Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist

Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist - Rumor has it that during the making of Iris Silver Mist, Serge Lutens kept telling Roucel that he didn't have enough iris (pallida) in the fragrance, put more in, until Roucel dumped every iris compound he could find in it, took it back, and Serge pronounced it perfect, and that became Iris Silver Mist. This is the pinnacle of iris. Remember, iris is not the flower, it is the root, and it tends to smell a little carotty at the top. Iris Silver Mist has that charming little spice note, possibly clove,  that you don't notice for a while until that blast of iris starts clearing out, and then you smell it, flitting along like a little butterfly in this Iris-zilla. This fragrance was created by Maurice Roucel, one of maybe two Serge Lutens fragrances that were not created by Chrisopher Sheldrake. Iris Silver Mist is in the Floral Woody Musk fragrance group. 

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Reviews of Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist

Theperfumedcourt - 5 stars - 11/15/2013 6:55:46 PM
I love this scent, it is a fragrance that makes me feel feminine and makes my lover swoon. Definately not overpowering, put on before making love.

from kafkaesque - "The "most sinister iris imaginable" - or perhaps, the most futuristic one. Iris Silver Mist opens on my skin as cold as iced vodka. The perfume actually has some of the drink's same, lightly alcoholic, clear aroma when it is a thick, syrupy, frozen liquid, though it doesn't smell like pure alcohol per se. The smell is simultaneously a little bit metallic in its nuances, artificial, synthetic, misty, and faintly powdery.  Front and center, however, is iris' most frequent characteristic: the scent of boiled carrots. The note has a strong undertone that is both watery and sweet at the same time. At times, it almost seems accompanied by the aroma of rooty turnips, as well. The accord is ensconced and cocooned by the earthy, green nuances of the galbanum. Frequently, galbanum can be sharply pungent, almost bitter, and abrasively green. Here, however, it merely feels like very damp, dark, loamy soil that is infused with a soft, watery, floral sweetness. It's delicate, and very lovely. The whole combination is lightly dusted by powder which adds to the silvery whiteness of the visuals."

Fragrantica - ris Silver Mist is the iris to beat all irises. Iris is my favourite note in perfumery, and I have never smelled a perfume like this one. A top-notch soliflore, it is multifaceted in its beauty: powdery, steely, shimmering, melancholic, buttery, rooty and hazy. I managed to find a decant online, and I'm in love - ISM opens with vegetal, rooty orris, carrot-like as other reviewers have said, very smooth and buttery, but intense - a dark, grey cloud. It tapers off as it develops, becoming more floral - powdery with a slight shimmer. Galbanum gives a beautiful, hazy green undertone, subtly enhancing the floral aspect of the iris.  There is a soft woodiness as it dries down, again complementing the soft, powdery iris to perfection. There is a lovely earthiness too that emerges at the later stages, enhancing the rooty aspect of the orris. As it fades to a skin scent, some slightly animalic musk emerges, but it remains iris-dominant until final fade. Sillage and longevity are moderate.

Fragrantica - Bearded Irises of all types are now in bloom and they are in gardens everywhere in New England. These are the flowers from which orris is derived, within their rhizomes. These rhizomes must be dried for two years before converted to a butter or absolute, and the powder has this beguiling aroma that is a composite of carrot and violet. Also, it vaguely reminds me of freshly minted paper money...like cash. Speaking of cash, Iris Silver Mist may be a pricey and not so accessible, but it's worth a sample just to experience the otherworldly steely, pensive beauty of its composition. This is another example of a fragrance that I call experiential. This is a sacrament for those who want to eat, drink and sleep iris.

Maurice Roucel was rumored to use every iris material, natural and synthetic, to compose Iris Silver Mist; layer after layer of irones, ionones, Irival, Orivone, orris butter, orris absolute, and so on, I would imagine. A hint of galbanum lifts these dense iris folds, lending a fresh, green quality to an otherwise cool, steely, almost gothic feel. I also get that sensation of the smell of leaves of an herb garden after a heavy rain: basil, catnip, lovage. Wet stones border the garden, there's a bit of a chill in the air, flowers shudder, and there is a trembling blueness.

Iris Silver Mist is responsive to my introverted side (in much the same way as Guerlain Apres L'Ondee and Oriza L. Legrand Relique d'Amour), as it permits to me retreat, to lean into the uncertain, the distant, what lies beneath the surface. In the twilight of its development, it sheds just a bit of sweetness, as if to say, "that's the silver in my mist...the silver lining." 

Fragrantica - -First off, this has got to be a fragrance from another realm.
-Iris Silver Mist conjures to mind the picturesque imagery of a midnight stroll by the lake.
-The waters are almost calm as they ripple gently in the cool evening breeze. The presence of a light fog in the air inspires one to think about fabled creatures from Grecian folklore. (perhaps, The Lady of The Lake?)
-An aptly-named fragrance, Iris Silver Mist lends its wearer a certain air of mystery.
-Another stunning creation from the house of Serge Lutens. (+)

from thenonblonde - "The first time I smelled Iris Silver Mist, Maurice Roucel's 1994 creation for Serge Lutens, I understood why some people found it questionable as a personal scent. The opening smells like fresh carrots that were just pulled out of damp soil. It's weird, alright. But then the whole picture is revealed- there's a cold an almost metallic note, but also a sort-of-sweet- but-not-quite powdery iris, some bitterness and a gorgeous soft floral accord.