Œillet Pourpre

Lui

Guerlain 2017

“Mom, why am I not a boy?” With this grammatically not quite correct question posed by a little girl, a song by Mylène Farmer begins, which stormed the French charts in 1987 and later also the German ones. “Say Mom, why am I not a boy?” This is how the song starts, addressing the question of what (gender) role one is supposed to take on as a girl or a boy, or which role one is willing to assume. And Ms. Farmer postulates in the chorus, of course, very clearly and unadulterated (= sans contrefaçon), that she is a boy: “Since one must choose, I say it in gentle words, very clearly, I am a boy.”
In this song, autobiographical traits of the artist come into play, who as a child probably saw herself more as a boy and at the beginning of her career often had a somewhat doll-like and at the same time somewhat boyish and androgynous appearance. Additionally, she refers in the song to an aristocratic Frenchman from the 18th century who lived openly as a transvestite later in life. However, it must be said that “Sans contrefaçon” is not a song about transsexuality. Rather, it addresses the Garçon - Garçonne theme. However, not in its playful form as we often experience in fashion, but with profound questions and doubts about the socially conditioned role model of the identity-less adolescent.
This theme struck a chord with the youth at the end of the 80s, and the song helped Mylène Farmer achieve an incredible career. Not without reason can she be referred to today as the “Madonna” of the French, who are nearly reverent towards her like a saint. Her stage shows are legendary, and when a Stade de France filled with over 70,000 people sings along, then… but that is another story.

Guerlain has already created one of the first perfumes with Jicky, which, according to legends, was appreciated and worn more by men than by women. Later creations like L’Heure Bleue, Mitsouko, etc. also increasingly acquired the touch of a unisex fragrance over the years. And now comes Lui. An openly declared unisex fragrance that leaves no doubt regarding gender roles.

Lui starts off briefly fresh, slightly floral, bright. Quite quickly, a delicate leather scent spreads, which does not scratch but rather resembles an armchair in a library where the host likes to puff on a cigar. A somewhat musty clove joins in, as we already know from L’Heure Bleue, Sous le Vent, and Derby. So somewhat old school and definitely elegant, with the clove not perceived as dominant or even as green as in the aforementioned three fragrances. To prevent the clove and leather from becoming too dull, there is a barely noticeable, slightly sweet balsamic undertone, which may involve benzoin. Overall, the scent quickly recedes and remains very close to the skin. There is hardly any sillage.
The combination of leather, clove, and benzoin lasts about 2-3 hours. The leather fades first, then the clove, and subsequently a minimally sweet balsamic base emerges, which has nothing to do with the well-known Guerlinade.
After another 2-3 hours, the base is reduced to the point that one’s own perceived gender role takes over again.

Very clearly and unadulterated, therefore sans contrefaçon, one can say that Lui is a fine, well-made perfume. And one must say sans contrefaçon that this scent is so completely different from what we have been presented by Guerlain in recent years. Lui is quiet, discreet, not sweet, a little old school, skinny, and definitely unisex. I like it, even though I still haven’t understood what Guerlain actually wants to convey with it. For an Eau de Parfum, the sillage and longevity are frankly a disaster. Moreover, the wordplay and the similarity to the bottle with Liu as a very feminine, aldehyde-heavy, and strongly scented perfume are not entirely comprehensible. Lui is conceived so differently and much more gender-neutral than one would assume even with the Garçon - Garçonne theme, and therefore the fragrance will not withstand direct comparison with Guerlain’s classic scents.
One thing is certain about Lui. Like many of its older predecessors from the house of Guerlain, Lui is not a simple fragrance that is immediately accessible and quickly reveals itself. Here, it’s about testing and waiting. Sometimes that takes years...

Not quite sans contrefaçon, one might ask: “Dis Guerlain, pourquoi je suis pas un parfum?”