfully
He has always said he doesn’t wear fragrance. And I am dubious about the “whole bottle of Cuir Mauresque”, LOL…that would knock people over in the street.
I had a friend who scooped ice cream and had just a giant right boob! lol
Love that line about could have made poison for Catherine de Medici.
I can’t wait! Serge Lutens’ version of smelling clean, should be interesting!
Might be! Or might be a colossal let down. We’ll see.
I’m cracking up at the idea of babies allegedly loving MKK. Hmm, maybe I’ll conduct an experiment next time I’m around a baby. Now to just figure out how to gauge whether it loves it…
And, oh yes, I could happily manage to live in “just” a room at the Ritz too. Why not?! Hah!
That said, there were very interesting bits in the interview. I don’t know how I feel about this whole “smell of clean” thing…or I should say I don’t think that’s necessarily anything new, really.
All talk and writing about perfume often seems to be just pushing the same BS around with a broom, especially if people try to make grand pronouncements with one product. But you have to do PR for a product; we can’t analyze PR too deeply. I think it’s only in retrospect that we’re able to look at trends or breakthroughs that define perfumery or a line. I like that SL and others are mixing it up though with different types of scents, and I enjoy having a scent of clean to add to the mix as much as anything else. Hermès Eau de Gentian Blanche has sort of been filling that need for me very enjoyably this year.
Also still like that Lutens Eau bottle!
Yes, do let us know when you’ve conducted a double-blind study, LOL!
And yes, there were interesting bits, but Serge Lutens is doing a LOT of interviews lately for some reason. I feel like I’ve read variations on all this before, and not long ago.
i kind of feel that all those interviews are a compensation for lack of creativity…i never want my fragrance to smell clean, even if it is dressed up with words….
i truly admire Lutens as the most creative of perfumers but lately he seems to have lost something ..hopefully, it is just a temporary stage in life
also sometimes to be creative, you have to make yourself small and humble
and i have been wondering what all the vintage guerlain colognes on e-bay at the moment are like?
No idea, sorry.
I know how the cotton bedstuff smelled like when freshly ironed – my mom ironed nearly everything and I learned pretty early to help her (was the only thing I did on household, my poor mom had not much help at home…) and the smell combined with the feeling of stiff cotton and linen is a wondeful reminescence I have not met yet in a scent.
FirtssI also thought: Clair de Musc – but this is “skin”, “sensual”, and this bath and fresh ironed thing – I am SO excited to smell what he has done!
About MKK: I smelled now more then a year on the sample and I think you can wear it. And it is pretty good. I would wear it for business meetings. Wonder what it smells like on a dark, sexy man, it must be irresistible!
I love SL because he is an artist, and he must be really excentric.
Good role model for creative people…
He is really eccentric, and I think that’s fine. Not sure what I’ll think of his new Eau though.