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Notes11/25/2019
Alex1984
44 Reviews
Alex1984
Emerald glow
L de Loewe belongs in the pantheon of forgotten 70’s chypres. The ones that memory and time have faded to obscurity, that little place where Azzaro, Vu, Loewe II and many more haunt me.
Coming out in 1971 or 72 as the debut fragrance of the house, L smells like an expensive perfume spilled inside a good leather bag.
The opening lacks the typical aldehyde slap of the era. Instead, it diffuses neroli with citrus freshness, highlighted by the green notes to come and a touch of aldehydic sparkle. My personal pixie dust!
The heart though is where the magic starts to shine! Green in all variations; verdant, emerald, mossy and inky slopes filled with the bitter bracing touch of galbanum, the rooty feel of vetiver, the forest floor canopy of oakmoss all laced with powdery hyacinth and iris, leathery and animalic narcissus, and a touch of sparkle provided by magnolia! Lily, with its indolic beauty, provides the highlight of floral notes, adding a cast of white shimmer. I’m sure there are more, but the flowers are blended in such a way that they enhance the greenness and avoid becoming the star of the show. The fragrance echoes the idea of luxury, but more city and less countryside. Fidji did it for exotic islands, Aliage made country chic and L simply spilled itself inside the finest leather handbag.
And the basenotes enhance it even more. Rich musks, glimpses of leathery castoreum, powdery civet and salty ambergris provide lasting tenacity and ample sillage all the while maintaining the opening freshness. Elegant on all sides, L could go from shopping, to work, to a dinner party or the opera. Just like Aromatics, another chameleon of a fragrance, L didn’t limit itself to a certain mood or social setting, but it adapted to its wearer making itself at home in every situation. The hallmark of elegance.
Along the way, L fell out of style, although it remained popular in Europe, Scherrer came with a darker and sexier sillage, and slowly the doors of 80’s excess opened welcoming big white florals and animalic orientals. Power scents like Opium, that mystified the forbidden, remained popular, new is always more shiny, and the green floral chypres of the previous decade, with their hopes and dreams, ethereal but fierce, became too ‘country girl’ for the city execs that strutted the dark streets of a neon metropolis inhabited by the big bad wolf. Danger was du jour, and L was not that animal.
Today, easily found on eBay, the vintage edt shines like the brightest emerald. Mostly forgotten, it can shine anew, becoming once again a radiant and elegant signature for the man or woman that loves the likes of Scherrer, Aliage, Y, Givenchy III, Futur. After all, it defies time, gender and settings; elegance is far above that.
Review based on early 70’s original formula edt.
Coming out in 1971 or 72 as the debut fragrance of the house, L smells like an expensive perfume spilled inside a good leather bag.
The opening lacks the typical aldehyde slap of the era. Instead, it diffuses neroli with citrus freshness, highlighted by the green notes to come and a touch of aldehydic sparkle. My personal pixie dust!
The heart though is where the magic starts to shine! Green in all variations; verdant, emerald, mossy and inky slopes filled with the bitter bracing touch of galbanum, the rooty feel of vetiver, the forest floor canopy of oakmoss all laced with powdery hyacinth and iris, leathery and animalic narcissus, and a touch of sparkle provided by magnolia! Lily, with its indolic beauty, provides the highlight of floral notes, adding a cast of white shimmer. I’m sure there are more, but the flowers are blended in such a way that they enhance the greenness and avoid becoming the star of the show. The fragrance echoes the idea of luxury, but more city and less countryside. Fidji did it for exotic islands, Aliage made country chic and L simply spilled itself inside the finest leather handbag.
And the basenotes enhance it even more. Rich musks, glimpses of leathery castoreum, powdery civet and salty ambergris provide lasting tenacity and ample sillage all the while maintaining the opening freshness. Elegant on all sides, L could go from shopping, to work, to a dinner party or the opera. Just like Aromatics, another chameleon of a fragrance, L didn’t limit itself to a certain mood or social setting, but it adapted to its wearer making itself at home in every situation. The hallmark of elegance.
Along the way, L fell out of style, although it remained popular in Europe, Scherrer came with a darker and sexier sillage, and slowly the doors of 80’s excess opened welcoming big white florals and animalic orientals. Power scents like Opium, that mystified the forbidden, remained popular, new is always more shiny, and the green floral chypres of the previous decade, with their hopes and dreams, ethereal but fierce, became too ‘country girl’ for the city execs that strutted the dark streets of a neon metropolis inhabited by the big bad wolf. Danger was du jour, and L was not that animal.
Today, easily found on eBay, the vintage edt shines like the brightest emerald. Mostly forgotten, it can shine anew, becoming once again a radiant and elegant signature for the man or woman that loves the likes of Scherrer, Aliage, Y, Givenchy III, Futur. After all, it defies time, gender and settings; elegance is far above that.
Review based on early 70’s original formula edt.
