Louis Vuitton fragrances — a buyer's guide

Louis Vuitton is a fashion house that returned to fragrance in 2016 after six decades without it. Its scents are made by Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, who works at the restored Les Fontaines Parfumées in Grasse. Buyers face a particular problem with this house: the fragrances aren't sold through perfumeries, only in Louis Vuitton's own stores — and there are none in Slovenia, where we're based. So in many places you can't get a sample anywhere, not at a regular perfumery or drugstore. We stock four, including Ombre Nomade, which earned the house its reputation in fragrance circles. With Louis Vuitton a decant isn't a saving but often the only way to smell a fragrance before ordering it for €300 or more.

Louis Vuitton Imagination: The most wearable and the cheapest of the three — €300 for 100 ml, so €3 per millilitre. Citron, Calabrian bergamot and Sicilian orange up top, neroli with ginger and cinnamon in the heart, Chinese black tea, guaiac wood and olibanum underneath. Citrus that doesn't end after half an hour.
Louis Vuitton Ombre Nomade: The house's best-known fragrance and the only one people know even if they don't follow handbags: raspberries up top, incense, benzoin, rose and saffron in the heart, agarwood, amberwood and birch underneath. A smoky, resinous oud; according to the community, 10–16 hours and very strong sillage. €375 for 100 ml, a 2 ml decant is €16.
Louis Vuitton Les Sables Roses: Rose with oud, no frills: Bulgarian rose and saffron over oud and amber, with black pepper on top. Animalic is among its main accords, so it's not a drawing-room scent. €375 for 100 ml, €3.75 per millilitre.
Louis Vuitton Fleur du Désert: Same price as Les Sables Roses, a different story. Honey and cinnamon up top, jasmine with rose and orange blossom in the heart, agarwood with ambroxan in the base. White flowers are the first accord here and oud only the third — more floral than desert.

How to buy Louis Vuitton if there's no store near you: (1) Accept that there'll be no tester. The house doesn't sell its fragrances through general retail, so you won't find them on the shelves where you'd normally smell before buying. A decant is the only way. (2) First decide between three directions: citrus (Imagination), rose with oud (Les Sables Roses, Fleur du Désert) and smoky oud (Ombre Nomade). Imagination goes its own way, while Les Sables Roses and Fleur du Désert both stand on rose and oud — if that combination doesn't suit you, both are out at once. (3) Don't choose between those two by price, because it's the same: €375 a bottle and €32 for five millilitres. The difference is what's up front — rose with saffron in Les Sables Roses, white flowers with honey in Fleur du Désert. (4) The bottles are refillable, which sounds nice, but only a handful of stores abroad have a refill station. It doesn't affect the purchase price.

Which Louis Vuitton fragrance is best for beginners?

Imagination. It's citrusy, fresh and the easiest to wear at work or in summer, and also the cheapest of the three — €3 per millilitre versus €3.75 for the other two. A 2 ml decant costs €14.49, a fair way into a house that's otherwise closed.

Why aren't Louis Vuitton fragrances sold in perfumeries?

Because the house sells them exclusively in its own stores and through its own website. That's not a distribution gap but a decision — the same applies to its handbags. The consequence for buyers is simple: without a decant you buy blind, based on note lists and other people's reviews.

Is Ombre Nomade worth its reputation?

It's the house's most recognisable fragrance and also its loudest: according to the community, 10–16 hours and very strong sillage, so it's not a fragrance for the office or the heat. If you want a smoky, resinous oud with raspberry sweetness, you'll get exactly that; if you want something restrained, go for Imagination.

What's the difference between Les Sables Roses and Fleur du Désert?

Both stand on rose and oud, but in a different order. Les Sables Roses is rose with saffron over oud and amber, with an animalic edge. Fleur du Désert has white flowers as its first accord, oud only third, and honey with cinnamon on top — it's softer and more floral.

Are Louis Vuitton fragrances unisex?

In our catalogue all three are listed as unisex, and the house doesn't divide them by gender either. In practice Imagination is the most neutral, while Fleur du Désert leans most towards the floral side because of its white flowers and honey.

Is a full bottle of Louis Vuitton worth it?

Only once you know what you're buying. A bottle costs €300 or €375, a 5 ml decant €31.49 or €32 — a tenth of the price for two weeks of wear. With a house where you often can't get a sample anywhere else, the order is obvious.