Etat Libre d'Orange

Perfume is art. How to define art isn´t easy, but in my opinion one of art´s tasks is to touch, wake, stir up or provoke feelings and emotions. Since the olfactory sense is so strongly connected to the sense of feelings and memories it wouldn´t be such a hard task one can think. But still, most perfumes and perfumers play it safe and create beautiful perfumes that wont provoke a single soul (ecept maybe, for some poor allergic people).

Mainstream, but even niche and indie-perfumes often strive to create perfumes that make us feel happy, comfortable, sensual, energetic, relaxed and maybe sexy. Still, the olfactory sense is so individual that even the most cherful, light and easy scent could touch a spot of sadness, sorrow or loneliness in us, without that we maybe even don´t know why.

The smell of Swedish gingerbread can wake such emotions at me, even tough that is one of the top Christmas smells in Sweden. Every year when making gingerbread with my kids I am happy, but at the same time a little sad, since my aunt died in a car crash when I was small.

The day after her death, me and my mother stayed at home, baking... ginger breads... It was the worst time ever, making christmas cakes. Well, mainstream perfumes wake such emotions not on purpose, but on mistake. 

The Etat Libre d'Orange line of perfumes strives to wake emotions, not by accident, but by purpose. And they have succeed, not many perfume brands provoke such reactions as Etat Libre d'Orange, even people never smelled any of their perfumes have opinions about them. And not only opinions about the smell of the perfumes, but also about how they are designed, the drawings on the boxes, the names and the descriptions of the perfumes.

Perfumes is often seen as a part of fine art, classic style and good taste, Etat Libre d'Orange manage to challenge that, and it isn´t so hard to understand why Etat Libre d'Orange´s slogan is "Perfume is dead, long live perfume!".

For me Etat Libre d'Orange is the punkrocker, the anarchist, the post-modernist and the subversive element in contemporary perfumery. Or at least that is, what I think they want to be. And for me that is something challenging, ironic, fun and appealing, but for others it may be the opposite.  

Even tough Etat Libre d'Orange was one of the first brands that get my attention as a newbie-perfumista, I hadn´t until recently tried many of their perfumes, just a few. Would they really been able to live up to the expectations? Are they as provocative as they pretend?  

 

Well, both yes and no. I find almost any of their perfumes modern, very well put together and real pieces of good perfumery. Some of them are so provocative, even to me, I hesitate to wear them straight on my skin, I prefer smelling them safe at first, and use my brave husband as a guinea pig (he doesn´t have as good sense of smell as I have either). There have been a lot of reactions concerning Etat Libre d'Orange Secretions Magnifique, with it´s weird connotion of notes that should remind of coitus and it´s climax and containing notes of adrenalin. Well, it wasn´t that bad or horrid, at first it smelled kind of good, but after a while the smell remind me of wet dog.
 

My husband tough, liked it all way trough, maybe there is something in that adrenalin-note making him feel comfy? I find Secretions Magnifique totally different from anything else I´ve encountered in perfume, so strange, but still wearable with the right chemistry and mind.  

My "worst, or most extreme, experience among the line was actually Rien, as perfume said to be sexy, close to skin and almost so discrete that you will think you don´t wear perfume. Well, on me it was anything but discrete. This provoke emotions and physical reactions on me. Something in it manage to touch an anxiety spot in me!

I have to go and wash it of at once. The other one able to make me back off, really far away preferable, was Vierges et Toreos. The note of blood in it dominated so totally over any other notes, it make me want to run away from myself.

Again, my husband liked it and my middledaughter loved it! So it´s really a thing between you, the perfume and your memories and olfactory sence. No one can accuse Etat Libre d'Orange  for not waking emotions anyway! That task is by far accomplished.
But do they have any pleasant perfumes then? Oh, yes. But never pleasant in an easy going way. They are filled with complexity, questions and make my imagination go really wild. 
 

One of my favourites is Putain des Palaces, a feminine, powdery and easy perfume. It is reminding me of soft and toned down turkish delight, pretty violets and a lady´s dressing table with boxes of powder, perfume bottles and make-up. It is soft as old underwear in salmon pink satin, but also very sexy, no not just sexy, erotic, animalic.

Beneath the pretty, powdery surface it is steaming with animalic, I think, even forbidden lust. It´s longlasting, with nice sillage and I feel like such a naughty, naughty grrrrl when I wear it. For me, this is powdery perfection but at the same time as hard on animalic as for instant the most well-known musc perfumes are.
 

Another pleasant, yet interesting creation, is Divin'Enfant. Start out so innocent with the softest florals, like a small, pretty baby in the cradle. When the heart notes joines with sweet caramell and also some easy earthy notes I can imagine that the bay starts getting bigger and bigger and bigger... The perfume ends with really mature, grown up notes of earthy, masculin patchouli. The small child has grown up to a sexy, magnetic and confident man. Still the smell of floral and candie moves in the background, making it an edgy unisex perfume, but it would easily frighten off ladies that prefer to smell all together feminine. To follow Divin'Enfant trough the different stages is very exciting, a real olfactory trip! 
 

No fight between child and adult in Delicious Closet Queen, but a fight between male and female. This is a tribute to the transevestite´s hiding in the closet.

On me it starts out very feminine, floral and easy, but soon the more male notes come and play. Confusing, funny and a challenge to wear no matter if you´re a man or a women. A chameleon, are there such thing as a male perfume? Is this perfume to masculin for a women or is it to feminine for a man? Only you, can be the judge of that.  

Tom of Finland was one of the world´s most famous homo-erotic artists, and the perfume with his name is without doubt masculine. Still it is masculin in a playful and easy way, yet strong and powerful.

I really like Tom of Finland on my husband, notes of leather, vetiver and musc are so pleasant. It is one of that kind of male perfumes making me to be attached to my husband for hours. Really comfy, safe and also sexy. I think this is my husbands favourite among Etat Libre d'Orange´s perfumes, mine to, on him.  
 

Another celebrity with her own perfume by  Etat Libre d'Orange is the Spanish actress Rossy De Palma. Her perfumes is filled with roses, but also spicy and with a touch of cocoa wich make it a slightly gouramd rose perfume.

Exactly the kind of rose perfumes I like the most. Not taking the rose to serious, but rather making a interpretion then a copy. Rossy De Palma is a dark red rose, surrounded by aromatic spices.  

Charogne is also a rose perfume by Etat Libre d'Orange, but this is more roses, jasmine and some rubbery notes that I really like in this kind of perfume. It starts of with a strong tutti-frutti note, but adter that it´s all about quirky floral rubber, and that make this so totally different and yet, very pleasant to wear.

This isn´t subdued rubber, this is real rubber, shiny, tight and adorable. And you don´t have to be a rubber fetischist to find this perfume sexy, there is also a gorgeus animalic dry down waiting for you in the end. Cozy, sweet and totally odd, in the best possible way.
 

If Tom of Finland is my husband´s favourit, Eloge du Traitre isn´t far behind, this is also leathery goodness. Eloge du Traitre wears closer to skin, and is a little more discrete, but also, I find it to be a little more complex. It´s a perfume for all the traitor´s out there, and since betrayal isn´t easy I think it´s obvious that a perfume for traitors are complex.

The safety and cozyness in Tom of Finland, isn´t around anymore. The guy that wears this perfume, like to make people around him feeling a bit insecure. Eloge du Traitre is truly ironic and modern. You feel like a fly in the spiders web, when your man wears this. Cool. 

Jasmine and Cigarettes is really what it´s say. Gorgeus, soft and very true jasmine blended with relaxed smokey notes. Even tough it may sound a little weird, it is working very well. It´s comfy, cool and makes me think of ever changing shades of white smoke. Longlasting, pretty and very feminine. 

Even more weird I think Incense and Bubbelgum is, and it is also filled with conflicts. There isn´t any doubt about this scent being filled with the notes of big, pink bursting bubblegum bubbles and churchy, holy incense together, I find it fun and interesting at the same time, but also challenging.

To be honest, the days I want to go around and smell like incense and bubbelgum at the same time is that many. I imagine this would be perfect on a catholic school girl, perfect and kind of naughty. I guess that´s the point. 

Vraie Blond (Natural Blond) is about being a real blonde, and I am certainly not even tough I am Swedish. Vraie Blond is a bubbly perfume makes me think about red carpet premieres, high heels, fine champagne and pearl necklaces. Classy, elegant and suitable for the Grace Kelly-kind of blondes. A perfume for the Nobel Festivities in Stockholm or the gorgeus New Years Eve Party, beneath the classy surface there is hiding some dirty, hard to spot, elements.  

To test Etat Libre d'Orange´s perfumes is a true pleasure, but also a challenge, surprises but also olfactory fears awaiting behind every corner. Before trying, you don´t know wich is wich, after trying... well, you still not sure... or? Did you know they´ve got a new perfume also? Fat Electrician, notes of vetiver, loive leaves, vanilla, opoponax and myrrh sounds very promising, hope to get the posibilty to try this one to as soon as possible.  

Etienne de Swardt is the brain behind Etat Libre d'Orange, and I am pleased to get to know him through the perfumes of the brand. I consider him to be a predecessor in perfumery, a revolutionary and a man with vivid, and also dubious, imagination. You can hate or love what he is trying to do, but it would be difficult to remain unaffected. One thing for sure, if you stick you´re chin out you can be sure to get some punches. Maybe, that whats the guys at Etat Libre d'Orange likes?

Please visit the online boutique of Etat Libre d'Orange

All images are from the official site of Etat Libre d'Orange

Author: Annelie Högild (rebella)
Fragrantica Member