I love perfumes like this.
Packing up Z’s collection (they are driving down now as we speak from Tokyo and I am going to take them out to lunch), I am trying a few last things before all the precious fragrances are carted away forever. I vaguely remember reading about Or Noir – Black Gold – in the original Luca Turin Le Guide, and it is a lovely, delicate, lucent floral teetering on the edge of chypre : may rose fuelled by narcissus, muguet and ylang; a quiet shine of oakmoss and a hint of clove, with a dry allegation of vanilla (and possibly patchouli); so flawlessly understated and blended and put together ; so elegant.
(sigh)
The Black Narcissus 
Charlotte Rampling! I love her, she is the epitome of seduction. Sadly I’ve never smelled Or Noir.
I hadn’t either and it is divine. So subtle and intelligent. I thought she fit the mould quite well!
What did the flacon look like? One that looks like a square metallic spare part for a car, or a sort of rounded bottle a bit like an 80-ies Caron flacon?
A rectangular transparent glass bottle with a black window….not like other ones I have seen on the internet.
I have loved Or Noir for so many years! It is just such a truly sublime fragrance and I have been buying it since I was in my twenties.
It is becoming harder for me to find vintage bottles, seeing that it is not a widely available scent in the mainstream.
It strikes me as something that would fit you perfectly. if I ever come across another vintage bottle I will pick it up for you.
No ! I can’t pull it off ( but thanks for your generosity…. x) I somehow knew – or you had told me – that you loved this
. I would love to smell it on you. There is something so delicate and intangibly erotic … no?
It is such a wonderful scent on and it is very chypre leaning on my skin. It definitely is erotic, almost like casting a secret spell on those around me.
When we visit Japan, I will bring it to wear.
Can’t wait! Right now I would hold off though for a while until we know what this Coronabullshit properly entails.,
Will definitely be waiting until the coronavirus has been contained. Not to mention, Nate just started a new job a month ago, so vacation time will commence later in the year.
Keep those hands washed and use lots of lavander cream on them; antibacterial and such.
Yes – I have been obsessively making my legendary essential oil infused Vaseline handbalms as I think the citrus smell is more suitable for work ( much as I love lavender). Bergamot and lemon are particularly good for anything bronchial and are antibacterial and antiviral – I smell like a walking jar of marmalade
A walking jar of marmalade sounds absolutely divine.
Last week when I read this post, I was pulled to ebay by your sigh and bought a tiny bottle of vintage Or Noir. I just dabbed some on this morning. Swoon. This is lovely. Thank you.
Oh excellent. It is SO elegant, no? How does it smell on thee?
Well, right now I am covered in Serge’s Fleurs d’Oranger, so I am drawing on my memory. The aldehydes were so sparkly and not annoying as some vintage aldehyde heavy perfumes can be. What struck me the most was how the flowers sang on my skin. Like a bouquet symphony. The ylang ylang was predominant, which I love. Though I could pick out the narcissus, which is a flower I have slowly learned to love. I might have ordered a bottle of the vintage EDT last night. Oh, and that cushion of yummy dusty oakmoss was the clincher.
I am not massive on narcissus as a note either, but agree completely about the bouquet with ylang ylang prominent but not in excess, and yes, SOME oakmoss but not fusty. Sublime, actually
I have to thank you, ginzaintherain, for being the source of something joyous that happened to me this week. I was dipping into your wonderful book again (you signed a copy for me at …was it Roullier White? in London). I lived in Japan for a long time, and my boyfriend (now husband, for 24 years) used to take me to see his folks in LA. There was an amazing perfume boutique there (wish I could remember the name–in Beverly Hills), and somehow, despite my inability to articulate what I liked, they knew enough to suggest a bottle of Or Noir for me (the EDT in a slim black slightly curved sides bottle with gold cap). I loved it at first sniff, and the associations with love and holidays only strengthened that feeling. It smelled like (the idea of) riding a motorbike on a sunny freeway with flowers in my hair, sweet dusty leathers and petrol (I must have let the name influence me) and intoxicating blooms. And now—just by chance, the other day—I read your Caron Infini review, unrelatedly. I got myself a vintage sampleto make lockdown more bearable; and oh joy, for the first time ever, here’s a fragrance that comes close to Or Noir. Infini will never take its place, but it’s lovely, and I’m going full hog on that one too. Interestingly, Caron has an Or et Noir, which is also a favourite; trying to figure out how these three can be related! Was Morabito influenced by Or et Noir or vice versa? Is it the narcissus? I’m not a good enough nose to tell. PS: Or Noir is selling for a song on Amazon and elsewhere—no idea why. I’m going to try one of those (in the bottle with a hole) to see if it’s some new (hopefully not nasty) formulation. I have old bottles with holes, too, but the old slim EDT trumps them all.