Modest; The Fragrance of the Sun

“A radiant halo of feminine notes.”

Born in the Marne region of France, the name René Lalique has become inextricably bound with the world of glass, perfume and art. From modest beginnings, Lalique spent his young adult life in France honing his graphic design skills as well as spending a couple of years in London, at the (appropriately-named) Crystal Palace School of Art in Sydenham.

It was in 1885, aged just 25, he began gaining recognition as an independent designer for some of the great jewellery houses such as Jacta, Cartier and Boucheron, and because of this success was able to take over the workshop of jeweller Jules Destape on Place Gaillon in Paris. At the age of 30, Lalique was recognised as one of France’s most inspired and gifted designers of Art Nouveau jewellery going on to become exceptional in his field and was widely regarded as ‘the inventor of modern jewellery’.

In 1921, he founded the Verrerie d’Alsace glassworks at Wingen-sur-Moder in Alsace, known for their strong and historic glassmaking tradition, so successful was it is that it is still, now almost 100 years later, the world’s only Lalique factory. His glassware design worked perfectly for fragrance and his collaboration with perfume genius François Coty, at the beginning of the 20th Century revolutionised the perfume industry and put Lalique on the global radar.

It took a few years but the evolution of Lalique into the world of perfume-making was a natural move after establishing themselves as a brand synonymous with fragrance – and it began with Marie-Claude, the grand-daughter of René Lalique, who created the eponymous fragrance, “Lalique de Lalique” in 1992.

Now famous for their scents and the beautiful crystal bottles adorning them, Lalique has launched a new perfume called Soleil – a celebration of the sun and of the essence of free-spirited women. Think of the “magic of the morning sun”, the perfume has been conceived to recreate the burst of morning light into a bedroom. Warmth light and spirt meet in a crystal tumbler ready to be splashed onto morning skin.

“A radiant halo of serene, intimate notes. Soleil Lalique is an invitation to wake up to the world with a smile!”,  so say the three perfumers who worked on the scent – Barbara Zoebelein, Alexandra Monet & Benoist Lapouza of Drom fragrances.

The perfume is created on a base of soft woody sandalwood, magical musks and sweet pink praline and sprinkled with heart notes of fruity pear icy granita, creamy caffè latte and majestic jasmine. The top notes of warm spice of cardamom, bitter almond and bright mandarin bring together the lightness of fruit with the heavy scent of spices. Soleil describes itself as

“the silky caress of flowers and musks.”

Bearing in mind their history of glassware art and jewellery, the bottle is a representation of their rich history and draws on the memory of René Lalique. Shaped like the rays of the sun, the blush tone opus is contained within the crystal bottle. There is the added touch of luxury in the 100ml bottle with a playful bracelet attached inspired by the timeless modernity of an art deco Lalique earring – the tasseled chain is adorned by a gleaming solar pearl drawn from the 1927/1928 collection resurrects the very essence of the man himself.

The Soleil Lalique Eau de Parfum will be available at Lalique, Harrods, Fortnum and Mason, Liberty and House of Fraser from late July in travel-friendly 30ml and 50 ml versions and a lavish 100 ml bottle version. .lalique.com