Serge Lutens – Barney’s

I recently posted here, here and here about some of my recent fragrant adventures in New York. No matter what part of town I was in, I had everything I could ever want at my fingertips, which is one of the things I miss most about the city. This brings me of course to Barney’s NYC, which features an entire glorious beauty level full of cosmetics, lotions and potions, and of course fragrances.

I passed counter after counter of the best the beauty world has to offer, but given that I had a schedule to keep, I sought out the object of my desire: the Serge Lutens counter. With the exception of Les Salons du Palais Royal, Barney’s is one of the few places where one can see (and sample) bottle after glorious bottle of Monsieur Lutens’s greatest creations.

Selecting a fragrance in a major department store can be a daunting task, especially given the number of houses and limitless new releases available today. Needless to say, it helps to have a sales associate who can provide guidance. While we cannot expect everyone in the world to be passionate about perfume, there is nothing more frustrating than finding that the person who is there to assist you knows less about the fragrance than you do. Sadly, many fragrance houses simply do not invest the time or resources in ensuring that associates receive more information beyond the press release, focusing instead on their next new release. Is it any wonder then how fickle the consumer has become as a result?

Fate would have it that the Serge Lutens sales professional was there in person and extremely knowledgable about the brand to boot. Not only could she tell her Gris Clair from her De Profundis, but to my very happy surprise, like an accomplished singer, she knew the notes by heart. Based on my stated preferences, she guided me to some fragrances I may have overlooked, a thoroughly refreshing experience. She helped me sample some of the European exclusives that I had not seen in person before, as well as a few in the export line missing from my collection of bottles and samples. She also gave me a lovely wax sample with Tubereuse Criminelle, Boxeuses, Rose de Nuit and Sarrasins, plus a spray sample of L’Eau. She apologized for not having sample bottles but I took her contact information so that I could get in touch upon my return home.

We have since been in contact and, as promised, she sent me some very generous samples which would qualify as a small decant anywhere else. I will be posting about some of these over the coming weeks as I try to decide which cloche to purchase. Overall, I was very impressed with the service at Barney’s and thrilled at finding a stateside contact in the world of Serge. While Barney’s policy does not permit me to release the name of the professional who assisted me, please contact me if you are interested. Barney’s is located at 660 Madison Avenue in NYC, (212) 826-8900.