Um... Is it *very* prudish of me to be bothered by some of the names from Etat Libre d'Orange?

I don't know...I am not bothered so much as I just don't find them all that funny. As V has pointed out on Bois de Jasmin, several of the names sound like they were designed by teenage boys hoping to shock their elders or something...when you try too hard for shock value, sometimes it falls flat.

So another way to put it is: I would guess that they want you to be bothered, and I doubt it is worth the energy to comply :-)

I agree with the idea about the preteen-boy sensibility! :)

Well, in any case, I certainly won't waste time sharing my thoughts with the company. I don't see myself buying these products, but they'll be easy to ignore.

They'll be incredibly easy to ignore, since they are going into Bendels which doesn't sell online.

I am with you here. I don't think it is prudish. I think it is just being annoyed by the affectation of it all. Such hip rebels, they are. *rolls eyes*

Quite so, but if the perfumes are marvelous, I'll happily ignore the affectation ;-)

... and mainly sugarcane also for Don't get me wrong..., according to Etienne de Swardt himself

Thanks!

I feel annoyed and prudish. I have no desire to try these whatsoever. That statement amazes even myself.

I am relatively hard to annoy when it comes to perfume...high prices annoy me more than marketing tactics.

I got a sample of V et T and I quite liked it. I am not sure how much yet--I need to try it more--but my reaction was generally positive. The names are silly and affected, though.

The names are dumb but it's the artwork that bothers me, do I really want a penis on my perfume.
Although I'm dreaming about that marshmallow... if only....! Right?!!!!!!!!!!

The bottles & labels are very plain, even conservative...the pictures are only on the website. Haven't seen the outer packaging though.

I have only 2 samples -- V&T and Jasmin et Cigarette. Haven't tried them yet, but will soon!

I think the names are funny and silly, and sound much better when spoken in French than in English. They do, however, scream "Look at me! I'm edgy and hip!" Whatever...

What I don't like are some of the graphics. Come on: A blood stained sheet? What's the point of that?

Anyway, I hear that a couple of the fragrances are lovely, so I will definitely test them if I have the opportunity. And the photos of the bottles and the packaging look lovely, too.

Hugs!

Where is Etat sample sold?

No place, so far as I know.

Everything sounds better in French, LOL...it is so true. If they had put Don't Get Me Wrong Baby in French, I'm sure I'd like it better :-)

*I* wouldn't and the names do *not* sound better in French at all: they sound just as idiotic. Sorry, this kind of thing annoys me - a lot. What is the point of it?

Well of course it wouldn't sound better to you, silly, you'd still catch the meaning! Whereas unless I consciously translate, it all just sounds lovely ;-)

Am guessing that they want to position themselves as daring & thinking outside the box, but they're taking it all a bit too seriously.

You may be right and I would have to test this with names in a language that was completely unfamiliar to me, because I can think of English names that are thoroughly unpleasant to my ears.

But does English sound romantic to a French person who doesn't speak English? I sort of doubt it, whereas French sounds sooo romantic.

I'm normally fairly prudish, but these really do just make me chuckle from being so out there and, well, funny. I think any perfume company has a hard go to get noticed, and I suspect that's what they are doing, just trying to get a little bit of attention.

I just find the names less annoying than another Brittney "See How Hot I am" rendition or an Escada perfume remix that's exactly the same as the last.

Completely agree that it is no easy thing to get noticed in the crowded fragrance market, and personally I'd rather see people scoff at my choices than not discuss them at all!

I agree with you Pepper.
I was thinking of the Escada : the name would be 'La chaleur du coucher de soleil' in French. I think it would be both an idiot and pompous name.
But finally the scent is not so bad (for those who like exotic fruity scents! ). Diversity is a good thing.
BTW, when I think of ELO names, I think there is a 80's feeling, or something I feel in Art in front of a Andy Warhol or Yves Klein painting.
So many people said at the time those paintings were first shown : 'It's not art', 'it is idiot, absurd'...
But now, they are in the biggest museums.

I totally agree - Of course the Etat libre d'orange campaign is very attention-seeking and over the top, but I think the choice of names, iconography and descriptions of the fragrances on the website are highly ironic and very smart - paying homage to Pop Art, film history, etc.. Other current perfume campaigns are much more sexualized and not innovative at all.

Quite so, they aren't the first to use sex to sell perfume, and they are doing it with more imagination than most.

Don't get me wrong baby, I don't care!
Adolescent jokes are lame in any language. It's all marketing; but hey, so is everything to a certain extent.

LOL -- it might be lame in French, but since I don't speak French I won't be able to tell ;-)

I don't get why - why the names, the images. I think they're trying too hard to be cool. It's not cool. I am intrigued about Jasmin et Cigarette, though.

Hope to try it very soon, it really does sound lovely!

I'm not bothered by the names. I'm mostly impressed by the scents. Jasmin et Cigarette is *stunning*. Sadly for my budget, Bendel's may not have an online shop, but Gerard there is more than happy to take orders over the phone and very helpful (will read lists of notes at length). I'm very curious about the I Don't Swallow one since it has jasmine and I'm wondering if it's as well done as JeC (I think renamed Jasmin et Tabac for the US market...the political correctness of which bothers me far more than the adolescent names of some of the others).

Seriously, they are renaming it? That *is* too PC, I know just what you mean.

Hmmm.... I would call it CC (commercially correct). "Cigarette" makes one think of the scent of the smoke rather than the leaf. Even to nonsmokers, tobacco leaves smell good; tobacco smoke does not. Perhaps because there are more nonsmokers per capita in the U.S. than in many European countries, they decided to play it safe when marketing here. Wise choice, IMO.

As for the other names: ew. Not a prude here by any means, but their whole approach is so embarrassingly Beavis and Butthead. Even as an adolescent I could identify Youth Marketing, and it made me squirm, just as I squirmed when adults tried to use "hip" kid language to seem cool to teenagers. If it's selling, though, I guess I'm in the minority.

LOL at Beavis & Butthead, so true. Who knows if it will sell? If the scents are fabulous, the niche audience won't care what they're called, is my guess, and from the sound of things, they aren't looking for a mainstream audience anyway.

I don't consider myself a prude, but ... eeeww! Can you imagine telling someone what you're wearing?! Putain was bad enough...

LOL -- I thought perfumistas always lied about what they were wearing anyway ;-)

Well, I have to say that I find the whole idea of this brand very burlesque and I like it. It reminds me to the first Almodovar's films which I love. It is a pity they don't offer a sample pack though.

I love Almodovar too :-)

Hoping they'll end up in one of the high end online niche retailers in the US so we can get samples! Or that Bendels will finally go online...

LOL for Beavis & Butthead!!! So true!!! But they are after some intellectual injection...
As for other names - there is a candle of ELDO named Entrecuisse. Better you translate yourself :)

I do like scents, BTW, while not all of them.

You are going to kill me for this but I think the negative reactions here are so typically American... On the outside all moralistic and prudish but on the inside just as smutty as everyone else. In the UK these names would be thought of as hilarious and understood as a pun (granted that they are quite rude)

I think the names certainly get the discussion going and I am sure that was intended in a market full of bizarre dreamy names. I mean how many fragrances are there which are called "Un Reve" "Belle Jour" or some daft French sounding fantasy name at the sound of which any French person's toe nails curl... ;-)

Not going to kill you at all, I'm sure there is some truth in it. And yes -- again, since I'm not a French speaker and have to consciously translate (or not, if I don't want to), Belle Jour & Un Reve & Ange ou Demon & L'Eau d'Hiver all sound lovely to me....in English they'd be positively inane.

I agree with you and with Jayjay too. I speak both English and French and it's true some of new launches have very flat names. Even Soir de Lune by Sisley. You know 'lune' was used to mean ass hole in old french slang. Imagine that it can mean 'Arse Evening'. Mmmh, not terrific.
What's more, there is less and less originality with those fragrances with names such as Black sth (Orchid, XS, 1881, Double), Midnight sth (Charms, Fantasy, Bloom, Rain), Love sth.
And I don't talk about all that brands who have totally lost their imagination in the name with all their scents called Lacoste, Boss...
I know some names by E L O can be weird or rude. But as Etienne, I think that fragrance has to be woken up.
What's more, I must admit I had an 'à priori' with the names of ELO creations, but I went to the boutique and most of the fragrances are totally gorgeous.
Personaly I know some new niche fragrance creators, and according to them, it's very difficult to launch a new brand, to seduce customers and to re-invent new 'classiques'. The market is cruel and you do need to be creative. There will always be people who won't like you. And so many who will continue to buy Britney or fragrances called 'Forever Dream Love'. And I think that diversity is not so bad.
-ambroxan

I am shocked at how many more "Black" fragrances are due out this year...you would think they could see it was overdone already.

And wholeheartedly 2nd the idea that diversity is welcome...I just think a few of the ELdO names have descended into silliness. But as I've said above, if the fragrance is fabulous, I don't care what it is called, and they have obviously succeeded in getting some attention! I certainly wish them luck, it must be terribly hard when there is so much competition for fragrance consumers.

I agree with you Robin for the 'Black'. Let's just see the info about Kiton Black you posted yesterday.
What I find astonishing is the change of name for the Armani Black Code in Armani Code. May be after reflexion, they said 'black' is too tarnished now? What do you think ?
-ambroxan

The Black Code story is interesting -- some groups in the US protested the name because of its other meanings:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Codes_in_the_USA

Armani then changed the name. They never said that was why they were changing it -- in fact, what they said was that so many scents were now using the word Black that it was confusing -- but I assume they changed it because of the complaints.

Interesting.
I'm sure you're right, that must be the reason.
Merci Robin.

I would add that 'Black' of Kenneth Cole was launched almost at the same time and that it was quite odd to have 'Black Code' and 'Black' by K. Cole arriving on the shelves altogether

What will be next, after black? We had already blue and red since 2000, pink coming soon??? Yes, all that marketing-formating of fragrances gets more and more annoying and, alas, sad. So, ELdO is very welcome!

Oh, I think we've already done pink (Lacoste Touch of Pink et al) -- in fact, there probably aren't any good colors to move on to at this point. It has all been done ;-)

I am French (and a translator) and 'lune' is not really a slang word; it's 'populaire' and rather mild. It means 'butt', not ass hole. Not quite the same, I don't think. And there's no way anyone with a bit of common sense would misinterpret the name Soir de Lune. It means Moonlit Evening and nothing else.

PS. The comment above was meant as an answer to Ambroxan, of course. Sorry I posted it in the wrong place.

Just though of something: the English 'to moon' use the word 'moon' in the same way as the French. :-)

Fully agree with you dear Ambroxan (I love this material by the way!). Being a French (sorry for the mistakes so), I am able to understand the exact meaning of the ELDO's names and despite not being that poetic and romantic to my ear, at least they are truelly different. And nowadays, that becomes so rare, even in niche perfumes which tend to be entirely descriptive.
With ELDO, you are always intrigated about what the scent will be considering its name. It can be a bit clumsy sometimes (the 'swallow' bit is maybe a bit too far, 'sécrétions magnifiques' does not sound that nice) BUT it is fabulous to think 'oh gosh, what does it gonna smell?' instead of 'what is it going to remind me that already exists?', to be wether shocked or annoyed by the name/smell in a so clean an well polished world.
And perfumers seem really free to create what they really like without any consumer test coming up and they can spend a lot of money in their fragrances... at the end that is the consumer which takes benefit of that by having a unique scent, rich in expensive materials at a very affordable price (Chanel or Dior are twice expensive). 'Eloge du traître', 'Putain des palaces', 'Vraie blonde', 'Jasmin et Cigarette' are my favourites and totally wearable. ELDO is maybe still a bit young (specially on the design side for me), it has still to find its entire character but it is very innovative and promising.

Can I be allowed to be the pedant that I am and say that Belle Jour would be inane in French too since Jour is masculine. LOL! Beau Jour would be ok but not *the* most imaginative name ever. ;-)

Yes OK, It's more 'buttock'. So Soir de Lune can mean 'Buttock Evening'. Not terrific.
But no matter, I don't think it was the most important thing in the comment I put.
-ambroxan

It wasn't the most important thing, but you did stress you were a French speaker. I am a perfume lover but I am also a linguist so I comment on what I know about.

Soir de Lune can only be made to mean Buttock Evening if one is being deliberately facetious. Translating is not replacing one word with another; it's looking at words, phrases, sentences, etc. and using one's common sense to come up with a meaning that actually 'makes sense' in the target language, and anyone with more than a superficial knowledge of French will know what this particular phrase means and won't for one instant be tempted to translate it the way you did. It just wouldn't occur to them because it is preposterous.

On the flipside of that, jayjay, are people who see prudery whenever an American doesn't like something. Very few people here were offended, most were irritated (or just bemused) by an ad campaign that seems to have been written by middle-school boys sniggering under the bleachers and looking up girls' skirts.

It reminds me some of the ad campaign for S-perfumes, which someone online described as using "sexness" - advertising with blatant names/imagery for no purpose other than shock value, when they really couldn't shock anyone over the age of 12.

Being bored by inanity isn't prudery. Yes, there is a great deal of prudery in US society, and there is a great tendency of people from other cultures to write off any American opinion as prudish without evaluating what was actually said.

I couldn't agree more. :-)

Which are your favorites, Sergey?

I do appreciate perfumer skills and innovations of Secretions Magnifiques, Putain de Palaces, Jasmine et Sigarettes; but I do wear Nombril Immense as perfect patchouly-ambrette harmony, and Eloge du Traitre as quite potent and modern chypre cuir aromatique (similar to Yatagan Caron). And I LOVE Rien and Vierges&Toreros.

Thanks. Have samples of the Jasmin & Cigarette and the Vierges, and looks like I need to get a sample of the Eloge du Traitre!

Sergey! I too love Rien, Secretions Magnifiques, Jasmin au Cigarettes and Vierges et Treros and Eloge du Traitre, Putain de Palaces and even Delicious Closet Queen, Je suis un Homme and Charogne.

We both must have the same tastes in perfume - I have everything you have just written about and I have just yesterday bought 2 bottles of Yatagan online from www.strawberrynet.com

It seems we are both fans of ELd'O as well.
How unusual to meet someone so similar!

Desmond

Perfume is dead, long live perfume!
Warning: These perfumes are not for the faint-hearted.

I know that Etat Libre d'Orange (Free State of Orange) has caused quite a stir among we parfumistas of late, and they have definitely succeeded in achieving what they set out to do - Shock your senses!

I'm one of those adventurous parfumistas who will buy a bottle of fragrance based on it's composition (I don't believe there is a bad scent; just some that we are more attracted to or that smell better on others than ourselves) rather than rely on a small sample to make my decision on whether I like a perfume or not.

Like most of you, the descriptions and reviews I read when researching the company and it's outrageously named perfume lines put me off initially. But like a curious cat, I had to see what all the hype was about.

I like a perfume to make a statement, so I have now migrated here from being a stalwart Serge Lutens fan, only because SL fragrances are wood-based, aromatic, subtle, elegant, but goes very much unnoticed no matter how much I wear.

I have only ever once received a compliment when wearing SL's Fumerie Turquoise, which I eventually gave away half-used because no one noticed, no matter how much I drenched myself in it. I've experienced the same effects with Ambre Sultan, Cedre and now Chene. Sigh!

I'm still desperately trying to obtain the highly controversial and much debated Muscs Kublai Khan by SL, because I heard it's such a dirty scent, though.

By the way, if you don't like dirty scents, please DON'T try Secretions Magnifiques by ELd'O! I only ever wear it sparingly and only for 'appropriate occasions', as this intriguing scent, like SL's MKK, is one fragrance that lingers on you forever until you shower twice - all jokes aside!

As a relatively new fan of ELd'O, I now own 7 bottles of their more masculine-oriented fragrances and 16 of their fragrance samples courtesy of their Paris Salon online boutique. I have also been in contact with the South African Mon. Etienne de Swardt himself to compliment him on his daring fragrance line that's been taking Europe by storm, as it has 150 outlets distributing this line, including exclusive distribution through UK's Harvey Nichols.department store..

Whenever I wear my ELd'O fragrances in public, I have only received great compliments, although, when I try to explain the name of what I'm wearing, I have to mentally prepare myself for a blank, dumbfounded look from the complimentor. Sigh!

Have you ever noticed that perfume reviewers always write brilliant reviews about perfumes they're passionate about and own at least one bottle of? That's because they've grown to love and enjoy the fragrance, evoking rapturous compliments.

The point I wish to make about perfume taste is that we shouldn't harshly judge any House, Fragrance or Unusual Name of a perfume until we have truly savoured the fragrance and made our own true judgements.

So Let's give Etienne de Swardt and the renown noses at Etat Libre d'Orange a fair chance to prove their worth and sample these beautiful, edgy fragrances if you are lucky enough to see them at a perfume display or check out the website http://www.etatlibredorange.com. Vive le parfum!

Have still only tried a few from the line, and they were nicely done but so far nothing has really grabbed me -- nor did I find them at all shocking, but then, there are so many niche lines now doing similar things.

Personally I don't wear perfume for compliments, but I know many people do, and in that case, agree SL might not be the best line for the job. Glad you've found a line that agrees with you :-)

I sprayed a small sample of Vierges et Toreros and after several minutes, I'm now addicted and desperate to buy myself a full bottle!

This is everything it says it is and more. Just a great and unusual, sexy, different and comforting fragrance you want to smell again and again, all day and night!

I liked VeT too, although not so much that I need a bottle. It is very nicely done though!