Lubin – Idole Vintage

After Gilles Thevenin (Guerlain’s former director of creation) rescued the Lubin perfume house from bankruptcy, the group has been hard at work creating a bright future with the release of several new perfumes, in collaboration with the talents of Thomas Fontaine, Delphine Thierry and the supremely talented Olivia Giacobetti.  While the quality and creativity of their new line is undisputed, I have a soft spot for the firm’s vintage creations. So while the internet is flush with reviews of the spicy and almost decadent Idole created by Giacobetti, this review is for the vintage Eau de Parfum released in the 1960s.

Idole was originally released in 1962, and while the modern release bears the same name, this was more a reference than a reformulation. The vintage Idole is a floral chypre, rendered in the elegant and somewhat understated Lubin style. The fragrance opens with a rich, almost fruity, bergamot which seems to be deepened by drop of peach – our first hint of the sensuousness of this creation. Although the fragrance features a heady jasmine rendered velvety and somewhat opulent by a lush Lily of the Valley note, Idole never becomes cloying or over-powering. There is a slight hint of woods emanating from the heart, giving the perfume just a touch of smoke and depth. I have found Lubin’s vintage fragrances to be extremely well-crafted, with an emphasis on quality ingredients and thoughtful compositions. In Idole, Lubin achieved a lovely balance between the rich floral notes by interposing a warm animalic base redolent of leather and moss.

Idole is certainly more unabashedly “feminine” than other Lubin fragrances I have tested, and this fragrance seems to me their version of the femme fatale parfum. That being said, the fragrance maintains a type of discretion that keeps it lady-like in the midst of its sensuality. If you have not had the opportunity of sampling any of Lubin’s vintage fragrances, I would highly recommend seeking them out via a decant service. Kudos to Thevenin for resurrecting this house and for developing what will no doubt be the next generation of vintage masterpieces.

Floral Chypre

Notes: Bergamot, jasmine, lily of the valley, woods, leather and oakmoss