Iris Silver Mist (1994)
by Serge Lutens

Christina by Amedeo Modigliani, 1916

Iris right away - lovely, haunting iris. Light cedar. A slight hay smell. A hint of clove. Light vetiver somewhere in here. Honestly, iris is pretty much all I smell. Love it!

Some time ago I was gifted a bottle of Iris Silver Mist by a dear friend. I have had it in my parfum cupboard for months untouched. Tonight I was rummaging around trying to decide what to wear whence I accidentally tipped over the bottle, and it fell onto some clean towels I store in the cupboard. I thought, thank heavens it did not break! Then I thought, perhaps now is the time to finally try it, so I generously spritzed both arms and my decolletage. As many other reviewers have opined, it smelt like fresh carrots, so I was not surprised by this, but I admit I was not especially favourably impressed, either.

Curiously enough, my dog smelt it from the other room and immediately came to sniff me. He rarely leaves his comfy bed at this time of night unless he thinks there is food about, so he, too, must have thought it smelt foodie in a vegetal way.

I love iris, but this iris is not the iris fragrance in my collection I would reach for first, or second, or even third. It is an interesting fragrance, 'tis true, but I do not find it especially appealing. I am not sure what all I detected in the dry down, but I did not detect almost all of the listed notes.

This is a fragrance worth testing for reference, but I would not recommend purchasing it blindly. I suppose it is unisex, but I cannot imagine a venue where it would be particularly appropriate or appreciated. Perhaps it would be nice to wear whilst working in one's garden?? Overall I find it vegetal without a hint of sweetness. Yes, in the dry down there is iris...a rooty, vegetal iris, but there is little else, at least to my nose.

This fragrance is a solid 4/10 across the board for me. I am glad to have experienced it, but it is not a fragrance I would have purchased for myself.
My sincere apologies to those who love it. Please try before you buy.

Fragrance: 4/10

Projection: 4/10

Sillage: 4/10

Longevity: 4/10

Supreme sombre/neutral resinous (almost edible) smoothness, a spicy melange of musky (powdery) iris, labdanum, resins and balminess, a scent initially somewhat humid/earthy/rooty but finally musky and rubbery (galbanum and frankincense) with a spicy leafy/floral undiscernible spark. Iris is dominant (though the floral vibe is more complex), kind of boise, spicy (mostly cloves) "lipstick" and definitely smooth a la V&A Bois d'Iris. Incense and amber provide a quite misty/resinous/powdery/suedish/gummy pop-clubby dark atmosphere. Refined (with its earthy-floral twist) and glamour, definitely avantgarde for the time it was conceived.

Simply the best! An iris for iris lovers. Take everything you know about iris in perfume and throw it away because that was all child’s play. This here smells like you stabbed the soil with your bare hands and dug up a buried rhizome in the garden. It’s moist, sweet, metallic and a touch disturbing. But alas it is also dry, doughy, and like the breath of an angel. Sillage is close to the skin but it’s the kind of somber and beautiful grey day scent that you want to sit close. I love this stuff. I am on my second bottle and it just feels feels right to me. My brain just must be receptive to these notes. Some people loathe ISM and I do not doubt their sincerity. But some people, myself included, can’t live without it.