New Perfume Review: Serge Lutens Orpheline + On My Own Draw

 

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Illustration for A Little Princess by Ethel Franklin Betts

When I was a child I had a painting of a girl with sad dark eyes that followed you around the room. You could tell just by looking at her that she had no mother, a fate that in Edwardian literature was common;  young girls huddled in doorways begging for crumbs or in a rat-infested attic like Sara Crewe of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s “A Little Princess.”

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 Samantha Barks as Éponine in Les Miserables

When I grew older I understood that the concept of orphan didn’t have to be literal– it meant being alone. Éponine from Les Misérables may have had parents, but when she stood in the rain singing “On My Own” and then sacrificed her life for Marius to ensure that her love for him had meaning, she was more of an orphan than Cosette at her lowest point.

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Serge Lutens, 1972, Le Monde Magazine

Serge Lutens, who is arguably among the most widely recognized names in niche perfumery, experienced the literal version of this fate when he was separated from his mother as an infant during World War II. Although the press materials for the line’s newest release, L’Orpheline, are typically surreal and opaque (Before the break, the first two syllables are named after the poet who could charm even the stones"; could that be Orpheus?), one gathers from both the name of the fragrance and the journey perfumer Christopher Sheldrake presents that Lutens has healed the resulting psychic pain through self-expression in his art.

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 Isabelle Weingarten for Vogue Italia by Manfredi Bellati, 1973

Although notes for the fragrance are not officially listed, (I have read  musks and incense on the Serge Lutens Facebook page and Parfum1.com lists: Aldehydes, woods, Fougere accord, patchouli, incense, musk, among others)  it opens with aldehydes reminiscent of the mist in which Éponine sings her swan song. Chilly and lonely with a natural-smelling musk underneath like the contrast of warm flesh with the rain, the opening is sweetened by coumarin. I am reminded of one of the best scenes in “A Little Princess,” in which a starving Sara Crewe uses a gold coin tossed at her as charity to purchase a hot cross bun and then shares it with a beggar girl even more unfortunate than she.

But L’Orpheline isn’t a melancholy fragrance throughout. Sara Crewe sustains herself through hard times with her imagination (pretending to be a prisoner in the Bastille), just as “Uncle Serge” did through his work as a hair stylist, photographer, filmmaker and creative director. Cashmeran evokes the clean, orderly home she longs for and eventually gets, while a sweet labdanum reminds one of the cheery fire and generous repast Ram Dass surprises her with in her attic “prison.”  Incense in the form of olibanum and myrrh hint at answered prayers. In the end, L’Orpheline is almost gourmand, and is a highly wearable Oriental that is more Sara Crewe than Éponine; it offers a happy ending, albeit one sobered by the suffering that has gone before.

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 L’Orpheline Logo/Les Miserables Musical Logo

L’Orpheline was introduced in Europe in July and is available  at Twisted Lily in Brooklyn in the U.S., at $150 for 50 ml. Thanks to the generosity of Eric and Stamatis, we have three generous samples available for three U.S. readers. To enter, please comment which is your favorite Serge Lutens fragrance and why you would like to try L’Orpheline.

Disclosure: Review based upon sample provided by Twisted Lily

Nancy Lichtenstein, Deputy Editor and Beauty Editor

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

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27 comments

  • Thanks Nancy for the great review … another lemming born! I like most anything and everything by Serge Lutens, so trying this new one is just a natural for me. I love incense scents and the coumarin note is calling to me.

    Naming a favorite SL is impossible for me … it is actually easier to name my favorite child, but we all know that a good mom won’t do that!

    Thanks for the draw! I am in the US

  • Jennifer Witt says:

    I would like to try this scent as a happy ending sobered by the suffering that has gone before appeals to me. My current Serge Lutens favorite is L’eau Froide. I live in the US.

  • I happen to like De Profundis a lot 🙂 But I like many in this line. I’d like this because it’s described as almost gourmand and a highly wearable oriental. US

  • Elizabeth T. says:

    My favorite is Chene… I enjoy every SL that I try as they all have such character. This one seems to follow in those footsteps. I would love to try it. I am in the USA. Thank you!

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    one note Lutens has mastered and in fact has played a huge role in popularizing it is musk and musk is one of the major notes this fragrance is centered around, hence, my excitement at the opportunity to try it..there are so many lovely Lutens creations that choosing one is a challenge but if i have to name one that just blew me away upon first whiff, then it is Sarrasins even though La Fille de Berlin comes close ..lately Chene has impressed me because it is so raw oak and i am glad it doesnt have much oriental aspects which would otherwise have ruined it..i am in the US

  • Another Serge! I love most of his fragrances, it’s hard to pic one favorite–is it Sarrasins? De Profundis? A La Nuit? MKK? Frankly, it depends on the day, my mood, and the weather, but all of his fragrances evoke a mood or a place and time for me. I’d like to try L’Orpheline to see what mood or time this fragrance reminds me of. I’m in the USA. Thanks!

  • I would like to try L’Orpheline because I have to try everything by Serge Lutens! Plus, this review makes it sound complex and interesting. As for a favorite, I don’t have just one, but right now, I’m loving Rose de Nuit.

  • I would like to try l’orpheline because of the notes and because it is a serge lutens! My favorite is chergui. I loved Sara Crewe as a child. I love on the u.s. thank you.

  • Serge is just always doing something cool, so yes, I would love to try Orpheline! My favorite Serge is probably Rose de Nuit. So beautiful. I’m in the US.

  • My favorite SL is Muscs Koublai Khan. I would love to try L’Orpheline because the notes sound intriguing and I am so often a fan of Lutens fragrances. Also, there are no stockists near me so I have to wait for my intermittent day trips to New York City in order to smell new releases like this. Thank you for the chance! I live in the U. S.

  • My favorite SL is Gris Clair, but I like many and I admire what Christopher Sheldrake does. I’m always anxious to try a new fragrange from Mr. Sheldrake. U.S.

  • L’Orpheline reads to me as a minimalist fragrance. I am used to the big and substantious examples from SL, so I’m keen on experiencing this side of the SL line.

    My favorite is Fille en Aiguilles. Thanks for the draw. I’m in the US

  • Where do I begin why I want to get my hands on this perfume or each one of serge Lutens creations. This house is truly niche and one of a kind. Every perfume he comes out with has a beautiful story or just plain inspiration that is utterly magical. His perfumes are what perfumes are in context. Truly an artist can understand the melancholic sorrow of being and the world.
    My favs are Fleur d’ citronnier, Chergui, Daim Blond, and Fumierie Turque.
    Thanks USA

  • All of the Serge Lutens perfumes are lovely. I’d have to say that my favorite is Chergui. Thank you for the drawing.

  • I would love to try L’Orpheline because of its minimalist quality plus I love scent that incorporate coumarin musk labdanum and myrrh. My favorite Serge Liten fragrance thus far is A La Nuit and Tuberuese Criminelle. Both are ah-mazing. I’m in the US and thank you so much for this wonderful draw!

  • My favorite SL fragrance is Chergui. I would love to try L’Orpheline because of the notes and I love Orientals!
    As a child, I would check “A Little Princess” out of the library over and over – one of my absolute favorites!Thank you for the draw. I am in the US.

  • I would love to try L’Orpheline because: aldehydes, incense and “answered prayers.” That says it all. It s tough to choose a favorite SL, but I think I’ll be wearing a lot of Chergui this coming fall season. I’m in the U.S. Thanks.

  • What an interesting concept for a fragrance! I think my favorite SL is Chergui, also my first. I am in the US

  • Donna Spiegel says:

    I have always found that getting lost in music or writing or fragrance is a great way to drift from whatever it is you want to drift from. It could be to soothe, relax, lift a spirit, tone down, or just go somewhere for a little bit. L’Orpheline’s fragrant journey sounds absolutely wonderful. Also, the mystery behind what notes went into this opens up the exploration when you experience the scent. I wonder if you will learn them officially??? My favorite from Serge Lutens is La Fille de Berlin. I’m in the US and thanks so much for the review and for the draw.

  • The distinction between being alone and loneliness is a clear one for some of us… and it’s not always a dark place to be. I’m intrigued by both the description of this scent and the review as a whole. It’s poetic, which any art form really is.

    US resident. I cannot say I’m familiar with any house in particular, as I’m fairly new to the world of fragrance, but I follow the reviews closely, so I’m bound to learn! 🙂

  • My favorite Lutens is Bois de Vanille…but just barely. I’ve really liked much of what I’ve smelled from Lutens; even the things I haven’t liked have been interesting, which makes me very eager to try this as well. An evocative idea handled intelligently by an innovative house…what’s not to love?
    I’m in the US; thanks for the draw!

  • My favorite Serge Lutens so far is Fleurs d’Oranger, although Ambre Sultan is gaining on it. L’Orpheline sounds intriguing–a perfume that opens with melancholy, and ends in happiness. I’m in the US. Great review!

  • What a fun read! I want to try L’Orpheline just because of the story! That said, I love gourmand fragrances as well. My fave Serge Lutens fragrance is Ambre Sultan. I live in the U.S.

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    I haven’t tried them all yet, but my favorite Serge Lutens fragrance (albeit a decant) is Iris Silver Mist – a dry minerally cold earthy carrotty fragrance. I would like to try L’Orpheline and it’s on my list of must-smells next time I head to Barneys in Scottsdale.

  • Eponine! She was my favorite, first les Mis song I learned was On My Own…she alone would be a great reason, past Serge Lutens experience would be a great reason to try, but I think ‘almost gourmand, highly wearable Oriental, incense, musk, and mist’ are the best reasons!

    Oh, fave SL..hmm… haven’t tried them all. I love Santal de Mysore, MKK, Vetiver Oriental, Miel de Bois, and Fleurs du Citronnier…looking forward to wearing Ambre Sultan this fall.

    Thanks for the review and draw!
    USA