Serge Lutens has launched Nuit de Cellophane, the latest fragrance in the export collection:
As the night unfolds, it reveals a cluster of heavenly bodies.
The velvet pirouette of moths fluttering around glowing lanterns.
Creatures of darkness, crickets and other dwellers of the shadows lying undercover, transmit their requests…
Parfum d’Empire, for those who are not familiar with the line, creates fragrances inspired by historical empires. They’ve covered quite a bit of ground already, having taken us to Tsarist Russia (Ambre Russe), the Ottoman Empire (Cuir Ottoman) and the Napoleanic Empire (Eau de Gloire), among others. The perfumes are lovely — Ambre Russe particularly so — but none of them have explored themes likely to capture my heart entirely, and so up until now, I’ve admired the line in an abstract sort of way.
Osmanthus Interdite, on paper, looked like the kind of thing that might finally win me over: it takes the Chinese empire, past and present, as its inspiration, and the fruity floral scent features notes of green tea, citrus, osmanthus, rose, jasmine, musk and leather. Lee over at Perfume Posse told me he would eat his hat (well, strictly speaking, he said he’d eat his hat if he had one) if I didn’t like it, and I must apologize (again) for my predictability, but his “hat” is perfectly safe…
Osmanthe Yunnan is the fifth and most recent of the Hermessence series, which debuted in 2004 with four fragrances: Vetiver Tonka, Ambre Narguile, Rose Ikebana, and Poivre Samarcande. Like the others, it was created by Hermès house nose Jean Claude Ellena and is available exclusively in Hermès boutiques. The perfume notes are tea, orange, freesia, osmanthus and apricot.
Osmanthe Yunnan opens with sharp, dry citrus; as noted in the comments last week, it is somewhat reminiscent of another Jean Claude Ellena fragrance, Divine Bergamote by The Different Company. As it dries down, Osmanthe Yunnan veers off in another direction, starting with the lightly smoky scent of dried black tea leaves and gradually allowing more of the osmanthus to shine through…
