Fleurs D'Oranger by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido, 1995

Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle. That is Fleurs D'Oranger. An absolute orgy of sparkling, iridescent sequins, glistening megawatt floral notes that seem to dazzle me over and over. This is the Vegas showgirl of Serge's line. All flash, no subtlety. There is an evenhanded marriage of girly tuberose, pert jasmine, sweet orange blossom, subtle citrus and spicy cumin that is so light and so delicate, it makes you forget that this is a bombshells fragrance. Shades of tangerine, amber and salmon pink are evoked and a glimmer effect comes through the nose. It's fizzy like a cold morning Mimosa. Orange Blossom by Jo Malone does not compare as it is markedly sheer and filmy compared to this. There is a shiny, firm structure to Fleurs that is hard to achieve in this category of neroli themed florals. I also love that it can be two things at once. It's sexy that is disguised as cute. I definitely want to wear this on a scooter racing through the French countryside and again in a black satin cocktail dress at a penthouse party. It's a very versatile feminine fragrance, but raciness wins out over sweetness in my opinion. Funny that this is still considered a unisex product. I would imagine a gentleman would need to possess effervescent good taste to pull this off.

While wearing FIRE ISLAND this afternoon, I was reminded of my first Serge Lutens experience: FLEURS D'ORANGER, about a year and a half ago. My sample was of unknown origin (I found it in a gwp bag, and I honestly had no idea when or from where I had acquired it), so when I sprayed it on and discovered that the perfume was essentially the scent of super-concentrated Coppertone suntan lotion, I was a bit disappointed, for all of the same reasons that some people are disappointed with FIRE ISLAND. I decided to give FLEURS D'ORANGER another chance and this evening seemed like a fine time, with the memory of FIRE ISLAND still fresh in my mind. The good news is that FLEURS D'ORANGER is not really a Coppertone clone. My earlier sample must have evaporated somewhat and changed in the process. Instead, what I find with this fresher decant is that FLEURS D'ORANGER is not unlike the drydown of FIRE ISLAND, with its tuberose, neroli, and musk, but with much more emphasis on the white florals (including jasmine) and also a kind of golden oriental amberish (not ambery...) quality where FIRE ISLAND was more "ozonic". This is a powerful little potion, big white flowers in a long lasting base that amplifies the already heady mix. I recommend FLEURS D'ORANGER as a much more perfumic and feminine alternative to FIRE ISLAND. But if you don't like big fat white flowers, this may be too much.