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Lelong pour Femme Parfum, lucienlelong.com
Amid the hundreds of new fragrances that debut each year, a few will rise to the top and others will make their way to the bargain bins on the fast track. A chosen few will become fan favorites under the radar, with no publicity or advertising, yet their quality will endear them to a small base of loyal followers, and they will become a cult classic. Such a one is the virtually unknown Lelong pour Femme, released in 1999. Most perfume aficionados will know the name of Indiscret, the great iconic floral from the house of Lucien Lelong, but few have ever smelled the Lelong classics of the past such as Opening Night and Tailspin, long discontinued but now re-released, and even fewer will be aware that Lelong came out with a brand new fragrance a decade ago that pays tribute to the heritage of the past.
Lelong pour Femme is deeply and intensely feminine, and belongs squarely in the category known as “bombshell,” the kind of perfume that one imagines would be worn by the kind of woman who knows what she wants and goes after it with everything in her arsenal of charm and allure. It was made with real, mature women in mind, and no teenagers need apply. That alone makes it a standout in today’s youth-crazed perfume market.
The first visual impression of this fragrance is striking indeed; the box itself is an animal jungle print, and it is capped by a pair of tortoiseshell horns that clasp elegantly to the sides of the graceful bottle. On the Parfum bottle, an actual working clock is embedded into the crystal flacon, to remind a woman that anytime she wears this perfume, something special is bound to happen. That might be overstating things with most fragrances, but not this one. The style is floral-oriental, rich and pervasive with magnolia, lilac and orchid. It opens with mandarin and bergamot, which is soon joined by the richness of the florals and a wonderfully syrupy and sensual Kadota fig, not the astringent green fig note so common these days. Jasmine, tuberose, Rose de Mai, ylang ylang, iris and three different orchid essences complete the bevy of flower notes. One of these is the wonderfully fragrant Sharry Baby orchid, a hugely popular variety famous for it delightful “chocolate bar” aroma. Base notes of sandalwood, vetiver, oakmoss and musk make for a perfume of amazing lasting power. Lilac is a difficult note for perfumers to work with, as it can turn musty in even a slight miscalculation, but in Lelong pour Femme it remains true, freshened with the bergamot and magnolia.
For fans of classic vintage perfumes, this is one that must not be overlooked. In the greater Portland area, it is only available at The Perfume House, and indeed it can be found almost nowhere else except the Lelong web site, where the back catalogue of rare Lelong scents can also be found. . For a truly unique and outstanding fragrance that smells for all the world like a vintage classic from the Thirties, this is highly recommended.
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