First look at the Louis Vuitton fragrance
So there’s not one, but seven beautiful bottles of Louis Vuitton fragrance about to be released next month. Sold exclusively at Louis Vuitton stores, the perfumes will be sold in 100ml and 200ml sized (from £180) in refillable bottles designed by Marc Newson. There will also be a travel box with four 7.5ml. cartridges for £180 and a box of seven 10ml. miniatures for £180. I think the bottles look lovely, based on apothecary flacons, with LV-monogrammed caps that close with a magnetic click.
Of the seven scents, Rose Des Vents is the ‘anchor’, a spicy rose-based floral which sounds both commercial, yet interesting. And I’d heard that there would be a leather scent, which turns out to be Mille Feux, created from remnants of actual Louis Vuitton handbag leather. No, really! Apparently, Louis Vuitton’s perfumer, Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud shipped the scraps to Grasse and soaked them in alcohol to create a smoky, leather accord. It was so good he used it again, in the leather-floral scent, Dans La Peau.
While there are certain dualities, Vuitton is emphatically marketing these as ‘feminine’ scents. The curvy bottles definitely suggest that, but I guess we can decide for ourselves when they launch in a couple of weeks…
BELOW L-R: Les Parfums Louis Vuitton: Rose Des Vents, Turbulences, Dans La Peau, Apogée, Contre Moi, Matière Noire, and Mille Feux.
UPDATE: I’ve now been to the Louis Vuitton private apartment for a primer on all the scents. Here are my top-line first impressions…
Dans La Peau Sweet and very smoky with a hint of leather. I found this a bit too ashy.
Contre Moi Love this! This boozy gourmand speaks to my gentle side; it’s a sweet, sensual vanilla with a hint of musk. Alas, it doesn’t last long.
Turbulences A pleasant enough musky tuberose but it didn’t blow me away.
Apogee My first thought was “apples!” but it’s actually a classic white floral scent (think jasmine, magnolia and lily of the valley). If I was being cynical I’d say this was made with the Asian market in mind, although by his accounts, Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud wasn’t tasked to think commercially at all.
Mille Feux A sweet but sophisticated blend of leather and raspberry. This says nighttime to me and is perfect for the late autumn-into-winter season.
Matière Noire Apparently this one is the current favourite with both men and women. It’s a jasmine-y oud that’s not surprisingly proving a big hit with Middle Eastern customers.
Rose des Vents My favourite – a combo of Bulgarian rose, Turkish rose and May rose, it starts with a full-bodied rose hit and then gently softens.
Overall, these are lovely fragrances, with a grown up elegance that befits a brand as refined as Vuitton. I also noticed that while they’re distinctive, they’re not overpowering. The sillage (scent trail) is quite gentle and on me, they dry down to something that you will catch whiffs of over 5 hours or so, but don’t linger beyond that.
If I was to pick one out as the ‘edgy’ option for the younger, cooler customer, I might choose Mille Feux for its unusual combination of leather and plummy, raspberry notes. For myself, I was missing something lighter and more cologne-like. I can’t find one that feels like my scent, but perhaps that’s yet to come.
A very civillised hour was spent spraying and smelling these fragrances, in between a nibble of a cookie or two. Note the coffee beans for cleansing the nose palate. We also got a look at some of the bottles of pure oils. Stored in their own custom-made Louis Vuitton trunks, of course…
WORDS: Disneyrollergirl/Navaz Batliwalla
IMAGES: 1-3 Louis Vuitton; 4-8 Disneyrollergirl
NOTE: Some posts use affiliate links and PR samples. Please read my cookies policy here