Perfume Review: Serge Lutens Fumerie Turque

Review by Tom After being disappointed by Chypre Rouge and liking but not lemming Mandarine Mandarin, I was almost afraid that FT might be a third strike disappointment. I couldn't have been more wrong: this one is the stuff! Opening with a blast of smoke that makes me think of a fire fed by seasoned hardwood in the library of my fantasy mansion, with a brief whisper of bitter cocao, the cocao quickly supplanted by lapsang souchong tea. The smoke subsides a bit to the scent of tobacco: the expensive, round and slightly fatty smell of the inside of a tobacconist like Dunhill, along with dark rum and a sweet indolent caramel. Rose and jasmine pops in and out: the merest breath of it, so ethereal and fleeting you almost want to turn around and see if there are some in the room (this is also one of the best roses I've smelled in perfume, usually I can't bear rose notes). There is a gourmand sweetness to it that smells delightfully fruity, almost like the home-made fruitcake my mother used to make, bursting with honey, currants and dates and moist with rum. That sweetness plays very close to the skin, however: I really have to stick my nose in the crook of my elbow to smell it. These notes weave back and forth and in and out, finally joined by leather, which grounds the drydown in it embrace. This is full bottle worthy: full bottle and back-up bottle worthy. It's a fantastic comfort scent; imagine sipping tea in front of the fireplace in a mahogany-paneled library, languishing in the embrace of an overstuffed leather chair, a snifter of the best rum on the table next to you, the ghost of the scent of the hearths previous fires and the pipes smoked embracing you, the occasional warm wind bringing the scent of the flowers in the garden in through the open french doors. It's nearly 90 in Los Angeles today and the notes in this one really work in the heat; I think they will be even better in the cold. Fumerie Turque is making a brief appearance in the export line of Serge Lutens. It's available at Barneys and I believe Aedes, and is priced at $110 (as are the rest of the formerly $92 ones). The image is from liberty.co.uk.