Serge Lutens El Attarine (2008) {New Perfume}

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We have an early announcement and preview of the new Serge Lutens perfume to come out in August 2008. Affirming the roots of his inspiration even further, it is named this time in Arabic El Attarine and is part of the non-export collection of perfumes kept at the Salons Shiseido du Palais Royal, away from the madding crowd.

Regular readers of TSS know that it is somewhat of a ritual on these pages to decipher the first signs offered by the latest Lutens olfactory poem. Last year, Louve and Sarrasins were scrutinized early on for subtext clues. This June 2008 we are invited to approach the new perfume with these three initial lines,

 

Solaire.
Traduit tout ce qui est odoriférant.
La route des parfums en un jus solaire
.

Solar.

Translates everything that is permeated with scent.

The road of perfumes into a solar essence.

Then after opening this one door, Serge Lutens explains further,.... 

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The limited edition of El Attarine by Serge Lutens. It offers a motif of entwined black enamel leaves. Only 30 copies of the 75 ml eau de parfume are available for 850 € each. They are also decorated with the Serge Lutens stamp at the back.

 

"In Arab countries, “attarin” means sweet-smelling, and refers to everything
within the realm of the “atar”: fragrance, heart, flavour and essence.

There is no distinction between the olfactory and the gustatory, until the
moment when you decide whether to taste or smell." [...]

El Attarine is also a name, one of the world’s most beautiful Koranic schools
in Fez, for a privileged few. Its beauty, matching that of the finest palaces and mosques, contributed to the scent of a culture rich with emotion. From my attarinian solitude, the fruits of my imagination were abundant. [...]

Attarine is not a closed door. You cannot make a perfume with only your nose. [...]

Today, I offer you gold, sun-drenched topaz, everlasting flowers and saps."

Serge Lutens 
 
The press release also indicates that the idea behind the latest Lutens perfume is an old one that has been looked at anew, a project that was left aside and come to fruition after a lengthy intermission. This is an interesting and rare note about the process of perfume-making, as fragrance creation has become such an ephemeral, seasonal, fashion-week-like production that one tends to adapt and relinquish the thought that it can be done at a slower, more meditative pace. Indeed, in a contemporary context where Y perfume seems to be an answer to X fragrance thrown into the turmoil of the market 3 months before, it is refreshing to anticipate such a release, to say the least. Ah, to be, sometimes (let us be realistic), able to appreciate a perfume as if you were slowly turn the pages of the infinite book of time. Perfumes desperately need time to thrive, both from the viewpoint of their creators and for those who spend time with them...
 
Also for our French-speaking readers, herein follow the same excerpts in French. The original French text, we think, is slightly more sybilline in tone than the English translation which visibly aimed to clarify the meaning of the article. Both texts are from the original press releases,  
 
“L’attarin’” nomme dans les pays arabes l’odoriférant, par là j’entends tout ce qui peut reformer l’“atar” : parfum, cœur, saveur, essence.

Pas de segmentation entre olfaction et gustation hormis celle qui décide à
sentir ou dé́guster.

Tout ce qui relève du vrai goût. [...]
 
“El Attarine” est aussi le nom de l’une des plus belles écoles coraniques du
monde à Fès pour écoliers gâtés. Sa beauté égalant celle des palais et des
mosquées participait  à la senteur d’une culture des émotions. De ma solitude
attarine, j’ai cueilli les fruits. [...]
 
Attarine n’est pas porte fermée. On ne réalise pas un parfum uniquement
avec le nez.[...]
 
Aujourd’hui, voici de l’or, du soleil en topaze, immortelles et sèves."
 
Serge Lutens
The regular edition of El Attarine is priced at € 110 for 75 ml, available exclusively at the Salons Shiseido du Palais Royal from August 2008. They ship internationally, but only within Europe.
 
+33 (0)1 49 27 09 09 / www.salons-shiseido.com
 
Source: Serge Lutens Communication
 
 

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4 Comments | Leave a comment

  1. Ah, I'm getting goosebumps. The solar quality hinted at in the press release intrigues me... Can we count on a pre-review of El Attarine from you? ;-) You know how much I enjoy your rich interpretations of Serge Lutens scents...

    Dusan
  2. Sweet attar--very exciting. I've not been blown away with the last few SLs but I will be looking forward to this launch (not that I'll have a chance to try it anytime soon since I'm in the USA).

    Some perfumes need time to develop--so true. It doesn't mean one way is better than the other, as some musical recordings took long to create and are great, and some only a few weeks and are still great, but it's good to know perfumers can have flexibility to perfect a work in progress. Perfumes used to launch every ten years.

    Sali
  3. Likewise, the novel by Stendhal La Chartreuse de Parme was famously written in 2 weeks. But still, prior to that, creators need the freedom to have time and macerate ideas.

    It's more to say that professional perfumers working with big companies work in hectic conditions.

    Marie-Helene
  4. Well, as you know, if you flatter me, you will get anything from me

    Marie-Helene

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