Today I want to do something slightly differently. My main question is not about your personal preferences but rather about your opinion.
Saturday Question #31:
Which Serge Lutens Perfume Is The Most Famous?
As someone who reads perfume-related blogs, forums and other media, in your opinion, which Serge Lutens perfume is the most recognizable by name, most often spoken of and/or loved the most by others in the Perfumeland?
Of course, you can answer any way that feels right, but just a suggestion: think about your answer first. Then look through the comments posted by the time you’re ready (if any). If someone else has already posted perfume you thought of, post your answer under their comment. If your answer is different than all other choices, comment under the post and see if others agree with you.
Bonus Questions: Do you like that perfume? If yes, do you own or plan to buy it? If no, why?
My Answer
As I said, I’m trying to do it differently this time, so I will not post my answer here – not to influence your thinking. Instead, I’ll add my answer in comments.
Undina's Looking Glass 
Tubereuse Criminelle. xxx
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*I own an old bell jar. Probably ten years old. And still love and wear it.
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I remember when it was released: there was a lot of talk about it. As I’m not a tuberose fan, I wasn’t too interested, but I tried it at a store when I came across. Definitely not for me. But the name is great.
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ISM! No doubt about it. I love iris, but struggled with this one, however recently I thought about going back to it, but I didn’t yet. I think the only one of the Serge Lutens to have an commonly known abbreviation?
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I also think ISM is the most famous, and is one of my favorites. It’s almost time to wear it!
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This was my choice as well.
I have probably a ml left in my decant, and it has never been my favorite Lutens or iris, but I planned to get it eventually. Now, when it has been reformulated, I’ll need to test a new one before making a decision to buy. And probably it’ll be just a smaller size, if I can get it.
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Nice, tricky question! I’d say Feminite de Bois is the most revered but that Iris Silver Mist has been the most talked about/famous among my generation of perfumistas. I own the travel atomiser, which reminds ne it’s almost ISM season in the UK.
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I am wearing it today. It is cold and wet and windy.
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Same weather here. I will put some on after lunch.
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My vote is for Iris Silver Mist. It is also my favorite from the line.
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It’s the one I admire the most though I wear La Fille de Berlin more.
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The first one that came to mind was also Iris Silver Mist. I haven’t tried it yet.
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For me it’s the ultimate iris. I hope you get to try it before long.
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Feminite de Bois was my second choice for the nomination.
It has never worked for me, but I always wondered if it was much different before the acquisition by Shiseido.
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The original FdB is beautiful. I got to wear it once. And would love to have it. It was when it became Lutens that is lost its magic.
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I don’t know!!!!! My mind shuts off if I am not interested in something, so I might not be aware always of general interest in a perfume. But sometimes constant mentions gradually filter through …. I would say Iris Silver Mist too, but that could be just cos my antennae picked up on the Iris.
Years ago I would have said Feminite du Bois, but purely because I bought it when it first appeared – that was the cute “pen” version; it looked just like a pen that you refilled with felt-tips soaked in the perfume. It was a cheaper way for me to afford to buy it.
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I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen the pen version. Do you still have it?
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Yes, it’s in a drawer! Totally useless as there are no refills. Don’t know why I keep it! Except that I am a hoarder.
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Feminite des Bois was the one everybody was talking about on the forums, back when I first got into talking about perfumes online, over ten years ago. It’s the one that first made me pay attention to the brand. Second choice would be Chergui (did I spell that right?)
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I remember Chergui being talked about a lot. I haven’t got any !!!
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I preferred Fumerie Turque and that’s the one I bought ages ago. I didn’t feel like I needed both, even though they are different.
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Matty, I still hope to send you a care package with some of Lutens samples. I keep them signed for you, but business travel is still not restored, and it doesn’t make much sense to send anything through the regular mail: the UK takes “no perfume” restrictions too serious, so it’ll be detected and destroyed.
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I remember Feminité du Bois being talked about a lot. In fact all of the woody and oriental SLs when I discovered perfume blogs. I only own a used bell jar of Tubereuse Criminelle, another perfume with a bit of a cult status; and my favourite SL: Five o’clock au Gingembre.
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Chergui was my fourth choice for the nomination. I think that recently it was talked about much more often than my first three choices. I wear this one more often than the others that I considered more popular.
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My answer disappeared. I would definitely say ISM, as being the most talked about, and “outstanding”. Wasn’t it ‘hall of fame’? I only own a small decant, struggling to love it, but wanted to try again.
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It didn’t disappear: for some reason it was held for approval.
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Strange. 😊
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Ambre Sultan of course!
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That’s the one I remember hearing about early on. I am one of the few who do not like SL at all, with the exception of ISM and Rose de Nuit which I love – different perfumers from the rest of the line.
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I’m with you. I love 5 out of the whole collection. The rest are not for me.
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This was my third choice when I was thinking about this question. Ambre Sultan was my first SL full bottle. I still like it but do not wear often because it’s rarely cold enough for it where I live. But whenever SL is discussed, this perfume is always mentioned.
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Toss-up between ISM, Ambre Sultan and Chergui for me.
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My number one, three and four choices :)
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I’d say his Feminite de Bois (Shiseido’s FdB), and Iris Silver Mist. I remember smelling Feminite du Bois 25 years ago and it was so different and astoundingly beautiful the hair rose on the back of my neck. In the early 1990’s, Beautiful and Pleasures were very popular.
It’s a difficult call, so many of his perfumes are astoundingly gorgeous. Some, like FdB and Nombre Noir, are legendary.
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I should say, by comparison, Beautiful and Pleasures were the popular perfumes of the time… FdB was a very different perfume.
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I’ve never tried pre-Shiseido Feminite de Bois. But, in general, my question wasn’t about the absolute popularity – Chanel and Dior would beat all niche brands altogether – but rather the relative comparison among perfumes from the same brand.
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I think Iris Silver Mist might be the most famous. It’s so polarizing after all.
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I think it was ISM – that’s what I remember reading about, that and the difficulty of obtaining the SL fragrances in general. Bela’s website used to give us correct pronunciations, and with her generous help I wrote for a book of the wax samples, which utterly blew my mind. I had never smelled anything like those samples. I had no idea that a perfume could smell of smoke, or petroleum, or orange blossoms and cumin. I only tried ISM three years ago-it was in the Le Vapo packaging, and I could get it in Canada. On me it’s just this beautiful clean elegant iris smell. I love it, and have enough to get me through two lifetimes.
Personally, I wear this one and quite a few others-yesterday I wore Fille en Aiguilles which Portia has described as being potentially overwhelming. I find it gentle and subtle, and again I’ve never smelled anything like it. Maybe because I live in a different hemisphere it smells sort of differently in this air-I don’t know. But I do love wearing it. And Daim Blond. And Cedre, which nobody loves lol.
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I remember Bela’s website. I learned a couple of names’ pronunciation thanks to it.
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Honestly, I don’t know that I could say which is the most famous. I think the one I’ve read about the most over the last several years has been Feminite de Bois. I have and like Iris Silver Mist. I feel as if others I read about often are De Profundis, Chergui, Ambre Sultan, Arabie.
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De Profundis was widely discussed when released. Partially – because it was a new SL perfume, partially because of the name. I like, own and wear it. I think it’s beautiful.
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I love De Profundis, too. Such a contemplative beauty.
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I have a newish bell jar and it is nothing compared to the original. I kick myself over and over for not having bought it when it was launched.
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Most famous? Not sure about that. Iris Silver Mist is certainly well known. I think Chergui and Ambre Sultan have been most talked about in fashion magazines and blogs the last few years. I just keep up with the ones I like and that are recommended by other perfumistas. I’m wearing La Fille de Berlin today and I’ll be wearing Une Voix Noire later on this week. Although it’s floral, Une Voix Noire is a heavy floriental and it does better in cooler weather, especially since it has a lovely tobacco note that I associate with fall weather.
Enjoy the Lutens, everyone!
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I remember trying Une Voix Noire but I don’t remember what I thought about it. That was one of the perfumes for which I didn’t get a sample, so my recollection is from a couple of visits to the store.
I hear often about La Fille de Berlin. Do you have a bottle of it? If yes, is it still red, or has the juice changed to darker brownish?
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Right now I have a pretty big decant of La Fille de Berlin and it’s still red.
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LFdB is my most worn Lutens. Between my daughter and myself we are on our third bottle. I grabbed one before they changed sizes in case the perfume changed. Gorgeous.
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I was going to say Musc Koublai Khan, but that might be the most notorious rather than the most famous scent in the line!
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I think I’ve smelled it once… I think :)
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