When the suns out, it doesn’t take much to get us in the mood for a party: especially when it’s hosted by the French glass-maker and perfumier ne plus ultra Lalique. The brand’s been producing exquisite glassware (including their coveted perfume bottles), fragrances and ornaments since 1888, and threw a pretty spectacular bash to celebrate the release of their newest men’s scent: L’Insoumis (or, less sexily, “the rebellious” in English).
Held at the Ham Yard Hotel in Soho – where a leafy garden complete with bronze statues made for perfect al fresco reveling – Lalique made us feel like le nez for the evening with bowls of staple perfume ingredients such as Clearwood and Haiti Veviter laid out to lose yourself in. Still, those elemental samples were nothing in comparison to L’insoumis itself; A masculine, elegant fragrance that balance aromatic freshness with the muted strength of ambery wood, the perfume is an homage to the pioneering spirit of the house’s founder, René Lalique. If you’re wondering how a fragrance can convey that evocative sense of rebellion, look to the virile lavender and the lash of velvety rum that rounds the scent out with exquisite balance.
With their heritage in glasswear, it would be a crying shame if the bottle or L’Insoumis didn’t live up to it’s seductive contents. Fortunately, that was never going to be the case. A marriage between streamlined modernist design and old-world opulence, the design boast a sculpted relief of the fern motif originally found on Lalique’s iconic 1926 Tourbillon vase. The glass bottle itself, meanwhile, is based on an Art Deco design also conceived by (yep, you guessed it) René himself. Tempted by those sleek lines? Just wait till you smell it.
