Excerpts from Barney's Interview with Serge Lutens

Work interferes today, therefore I do not have a review. Instead, I would like to share a very interesting interview with Serge Lutens I discovered via Barney's catalogue. After reading it, I feel inspired to wear Ambre Sultan today.

Why fragrance? After years as a make-up artist and photographer, what attracted you to this world?
I don’t think that I’ve switched from one world to another. I believe that it is an extension of myself in other realms of creativity. In that sense I can say that my fragrances make me grow creatively. As for my choices, things are not always what they seem. For instance, in the first part of my life, make-up for me was not really about make-up. Images were what it was all about. For me, perfume making is a language. Essences for me are what words could be for a writer. They are tools of expression. ...

What is your idea of happiness?
It’s a tricky word. As far as I am concerned, happiness is a state of grace.

What is your idea of hell?
To want to keep things the same, that’s hell. Change is dynamic. In order to evolve and to enrich oneself one has to embrace it.

Which is your most transformative, wild fragrance?
I have yet to create a fragrance with claws and fangs, but in all seriousness Ambre Sultan is my most audacious fragrance. About thirty years ago I found a piece of amber in the old city of Marrakech. The smell seduced me and from that moment I dreamed of creating an amber fragrance. It is our best seller.

What is your first smell that you remember?
The smell of fresh bread in bakeries in Lille, France, where I was born. It’s funny but I believe that Santal Blanc is particularly linked to that smell.

What are you reading at the moment?
I rarely read only one book at a time. Sometimes it takes me years to figure out a writer. I just finished reading Jean Genet. He is an unparalleled writer, a genius. Right now I am reading Marcel Jouhandeau. I also amuse myself by reading some of F.Scott Fitzgerald’s commentaries on women.

Who are the biggest influences on your creativity?
There are so many. I just finished designing unique bottles that are part of a limited edition based on Malevich, Fritz Lang, Eisenstein and Pasolini. These artists have one thing in common: a personal expression that is absolutely poetic.

Which fragrances are you wearing right now?
I don’t often wear them but my favorites remain Sa Majesté de la Rose, Ambre Sultan and Clair de Musc. I constantly create new compositions and take note of their chemical reaction with my skin.