Bas de Soie Serge Lutens for women and men

The most divine hyacinth scent! Absolutely beautiful. The opening is a bit heavy, but after an hour it becomes just pure delight.

Since early childhood I am absolutely in love with the smell of hyacinth, it's my favourite flower smell of all time. The realistic hyacinth in Bas de Soie is already a win, and the spicy notes make it absolutely perfect for me.

I can confirm that despite rumours of discontinuation (it was out of stock for some time, like Iris Silver Mist), this is still in production and actually available in a bell jar. In stock as I write this at both Paris boutiques! You can also order it from the website.

A must for those who enjoy green powdery floral perfumes without a sweet side. This is a great choice for spring and summer, it is clean and elegant. Not playful, no innocence, no nonsense here at all. This is just strict perfection. I adore this perfume, in my book it is in the same territory of Hermes' Amazone Eau de Fraicheur, Givenchy III or Yves Saint Laurent's Y. Quite a minimal and conceptual perfume in today's enviroment.

I have found in Serge Lutens perfume house a group of florals that are less complex , not hard hitting , resinous, spicy and more wearable . I truly appreciate Serge’s artistry and uniqueness . I’m in awe of his mastery but I don’t feel I can pull off some of his quirky , well received masterpieces and this discouraged me from buying those fragrances in the past . Not for the faint hearted and I’m in that group .

However , I have now amassed 8 bottles and counting , in the last three months. I just can’t get enough of his simpler and softer florals .

Being a green, white floral lover , I thought I would like Bois de Soie but the spicy notes ruin it for me .

But saying that , I do love the freshness, greeness and coolness of the fragrance . I own a few of SL’s cool, soapy florals and they are right up my alley .

Hyacinth as most reviewers mention is the star of the show , vying for dominance is the galbanum . The galbanum creates its bitter , herbal notes which I’m not fond of but understand its necessity in this fragrance’s journey .

I love that the Iris is not a powdery one on me and as usual , the SL signature musk base which is so well done for me .

Overall , I don’t mind the fragrance after the spicy notes dissipate . But not bottle worthy.

Such an evocative green floral perfume with hyacinth and with the strong charismatic attitude of Galbanum, remembering me of 80s masterpieces, it is my self confodence hero, which I wear for imoortant meetings at work to make the max impression of mine, without a single hesitation. Boosting sillage with solid longeivity, I am absolutely in love with this masterpiece

A combination of fresh and cool hyacinth with powdery notes and green earthy undertone that tends to create a classic atmosphere. Hyacinth has a brilliant and beautiful reflection in this perfume and iris has given it an exquisite and luxurious look of soapy powder. The green and earthy sense of the perfume combines it with an old and classic charm.
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لاین "گل های چیده نشده" سرژ لوتانز یازده عطر با محوریت گل های مختلف رو شامل میشه و با دِ سُوا(به معنی جوراب ابریشمی)نام عضو سنبل محور این خانواده هست.
سنبل برای من یکی از دوست داشتنی ترین گل هاست که همیشه مشتاق تجربش در عطرها هستم و نماینده سنبلیِ سرژ از بهترین گزینه های این تجارب بوده.
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رایحه رو آثارِ سبز، تلخ و خاکیِ باریجه آغاز میکنه. این حس سبز و خاکی فورا به عطر قدرتمند سنبل ملحق میشه و بعنوان سبزیِ ساقه و برگ و خاک گلدان به ایفای نقش میپردازه.
سنبل با رایحه شیرین و خنکِ گلی نزدیک به موگه (تا حدودی یادآور کرم های دست و صورت)، دارای رگه های آکواتیک فلزی و یک ته بوی پلاستیکی آدامسی(که در سنبل طبیعی مخصوصا وقتی رو به پلاسیدن میره هم حس میشه) در مرکزیت عطر میدرخشه.
این سنبلِ خیس و خنک با حس سبز و خاکیش توسط آکورد پودری قدرتمندی آرایش شده.
("یونون" ها که بوی زنبقی بنفشه ای رو بازسازی میکنن)
زنبقی خاکی و نفیس که همراه با یک تلخیِ بادامی(کومارین) حالتِ خشک و غبار مانند پودر رو به زیبایی انعکاس میده و شمه ای از بنفشه خنک و پودری آرایشی که وجوهِ سرد و فلزی گلیش با سنبل مچ میشه.
این هاله های پودری در مجاورتِ حس سبز و خاکی و سایه هایی از رز به عطر حالتی کلاسیک و کهنه میبخشن.
به مرور رایحه با جرقه های ادویه ای و شیرینِ میخکی گزندگی و گرمای ملایمی پیدا میکنه و در نهایت زیر پتویی نرم و لطیف از مشک به خواب میره.
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تنها عاملی که سعی در تعرض به کیفیت و واقع گرا بودن عطر داره حس شیمیایی فلزی آکواتیکِ خفیفی هست که در ترکیب با سایر مواد عطر برام رایحه تافت مو و لاک ناخن رو یادآوری میکنه و البته ناخوشایندِ من نیست.
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در این کار هم مثل اکثر اعضای لاین گل ها، روح شرقی و تاریکِ عطرهای سرژ لوتانز کمترین نمود ممکنه رو داره و در فضایی نورانی شامه مخاطب رو نوازش میکنه.
این عطر چندسالی هست که از شیشه های ۵۰ میل به شیشه های ۷۵ میلِ بل جار(زنگوله شکل) منتقل شده و همچنان در حال تولیده.

I just deleted my initial review and edit for Bas de Soie. There is nothing I like about this fragrance. That gigantic hyacinth combined with the sterile, metallic iris leave me feeling disturbed. Now I know that there are many folks who love that aspect of the multifaceted iris, but it's not for me. This is strictly based upon personal tastes as well as skin chemistry no doubt, because it's quality is obvious. I just don't like the way it smells, and equally important, how it makes me feel physically and emotionally.
I could not believe my eyes when I saw this compared not only to my absolute beloved No. 19 Poudre, specifically, but all the Chanel greenies in general. No matter how aloof and austere they may be, they all have a warm glow encased in their icy exteriors, and Poudre isn't even slightly bitchy. The famed Chanel iris butter is unrivaled!! Bas de Soie is a cold slab in the morgue from start to finish on me.

Green and purple scent.
Clean, soapy, fresh at the start with the star hyacinth, cold iris, galbanum, roses and spices.
In the humid style of De Profundis, but less disturbing.
I also have Gris Clair memories, perhaps of lavender.
This evolves as a fresh, sour soap powder.
Clean, simple, a little retro and feminine.
Naturally pleasant and refreshing on the skin but with a mossy launderette trail that softens in the finish.
More daytime.

یکی از بهترین عطرایی که از سرج تست کردم تا امروز
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Scent & Quality: 10/10
Longevity: 7/10
Sillage: 7/10
Creativity & Uniqueness: 9/10
Affordability: 6/10
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Overall: 7.8 +0.5= 8.3/10

It really reminds me Guerlain Chamade pour Homme, I think its just galbanum that gives Chanel 19 vibes, but apart from it, hyacinth dominates. Opening is just bombastic and super bitter, not something I'm used to. I would definitely get a bottle of it in a swap!

idéal par fortes chaleur, très frais, mixte, rafraichit par son iris frappant, pas dérangeant pour l'entourage; convient aussi bien à un homme qu'à une femme; tenue moyenne et sillage également; dès que la température atteint les 30 degrés, je le porte systématiquement

I was very impressed at first sniff, and this rarely happens with Serge Lutens (fragrances that are often so complex, I appreciate more in their developing stages).
The first sniff strikes me as a strong, fresh, hycinth note. I LOVE hyacinth, as a flower, in fragrances.
Bas de Soie is a green fragrance, that can remind you of Chanel n.19 (in the same family or with the same vibe).
Contrarily to many other reviewers, I do not get a powdery iris here.
There is some cool iris, not the powdery iris you could find in Villoresi's Teint de Neige or Infusion d'Iris. Rather a metallic, cold iris (like Città di Kyoto or Hiris by Hermes).
Forget Iris Silver Mist though! That one was masculine and cold and all about metallic Iris, almost disturbing.
Bas de Soie is all about hyacinth, and a happy one.
Again, the name is distracting. By the name only I would think of a sensual, silky oriental frag (being Bas de Soie equivalent to Silk Stockings), yet it is not your typical sensual/oriental perfume.
Bas de Soie is a green floral, sensual in a sophisticated, classy, lightly selfish, self assured and ladylike way, just as Chanel 19 could be.
A very well executed frag, with good lasting power & easy to wear in a number of occasions.
Definitely a must try.

Fresh, tender-crisp, brightly floral yet gentle and dewy, Bas de Soie uncannily captures the refreshing rush of the chilled, humid air you get when opening a florist cooler, this one filled with hundreds of newly blossomed and recently cut hyacinths ...breathtaking. I made sure to back up my bottle the moment I fell for it, which coincides with my first wearing of it. I was utterly smitten from the very start, and I just don't think I could bear any tweaking of this delicate, shimmering silk stocking.

I have a spool of antique French silk ribbon that has an iridescent shift from dusty purple to chartreusey green, which is precisely the color I imagine when I smell, or even think, of BdS. Gorgeous, lustrous, purpley-green silk.

All that said, there's really nothing overtly feminine about Bas de Soie. The florals are green (um, purpley-green) and soapy and not very ornate, so it comes across as more tailored than frilly or flouncy, and it smells just as serene and beautiful on my husband as it does on me.

This is a powdery and soft floral that I like quite a bit, despite my reservations. It reminds me of a dusty lavender color at first, cozy and antique. As it warms I smell a soft clean soapiness underneath, a bit like cold cream, or an unscented shaving cream. The metallic aspect comes out a bit when I think about it, but it is antique bronze, not shiny or sharp.
Smells wistful and pretty in an anhedonic way, not chipper or proud. Subtle and strange enough to not really register as a perfume. As it develops I like it more and feel the clean and comforting warmth of the fragrance. Like a sleepy morning in cotton sheets and old money. Not sexy, at all, I have a feeling men wouldn't like it on me, but it might be nice on a man?

went on smokey; sharpens up to cheap floral

A fragrance of night from high above during the winter months

This is, currently, my favorite fragrance for evening wear during the Winter months in the city where I live. I would imagine that the experience of looking at the night-lit city from high above smells like this fragrance; the scents are of incense, the paper of books, furniture upholstery and woodworking.
This fragrance smells of Iris, to me, only as a dry Orris Root, in its powdered form.
From having experienced a wear of other fragrances on the base of Iris, I suspect that the creation of the fragrance, itself, and of its separate notes, is different than the Standards would describe this process. I would imagine that the Designer, Serge Lutens, were to wear this fragrance, together with many women, like myself, which would create an aura of a shared experience and some sense of safety.

This is so beautiful and transports me straight to a meadow of flowers in the spring. However, I already have a scent which is quite similar that I also love: Just Like Heaven, by Tory Burch. That one has an added rhubarb note which gives just a bit more of a fruity crispness and I feel rounds the scent of the hyacinth out more, without drenching it in sweetness. This is a more powdery version of that and I'm guessing it's due to the added iris note. It's not entirely unlike Prada Infusion d'Iris, with its powdery purple florals. This one manages to stay a bit more green and natural. I'm undecided on if I love this yet, and if I would seek out a full bottle, but I feel the pressure to make my decision quickly as Serge Luten's scents have been repackaged, and quite a few of them smell different than they once did.

The longer this wears, the more I fall in love with it. I'll finish my little decant and make my final decision, but I feel this may have turned Full Bottle Worthy. Longeivty is quite good, over 5 hours it is still noticeably there.

I tested out this fragrance on a brutally hot day. To me it smelled floral, soapy, light, with decent longevity (esp given it was such a hot day). To me the dominant note is rose. Overall the scent seemed somewhat simple but classy and pleasant, perhaps a tiny bit "mature" smelling for me (maybe it's the vintage iris note?) . Anyways, I definitely want to try this out again in different weather.

I sprayed this on and was INTSTANTLY reminded of Chanel's N°19. I was racking my brains trying to work out which Chanel it was because it was definitely Chanel. I came here looking for notes to see if it would jumpstart my memory. Instead, it was in the 'reminds me of' section which just confirms to me that I'm not crazy.

It's quite green, that I knew. It had me thinking 'Perhaps Bel Respiro.' It was powdery and iris was definitely there. This isn't your run of the mill fragrance, it's very special. I was on the right track with N°19 ... but there's no detectable lily of the valley. Poudrée does indeed make more sense. Feels a little indolic.

Mostly baby powder. I have a lot of hyacinth perfumes and also grow hyacinths, and this unfortunately doesn't remotely smell like hyacinth. For some reason my cat goes bonkers for this and so I spray it on her favorite toy.

This reminds me of Grey Flannel but a more toned down version that's not overpowering as GF is. Nice scent. Very safe smelling.

6/10

I wanted to like this more than I do. I love all the notes, I love Serge Lutens, but this one is only okay to me. I don't personally see the resemblance to No 19 at all, which I adore. I don't get much of a galbanum/green bomb from my decant anyway. I don't get much cold rooty iris. I don't get spice. I get hyacinth and a bit of powder and soap? Maybe some metal? and a light musk. It's okay, but there are many other galbanum or iris or powder fragrances I like better, including Iris Silver Mist, No 19, 19 Poudre, Prada Iris, Chamade or La Pausa EDP. I can't see a time when I wouldn't just choose one of those over this. Likewise there's many other SL perfumes I like if I'm in a SL mood. Maybe it's because as some reviewers suggested it's because it reads like a soliflore? I could see that, and as much as I respect a good soliflore, it's rare that one works on me very well. SL's fragrances aren't usually like that but tend towards the opulent, and are generally a bit avant-garde which is much more my scene.

I'm a weird one, with a great many fragrances, so many it's not funny. I'm the person who likes Air d'Rien, Cabaret, Iris des Champs, Apres La Musson-all those musty watery things that engender distaste. I bought Bas de Soie because it is discontinued and was offered at a good price. Here's a few thoughts on it, but if you are considering it, best to get now. It is a boudoir scent, as SL intended and it does have a bitter streak in it. It has a touch of chrysanthemum to it, something gummy, like a wine gum and it has a moody iris. The iris is akin to that found in Apres l'Ondee, but there is no hawthorn to make it smell like the cricket equipment cupboard. The rest of it is spring bulbs, most like Cristalle in EDT. The sexy musk is like Narciso R, but it's the dirty essence musk, as in Khiels. Oh, and it has the metallic brush as in Calandre.

edit: deepest wintry winter. It just wows me, sweetens on my skin, because I'm not perspiring, I keep pulling the turtle neck of my sweater, gonna give me terrible turkey neck. Turtle/Turkey. Gobble Gobble, beautiful

My first sniff is instalove and I start plotting a full bottle purchase. The hyacinth is pure plant juice, celadon alien blood—a scalpel to cut through the dross of this world. The silvery blue color is just right.

But then, two hours later, I am perhaps influenced by other reviewers. Truthfully, I do detect fishy and eggy notes. Yes, a drop of bleach, fresh filet on a plastic cutting board, a metal poaching dish, uncooked meringue. I wouldn't say these notes are at the forefront, but they do complicate the fragrance. The niche I intended Bas de Soie to fill was a cool work scent, a chilled glass pressed against the face in midsummer. It isn't innocuous enough for that.

The second trial, all the notes hit me from the beginning. I'm getting more iris, and I realize this smells like cold cream. There's something masochistic about it, like the pleasurable sting of Noxzema. I like it. But I'll need to psych myself up to wear it around other people.

Opening is straight hyacinth (almost a soliflor) with a very small side of iris. One might say there's a very faint background of galbanum but to me that earthiness is already inherent in the hyacinth note alone.

Again, basically a soliflor. Mostly linear, then gets a bit powdery and abstract (I do get the stockings imagery; idk why but it makes sense).

There is an odd sour note that occurs off and on later on in the dry down.

The opening blast and immediate drydown is the high-quality archetype to judge all other hyacinth frags by.

However the drydown as it progresses I think may appeal to a bit more of a niche audience. I do like it, myself - that said I'm into more difficult, moody, melancholy frags right now.

If u want a happy hyacinth, go for Tom Ford Vert de Fleur.

Cannot believe I've never tried this until now and sssssoooo happy I blind bought the bottle. Yes it's very much like Chanel 19 which I also adore but I think this lacks some of the sparklingness of C19. Not that's a bad thing, just different. A slightly rounder softer green. More hyacinth I guess. Definitely old fashioned in the most wonderful way. I don't know if I'd completely categorize this as a floral. More chyphre floral to me, but then I'm not an expert.

In my mind (and experience) with this scent BdS belongs within the micro-universe of No 19, No 19 Poudre, Prada Infusion d'Iris and Frederic Malle Iris Poudre. Prada's rendition is my big love, but obviously I love all the others in this category. Frederic Malle's Iris just breaks my heart because it doesn't have the longevity I desire and Chanel 19 Poudre is a bit the same from that perspective. This is why I am so thankful that Serge Lutens is so long-lasting. It makes me think and experience facets of all these perfumes (perhaps a bit of Cristalle as well because of the hyacinth?) for a longer time. It also makes me not feel guilty for paying so much money on the fleeting experience I get from perfumes I adore, but don't last that long...

bas de soie 1.7 oz bottle
Bas de Soie leans more to sophisticated or retro type scents. Hyacinths back in the day in perfumes such as YSL Y or Molyneux Vivre were known as the opulant flower in perfumes. Elizabeth Taylor adored hyacinths. Hyacinths have a bitter green edge and captured well here in Bas de Soie. A make up boudoir powdery Iris evokes memories of when women sat at their boudoir tables, dressing gowns and knew looking ones best was good for god and country.

Its a refined gorgeous floral never bombastic. Its soft and alluring. About 30 min in the florals show in their cool splendor. Aristocratic in nature. Make sure your well dressed if you wear this scent. Its polished like a 1950s pin up.
This is naughty.

Bas de Soie is a silky opalescent fragrance,though it first tastes like apple sorbet.

I thought it would feel transparent on my skin ; I expected a ghost fragrance as it were, something fleeting, impalpable, and almost unnoticeable.

The word "Iris" refers to rainbows (other spectra, admittedly), and indeed, Bas de Soie is this damp, cold and colorful trace that stands against the sky on rainy days. Yet, it feels soft, too. It's powdery. It warms up on your skin. After several hours, it's a delicate silk shawl which is both discreet and enveloping.

Great longevity, quite a good projection.

"The iridescence of a dragonfly's wing." Wow. That's it. Hyacinth is among my very favorite floral fragrances in the world. It's the first sign of spring. It's the smell of my childhood, that laced with tulips and daffodils. It's a warm, clean, green scent with some honey and spice. Bas de Soie... what are you. Cold, metallic, iris with a pleasant powder (that says a lot coming from me). It's like a smooth stone. Completely not what I was imagining seeing the notes listed with hyacinth in the lead. It's not spring, it's green but a cold green. Smells like an art gallery. Like somewhere clean and air conditioned and full of beautiful people. The hyacinth is there somewhere, lacing through like the silk it's named after, weaving in and out to remind you of it's presence. It's a taunting hyacinth. The powdery note comes up higher and louder as it sits, but it's very pleasant. Very classy. You can imagine a lady powdering her face as she does her hair and slowly dresses herself. There is something spicy about it too, which sharpens the crisp blade as it snips through the soft floral. It feels the way your cool pillow does against your face after a humid hot summer day. It's so refreshing. So clean. So pure smelling. Virginal. It's wonderful, just almost makes an 8/10 which unfortunately rounds it to a 7.5. It's good. But it makes me think of children. Of something that hasn't been touched before. It's a strange clean scent. I seen a reviewer said it smelled like fresh cotton sheets, I can get those vibes too, but it's cold. And I don't feel a fondness towards cold cotton sheets forgotten in the wind. I want to love it though, because there is a hidden warmth about it. It's so taunting. Very interesting. Very unique.

Edit: It just keeps getting nicer! I really appreciate this scent. I will come back to it in the future. It might get a bump up in the scale for me. I have a feeling I won't be able to get it off my mind.

Edit edit (2022): Bought a bottle. I really love it. It's powdery, soft, extremely dainty and fem. Makes me feel like a lady. Darling.

Count me among the fans; it smells lovely on my skin from start to finish, and it lasts a long time. But I get virtually NO hyacinth at all, which is what I was seeking -- on me, this is all iris, iris, iris. Which, luckily, I like very much. It's a powdery iris, very soft. Really lovely -- but not a hyacinth. It happens that I have several pots of hyacinths in my house right now, scenting entire rooms, and Bas de Soie is not that smell.

Full disclosure - Serge Lutens' PR gave me a bottle of this before I went to interview him in 2011. At the time, it wasn't really my cup of tea. I passed it round at a girls night in, and people thought it smelled old-ladyish, a bit prim and dainty - no-one wanted a decant. But over time, I've come to love it. I adore the smell of hyacinths and long for them to flower throughout the winter, heralding spring. But it took me a while to pick up the iris in this fragrance (I thought for a long time I was anosmic to it until I trained my nose better). I mentioned to Serge that BdeS didn't smell the same way from one moment to the next and told me he wanted an instability between the accords, so that the fragrance veers between hyacinth and iris - one moment you smell one, the next you smell the other. I now find this fragrance very beautiful and comforting, and lovely to wear on a spring day when it's bright but cold and you're longing for warmth. It also lasts a long time, like most Lutens, and has a very soft buttery drydown without a trace of the house's characteristic cumin sweatiness. My practice is to give away half of all fragrances that come to me via my work (for good karma), but I'm now quite glad that no-one else liked it!

I thought i'd give this juice a go as it has two of my favourite smells in it , hyacinth and iris , not knowing what to expect really and really looking forward to the nose experience .
The bottle arrived today and to be honest to me it doesn't smell like a perfume to me it smells like a cottage garden in the spring , fresh green floral and not to sweet , it's amazing how close it is to the real thing ( probably makes no sense at all lol !!!!!) but highly recommend this stuff ,I know it's pricey but the quality is up with the best, love it !!!!!!

In math, a double negative makes a positive. Yet for foods and scents, sometimes a double positive can be a negative. I love cheese, and love cake; but despise cheesecake. Same with Bas de Soie. Big fan of Galbanum x Love Serge Lutens (esp Chergui & Fille en Aiguilles). The combination was a no-go.

Gave this a try both in summer and winter, to be certain. More so than the plastic-chlorine backdrop, the issue is strong orris. If you don't like iris, definitely skip it. This is what depression smells like.

Absolutely gorgeous! Divine hyacinth, and altogether a gorgeous, feminine, smooth, fresh yet creamy, and soft, delightful floral.

I love hyacinths, and this is very very easy to wear - not sharp or screechy at all.

It has a gorgeous rich and powdery dry-down, and also there is a nicely gentle spiciness to it.

I LOVE it!!!

This is it--my perfect hyacinth. I love hyacinths so much. They are fairly rare where I live, so when I encounter them in bloom, I absolutely have to stop and sniff. The actual flower smells green and spicy at the same time. Hyacinth perfumes can be really sharp. Piercing. Painful. Headache-inducing. But Bas de Soie is smooth and clean. Perfectly crisp, spicy, fresh and dewy but also contains a base that seems slightly soapy/musky.

As a reference point, Bas de Soie smells like a modern, simplified version of Chanel No.19 (specifically the EdT, one of my favorite Chanels ever), with it's powder/hyacinth/iris/galbanum combo--the exact combo that makes No.19 so special.

When I smell Bas de Soie, I am transported to a garden in London in the winter. The scent is like cold rain puddles building up in a flower bed.

From where I stand, this is one of those rare perfumes that has an ange-ou-demon complex. While it is clean, oddly sweet, and seems innocent enough, as it wears I start to feel it gives an aura of feminine sensuality that kind of makes one turn their head and say, "Wait a minute--I thought you were innocent?" It's subtle, but I am pretty sure this perfume has a poker face.

Perfumes such as Bas de Soie, ones that make me contemplate them deeply, are the ones I consider to be masterpieces. It was immediately full bottle worthy for me.

Bas de Soie was released in 2010 and its name means "Silk Stockings". Serge talks about a mass, with voices in a low tone, soft as silk. It doesn’t seem to me a memory of his life in Morocco, but of his childhood in France.

Serge defines the concept of this creation by saying: "A ritual, an image: slim fingers carefully slip the stocking up the leg, from ankle to thigh...The woman alone, scented with a blend of powdery iris and hyacinth, keeps our attention. The iridescence of a dragonfly's wing”.

Bas de Soie has notes of galbanum, hyacinth, spicy notes, Iris and musk. Compared to the other perfumes of the House, it comes to seem simple, in terms of olfactory pyramid. But make no mistake, because the fragrance is very good.
Right off the bat, we think of a super powdery fragrance, with that dry makeup smell from the iris, as became known in Dior Homme collection. But it is worth remembering that the same flower can present different nuances and it all depends on how it is crafted, including, according to the species chosen.

Bas de Soie was designed over the image of a woman wearing her socks but is far from being a feminine perfume. The output is floral and strong and, for some reason, makes me think of flowers of purple color, even though the smell is green. The galbanum gives a balsamic aspect and, fortunately, without bitterness, reinforcing the nuances of the hyacinth. The iris is slightly powdery and exudes more nuances of violets than earthy nuances. Finally, the musk arrives with its soapy facets and ends the evolution, which seems to follow the progress of the stockings on the legs.

I read many comparisons of this perfume with Chanel No. 19, but I don't agree with them. On my skin, the latter is greener and bitter, not counting that has numerous flowers in its composition, such as jasmine, narcissus, etc. However, I think it’s more elegant. Bas de Soie is more neutral, verging on unisex. If it's to compare with any other fragrance, I would say that after some hours on my skin, reminded me of Prada Amber Pour Homme, but with steroids.

The projection is very good and the lasting is satisfactory. In my opinion, Bas de Soie is a great perfume for those who do not give up on sophistication and search for a fragrance for every day and constant use.

this opens with dewy hyacinth and a watery musk type of thing, almost like a "china rain" feel but less sweet and more subtle. it smells like a rainy garden or a bit like a flower shop. the galbanum comes in and moderns it up. i tend to not like galbanum, so i'm not really feeling this stage, but that's ok. it does smell very cold and tickles the nose a bit with the hyacinth. i received this in a package of samples and it wasn't one i figured would be a favorite. it's not, but that's just because it's not my type of scent. it's not bad at all, just too cool and light for me :)

I wanted so much to like this fragrance - I generally love chilly iris scents and the reviews here, while polarized, were intriguing (perhaps all the more so because of the difference of opinion). Unfortunately, it just doesn't work for me. In fact, it's the only perfume I've ever had to scrub, since it turned my stomach a little.

The 'iciness' that some reviewers have referred to wasn't a problem - sometimes an air of aloofness is exactly what I'm looking for - but there was something a little screechy about this one that made me feel ill. I can see where the funereal/formaldehyde allusions come from. For me, however, it was more akin to the 'nails on a chalkboard' sensation or the slightly chalky, soapy taste of cilantro (yes, I'm one of those people!) that tightens the back of the jaw. Perhaps the hyacinth/galbanum combination was just too much for me.

I think those who compare it to No. 19 are on to something - they're different fragrances, of course, but the character is similar. Personally, I'll stick to the Chanel but those who seek to project that kind of aura might try this scent. I emphasize 'try' - it's not a typical Lutens so I definitely wouldn't buy it blind.

Lasting power and projection were good, in fact, too good - but isn't that always the way with scents we don't like?

July 2015 - Interesting frag. Top notes remind me of formaldehyde. Sweet but something of the biology lab about it.
Very subtle after the dry down. The hyacinth and musk are both present. I quite like BdS and am glad I was persuaded to try it.
January 2017 - update. After trying quite a few different Iris-based fragrances, this has become one of my favourites. So much so that I asked for a fb, as a Christmas present. Over the last year, I have learned to detect iris and I really like what I have found in BdS.

I contacted Serge Lutens directly because I see so much conflicting information about their perfumes being shared, for men, or for women. Guess what, they responded they are ALL shared…Every last one of them! Just as it should be. I am a man and I wear what I like. Even if a perfume is supposed to be for women once I decide to put it on it's then on a man so at that point it's also for men as far as I'm concerned.

I was drawn to Bas de Soi because I love both orris and hyacinth. I am still searching for the hyacinth soliflore of my dreams that smells just like the living flower because this is not it, although I do really like it. Combined with the orris and the green note of galbanum it produces its own unique pleasantly sweet, green floral with a background of musk and spices to add depth and warmth. This is a safe perfume, nothing risqué or that will take time to grow on you, you'll either like it from the first try or you won't. I just recently was sent some vintage Jovan Grass Oil from the 70's and was surprised at how much it has in common with Bas de Soie. Of course the galbanum green notes they both have in common as well as the sweet floral notes that are supposedly clover flowers in the case of Grass oil but as a perfumer I know that alpha, beta, and alpha methyl irones are doing most of the magic in both perfumes.

Don't mean to offend. I was so excited about trying this perfume based on the composition of the scents mentioned here. This scent is a good concept. But goes to show that a good concept doesn't make a good perfume. It smelled like a funeral home to me. So no. I won't be getting this one.

Not sure why I did not review this perfume the last time I wore it. Perhaps I was rendered speechless by its beauty? On ne sait jamais. Well, now that the vial is drained, I feel compelled to jot down a few words as a future reminder to myself that I do indeed appreciate this scent and would love to have a full bottle.

Of course, I love iris and hyacinth, so that did not hurt...

This is not my usual cup of tea at all a super floral scent for folks who love that sort of thing and you know what? To my surprise I can appreciate it too.
The opening is a naturally musky scent which is far too off putting for me but still screams quality. My mum often keeps hyacinths in her house when she has trouble with the drains, hoping the pungent smell will mask it but I think it just combines and makes it worse!
They always smell very 'wet' with a kinda bittersweet bouquet which is not entirely unpleasant but teetering on the brink.
There's a hefty dose of green notes in here too initially, supplied by the galbanum and that wetness and musky natural floral is both accentuated and balanced by the powdery iris.
The saving grace here is that the drydown is really good and works alright on my skin. I also sprayed some on a card and could smell it clearly, upto a week later.
I was surprised how much I actually liked it in the end but the opening and scents like this are just not my cup of tea.
If you're a lover of florals I think this is another excellent composition and well worth checking out.

Silky dandelion milk - slightly sweet and very cool. Elven. This perfume reminds me of something I can't locate from my memories - something from early childhood or maybe a dream. I'm going to treat myself to a bottle of this when my other green/greenish florals run out. I'd better hurry up, as I've wanted this for ages!

All the other Serge Lutenses I've tried were sweet, warm winter scents, that could generally best be described with the word "comforting". Bas de Soie is a big departure from that: it's quite cold, not at all sweet, and far from comforting in any conventional sense, but I really like this one as well.

The opening is a little bitter, as others have mentioned: it's a realistic, none-sweet flower (hyacinth?) combined with lots of galbanum and some spice. At this point it's quite cold, a bit metallic and almost harsh without quite getting there. I personally love galbanum so I don't mind this at all, in fact it might be my favourite phase, even though it's so far removed from the bright and often sweet scents I usually like.
After a while the galbanum disappears almost entirely to the background and what remains is a more mellow, softer version of that initial cold sharpness, with more focus on the flowers. Very nice, elegant and grown-up; I think the name is quite fitting. It could be worn in all seasons, but it's probably at its best in winter and early spring, those hopeless, cold, stark months. Not because it compensates for those characteristics in any way, like most winter perfumes do with their heavy sweetness, but just because it accentuates their difficult beauty.

First off hyacinth, then powder, then iris and hyacinth combining smoothly to give the most wonderful, well-blended scent. The hyacinth is very restrained though, not at all harsh. It’s perhaps a little melancholy but really, really lovely. Also the first iris scent I’ve tried where I feel truly at home. The spice is barely there, but the scent is long-lasting - excellent! Good value! It’s dry too, I love powder scents so I’m very happy with this. I’d love my lingerie drawer to smell of this. Very definitely a mature and reflective scent. I’d buy this tomorrow if I could. - Christopher Sheldrake has done it again - 10/10.

Another strange one from the Lutens range..

I think I prefer Lutens in rich oriental or floral absolute perfume mode - i.e. Feminite du Bois, A La Nuit, Chergui, La Fille de Berlin and Santal Majascule.

It's all personal taste, but I find Bas de Soie oddly eggy. Is that just me? There's a sulphurous note that reminds me of the residue left behind after cleaning a plate that's had scrambled egg on it. Some kind of protein-like residue

This must be some form of musk, because I detect it in smaller amounts in Parfum Sacre by Caron, and Seville a L'aube by L'artisan

I like the woody/floral tones, but this eggy note lingers for me

I'm interested in all the Serge Lutens perfumes, since they often explore new territory, so again it's just down to what you like ultimately

I can't believe I never reviewed one of my favourite perfumes before!

I guess having my 10 year old daughter secretly spraying it on herself, and then commenting on how it smells like Maman, and how beautiful the scent is, made me pause. I said to her: "this is a bitter and difficult perfume to like; it's not fruity, nor floral, nor sweet. What do you like about it?" She said:" it actually smells sweet to me. It is just beautiful and I know I don't have kids' taste".

Ok. Maybe what she likes is the smell of of Maman. But still, even then, BdS is a stretch for most children.

So now, I feel compelled to write a review: BdS is one of my favourite fragrances.

I am odd that way: I like über bitter fragrances and I guess a combination of galbanum, hyacinth (bluebell) and iris is my dream come true. The slightly rooty, yet somewhat powdery and sweet bitterness makes me swoon. It does warm up on the skin, and looses the first shock of full frontal metallic and bitter assault, but it never becomes a warm, embracing perfume.

In this respect, it reminds me of Mitsouko -- minus the peach and the dry woody/mossy smell. I know these two are not the same, but somehow, they strike the same olfactory chord.

BdS always retains its aloof, sophisticated and intellectual allure... I see a beautiful and composed woman serenely writing with an ink pen in a library full of musty books.

This is a love or hate affair. My daughter and I happen to love it.

Fresh spring fragrance. Strong yet modest floral hyacynth and iris. Well composed.

A good non offensive fragrance for work that stays with you through the day

Bas de Soie smells like powdery, musty floral. You can definitely smell hyacinth & iris in it. It gets more metallic green towards the dry-down.

This is a bit serious, no fun fragrance, a bit deep and bitter. I hate to say this, but it associates to me with something old.

I love iris fragrances but this is not one of them.

I really like this! I was a little nervous about testing as I had read that hyacinth can be a difficult note and I worried that hyacinth + galbanum + musk might be too much. But I have been trying to sample all different types of iris scents recently, having recently fallen for iris in a big way. Then the other week I tried on E.Coudray Jacinthe and Rose and was surprised to really love it, and I adore Heeley's L'Amandiere so I went ahead and gave this a try.

The opening is quite bitter, I guess from the galbanum and hyacinth but within a few minutes the more bitter note subsides and the hyacinth comes through more strongly. I enjoy this it feels very lush with just a hint of bite remaining. It really feels like pushing your nose against a hyacinth bloom, it has a moist, lush damp feeling (does that make sense?Looks awful written down, I mean it in a good way!). About an hour or so in the galbanum seems to take its leave almost entirely leaving just a hint, and the iris and musk come fore. I really like this, it smells very unlike anything else I have tried. I don't really get the silk stockings thing in honesty. Although I guess I could imagine an aged pathe video reel of a woman sat at her vanity putting on her stockings, and she could quite feasibly be wearing this scent...I'm being taken in my marketing again aren't I?!

Anyway, I like this. My husband dislikes the opening, finding it "acrid and bitter", but he thinks the heart and drydown are pleasant. In fact, he told me this afternoon that I smelled like "bluebells, chocolates and coffee grounds"!

Decent projection of about 4-5 feet, excellent longevity for me of around 7-8 hours, it may have gone on longer but I resprayed at this point!

Bleak day, late fall. The sky is too jaded to don any color, stuck somewhere between pale blue and gray. The trees are empty, breathing fog, cold and moist.

Cold silk over young skin. Her body lotion and icy, faint perspiration transferred to it over the past couple of hours. It's going to rain soon. If only.

Vision of spring: intensely blue filed of hyacinths, with thick, milky, poisonous petals and leaves.

Austere and lovely. Powdery and metallic. Earthy and heavenly. Contrasts and harmony. Intriguing.
Not wearable for everyday, but I love to have it in my collection.

It is amazing how noses and tastes differ. This is a love at first sight for me. I must confess that I do love green scents and this is very very green indeed. Earthy, dry, not a hint of sweetness to be sensed. This is roots, earth, leaves, the whole damp dark garden. Not a blossom in sight. I agree that it may come across as cold, austere, especially in the first hour or so. As time goes by it warms up on my skin and is less stringent. I disagree with the reviews that say sillage is minimal. I think it radiates quite nicely.

I had tried other serge luten fragrances before and none of them really wowed me. This one has. There really is a serge lutens fragrance for everyone.

I have a mini Bas de Soie and it's not something I reach for very often, actually this might be the first time I'm testing it so liberally and purposefully. It has this strange greenhouse aura, like a florist shop/greenhouse I have nearby. I just visited it a few days before Christmas to buy the traditional hyacinth to my uncle and at first it reminds me of the winter florist smells; in Finland that mostly means hyacinth and maybe some general green stems from tulips and the like all wrapped ip in moist, balmy steam in comparison to outside darkness and coldness. Bas de Soie is a moist, almost wet scent but definitely not aquatic or cool. I guess fairies would smell like this, pearly gossamer wings backdropped with green moist moss and the eerily silent, dripping, bare branches. Beautiful and delicate but scary as hell.

Carnal and nostalgic. A remarkable,original milky,sensual hyacinth. Kinky,skanky. A modern private scent.

It took me a while to appreciate this fragrance. I loved the top notes but then hated the drydown. I always give fragrances a few tries before I put them in the "no way" pile. I'm glad that I was persistent with this perfume because I love it now and my nose has become accustomed to the powdery dry down. It is one of my favourite Lutens and I have many including, Feminite Du Bois, Daim Blonde and of course 5 o'clock au Gingembre and La Fille de Berlin.
I often mix Bas de Soie with Vitriol d'oeillet for a more stronger flowery scent - I find on my skin that these two Luten's fragrances really compliment each other and I have received numerous compliments.

"Bas de Soie" is not a pleasant floral perfume, I clearly see why so many have pressed the "dislike" button. Hyacinth it self is a hard flower, I never understood why people like it - not the looks, nor the scent of them have ever appealed to me.

Even though many have said that this is a cold fragrance, "Bas de Soie" to me smells very warm, it also has a very distinctive fecal and blood note which makes the composition unbearable for me.
As it sits fairly close to skin I did not scrub off so I was rewarded with a beautiful drydown - sweet and clean musk with very natural hyacinth in nice moderation. It's like entering a clean bedroom with fresh sheets and hyacinth flowers on top of them.

"Bas de Soie" lasted around 6 hours on my skin. I would call this a perfume for the brave as you do have to suffer trough the first 4 hours before having something actually nice on your skin.

I dont smell anything metallic.....there is a green earthy scent, and then something animalic.... its great ! It is very French though. So if you want easy to wear perfumes, this is not for you. This is for an edgy woman. I am a fashionable lawyer and I love it.

I've been meaning to do this one for ages. A student got us all doing Myers Briggs personality tests the other week, and it got me thinking, when we love like and dislike, fragrances start to seem like people. If so, Bas de Soie is my nemesis. Masquerading as a perfume, this is more sly than Secretions, because at least with that you know what you're getting (see picture on bottle). Bas is secretions with Hiris on top. A horrible wolf in sheep's clothing. I've said it before, "There's something about Mary"... and Mary's hair is the smell of Bas de Soie. Cruelly sprayed on me by smelling_gr8 in Nero's in House of Fraser. Traumatised ever since (you know I still love you sweetpea).

A scent I sprayed liberally from a generous sample received from the Palais Royale boutique during a trip to France now virtually takes me back to those cobblestone pathways, Rue de St. Germain and underground Metros at one sniff.

Bas de Soie is a steely buttery iris amidst a few drops of galbanum with pale hyacinth petals as delicate as cobwebs, chilling but comfortable, like slipping into soft grey silk sheets on a cold night by yourself.

To me, this is the essence of Parisian streets in the wintertime how could I resist? :)

I don't detect any of the metallic and the Orris is very powdery on me. That coupled with the galbanum makes it a perfect dry, cool summer scent - as though I were oblivious to the heatwaves in Italy and I never ever sweat. Unfortunately, my 4-year-old daughter says it's headache inducing to her: she's a straightforward citrus gal. So I can only wear it when she's not around.

A beautiful green floral with explosive sillage and incredible longevity.
When smelt from a distance, it is crisp, green, earthy and refreshing.
When smelt up close, you get a dizzyingly metallic vibe to it.

I spilt 2-3ml that day because I failed to screw the cap on properly. Now my entire warddrobe smells like bais de soie. That's how strong it is.

A galbanum heavy chypre with lovely iris incense and a soft velvety hyacinth. Lovely, light, green. Sample before buying, though: It's a cool, dark green that won't agree with everyone

Very nice scent of hyacinth and iris, a bit startling at first but pleasant nevertheless. However, it was the drydown that amazed me. It was so reminiscent of Bond No. 9 Chinatown, I was sure that my child's therapist who came to our house is wearing Chinatown. When she said no, I thought my son got into my perfumes yet again and sprayed Chinatown. This was not the case and that is when I realized it was Bas de Soie that I sprayed the night before! I know that the notes are totally different, that is why I am amazed! This is not a love but close enough.

Bas de soie seems to be a cold very green iris with a plastic/synthetic touch that literally reminds me of nylon stockings (the English translation of bas de soie). There is something that creates a social barrier and makes a woman "intouchable" (do not touch me).It has the spirit of Chanel number 19 in an even colder version without any flowers other than iris and hyacinth and much less galbanum. If you love discet green scents and iris and hate gourmand perfums this is what you should try. It is basically a skin scent that does not radiate farer than an inch but last more than 5 hours. It makes a very elegant impression of the first hyacints pearcing the snow under a crisp morning sun.

Bas de Soie perfectly embodies a society woman of past decades with a perfectly coiffed, classy poodle-cut hairdo. It is elegant, powdery, floral, and sharp. Somewhat bitchy and defintely no-nonsense.

The woman I imagine wearing this perfume is in front of her vanity pulling on her stockings for a night out with her husband, and her kids are making too much noise. All she has to do is give them "that look" and they instantly quiet down. I like this, but I don't want to wear it.

This was applied from a sample dauber tube, not sprayed. At first I smelled the hyacinth, all of the plant, as if someone had pulled it up by its roots and then lopped off the top and stuck it under my nose. After thirty minutes I am getting a softer hyacinth with iris peeking out from underneath. And now the musk is starting to show up, but the green is still there.

This is a soft, powdery scent with a warm base. A stunner. I will definitely wear this again.

Update: I used this again today and can still smell it after five hours. It is now a delicate musk with a spicy overtone. very long lasting, although more of a skin scent at this point. A full bottle of this may be in my future.

I am a big fun of Mr Lutens but this one, I can't even smell it. It's very metallic, almost acid in the opening and then all I get is something aloof and empty. I will come back to it as soon as I overcome the initial shock.

Serge Lutens représente pour moi le luxe à la française.
Sobre. Raffiné. Chic. Confidentiel.

Forcément j'adore.

I agree with scorpiosheep. This one is innocent and yet "bad" in a good way at the same time. I don't get the coldness that others speak of at all, but then I do love both iris and hyacinth. I think this is more Lutens/Sheldrake genius. Take a lovely floral, make it a tiny bit shrill, and then add something indescribable and animalic that makes you sniff twice and go "whoa,what was that, hmm."

This is not a scent that you "love" at first sniff. This is at once an animalic "feel it' and an intellectual "analyze this" scent to my nose. I have ended up really admiring it and enjoying wearing it, but you need to spend some time with this one.

Wow, way too much hyacinth in this one. The name makes you think of something pretty and delicate, but this really isn't that.
Bas de Soie opens with a super strong hyacinth note. This is the flower, dripping from rain and having been uprooted - so included is the smell of root and wet earth. It smells like a garden, but like, really, like your garden. Not some idyllic dreamy idea of a lovely flower garden. I find it fairly linear, though the hyacinth does lose the earthiness once it settles a bit, but it's strong floral smell maintains. A hint of woody iris and spice appear in the dry-down. When you smell this from afar it's really quite nice, so the sillage is great, but up close it's too overpowering for me, like a killer white floral.
That being said, if you like hyacinth, you will really like this one and I think anyone who is into white florals like Amarige will too. It truly smells like hyacinth and its certainly a note that isn't the feature too often, for which Serge Lutens does get some kudos here.

Fanny wrote: "A pale flower that is unapproachable and lives for itself". Similarly said! I use it when I want to be separated from all that when I want to be lonely in a crowd.

I still don't know whether I like it, but I have never met a perfume that merged with me the way this does. It didn't smell like vintage talc so much as feel like it: it evoked cool fresh cotton sheets on just-shaved legs on a cool evening after a warm day, and it evoked it so strongly that I just curled up in bed and basked. It's very sensual but not in the conventional voluptuous way, more a calm languid awareness of one's own body.

I was surprised to react so strongly to it, since I would never have thought to try this had it not been one of precisely two SL samples in the shop I was in. Perfume's weird like that sometimes, thankfully.

Aloof and dignified.
A pale flower that is unapproachable and lives for itself.
The opening briefly reminds me of some of the classic chypre flower scents, but BdS has almost no colour which I actually like.
An abstract canvas in black and white, like a Mondrian, clean and perfect.

Sillage: extremely minimal
Silkyness: extremely soft
Longevity: one hour

But. Have Galbanum or labdanum inside no?

It is, indeed, as other have said a very cold, almost metallic, opening. I can't say green as I immediately got the iris - but definitely not your run of the mill rounded powdery iris perfume. I was wondering if the hyacinth's inject the coldness here or the offbeatness to the powdery iris - I can smell the distinct hyacinth's there sitting in the background and I am trying to identify other notes here - yes, there is a whiff of mint but I am wondering if it is mint or other notes that are unwritten as my nose picks up mint quite easily and I am finding these notes hard to identify - maybe there is even a coriander leafiness going on as I do get a slight whiff of body odour! Some musk way back there as well - slight but there which seems to give this an almost animalistic scent (I was even wondering if civit was involved here?) - there could also be a skanky rose in here as well......!!!!!

I bought this as Serge said it was sensual, powdery and feminine. I'm disagreeing on the feminine as it has a masculine edge to it in my opinion! I have this on one wrist and La Senza's Undiscovered on the other. now, the oddest thing is that there are actually alike in the way they sit on my skin except that Undiscovered is in a word 'commercial' (sweet and rounded) whereby BDS isn't - it is (like most of Serge's fragrances) slightly offbeat and unrecognisable except to someone who knows his perfumes!

This is an 'edgy' iris - an unusual iris but one to wear if you don't favour the 'powdery sameness' of other iris-based fragrances! It is quite unique and quite a work of perfumery art a la Sheldrake! As I mentioned don't overlook this if you are a bloke and into Serge's perfumes as you might be very surprised how it works on you! For the run of the mill iris users I do think this is a case of try before you buy just to see how it sits on you!

@ Aur-ha-kadosh below :
Yes, we are all (or most of us are at least) well aware that it's not the flowers of Iris but the tubers that are used in perfumery. But surely you can work it out for yourself, that when we mention the "smell of irises" we actually mean the scent of the tubers of orris. Which incidentally DO actually have a scent of their own. (Even somewhat "floral" in nature despite not originating from the blooms).

Sorry, this is a cold, gray metallic mess, scraping up against another cold gray, metalic mess creating a high pitched shrieking, soulless scream. Just run away.

The strategy of seeding the recognizable with just enough menace to haunt without causing panic is a classic approach in perfumery. The indole enhances the cleanliness of the white floral. A bit of civet cuts amber’s sweetness and gives it some shadow. In Bas de Soie, the iris doesn’t start with much of a carrot seed note, but it winds up there and takes on a bit of that gorgeous papery iris scent in Chanel 19 (edt especially.) The hyacinth starts pretty, grows more muscular, and then actually gives a hint of the metallic seaport of Secretions Magnifique.

I don’t find BdS the simple, linear functional scent that others appear to deride. It is coherent, and although not as outré as some of the SL icons, it doesn’t hide its seamy side.

Bas de Soie is a crispy,powder iris scent. It starts kind of harsh and quite woody/spicy to my nose. When the woody sensation disappears,you can only smell iris,powdery,deep and soft iris. Bas de Soie instantly reminded me of Hiris by Hermes,although Bas de Soie is more linear and soft.This is not an aggressive iris,maybe a bit when it opens but it lingeries to an airy iris. Very appropriate to those who love powdery iris. It has also good lasting power and medium sillage.

I'm in love with some Lutens scents, but not this one. This doesn't match to my body chemistry. Besides I could not detect the Iris note. The opening was green and spicy, but right after couple of moments it turned to an awful raw eggs, fishery skanky smell on me. I thought this was only some bad reaction that would not last and tried to ignore the annoying smell and focus on my work. Bad, bad mistake, this one has a powerful staying power, so that not only me, but also my laptop stunk! I had to wash my wrists several times and still felt like vomit. Thanks God I had a sample from YR Iris Noir, that I applied to my wrists (here I can clearly detect the Iris, right from the beginning, it's pleasant and it costs much much less).

I second to the first reviewer. This perfume almost identical with ELdO Secretion Magnifique in the top note. Glad to know that my nose is still normal. :)

This fragrance is so linear and smell like a rich strange flowery note to me (btw, I haven't sniff a real iris flower). I thought SL BdS is going to be cheerful floral scent, but it's not. Those who wear this, probably have a mysterious and mature attitude. Not for the teenagers, for sure.

A very contradictory perfume. At first spritz I smelt a lot of green--something like watercress and flat-leaved parsley. This became a sort of mint, very fresh mint leaves, overlayed on the sweet high note of Iris. I kept sniffing and that mint remained--it is actually still detectable on my sleeve the next day. Then a spiciness: carnation and clove. And finally, very strangely, just as scorpiosheep said, a whiff of stale cigarette.

This is how I picture it: An elegant woman is sitting in the bar of a Grand Hotel. The wool jacket of her suit is hanging on her chair back. Her blouse is satin. She is smoking, sipping a vermouth, and wearing Chanel No. 19. She stubs out her cigarette, grabs her jacket, and excuses herself to go to the ladies' room. While there she carefully reapplies her lipstick and pops a stick of spearmint gum in her mouth.

I tested "Bas de Soie" just before a travel by train. I took place next to an older nun and my smell was perfect for the situation: fresh like white lilac, innocent, even a bit... catholic! "Virgin Mary" would be a better name for it than "Silk Stocking" :) And it lasts very long, with devotion!

I agree with reviewers that say that this is not a typical Serge Lutens fragrance. If I was blind guessing, Id say it smells more someting from Annick Goutal (and her Ninfeo Mio just to name one off the top of my head). It's quite grassy and powdery, very, very green. Makes me think of fresh cut grass and crystal clear water, with a sprinkle of powder on the top of it.

For me it is not metallic, but crips, slightly sharp, and makes me feel of a Japanese garden- geometric, elegant, serious. Occasionally it can come out a bit too harsh for me, and a bit to wild on the green side.

The opening notes to Bas de Soie are an eye-popping icy cold metal reacting with poached fish! Luckily, the fishy smell disappears. But the metallic part remains with a bit of static electricity. There is something very cold and distant about this smell. I can envision wearing Bas de Soie if I lived in a home made primarily of metals, gray colors and not a cushion in sight!

this scent makes me sick, after an opening very harsh and medicinal ( but in the bad meaning of this word ) it becomes dizzy and like poisonous thing, it smells like old cosmetics became dangerous to use, i want to vomit after 5 minutes, can't stand it !

Somewhere in the same category with Penhaligons Bluebell, but without the fecal note. Deeper and darker, more purple somehow, if that makes sense to the ones using color for reference ;)
Really liked it, even if I am not into florals. Beautiful :)

I received a sample of this fragrance and really like it. It's a bit mysterious; a walk through a forest on a fall day. It also reminds me of the library and art galleries; of people noticing this fragrance on you, but keeping silent. Like admiring a beautiful piece of art.

Bas de Soie was one of ten samples I recently recieved, and immediately jumped out as a potential favorite.

"Smooth as marble!" I told myself. I know this is described in blogs as 'cold and metallic,' and I"m not going to disagree with that, but it is also so much more: perfection.

Some are comparing this to 28 La Pausa and Chanel 19; for me no to both.On my skin this is more energetic, pure and intense. Strong iris (which smells like a snapped green bean) is usually too much for me, but when blended with hyacinth (which I love in Chamade), it's plain pretty.

(Fragrantica is leaving out galbanum, musk and spicy notes, which are also included.)

You'll also detect 'hard minerals' here, so yes, that would be the metallic aspect. To me this is an 'active scent', makes you want to move, be creative, smile.

This will absolutely come down to chemistry. The type of folks who might like this probably have some hard core greens on their shelf. This is not a dark floral mix at all, it is cutting and brisk. On me it is a perfect match, and is what I might order if I ever paid for a private scent.

I find this a little bit skanky, almost like Etat Libre d'Oranges "Secretions Magnifiques". It lacks SMs metallic secretion-ness, but that is only a good thing!