Le Feu D'Issey (1998)
by Issey Miyake

Issey Miyake Le Feu d'Issey and Etro Etra Side-by-Side Comparison

Le Feu d'Issey Notes: Bergamot, Coconut, Rosewood, Anise, Jasmine, Rose, Milk, Caramel, Cedar, Sandal, Vanilla, Musk (from Osmoz)

Etra Notes: Rosewood, Coriander, Cardamom, Geranium, Sandalwood (from apothica.com)

I read in The Guide (Turin and Sanchez) that Etro was like a "less good" Feu d'Issey. Considering Fd'I is discontinued, I decided to test them together. Looking at the published notes, there is indeed some overlap, and the expectation is that the fragrance will be woody-spicy.

Upon applying Fd'I, it really took me back to the time when I owned it--it is a strange fragrance, unlike most others I have tried. It is simultaneously fresh and dirty, almost as if the perfumer was trying to represent an alternative to carnation. Fd'I has the same cool and moist qualities of carnation with a spiciness which is almost to the point of being sinister. The spices are peppery and woody, with a dirt-like quality which reminds me of cardamom. The spices ground the fragrance while the crisp, watery floral notes float above the base. The overall effect is almost electric--it is fuzzy and diaphanous, making it difficult to pin down exactly where the scent comes from. In the later development, Fd'I becomes a little more ambery sweet, and the bitter, dry spices keep it in check while cedar wood carries the fragrance to the drydown.

Etra smelled quite similar to Fd'I upon first application. The fragrance initially has the same cool-hot combination of florals and spices, but somehow seems more clean. It is a touch sweeter than Fd'I in the top notes, and the mid notes that poke through are substantially greener and more herbal. Etra goes through a low-sillage stage in the mid notes, becoming a skin scent of cedar, vanilla, pepper and cardamom. I had to apply more to get additional projection. I thought the two fragrances would have similar drydowns as they both seemed to be headed toward cedar-musk-vanilla. On the whole, the Feu d'Issey drydown is more complex and unique with peppery spices surviving well into the woody vanilla stage. Etra seems light but satisfying with vanilla, woods and a dash of anise which makes it a dead ringer for the drydown of Serge Lutens Douce Amere.

I can't say I disagree with T&S about Feu d'Issey being the better of the two. However, I think if anybody is expecting is Fd'I from Etra, it will only be in the first half of the development. Since I really like Douce Amere, I can't say I would be averse to wearing Etra at all, as I get two great fragrances in one bottle! Etra really does lack the sparkle and balance of composition that Fd'I has, though. Sampling Fd'I today, I remember why I bought it in the first place--it is a carnation-like composition centered on an alternative oriental base. Where have we heard this theme before? From two of my most treasured favorites: Chanel Coco has rosy, spicy carnation over a traditional amber oriental base; and Shiseido Feminite du Bois has violet and fruit over a woody, balsamic alternative oriental base. Lest anybody lament the demise of Feu d'Issey, its legacy continues in fragrances such as Bulgari Black, Kenzo Amour and SL Douce Amere. And of course, Etro Etra.

Issey Miyake Le Feu D'Issey

When a scent is described as a "colossal failure" and "ahead of its time" it does make one wonder which was right. What one generally finds is reality tends to fall inside the extremes presented by those quotes. So it is with Jacques Cavallier's 1998 creation Le Feu D'Issey. One thing I can say with confidence is that this is not an easy scent to categorize. I've worn it five times and it seems different on me each time. My wife has worn it twice and it has been different on her, too. I think a scent should have some consistency from wear to wear but Le Feu D'Issey sure seems to confound that postulate. At the top I get bergamot and the smell of coconut. This is not the rich smell of grated coconut or of coconut milk. This is the raw smell of the water contained in the nut in the center of the coconut. It contains some of the richness of the meat of the cocnut but it also has a pungency to it. I think it is this accord that cause some people to refer to the opening of Feu D'Issey as smelling "spoiled". For me this is a pungency that I have not encountered before in a scent and on me it wears quite nicely. From wear to wear the strength of this beginning seemed to be slightly stronger or barely there. As this progresses into the heart, jasmine and the controversial milk note come into play. I've only run across one other scent with a milk note, Lostmarc'h L'ann A'el and the milk note here is used as contrast to the jasmine and it creates a richness that brings out the sweet of the jasmine without it being overwhelming. Add to this a light use of rosewood and the heart is a lightly sweet combination of sweet floral and sweet wood. This aspect was consistent from wear to wear. The base went back to being confoundingly difficult to nail down as it seemed like I encountered a different wood every time I wore it. One wear it felt like a creamy sandalwod, another time it was the clean lines of cedar, still another time it seemed like gaiac. Partnered with it was vanilla which was a near perfect transition from the milk accord in the heart. So where do I come down on this one? Surely not "colossal failure". This is envelope pushing perfumery but a fragrance that has an inability to settle down on a person's skin and offer a similar experience from wear to wear is never going to be something the average colognoisseur will seek out. "Ahead of its time", I'm not sure I'm there either this feels kindred to many of the androgynous unisex scents being produced in the late 90's into the new millennium. I don't think if Issey Miyake went back into production this would all of a sudden find an audience and become a huge seller. If I had to categorize this in two words they would be- noble experiment.

Warm, peppery, plasticky, milky. It is difficult to pin this one down. Maybe it isn't supposed to be. Ethereal and indescribable. Don't try to figure it out, just enjoy it.

i LOVE this fragrance, and am so bummed that it is no longer available. the other reviews made me giggle, folks seem to have strong reactions to this one. a neighbor gave me a bottle a few years ago, and i was so excited because it had been discontinued. she went on at length about how putrid she thought it smelled (which, i am not surprised, as she favors fig smells). this would be my signature scent if it was available. it is sexy. i get notes of amber and pepper and it settles into some nice vanilla tones with my ph. love love love it. it is unique, feminine without being coy.

I adore this fragrance and have mourned its passing for years now especially since infrequently i am insulted by its pale little sister Le Feu D'issey light which is repellent worn presumably by those who never smelled Big sister.

When ever i wore it people would stop me in the street to ask me what the beautiful scent was that i was wearing, and on more than one occasion was told that this perfume was what someone thought heaven smelt like ( once by a women who confessed to having ridden the elevator longer than she had to just to continue to enjoy the scent ).

This fragrance is so complex and unusual i think it missed its potential market and was tared with the same brush as L'Eau D'Issey but was totally unable to communicate with a casual perfume wearer.

I keep meaning to hunt this perfume down online but end up forgetting, maybe I'll finally get round to it and get back to smelling like heaven again.

Very odd fragrance. I had to try it because for professinal reasons I had a stock of bottles that disappeared within hours of me getting them.My customers from Paris to Sydney are crazy about that one, and I have a waiting list! I had to see what the fuss was about.
Now , I know. I sprayed it on wrist, and at first sniff, I absoltely hated it.A reviewer called it putrid and I agree.I was seriously wondering why women all over the world would want to pay up to $300 a bottle for something like this?
Well, within 20 minutes,,the putrid scent had totally disappeared and was replaced by something that I can only describe as addictive! The scent was soft, kind of hypnotic even, if this can be said about a scent?
Well, needless to say, I kept myself a 75 ml bottle of this perfume, and will make sure to keep one instore for myself whenever it turns up in my stock again. This is seriously addictie.