Lanvin
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The aldehydes detonate first, crackling with an almost soapy brightness that immediately positions the lily of the valley and honeysuckle in sharp relief. Bergamot and neroli flutter across like pale sunlight through sheer curtains, whilst peach offers a barely perceptible stone-fruit sweetness that softens without sweetening.
The white florals converge into something resembling a fresh flower arrangement—jasmine and camellia dominate, underpinned by a subtle powdery iris and the faint spiced warmth of coriander. Ylang ylang emerges quietly at the margins, adding creamy depth to what might otherwise feel entirely abstract and colourless.
Benzoin and amber attempt to anchor what's rapidly dissipating, introducing honeyed warmth that feels somewhat incongruous with the fragrance's delicate structure. Sandalwood, vetiver, and a whisper of patchouli create a barely-there woody skeleton, whilst vanilla and musk try unsuccessfully to extend projection. What remains is predominantly powdery and faint—a ghost of the opening, more memory than presence.
Arpège represents a peculiar moment in fragrance history—a 1993 reinterpretation of Lanvin's 1927 classic that simultaneously honours and undermines its predecessor. Hubert Fraysse's reformulation is a gossamer-thin floral that prioritises luminosity over depth, constructed almost entirely from aldehydes and white flowers that refuse to settle into anything resembling earthiness.
The composition reads like an attempt to capture the ephemeral quality of cut lilies moments after they've been arranged in water. Aldehydes crackle across the opening with an almost brittle quality, immediately positioning honeysuckle and lily of the valley in sharp focus—these two notes create an interplay of honeyed sweetness against green, slightly soapy undertones that feels distinctly bouquet-like rather than perfumed. Bergamot and neroli provide citric scaffolding, though they're oddly restrained for opening notes, serving more as atmospheric detail than structural support.
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4.2/5 (347)