Loulou : oui, c'est moi!
When it first came out in 1987, there was a wonderful TV ad set to romantic music and veiled in the mysterious bluish tones of the print ad. It featured a slip of a girl in a classic 20’s bob haircut dressed in a dark stretch dress (so Parisian at the time, very Azzedine Alaia), swaying hurriedly through space on what seemed a film set, and when a voice called out “Loulou”, she turned to us –the viewers- replying “Oui, c’est moi” (yes, that’s me). It transported the hazy contours and grainy shots of photographer Sarah Moon to the next level: a Lolitesque seduction.
It has haunted me ever since.
The perfume was meant to evoke the great film actress Louise Brooks and her Lulu role in the silent 1928 Pabst film “Pandora’s Box” ( no, this is not a naughty film, despite what one might think). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018737/
Louise Brooks has captured the imagination of discerning cinephiles ever since.
Her trademark haircut (that actually recalls Cleopatra herself) has inspired many women and men alike. Guido Crepax, the Italian sketch artist of “Valentina” no less, fashioned his eponymous heroine of a vivid imagination and lush posterior attributes on her. The comic book had been turned into a RAI miniseries back in the late 80’s starring Demetra Hampton. http://www.latalpa.mediaset.it/protagonista/home_demetra_hampton.shtml
Loulou the perfume is almost forgotten today, although it hasn’t been discontinued. In an age that pushes celebrity scents to an apotheosis, the natural urge of the perfume fanatic would be to turn to niche scents and/or classics from the distant past. Indeed this has been the case with many as current literature on the subject indicates. That leaves many lovely perfumes of a more recent crop to the shade. Pity if you think about it.
I had used the perfume for a while back, enjoying the wink in the eye it provided, the naiveté, the pure élan. It was perfection for those times. I need to revisit this soon.
Composed by Jean Guichard who is also responsible for Obsession (another 80’s hit), Eden (another forgotten Cacharel), and Deci Dela ( the delectable light chypre by Nina Ricci) it bears the mark of the decade’s excess : lush and rich, it would seem completely out of place up until a few years ago when gourmands entered the scene.
Somewhere between floral and oriental and with a similar feel to both Oscar de la Renta and Poison, it can also be viewed as a distant cousin of L’heure bleue. It opens on the characteristic note of cassis, a synthetically recreated berry base. This may become overwhelming on some, but the assistance of bergamot and aniseed manage to soften the blow of the top notes. Violet, mace and plum add their sweet nuances along with an armful of ylang-ylang, jasmine, marigold and a smidgen of tiare (that tropical flower of Tahiti), although one would be hard pressed to locate any of those individually, except for heliotrope perhaps which has a soft almondy scent. The fragrance lasts and lasts on the skin, with the insistence of tonka bean, a hay-like vanillic seed of a West African tree.
The dry down phase hints of musk and wood and although the official notes include vetiver (that pungent grass that makes for refreshing perfumes) and orris ( an earthy aroma of plucked out bulbs) I admittedly cannot locate any of those two distinctly.
Of course I belong to the camp that does not believe that smell can be guessed by relying on notes lists: perfumers use hundreds of ingredients after all, both synthetic and natural to render the desired effect and proportion makes all the difference in the world.
The bottle of Loulou is best in the parfum or splash version: a turquoise polygonal opaline that continues the house’s love affair with opaline (later to be reprised in Eden) topped with a dark red pointy stopper and garlanded with a burgundy red tassel : the contrast of colours is daring and unique. The Eau de parfum spray is sadly not as pretty.
To me Loulou will always remain the smell to match the young girl that had first caught my eye in the TV ads : insouciant , oblivious to her own seductiveness.
A likeable fragrance, if only too sweet sometimes.
pic of Demetra Hampton courtesy of Celebrityworld, pic of Loulou ad by Psine.net, Louise Brooks pic by silentscreensirens
three commentsCongrats on your new blog! I've bookmarked this as I love to read your reveiws and comments on perfume. Also a fan of LouLou, I came to the game late, but LouLou should not be missed! Thanks for the review
perfumefanatic - 26 06 06
This is actually one of the few Cacharel fragrances that I quite dislike - not sure why, because all of them are hits for me (though no more Cacharel for me as they are not animal cruelty free :( )
What fragrance are you referring to in the paragraph where you mention L'heure bleue, Oscar de la Renta and Poison?
Snarkattack - 19 08 06
I loved Loulou in the '80s and ma looking to view the tv ad and obtain a copy of the poster.
Any suggestions of links?
thanks
Gallattea - 12 12 07
No trackbacks http://rpc.blogrolling.com/pinger/
