La Dompteuse Encagée, the latest release from Serge Lutens Serge Lutens is a prolific and highly inventive creator, who designs several new perfumes per year. Yet he is far from taking the easy path and constantly imagines fragrances that are always highly innovative and atypical. Far from following trends, he lets himself be guided by his instinct, even if it means unsettling more than one person.
Reserved for initiated perfume consumers, the house Serge Lutens does not resemble any other perfumery brand. The most curious enjoy trying to decipher the enigmas provided by the creator. Lovers of noble and rare raw materials also find satisfaction in each of his fragrances. To meet their expectations, Serge Lutens has just presented a new creation. La Dompteuse Encagée is an original fragrance, which now joins his prestigious Collection Noire. Here is our review on the subject.
Olfastory’s review
A rather enigmatic quote, a reflection of our society
Most fragrances draw inspiration from travel, love or fantastical dreams. Serge Lutens is generally darker and more shadowy. He draws his inspiration from his own history but also from our society. It was indeed by observing it that he decided to design La Dompteuse Encagée. This juice comes with the following statement, attributed to Serge Lutens: of this cold girl, made up in white, I must take full responsibility. Yet, of this dreaded snow, foreseen as it is, I sense the avalanche coming. What the whiteness of the flower has seen does not allow one to foretell freshness, the scent of frangipani makes up for it there. Subtly amended, to be savored directly on the skin. At first glance, this quote does not reveal much about the world of this essence. In reality, through this fragrance, he evokes the freedom of expression restricted by society. According to Serge Lutens, thoughts are confined and the human soul is as though muzzled. The message is strong but more meaningful than ever. Yet it also offers a glimmer of hope. The white flowers used in this fragrance are like a promise of comfort and freedom. More than ever, Serge Lutens's inspiration proves highly deliberate.
A sweet, floral scent, at the opposite end of Serge Lutens's usual fragrances
Another notable point: in this fragrance, Serge Lutens creates a genuine surprise. Those accustomed to his fragrances are usually familiar with very spicy juices, often powerful and shadowy. Here, however, La Dompteuse Encagée is meant to be much more floral and sun-kissed. Serge Lutens relies on the exoticism of frangipani flower, softened by a gourmand almond. The result is a luminous composition. Here, positivity clearly takes over and La Dompteuse Encagée almost glides over the skin like a caress. The whole is sweet without ever overdoing it, embodying all of Serge Lutens's unmatched mastery and skill. Undeniably, the brand's DNA runs through the veins of this fragrance!
La Dompteuse Encagée, in the usual Collection Noire bottle
Finally, as for the bottle, no major surprise. La Dompteuse Encagée comes in the usual sober, clean-lined bottle of the Collection Noire. It takes the form of a transparent glass rectangle, onto which a black label is affixed. The whole forms a play of light and shadow devoid of anything superfluous, mirroring both the message it holds and the fragrance it contains. The aesthetic thus remains perfectly consistent with La Dompteuse Encagée.