What is so great about Chergui ? - Page 2

it is !!!

..... if you're insecure about your masculinity. ;o)

I found this to be an absolute mess. Very draconian judgement on my part, but I blind bought it as on Frag every single one of my favourite scents display this in their clever "Who likes this, also likes this" list: I reasoned that I had to like it: Wrong. Not only is it a mess, but it's a pretentious heap of rubbish: I sprayed this on my wrist and was rolling my eyes within about ten minutes. Unfortunately, it only got worse: One senses a very "forced" effort here, which is never chic. I find that on the menu of Serge Lutens there are some superb compositions, notably "Ambre Sultan" and "Fumerie Turque." There are others, but this one doesn't even have the advantage of smelling offensive or shocking, a la Muscs Kublai-Kahn. It just smells like it's trying so very hard to be clever and get itself noticed: Of all the SL-Sheldrake comps I've smelled, it's the Class Dork. Now I own a full bottle and I really just want to put it in the rubbish. The *only* redeeming quality it presents is a STUNNING dye recipe: The juice is the most beautiful colour. Unfortunately, that particular criteria means nothing at all to me. My take is this: Serge started out with a Masterpiece--the legendary "Nombre Noir." Then, he created a perfume that changed every single perfume that came after it: "Femininite du Bois." This was truly groundbreaking in its time. So much so that a veritable temple was erected to it on some of the most expensive real estate in Paris. After that, three "versions" of "F du B." Further on down the line came the trio "Rose de Nuit," "Ambre Sultan" and "Iris Silver Mist," all three "Grand" perfumes, though so very specific that they have a restricted audience. Since then, Serge seems to be on a kind of mission to out do himself, producing oddities such as "Muscs Kublai Kahn" and the like. I smelled his "latest and greatest" "de Profundis" and all I could say was: "Really?"
Now I'm stuck with YET ANOTHER bottle I'll never wear. I'm afraid this was the last straw for me & Serge. So 90's. (That is, "So 90's in Paris," which were very different than "So 90's in the Provinces." ("the Provinces = the rest of the world)

Precisely this. I went through 2/3 of a bottle, and never "got" the scent before I just decided it wasn't for me.

Well obviously some people like it, I was even considering buying it but threads like these make me second guess my self. We all have different taste and personalities...we all have a different sense of smell.

From what I learned, just because you may not like it and grasp the concept...its still important to at least attempt to appreciate it for what it is before just writing it off...even if you don't like it, sometimes its important to at least value the craftsmanship involved in the art of perfumery.

This.

I feel that way about every Lutens fragrance I've ever tried, though (except for Ambre Sultan. That's a masterpiece).

I also agree with SculptureOfSoul but I don't think something like MKK is about proportions, lol!

Lutens fragrances are art in the purest form.
That means to me that they are expressions without thinking about wearability.
I called Chergui garbage on page one because it somehow feels to me that they made it unwearable on purpose.
This could have been so good.... *sigh*

It smells good.

We mustn't forget one thing: Serge Lutens is, before anything else, an Art Director, and a true Master in what the French call "les Arts Plastiques" (nothing to do with plastic) In many respects, he is "the Erte of Now." When he dies, the world will have lost one of its last Great Art Directors of our time: One only must review his career, as this can not be discussed. From Dior, all the way to now, there as never been a Visionary quite like Serge Lutens operating in the world of Taste and Beauty. I have a feeling that if he himself were capable of blending a perfume, they would all be masterpieces, for whatever he touches, with very few exceptions, scales the height of the sublime. Since this isn't the case, inevitably, there will be studies in soaring beauty (numerous) as well as complete miscarriages (Chergui.) I understand the Art of Perfumery, in all of its facets. I do not make my harsh judgement above flippantly, nor do i take it lightly. Believe me when I assert: I "grasp the concept." It's just that "the concept" is here miscarried in a very concisely undeniable way, or, as some have mentioned above, this comp simply failed in its menopause, as have so many others, "La reformulation." There are precious few fragrances that don't, so this is to be understood. I have smelled *only one* reformulation that I would consider an improvement, and that would be the new "Habanita." Comparing Molinard and Sheldrake/Lutens, granted, like comparing chalk and cheese: But a reformulation can be a success. It just hardly, if ever happens.

Whats so great about Chergui? The hype. Its almost as good as the Xerjoff hype.

I like the topnotes, but hate the drydown. I don't own it, and don't expect I ever will.

I've been on a Lutens hunt recently (have Ambre Sultan and Fille, craving more), and I'm wearing Chergui today after going through a full wear of Un Bois Vanille yesterday. The above is basically what I'm feeling, too -- Chergui is sweet and "high pitched." Interestingly, I would have thought Un Bois Vanille to be the one most guilty of being cloyingly sweet, but I actually found UBV to be delightful the whole day. Easy to like and not challenging, sure, but also not just stupidly sweet, either. Maybe I'm missing out on the original Chergui formulation of yore, but I'm still not turning on to Serge's "greatest hit" juice.