Serge Noire

Evidently Lutens wished, much as a painter might, for a self-portrait of his memories in a fragrance that was once again entirely original. Incense remains the undisputed master of this 2008 perfume, in which one follows the metamorphoses of acrid smoke into a warm and sensual burst. A perfume like an initiatory journey.

Serge Noire as a return to the roots of the silent elegance of the Dior salons

We had grown accustomed to seeing Lutens perfumes christened with complex, enigmatic or wholly conceptual names. And this new perfume, despite the apparent simplicity of its name, will not be an exception, rest assured!

Why name a fragrance after its perfumer? Simply because the black evoked, and the “Serge” put forth, is intimately linked to the fashion memories of the artist Lutens. One almost forgets, at times, that the perfumer of a thousand spices collaborated for years with one of the greatest names in fashion (and in perfumery, for that matter): Dior. For Lutens, who worked in the makeup and image division at Dior from 1968 to 1980, images and sensations jostle together and bring forth the imminent memory of a fashion typical of Parisian Haute Couture, with its values, as Lutens is fond of listing them, of luxury (real, this time), rigor, mastery and respect for the image of the female body.

Thus the pared-down atmosphere, haloed in the austere elegance of serge tailoring, inspires this incense perfume with its delicate, powdery and ultimately very sensual smoke. Serge Noire is a much more literary atmosphere [than El Attarine]. A modernity that is at the same time a transposition of the past, revisited and corrected. This perfume is ashen, dry and woody. It is a fragrant herb of memory, a subtlety. It gives off a powdery, sensual, transparent body atmosphere. In short, it is my favorite!

Serge Noire, a gray oriental?

Like a fashion sketch, Serge Noire will only draw its sleek fragrance on the skin of the one who wears it. So for once, the color of the juice will not tell much about the character of this great perfume, apart from the fact that its (gray?) transparency is merely an allusion to incense smoke.

From the top notes of Serge Noire we are overtaken by a smoke of ethereal, medicinal notes, strange and evocative of church incense smoke, yet without the heavy odor usually associated with it. A transparent, pure incense, like a glove left on a fluted chair, forgotten after the collection. This strange sensation, however, brings us back very quickly to the sweet scent of cinnamon. This original blend, making us alternate between pared-down coolness and spicy warmth, carries us on to the heart, where patchouli and spices burst forth on contact with the camphoraceous note. The balsamic fumes are opulent and candied. Finally, the sensuality of this Serge Noire ends up literally exploding “of burnt wood”. Woody notes mingle with amber to melt into the purity of the incense.

Utterly and rigorously divine, this fragrant work of art offers the olfactory portrait of Serge Lutens' biographical memories. The memory is transposed into a smoke that is at first very dense while remaining white, then gradually colored by a blazing fire that burns everything in its path. Surprises, contrasts and intensity make this Serge Noire one of the most noted perfumes among his creations.