Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin

Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin was created by Christopher Sheldrake and Serge Lutens. It is Serge Lutens' third rose fragrance and his second to the divas of yesteryear after Une Voix Noire which was inspired by Billie Holliday. This fragrance takes its inspiration from the brave resilience of women during the Soviet occupation in postwar Germany. A rich, jammy rose accented with pepper. A seductive, romantic scent that is a gorgeous ruby color; exactly that of a rose. Directly from Serge Lutens' website:  "She's a rose with thorns, don't mess with her. She's a girl who goes to extremes. When she can, she soothes; and when she wants ... !  Her fragrance lifts you higher, she rocks and shocks." 

Reviews of Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin from noses that may or may not smell it as your nose does.

 from nstperfume - "The first couple of seconds — it's quick, don't miss it! — are ROSE, big and bright enough to justify the all caps... But La Fille de Berlin soon enough goes off in another direction entirely, bypassing as well the dewy springtime rose of Lutens' own Sa Majesté la Rose and the overtly seductive aura of Rose de Nuit.

After the whoosh of Tea Rose nostalgia, La Fille de Berlin is at first jammy and sweet and full, and then slightly metallic and chilly as the rose is joined by violet. For the first 20 minutes or so, it's a relatively conventional (and relatively feminine) powdery boudoir rose-violet, but as it continues to develop, it gets warmer and muskier and woodier, and the very slight green undertones of the opening intensify and take on a slightly bitter edge. The lushness of the rose fades, so that despite the velvety finish and a light dusting of peppery spice, it has something of a somber feel. So, nothing like so sunny and cheerful as Sa Majesté, but nor is it so dark and animalic as Rose de Nuit. It's somewhere in between — dusky, perhaps, and maybe a bit moody and serious. It's quietly elegant, and to me, an odd fit with the rather alarmingly vivid color of the juice."

 from kafkaesque - "La Fille de Berlin opens on me with a wet, dewy rose note that is faintly similar to the sweetness in a tea rose, but slightly richer and redder. That said, it’s not as rich as a hearty, beefy Bourbon or Damask rose, but something in-between. Perhaps, large peony roses? Soft violet notes flicker and dance at the edges. Sometimes, the scent seems soft and slightly powdered. At other times, heartier and deeper. The violet notes vaguely evoke YSL‘s Paris in its original formulation but Paris is a much warmer, headier, more intense, and spicier take on roses ..."

More information and Serge Lutens reviews can be found at:

Basenotes     Fragrantica    Perfume Posse     Grain de Musc