SERGE LUTENS’ NEWEST FRAGRANCE

For more than 40 years, photographer, makeup artist and art director, Serge Lutens has revolutionized the world of beauty through his Paris-based collection of essential fragrances and minimalist cosmetics exquisitely textured with gems of color and deluxe formulations to reveal pure, luxurious beauty.

The newest Gratte-ciel collection, which directly translates to Skyscraper, is inspired by New York City architecture, reflected in the slender, opaque black, glass design. Consisting of 10 existing fragrances, with inspirations that all derived from strong characters, the collection is rounded out by the newest novelty scent, L'innommable, meaning "the Undefinable," which Mr. Lutens credits as one of his most personally emblematic fragrances to date.

"Although everyone was using the word "signature" to describe this new collection, I was piqued by a series of questions. Other than black, what is the colour of insubordination? What more radical design could so freely translate my adamant desire? Wasn't this the armor brought face to face with the knight whose fighting duty was to bear it? Don't alter the perfection I have within me, the bottle tells me. The undeniable sensuality I contain is eloquent enough." – Serge Lutens

L'innommable Eau De Parfum

"What you conceal will speak for you. My benzoin is Siamese, but itslifeblood is a caraway seed." – Serge Lutens

A perfume that delivers notes of benzoin and cumin; a warm, spicy,resinous fragrance.

100ml
Price: $375.00

Le participe passé Eau De Parfum

"Past moments that surge into the present have many scents. I have interpreted that which most evokes the past." – Serge Lutens

A perfume that delivers notes of balsam fir, and the thickest saps and resins.

100ml
Price: $230.00

BORNÉO 1834: An island and a date are among the markers of the discovery of patchouli in Europe. Originally a natural moth repellent, it was slipped into the centre of rolls of silk from Indonesia before the sumptuous scent was discovered by the elegant ladies of Paris in 1834.

CHÊNE: A symbol of royalty, the oak tree was very important in France's history. They were all felled during the French Revolution but Serge Lutens has used rum absolute to recreate this exceptional, iconic woody note to add a comforting and elegant masculine element.

CUIR MAURESQUE: On leaving Andalucia, the Moors claimed they were leaving paradise behind. What they left behind was in fact an iconic fragrance, an elegant, sophisticated leather tanned on acacia bark, which takes us back to a past rich in conquests, culture and refinement.

DE PROFUNDIS: With a satirical nod to death and the associated pomp and ceremony, on a base of incense and chrysanthemum, a joyous cortege to the cemetery to meet the altar boys, priest and undertaker.

FILLE EN AIGUILLES: Sunny, resplendent, its resinous sap leads us to the foot of a pine tree full of cicadas. In this arid landscape resounds the endless stridulations of these insects with their golden elytra: chi-chi-chi-chi-chi-chi-chi- chi-chi…

FUMERIE TURQUE: Secreted behind the screens of the Topkapi harem, Murad IV's favorites and courtesans smoke long sculpted pipes, blowing smoke curls to pass the time; a contest of patience to create the most evocative curls which may hint at their destiny. Soft tobacco combines with the delicious scent of opiates, inviting you into the harem of the Great Lord of Istanbul.

LOUVE: An iconic creature since the mists of time, here the she-wolf retains her mystery, tainted with an almond bitterness. A singular, white enigma, a solitary gure at the top of her snow castle.

MUSCS KOUBLAÏ KHAN: Evocative of China and its splendour during the reign of the legendary Kublai Khan, this tribute to China, with echoes of gold, lacquer work and Khanbaliq smoking dens, reveals its silky outer layer in a multitude of singular stages.

SERGE NOIRE: Serge was used to make Cossacks and school smocks. It is a twill weave whose name has since been given to the man who dedicated himself to all things feminine. An ethereal woodiness with a smoky sillage, therein lies its ambiguity.

TUBÉREUSE CRIMINELLE: Return the owners to evil and, by corrupting their thick, milky petals, select from this poison cabinet the most controversial of all female gures: Catherine de Medici, Milady de Winter, Elizabeth Bathory… a eulogy to Lutens' heroines!

AVAILABILITY: Serge Lutens Gratte-ciel fragrances are available in 100ml for $375 each, starting June 2018 at Barneys New York and online at SergeLutens.com and Barneys.com