Vitriol d'Oeillet

In 2011, Lutens then afflicted us with a veritable fit of carnation anger, so elegantly named Vitriol d'Œillet. The carnation flower carries within it an imaginary as positive as it is controversial, much like this Vitriol d'Œillet, so it seemed that the meeting between the mythical Sheldrake-Lutens duo and this little old-fashioned flower was inevitable… For our greater pleasure, obviously!

The Angry Flower of Serge Lutens: Vitriol d'Œillet

Vitriol d'œillet is an angry fragrance, Serge Lutens announces with gentle irony. The tone is set, the fragrance is launched straight into the face of whoever knows how not to dodge it! A pair of slaps from Lutens cannot be refused, can it?

So inevitably, one could put forward the sledgehammer argument that Lutens does what Lutens does and will never name a fragrance with charming names like the flower or spice he uses. Because Lutens perfumery is like that, one loves it or one does not, but if we love it, we love it for what it is and not for marketing artifice. And what if the provocation were one after all? In the end, it hardly matters! Vitriol d'œillet is not designed for lovers of floral romanticism, it is strong, powerful and sharp like the crack of a slap. It floats in the air like the scent of revolution...

And yet despite its apparent violence, Vitriol d'œillet also knows how to become elegant, recalling the carnation boutonnieres of our cherished dandies such as the beloved Oscar Wilde. Or perhaps the terrible Doctor Jekyll? Vitriol d'œillet delights in playing with our doubles and opposites, the Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde that slumber within each of us.

Vitriol d'Œillet, or Lutens's peppery floral fragrance?

Vitriol d'œillet is powerful, powerfully charming and powerfully dangerous too. So the Lutens bottle blushes with violet tones as if to better stun our wariness of any romantic sweetness.

Yet from the outset, pink pepper greets us with its tender, fragrant pepper in this Vitriol d'œillet, which closes in on us as if to trap us. Then the floral heart ignites with the famous carnation's spicy facets, like a clove sinking into a rather lovely rose. The final blow is dealt by powerful black pepper accompanied by a host of dynamic vetiver and cedar notes. Fortunately sandalwood and patchouli help us recover from this fragrant blow, wrapping us in their deep sensuality.

I will tell you everything, my child: take a carnation, add cayenne pepper in ample quantity indeed. Drive it well into the center of itself with cloves, then, before going through with it, to finish, add to that a pair of slaps offered by the wallflower. Serge Lutens for Vitriol d'œillet.

Vitriol d'œillet, this beautiful oriental with a strong character, knows how to be as virulent as it is tender and charming. This modern-day dandy plays with our nerves to better surprise us and cast upon us a floral vitriol that leaves us utterly dependent on its supernatural powers. Vitriol d'œillet is loved or hated but in any case cannot leave one indifferent.