La Vierge De Fer Serge Lutens for women and men

This smells like an expensive body lotion with creamy florals and pear. No metallic notes or incense identified. Stays close to the skin

La Vierge de Fer (translation: The Iron Maiden)--a very dark name for a fragrance that is is all sweet pear and creamy lillies to my nose. Not getting anything metallic, just a very pretty fruity white floral. I would have liked this to be more complex, but I still like it. As far as the other notes, I get a faint impression of sandalwood as an "after scent", but it's not very prominent. Incense is undetectable to me here. This is one of those SL fragrances you taste in your mouth when you first spray it. Very diffusive yet long lasting on my skin.

Very beautiful creamy pear and lilies. Its a clean and a bit powdery scent. I get a lot of pear and lilies especially at first spray and as it dries i get that somewhat metallic note which adds a bit of crispness to the scent and also a bit of sandalwood. I don't sense much of the incense.

screaming crying shaking at this being discontinued

I got a sample of this when I was intrigued by metallic scents. I tried TF Metallique and while it was a fascinating scent it grated on myscenses so I have delayed trying La Veirge de fer. Well, it's nothing like Metallique. It is a cool pear and creamy lily with a touch of spice and an almost alcoholic Vanille note that is so well blended. I was going to say it was boozy but it's more clean alcoholic to me, like smooth spiced pear vodka in sparkling mineral water, maybe I think of vodka because of the coolness of the metallic note. I don't get a distinct metallic or incense note and the sandalwood is subtlety spicy. I used a light hand applying today, and at first it was a blast of sickly sweet pears and harsh, cold metal. After 10 minutes, it was a strong pear lily, and after 30 minutes, it is so sofy, lovely and effervescent. I really like it. It is fresh and fragrant and cool. It's winter and this morning was chilly and this scent was cool and icy like frozen, vanilla pears and lilies fresh from a cold garden. The metallic note gives it a cool minerality that I love. To me, it would work for all seasons. Silage and longevity are proving to be very poor on me though. After an hour, it's a skin scent I can only smell close up which is disappointing because it's so lovely.

I have a bottle from 2017 and it’s an absolute beast. Sillage and longevity are amazing, to a point that it may come too much for someone. Gorgeous metallic pear and lily scent.

La Vierge de Fer is mostly a soft, creamy, slightly powdery lily with a sweet, honeyed pear. The sandalwood and incense blend add such a beautiful contrast against the fruity floral opening. Such an elegant and understated fragrance with the highly fragrant and sweet royal lily.

I don’t perceive any metallic qualities of La Fierge de Fer, just a tinge of sweet incense. This is the most feminine scent I’ve experienced from Serge Lutens’s collection. I am not familiar with all of his creations but from what I’ve tried or own, this is absolute femininity in a bottle!

I see this as a perfect wedding day scent because of its natural smell and clean beauty aesthetic. Also the fact that it is not an overpowering scent but it’s undeniably charming and alluring would suit perfectly with such a special occasion.

As far as the performance goes, this is not a beast of a scent. It’s a reasonable moderate one, both on longevity and sillage. Obviously, over spraying will help boost the longevity and then expect to get compliments. It’s absolutely gorgeous! And highly underrated.

No love no hate.... Best for xmas and winter

Apparently, the mixture of white florals with woody base notes is like catnip for me. I spritzed this onto a piece of tissue paper and couldn’t stop smelling it. On my skin it’s quite strong but the scent is so fresh, clean and bright that I find myself drawn to it again and again. Yes, it can turn metallic and give an instant headache but the trade off is a sophisticated Herbal Essences-esque scent that makes you smell - and feel - so clean that you won’t be able to stop wearing it.

Fruity, metallic (which I like), a little sour which I don't like.  The white flowers are there, not overwhelming though. A hint of creamy sandalwood in the dry down. Pleasant, easy going, but the sour note is spoiling it for me

Smells like a silverware drawer crammed full of lilies, but damn if it is isn't my favorite summer scent. The metallic note makes you feel cooler just spraying it on!

I love a metallic fragrance, and I love this… But I don’t get anything metallic from this, at least not in the way I wanted. It’s more of a “coldness” than “metallic.” (tbh, as far as Serge Lutens fragrances that I’ve tried, Dent de Lait is far more metallic to me.) I get some incense, but it takes quite a while. And even then, it’s only a whiff here and there. It’s mostly just cold, aloof lilies and like… an iced pear sorbet.

Still, like I said, I love it. There’s just something about it. Even if it wasn’t close to what I had envisioned, I’m still enamoured of it, and reach for it quite often.

If you like the metallic note in Tom Ford's Metallique, but want something less sweet and less vanillic . . .
If you like the metallic note in Paco Rabanne's Calandre, but want something less green, softer, more floral . . .
La Vierge de Fer may do it for you.

It IS an offbeat, chrome-plated-heart floral, but not SO far off mainstream that you couldn't wear it to a family function. Uncle Serge was having designer-frag feels when he signed off on this, but "designer-frag" from Serge is still not blind-buy safe or beginner-level comprehensible.

It's a low-intermediate on the Lutens CrazyFrag Scale (if Nuit de Cellophane and Fleurs du Citronnier are "low" and Muscs Kublai Khan, Couche du Diable, Participe Passe and Miel de Bois are "high").
Cheers, Friends.

Wow! I hated this at first because the metal was so cold and, well, metallic for the first 15 minutes. It remains, but it does calm down.

The pears are thick and bright and ripe.

The lily is FLORAL (of course) a rich and sweet but also a little tangy. It gets cleaner as the day goes on.

If I try, I get a little incense in the base after an hour.

It’s fruity and a little sweet, but also clean - the Lily reads clean laundry / fancy detergent after some time.

It’s strong. It lasts forever.

Other than the metallic note, it’s not super unique, but I almost love it. I have a bottle for swap but may be changing my mind about that. Will wear again tomorrow.

Eating gourmet pear sorbet with a silver spoon whilst lying in an idyllic, fairytale field of white lilies during a snowstorm. A glacial fruity floral befitting an ice princess or a statuesque high elf with platinum blonde tresses.

The jury is out on this one for me. I've worn it twice, and liked it better the second time when I used a lighter touch. Too much is overwhelming, but a spritz or two seems to meld the notes together more effectively. Unfortunately, I don't detect any incense or sandalwood, and thing that they would add more to the composition if I could. I will let this sit for a while and see what happens. I do not have the bell bottle. I have the rectangular one. It definitely bears the unusual approach to perfumery associated with Lutens, but it's not so challenging that it is hard for many people to wear. Longevity and silage are moderate and it seems much more feminine that masculine if that is something you think is important.
I will update if things change. For now, I definitely like it, but it can go either way once I get a handle on it.

It smells like a nice soap bar. Not more, not less. Pleasant, but there's nothing special or original about this fragrance. Inoffensive, bland. I get no "iron maiden" in here, more like "mother in law on a family function".

a floral to shed your tears to. weeping on a damp cement bench.

In one word: effervescent. This is the epitome of a "sparkling" perfume. It's fizzy and light. The most prominent scents are lily and pear (equal parts lily and pear I'd say). This smells clean, fresh, feminine, and elegant. The pear gives it something fruity and green, the lily gives it a little soapy floral. It seems to be on a bed of aldehydes. If I saw the notes without smelling the fragrance, I would assume it's more mature (an aldehydic lily is quite vintage), however the pear really throws in a youthful component. I would say that this is for women maybe 35+. It's a perfect scent to pair with a fresh white collar shirt. Definitely a spring daytime scent. It reminds me a bit of Chanel's 1932 (another one of my faves).

This is my 8th FB purchase from the Serge Lutens in the last two months . Yes, a bit excessive but my current obsession is with his tamer , floral fragrances . I have now reacquainted myself with Serge Luten perfume house after falling in love with Nuit de Cellophane , La Dompheuse Encagee , Fils de Joie, La Religieuse , La Fille de Berlin , Fleur de Citronnier and Datura Noir.

In the past , I found numerous fragrances within the SL house to be too hard hitting , too edgy, too resinous or spicy for my tastes , only to try the mentioned and be swept away by his more subdued and simpler fragrances. Yes there is a market for us faint hearted 🥰.

With regards to the fragrance , La Vierge de Fer, based on other fragrance platforms , I believe there are additional notes and they are :-

Lily, aldehydes, LOTV, Jasmine , generic amber , white musk and vanilla.

I agree in part.

It’s opened on my skin with very strong, sour ( maybe the citrus notes mentioned ) pear notes with aldehydes. The pear notes were very prominent till dry down where it subsided . Combined with the aldehydes , the pear notes were very synthetic smelling and revolting . It ruined the perfume for me .

Then , the white musk and the aldehydes created sharp powdery notes with the pear and this clashed even more. I found I couldn’t appreciate the other notes as the revolting pear notes clung to my nostrils .

Once the pear moved to the background , there was a freshness / cleaness of the scent and some reviewers mentioned it resembled fabric softener . I didn’t get metallic notes at all . I found this very strange as a few of the SL’s perfumes I own have that icy coolness about them yet this one lacked it for me.

There was a sweetness of the vanilla and the Jasmine. However , there seemed to be a tug of war between the sweetness of the base notes and the and soapyness of the white florals .

Jasmine was evident , vying for dominance over the Lily and making the fragrance sweeter. Not indolic Jasmine which is how I like my Jasmine .

The perfume became a sweeter, Lily and Jasmine but with the still prevalent soapiness.

This was a skin scent to me and it’s longevity was between 5-7 hours .

I thought I would love this perfume but unfortunately , the pear notes ruined it for me. Sadly , this one will have to leave my collection .One of the tamer SL’s fragrance that I didn’t like .

Fruity, watery, sweet and blue, with an overriding note of damp hay in a metal clamp.
I spritzed this one on generously to give it a good test wear, then promptly forgot I was even wearing any perfume, let alone supposed to be taking notes on its structure and development, so that tells you everything you need to know about its performance and sillage!

I love lilies and I adore pear, so I had high hopes for this one. I do enjoy it, the floral fruity aspects are nice, but somehow it feels like a commercial scent nonetheless. A beautiful one, but still. I'm getting armani my way vibes so a mildly tropical, fresh, fruity, but a little bit nondescript floral fruity vibes. Very nice, for armani especially, however I feel I had more niche / higher expectations for Serge, more evocative Lilly note especially. Best lily I have had was Lily & Spice Penhaligon's sadly discontinued gem.

** 200 samples for swap UK - 10+ bundles, check my custom shelves & get in touch! **

A very, (should I say poetic?) lily that smells realistic and non synhtetic. I am on a hunt for a perfect lily, I am yet to try 'Reliques D'Amour' by Oriza Legrand, but this is beautiful, and will be perfect during a warm spring day or summer. I don't see it as a happy scent, in my opinion those metallic notes make it melancholic. The incense note is very subtle, more to underline slight powderiness of lily.

Sadness and Hope, Blood and Lilies flowers…
A wet bouquet of blooming lilies - almost overipe - laid in a dungeon, a Human cage full of water. The place is dark but the bright flowers enlighten the jail, with its peacefull and sweet tranquility.

I guess i’m influenced by the name and the weird Serge ´ s story telling, because i’m sure in a blind test i would have think that this is a classical white flower super clean scent! I thing i would have feel the tragic/dramatic touch though

There is something melancholic about la vierge de fer. On the other hand, i read critics about it who judged its simplicity, and compared this Lutens as mainstream shampoo’s scent. I don’t know what to say… Maybe that it would be great if the mainstream shampoos could smell like this Iron Maiden.

I was reading the description and imagining so many notes in my mind... Such a disappointment! I put it on a blotter and smelled it 10 min later outside. It smells like a nice shampoo to me. It could work for people who like invisible, second skin type of fragrances.

DinaFrance (perfume reviews on youtube)

I think that the fragrance doesn’t match neither with its name nor with its story. To me La Vierge de Fer smells clean, aquatic, fresh, and nice. But when I think about Iron Maiden or Jean D’Arc, I imagine powerful, strong, fearless woman, even if she is cold as fragrance suggests(metal note) she must have a character which fragrance lacks, I wish that lily was louder here. However, I really like this scent, it has similar clean vibes as Byredo’s Blanche and Diptyque’s Orpheon. What really surprised me is its longevity and sillage, they are really strong here as an Iron Maiden should be!💪🏻

There is an aquatic note here that isn't in the note breakdown. It's maybe the metallic note mixing with the pear to give a kind of ocean breeze kind of feel. I find this is a feminine fragrance but only just barely. I think men can pull this one off as well.

A fantastic fruity floral with an interesting twist.

Definitely an underrated fragrance from this house's catalogue!

J ADORE J ADORE J ADORE. JE CROIS QUE JE N ACHETERAI QUE DES LUTENS. CE PARFUM EST UN ENCHANTEMENT. PROPRE AVEC POIRE TRES PRESENTE. INVITE A LA DOUCEUR ET LA PAIX. ME FAIT PENSER A BAS DE SOIE MAIS SANS LE COTE METALIQUE. ICI JE N AI RIEN TROUVE DE METALIQUE. J ADORE CONVIENT PAR TOUS LES TEMPS

Easter fragrance for 2022. Long lasting and compliment garnering. Summer Solstice fragrance for 2023 - two more compliments. It's a crowd pleaser.

The "Iron Maiden" or "lily among thorns" concept behind this fragrance evokes, as others have noted, the contrast between the a pure, intemerate flower and the cold steel the encages it. Intrigued, I got a sizeable decant. The scent is undeniably well-made and unique.

The lily, metallic notes, and pear mix together in a way that creates a detached cleanliness, bordering on soapiness. The incense is indistinct, not seductive, and the sandalwood is virtually undetectable to me. The scent is compelling, but does not elude to hidden promises or a successful conquest. If this scent were a woman, she may catch your eye, but that interest is not reciprocated or noticed. You may admire her beauty and virtues from afar, but she will always be unreachable and aloof. La Vierge de Fer is a successful artistic concept that needs the right wearer.

Long-lasting on me, never becoming invisible to my nose. Projection is moderate. Little evolution during wear.

I'm testing this from a decant. And there's something quite masculine in it on top of a very feminine sweat pear. This confuses me, the way some niche creations are intended to, when they are trying to pull out different notes on feminine vs masculine skin (relying on different metabolism, temperature etc..). It has a minty side, similar to Figment Woman Amouage. However, this one goes into Dior Poison direction. I like Dior Poison, but it rarely suits me or the occasion or the crowd I'll be around. So I wear Poison for myself. This I can wear together with Poison, because it adds what I need in it - femininity, density, oomph... Smeling La Vierge de Fer directly from the skin is not how this perfume is meant to entice. It creates an interesting aura around you. So I guess the way I can personally enjoy it is by walking through a mist of it and apply few drops of Dior Poison on my wrists so that I feel the magic of the blend in the air while typing on my keyboard. What is better, though, is the contrast between them as they refer to each other when I catch whiffs from one and then the other, so that I get more from the first again and back to the other. Nice.

The mystical image of the Iron Maiden, a punishment chamber embodying a Virgin figure on the outside, and thorn blades on the inside, is a compelling metaphorical image for this fragrance.

The Maiden here is a mesmerizing white Lily in full bloom, very well-composed, almost perfect, if not for the cold thorny blades connected to her.
She is sensual, but never fully accessible. She is both hot and cold. She is by all means tantalizing.

Are the cold blades meant to be brutal, or is the Lily meant to embalm? The answer is, a bit of this, a bit of that.

Metallic lily, how do you like that? A reference to either a psudo-medieval torture device or Jean of Arc (the Maid of Orleans) - this got my attention. Plus I am a giant fan of lilies. Lilies are my flowers. Metallic notes intrigue me, but I find them hard to wear for me. Overall I wasn't disappointed by this perfume. I will be wearing it for sure. More than a story here I like the contrast of soft pear, feminine lily and cold metal. Nice concept.

On me this is a Lilly blast. No metallic notes, no incense… I quite like it, however, so far, it is pretty pedestrian to me.

brutal yet you can't pull away your nose. it's bloody gums at a dentist office. soothing the aftermath with a nice spoonful of honey since your mother is apprehensive about sweets right after the carnage. i can't give this a season - i wear it based on craving alone. it comes around when i either want to feel like an ichordrenched valkyrie in the middle of a battlefield, sly little snake making bad deals in pitchblack English alleyways, or lurch at the gone displeasures of childhood.

la vierge de fer is sitting at a creek on a humid, overcast spring afternoon. she is chanting back and forth her declarations of hatred or shameful confessions of fancy. hunched in daily life yet struck upright and righteous in ambition. dogeared anne rice paperbacks. collector of antique coins. her hair is either blunt and sunbleached or dark as night. the uniform is a trenchcoat and mini skirt in family tartan.

soaked lily, burnt ancient honey, and the clashing of swords in peak bloodshed. immortals only. 6/10

Hmmm…La Vierge De Fer. Quite an intriguing fragrance. At once, clean, white floral, bordering on green. Ever so faintly woody. Then there's that elusive note, swirling around. It's almost…kind of…minty? Yep, when sniffed up close, it's minty, yet green and slightly citusy, to this neophyte's nose. However, when whiffed from afar, that note is decidedly metallic!

The first hour wearing LVDF, I went back-and-forth with myself trying to describe this fragrance, giving myself a headache. 😁I decided to just relax and enjoy it.

Overall, I find La Vierge De Fer a mature, luxe, white floral fragrance. It's aloof and elusive. Alluring. Intriguing and unique.

This is amazing!!! Not usually my type (I’m more into girly sweet fragrances, not florals) but this is STUNNING. Lily lovers will adore this! It smells extremely sophisticated and fancy, and very zingy- I guess that’s the metal? I don’t detect metal (or incense) at all but it does make this lily fragrance more sharp (in a good way). It smells like crisp lilies and sweet pear, absolutely gorgeous <3. Would make for a great everyday fragrance

White florals and I have a tough relationship, but this and TC both manage to win me over. I honestly don’t get the metallic touch for long, really just seems like a full bodied lily in all its aspects, with its slightly spicy nuances and with a creamy, slightly fruity touch.

I appreciate this lily because it’s not indolic which tends to be one of the biggest issues I have with white florals.

Lily dominant, just softened by pear. Not a ripe, foody pear, it’s a barely-there pear. Both lily and pear can sometimes have a slightly metallic edge to them so I think the metallic note here feels like an extension of that, fairly seamless but unpleasant if focused on (I get nuance of blood and cold stop-sign pole). The incense is not very strong but present enough to be confusing; is it out of place, is it interesting, do I like it? I don’t know. The metal pear-lily on one side and the sandalwood incense on the other seem to be pulling in different directions. Maybe that’s the point. I can imagine someone with a powerful inner calmness arbitrating this beautifully.

Edit 2023: On a whim I sprayed this on early this summer morning, half expecting I’d be washing it off in a few minutes. But I’m pleasantly surprised! The metal feels actively cooling and is giving off faint wafts of mint. The lily and pear are not obvious now, maybe because I’m keeping my nose at a distance from my wrist. I might end up liking this more than I thought, in a subtle, lotioney, minty kind of way.

The metallic note doesn’t sit well with me. Otherwise a “happy” smelling fragrance. Lily and pear it’s pretty easy to imagine.

La Vierge de Fer opens with some of my favorite top notes of any perfume. For me, the opening was almost impossibly light, sparkling and iridescent. Wow.

The white lily quickly takes over and occupies center stage, with only a whisper of the metallic note to make things interesting. I see why many reviewers don't perceive the metallic note, it's very subtle.

On me this was almost a signature scent - I thoroughly enjoyed every note. But it was a little too much about the white lily, and I would have liked a little more of that elusive metallic note, a little more interest.

It's quite surprising for me to learn that so many people find the name "La vierge de fer" (Iron Maiden) unsuitable for this fragrance. It makes perfect sense to me. At first sniff, the burst of incandescent lillies is accompanied by the crisp freshness of pears then the metallic notes enter, adding sobriety without spoiling the exuberance of the start. Although the SL description is somewhat different, to me, the reference to Joan of Arc is most evident: the exalted faith of a young girl turned fearless warrior, the bright light of divine guidance clad in a suit of armour. I love this and how it makes me feel. It is somehow "girlish"but it has layers. Sublime.

the name is apt. a sterile, domineering, girlish fruity-floral with occasional whiffs of military-industrial hellscape--blood, metal, combustion. this is a narrative with a post-traumatic dynamic. imagine: joan of ark reinvents herself as a corporate suit, only to be haunted by scenes of medieval warfare. as with many lutens fragrances, this iron maiden is more poetry than wearable.

I smell pear and dandelions. I know it is supposed to be lilies, but I always imagined lilies smelling a lot more pungent, so I decided that the florals in LVdF are fluffy yellow dandelions. I sense no metal. This is frag is delicious, summery and easy to wear.

I definitely get lily and pear first on. The pear is ripe, but just, the lily is clean but clearly lily and not soapy. I really don't get much else. It wears linear on me. Overall its okay but nothing I really like enough to get more of. Not iron maidenly at all, in any way I can detect. It’s not strong, brazen, or impressive in any dimension. However, on my sister, it’s a cool, slightly metallic fresh floral that’s just lovely and breezy. Over to my sister.

Bouquet of lilies with some jasmines, lush green trees and vines sweeping over a clear lake, a chilly and cloudy night, fresh pond with water lilies, the cold feel of metals and rock, a glass vase filled with ice water, a half bitten pear on the marble counter.

I smell honey in the dry down- absolutely intoxicating! And yet, this is cooling in the humidity; I enjoyed wearing this to the botanical gardens today. What I like about this perfume is it’s uniqueness for a white floral, simply because it is a lily. There is no mistaking this for jasmine, gardenia, or tuberose. The composition is subtle, but complex. I can smell all of the notes listed if I pick them out. But when I smell it all together it blends to form a wildflower honey made from lilies. Maybe the creaminess of the sandalwood, the greenness of the lily, and the natural smokiness of incense replicate a natural honey scent?
A fruity floral that is not at all flirty... this is more like the Mary Magdalene of fruity florals.

Brrrr... this is chilly! And beautiful and elegant. I love this. I get all the notes listed, and am realizing I really enjoy pear in fragrances. I’m excited to be wearing this as the weather is warming up. It’s a winner for me!

I've been craving fruity florals lately, particularly with a pear note, and haven't been too satisfied with some that I've tried. The pear note is either too sweet, or too synthetic, or too sharp, or drowned out by the floral notes, or overwhelming the florals notes. This perfume strikes the perfect balance. A polished and sophisticated fruity floral with a crisp, slightly unripe, barely sweet pear and a still green lily on the verge of bloom. It's fresh, light, and very clear. It slowly dries down to a creamy, musky, lily and pear, on a sandalwood base. I'm not getting incense listed in the notes, and it is pretty linear, but that's okay because it smells good from beginning to end. The only thing I'm perplexed by is the metallic note. I have no idea what that should smell like since I have no other perfume, or ever smelled another perfume, with that note. I really don't know what I should be picking up to discern that either, except that there is an icy quality to this perfume that might be attributable to that. In the end, it doesn't really matter, because this checks all the boxes for me.

Edit - 1/23 - I've worn this a few times since this review, in different seasons, and without exception it is always close to the skin except in the coldest months of winter. That seems to be the only time it projects.

Serge Lutens La Vierge de Fer (2013) - fruity lily - interesting muse for #christophersheldrake to use Joan of Arc. The accord is predominantly a Lily with Pear wrapped around Sandalwood. There’s something deeper I smell as the Lily isn’t transparent and pure. Akin to smoke or cold steel that makes for an interesting perfume.

This is a very elegant and feminine perfume, that is both light and strong at the same time. It opens with pears and flowers. While the notes state lilies, to me it doesn't smell like real lilies. More like clean flowers. Somebody well said here that lilies in La Vierge De Fer smell what lilies look like- white and green. Didn't notice any metallic notes, incense or sandalwood, though. It dries down into a faint skin smell.
If I could describe what vibe this fragrance has- it's like a crystal vase, or a crystal plate with pears near an open window on a rainy day. A garden of white lilies. Or a forest nymph in a light long dress that lives in a green forest.

Lovely perfume.

Pears and Lillies so
completely feminine.

After having this for few weeks I finally smell the metallic note(blade).
Sadly, it was too overwhelming combined with the sharpness of lily and pear and we've since parted ways

Fresh, green lilies immaculately arranged in a baccarat crystal vase sitting adjacent to a bowl of juicy pears on a chilly, marble counter. There is a breeze coming through the open window. Absolutely gorgeous.

ok this is the smell of what we call jasmine in italy! it's the rincospermum (go check what it is, its a fake rampant jasmine) . Thas why i couldnt relate to jasmine in fragrances! wonderfull! its just that I cant believe it! heavens

Wow! Pear and Lily with a base of sandalwood.

You know that some of the Lutens are difficult to wear? And some people write long essays to justify the complexity and force themselves to believe they like the scent when they don't. You read the reviews and think it's a masterpiece, you blind buy it and it arrives as ... completely unwearable for you.

This one is not like that. It is a juicy pear and lily, not indolic lily, rather very floral and feminine. I can't belevive it was so good. I don't recognize any of the metallic notes. So-so nice! Wow.

I recommend to sample first, it seems the scents if polarizning.

I could not agree more with the reviewer below !! Pear and lilies are the key players here. It's like they were wrapped in aluminum and throwed into an acid bath and you would smell their ozonic vapor. The sandalwood is a powdery one here - nothing creamy or buttery. I find it very intriguing, beautiful in a hurtful way. Although I wouldn't feel like myself wearing this, I'd feel like another woman. Metallic notes tend to do that to me. Intimate performance but a very long lasting one. After a bath I could still smell the reminiscent notes on my wrists, getting shy whiffs here and there 12 hours later. Daytime scent - will freeze you in your bed if you wear it in the dark.

It is a really an interesting scent for sure ! ( I mean come on it’s Lutens) .
I quite like it , this pear is really well balanced with the metallic notes that makes it less « soft » and childish .
However I have a problem with metallic notes because it does really strongly make me think of blood :/ I mean a « vierge de fer » is a torture bed made with metal that pierce the victim .
I can almost smell the fresh blood of the person on the old metal spikes with rotten blood on it left by the victim before .
Sorry for the image but it is what Lutens wanted to express ..

It is very much a lily scent. The other notes only strenghten its aspects. I like it but it does not perform in cold weather. I'll have to revisit it during a cold rainly spring day.

The first moments of the "Iron Lady" smell sweet, ripe pears, inviting and delicious. Yet a few minutes later opens a blade sharp metal note, warning that you may break your teeth if try to bite it.
This is my Power perfume. I wear it for oral exams, for interviews, and in any situation where I expect confrontation. It makes me feel feminine and tough at same time. It is my confidence smell.
I feel this perfume illustrates the modern woman how I see her in an olfactory way - she is cute and warm in her ripped jeans and fluffy cardigan, and she is fearless and competent in her green scrubs.

Beautiful pear scent with some white flower touches, it is similar to Petit Cherie by Goutal, but with added floral notes, more grown up and interesting, it also has very nice projection, not loud..I would say soft but persistent. Most perfumes featuring pear notes are not long lasting, or the pear note is fleeting and replaced by other notes soon in the development, in this Lutens edition, the pear remains for a long time with substantial projection.

This is a delicate, buttery, lightly sweetened white floral, that meticulously and harmoniously evolves into a loud, shrill, fruity pear as it dries down.

This perfume opens up with some lightness and transparency which is quite different for Serge Lutens. La Vierge De Fer impresses me when it evolves over a few minutes to reveal some greenness, then some tenderness from the Chanel-like iris accords in the middle. The transition to the base notes are also well done. Unfortunately the base of this perfume solely smells of synthetic pear notes, that reminds me of cheap shampoo.

La Vierge De Fer also lacks any earthiness that you might expect in a real lily, and is surprisingly fresh-smelling for a Serge Lutens in this range. The white floral accord in this seems quite neutered; it's light, clean, delicate, and merely hints at lilies. It is not full-bodied, indolic, meaty, thick, nor intoxicating, unlike Serge's other floral treatments like A La Nuit and Fleur d'Oranger.

I think this perfume must have been very thoughtfully and carefully made, as I quite enjoy the evolving scent journey. It is unfortunate that the base here seems overly simplified, loud, and cheap! As someone who deeply appreciates many of Serge Lutens' other basenotes, this seems to have so much potential but leaves me quite disappointed in the end.

This is a glass pear, a frightfully old Christmas bauble from a childhood long gone. Or a little pear-shaped topaz — the one jewel Grandpa gave Grandma, and with all the kids and the troubles they never got around to setting it into anything.

And you, a 15 y.o. virgin, are clutching it as you cry hysterically because the world is iron-hard and there’ll never be love. And then comes the honey — you’re out of tears and light-headed and suddenly at peace. Two notes in precise succession.

I couldn’t wear it anywhere outside my home, but I’m happy I have it

I have a small and modest collection of fragrances, most of which are blind buys, I know it’s not the most ideal way to buy fragrances haha. All of these fragrances I enjoy, a few of which I absolutely love. This was my first blind buy that was a complete miss. I’ve had it for months now, and I’ve been trying to like it, trying to unlock something in it that will change my mind, but for me it’s not there. It’s a clean floral with just a tad of pear like the notes would suggest. But when I smell it, it doesn’t illicit any reaction or emotion in me. My most accurate description of this is that it smells mediocre and very middle of the road. There’s nothing in La Vierge de Fer that makes me want to smell it again. I feel like I would appreciate it more if I found it offensive and unwearable, but it’s just kinda boring. I wish I appreciated this more but I don’t, I now use it in my diffuser so I can have a fresh/clean scent surrounding me. To wear, however, I’ll pass.

Figure in Profile by Salvador Dalí
++++

A metallic floral/pear scent. That brief description doesn't capture how much I love to sniff this. It's perfect for spring. Longevity is not the best, but probably average for this type of scent. Very unisex.

This is my dumb grab fragrance along with Un Bois Vanille from Serge Lutens. This is safe and doesn’t really try to make a strong impression. I fell for the pear note when I smelled it on a testing strip. But on my skin, this turns soapy and a bit ozone-ish. Sort of like when you get out of the shower after using dove or ivory soap. I get musk, and I get the metallic note, but it never turns bad. I noticed that the metallic and ozone can get harsh if I go trigger-happy. Otherwise, this is an unassuming scent. Probably not what you are expecting with this price, but I wasn’t unhappy with the purchase. Longevity is short, and the projection isn’t great. I would wear it on a rainy or gloomy day.

I had no luck with it - too much of metallic notes on me, it smells disturbing, cold and itchy.

I love lilies and I hoped for something subtle, melancholic and detached, but it turns almost aggressive on me. Just a constant weird feeling, like licking the battery contacts:(

Unusual experience, anyway.

For me this is a scent of lilac. Lilac + some white floral.
As there are not listed any lilac notes then I guess it must be the white floral + metallic notes that creates this impression.

This is my second Serge Lutens purchase after smelling it at Mecca. It opens up very powdery/ floral, I’ve never smelt anything quite like this one. It’s a fresh scent for sure. Lasts quite a while too, about 4 sprays and I can still smell it on me 6 hours into the day. Don’t overspray this one.

I would disagree with the other reviews – Yes, it is on the floral side but it is definitely unisex. I love it and it gets a lot of attention.

Sillage: 7.5/10
Longevity: 8.5/10
Scent: 8.5/10

Gorgeous, sharp soapy floral, perfect and refreshing on a hot day, very long-lasting

This is a very fruity floral, verging on vintage. I do not get the metallic note at all. To me this is foremost pear then aldehydes and some sweet white floral that feels like a combo of lily, orchid, freesia and ylang. A hint of musk. A hint of sandalwood.

So the second love is clear for me apparently - Lutens. This is like 5-6th scent from this creator and yet amazing because this is not the first time with SL scents when i get drawn into the times, when my mom did not use frags of brand names, but air was filled with pure, good smells.
Normally I run away from juices, that contain lilies and yet La Vierge De Fer is an exception, i would say lilies in here are not that strong or my skin does shutter them down a bit. I would say it is more soapy than fruity, but definitely clean, metallic and fresh is the main vibe i get. The metallic notes are not too pure to make sick or reminiscent something weird. For me it is that fresh that i would use during summer instead of citruses'n'limonades.

Beautiful scent: floral, radiant, natural. Realistic lily & jasmine but still a ‘perfume’ rather than a smell captured precisely from nature. The hint of pear gives it a subtle fruitiness. Cool and fresh with good sillage so not too many sprays required at a time, however reapplication is necessary if you want it to last more than half a day. Lovely scent for spring; can imagine it could become cloying in hot weather.

La Vierge de Fer is a cold and melancholic scent. It is reminiscent of a day in late autumn, when leaves have deserted the trees and that an early blanket of snow covers the landscape. It has a contemplative quality that fills me with calm serenity.

This is green, floral, and powdery. The lily is very strong, I can detect the incense and sandalwood in the background, and I also smell this strange, metallic note. Without being sharp, I think this is why this scent makes me think of the beginning of winter, but the greenest of this fragrance make it also bright and well balanced.

This is more a conceptual scent than one I would wear everyday, but I do appreciate this Serge Lutens offering very much. I never smelled anything quite like it.

Edit: After finishing my sample, the idea of this perfume got stuck in my head and I went to get another sample. I simply cannot get enough of this perfume, it's incredibly mood inducing. I changed my mind, this Serge Lutens offering is FB worthy!

It is lovely, wearable. but It doesn't have smell of Lilies at all. It is more close to green fruity jasmine. Un lys is the lily, really.

Superb, in my opinion. Doesn’t really smell like a single other scent out there but still definitely captures the scent of femininity accurately. Throughout the ages, the feminine scent has been portrayed in either a sharp, leathery of chypre type way or the light-ish - light floral scent with a hint of fruitiness. That isn’t to say that these scents can’t be worn by men, or anyone else (look at my wardrobe), but that’s just how it’s been done. This is traditional and sticks to those roots. There’s a little bit of dusty incense which keeps it from being too boring and adds an interesting oriental aspect.,

I am so glad I took a risk and blind bought this. It is thankfully all lily and pear on me. not a hint of metallic note on me and usually my nose turns up at any weird notes. This is a slightly cold, demure and lady-like scent to me.

A new review,
sometimes it takes a while to fully appreciate Serge Lutens creations.

Cloud of wonderful incense with pear and a metallic vibe.
Surely angels smell like this?
Or concubines... or succubus?

Glory, Glory hallelujah!
...Or forever rein Queen Lilith?

A beautiful lily fragrance. Fleshy white flowers and juicy pear blend perfectly with whispers of a Samsara like incensey sandalwood base. I don't see why a flower loving man couldn't wear this.

Beautiful beautiful. Wow this is not the usual Serge Lutens to me. Such a gorgeous white floral. Seems like the longevity will be good. Almost takes a Hawaiian scent turn on me. I’m hoping the sillage is good. I may have to decant it into a spray bottle.

Highly recommended. To me this is a women’s fragrance not unisex at all.

The quality and the uniqueness of this winner piece of art is stellar!! ✨

A very interesting modern floral from the eclectic Serge Lutens line. The perfume whose name translates to "The Iron Maiden" opens with a burst of lily (that stays throughout the length of stay) and pear. The heart reveals a slight metallic note and the perfume dries into a powdery base of incense and sandalwood with the lily still dominating. This is a cold, modern, and icy floral. Well blended with moderate to strong projection and long lasting. Unisex leans feminine. Recommended for daring ladies and men not afraid of smelling a bit floral. Enjoy.

3/10

In their roles as artistic director and perfumer, Lutens and Sheldrake have explored their central woody accord many times, taking it in a syrupy-spiced direction with Arabie, Miel de Bois and Daim Blond and in a more overtly gourmand direction with Un Bois Vanille and Five O’Clock au Gingembre. Overall, there’s been a tendency to hold close their to their signature wood/fruit compositional style but with their soli-floral perfumes Sheldrake and Lutens range much further afield. The perfumes run from pretty and tame (Sa Majesté la Rose & Un Lys) to ferocious (Tubereuse Criminelle & Iris Silver Mist*). La Vierge de Fer falls in line with two other perfumes the brand, A La Nuit (2000) and Datura Noir (2001). Let’s call them the Crass Florals.

All three of the Crass Florals share an over-the-topness that defuses any solemnity the Lutens line might have accrued over the years. Lutens himself has seen enough fashion over the years that he seems to know to pepper ‘serious’ design with camp. La Vierge de Fer’s depiction of lily is less olfacto-realistic than A La Nuit’s jasmine but only slightly so. The unexpected lily-pear pairing takes a moment to come into focus clearly but once it does, it makes perfect sense. The two aromas, the flower and the fruit, share a musky connection that might not be obvious but is smartly manipulated by Sheldrake, who makes the unexpected pairing fit together perfectly. The prickly mouth feel of a bite of pear is recreated with a shellac-like musky tone that cuts sweetness and allows flavor to shine through just as it does in a pear on the cusp of ripeness. La Vierge de Fer’s lily is green and expansive, quite different than the wafting vanillic lily Sheldrake composed for Lutens Un Lys. The pairing of flower and fruit is angular but not jarring and has less sting than the lost pear–florals Jean-Michel Duriez created for Jean Patou.

La Vierge de Fer lacks Datura Noir syrup but shares the luminosity and billowing projection suggestive of tropical climes. Also like Datura Noir, La Vierge maintains super-sized proportions into the hearnotes but finds a more tenable scale by dry-down. The lily remains coherent throughout and the perfume neither loses its shape nor collapses into a ‘skin scent’ and demonstrates Sheldrake’s particular talent for coherent, satisfying drydowns.

La Vierge de Fer provided a welcome break in the grey drift of Lutens’s recent Oedipal florals. 2013’s La Vierge de Fer was preceded by the receding-carnation of 2011’s Vitriol d’Oeillet and followed by the bleak white-out of 2014’s l’Orpheline and grey skies of 2015’s La Religieuse. The muffled, blanketing tones of these woody florals seem at odds with the specificity of many of the line’s earlier florals. They were framed by cryptic allusions by Lutens to revisited childhood memories and distant female authority figures. I believe they were intended to convey a sort of meditative sense of distance and isolation but as a collection they don’t build on each other to express anything but an uncomfortable listlessness.

Vierge de Fer started in the Palais Royal Exclusive line (the bell jars) and eventually found its way to the export line (the rectangular spray bottles.) I came to The Iron Maiden out of sequence, well after The Caustic Carnation, The Orphan and The Nun. The name and the general trend in the Lutens line led me to expect a dirge of a perfume but La Vierge de Fer is neither torturous, as the name implies, nor grim like the other latter-day Lutens florals.

* Yeah, iris is a root but is described qualitatively as a floral scent.

from scenthurdle.com

Softly, softly.

Lilly & pear whisper across the skin.

... a bit to sutble for winter.

I'll wait till summer to give a full review I think.

that said its very mature.

(I should add floral scents are very new for me, as in the liking of, not normally a flower girl, more a unisex woman, I'm only just coming to grips with my fascination for Datura Noir, not normally my speed at all.

but I love pear. fingers crossed.

update: ......Glory, Glory helliujah !

(Review from a sample)

This is the first Lutens that I actually quite dislike, unfortunately. I'll explain.
First and foremost, what I smell is mainly lily and pear, followed by something weird and metallic, the "metallic notes"; I can't smell any incense or sandalwood. It has moderate projection and longevity.
The problems are these: first, the pear is quite synthetic to my nose; second and most importantly, it is powdery in a bad way, as if I was actually sniffing some powder and half choking myself. I know it sounds ridiculous haha, but it really irritated my nose and my eyes, which feel super dry now. I don't know, it is as if I had put my face in a bag of powder and inhaled it... Not very pleasant. So nope, this is a pass for me, unfortunately.

Sweet, powdery pear and lily. Simple. Smells nice, not sharp, but smells like a designer scent. Over priced in my opinion.

very similar to une voix noire. I just feel a nice lily and no other note. too feminine.7/10

Although far removed from the stewed fruits and syrupy woods of the bulk of Serge's work, LVdF is still most definitely a Lutensian frag. It shares a good chunk of DNA with Une Voix Noire, and more than a passing relation to Sarrasins, De Profundis and A La Nuit.

LVdF opens with dark green florals. The opening is deep, and rich, without being at all thick or creamy. Think emerald stained glass rather than white porcelain. The florals here are sharp without being piercing. It's certainly a loud, white floral, but not in a traditional, bombastic sense. I find this lily spine to be 'pure', rather than 'clean'. It's a relatively uncomplicated note, clean in it's simplicity, but not especially "clean" in a soap and musk kind of way.

The experience is rather ethereal. Otherworldly, strange, metallic. There's a touch of sweetness from the pear, gently stewed/sugared in traditional Serge style. But where Une Voix Noire turns sweet and dank and smoky, LVdF heads in a different, far less human/animalic direction. The middle reveals a crystalline lily playing out over icy cold, razor sharp metallic notes, with a hint of cold incense in the background.

Much like Une Voix Noire, this strikes me as an artistic vision of a soliflore, rather than a photo realistic representation. It captures the impressions and associations of lilies rather than the actual scent, and is all the more stunning for it.

The overall impression is transparent, dark, cold, a little sad even. But simultaneously painfully beautiful. Cold steel and emerald green, with iced lilies dancing above.

Performance is pretty decent. Sillage is at the upper end of moderate, and longevity is surprisingly good. Despite being largely a soliflore, this sits equally well on a man or a woman. The metallic underscore makes this unusual enough to defy gender stereotypes.

Enjoy on cool evenings while indulging in shady dealings and questionable life choices.

Beautiful melancholic perfume. It does have a surface clean, shampoo-like aroma from the lily/pear combination, but when you smell closer it's richer and more multi-nuanced. The merger of incense and metallic notes to the lily makes it too sorrowful and doleful for me. It's the smell of a dirge, a haunting lament in perfume for the virgin of iron.

La Vierge De Fer has the same sparkling pear-champagne feel as Armani Idole, where Idole glints with gold, and La Vierge De Fer twinkles with a *wa-shingggg* of a needle of a dainty steel sword being drawn.

However, this is not an intimidating iron maiden of a scent. This is more befitting of Arya Stark (Game of Thrones) -- young, girly, prepubescent, undertaking fencing lessons, unknowingly before the onset of her quest to avenge the death of her family as they are picked off one by one.

Virginal and pure to open, rather fruity and innocent; given time musk (rather than sandalwood) augments a fresh fleur-de-lys with hints of jasmine and freesia, delivering some integrity.

Simple and despite the designer scent-like opening, I really enjoy the drydown of easy fresh flowers with a hint of soft woody, fruity shampoo. However I find the name rather ironic.

This reminds me of Diorissimo. I'm not sure of the current version but around the end of the 70's I wore Diorissimo and loved it. When I got this sample in one of my swaps (Thanks to Addict2Perfume. I love this and the notes are so well blended. Fresh, sweet (floral not sugar) green, and all so wonderfully blended. This smells like spring to me.

I've recently ordered quite a few samples of Serge Lutens fragrances. Usually his creations are very much a hit or a miss for me. This however is a hit!

La Vierge De Fer is a soft fruity floral that is so much different from any other similar scent.

The perfume opens up with a cool ambigouos white lilly, then moves on to a metallic cuttig knife and then merges into asmooth ripe pear. The mix is intoxicating to say the least. Very soft, very unique.

The longevity is superb for a soft fruity floral fragrance like this. Over 6h. Even lasts after I've been to the shower. All in all perfection,..

La Vierge De Fer by Serge Lutens is a sweet powdery pear and crisp cold lilies. I love that this smells young and kind yet distant and unapproachable at the same time. There is such a stark contrast between the two top notes, but they still blend so wonderfully together. I love wearing this, I think it is so beautiful and after slowly but surely using up my sample that I savored for so long – I went and got a bottle!

The concept of La Vierge De Fer is perfect and total ambivalence. I can detect only three notes – dreamy, yet austere lily, cold metallic note (the smell of the knife) and sweet yet very subtle ripped pear. The notes go along very well and it’s impossible to describe the mood of the fragrance in one word – it’s not cold, yet it’s not floral neither floral fruity, yes it’s sweet, but calm and distant. If I had to choose a personality to represent this fragrance, it would be Elizabeth I – The Virgin Queen. Strong-willed yet fragile, chaste and coquette. The downside is that it doesn’t change or develop much. The lasting power is good, silage – moderate.

This is one of very few fragrances I've come across that actually give me a headache. I can only wear it if I apply very, very sparingly. I have the spray bottle, and even one spray to the small of my back (I always wear pants so no point in spraying knees/ankles) is too much. Dabbing it on and immidiately washing my fingers works, sorta.

I DID test before I bought, and really liked the cool, metallic lily. I suspect I was already anosmic from being in the perfume shop, because what I smelled was a soft echo of the overwhelming lily powerhouse I'm getting at home.

I really want to like it and to wear it. It reminds me of cold, clear, early May mornings, the aching weeks before the birch leaves spring open, when you're poised on the balls of your feet waiting for spring to properly arrive, longing to see something green after six months of winter. It reminds me of the relief of finally seeing black asphalt and smelling petrichor again, after months and months of ice-covered roads. It's icy and promising at the same time.

Tender..innocent.... a fantastic parfum. The opening is fresh and almost release,releases all of the lily force. After a few minutes it becomes something never heard, something heavenly... fantastic. A beautiful fragrance that stands out a lot, (and I have a good collection of perfumes) but no one remotely resembles ... this scent makes me happy and full of love ... to me makes this effect ❤ :), the drydown is fantastic, perhaps the incense gives the fragrance an almost mystical aura,but gentle. high level perfume, still surprised and pleased by the fantastic parfum of Lutens.Thank you for this gift... I am at peace!

Sillage: 8./10
Longevity: 8.5/10
Scent: 10./10

Overall: 10./10

"I will come as a thief in the night"...not quite the same thing...

I was visiting a large city & saw this one in the normal spray bottle. So, it was for me a "now or never" impulse buy. Anyway, LVdF is a bit of transformer, & I really like how it progresses.

The opening is a lively but not distinctive (or natural) general fruity freshness, (almost a little bit trashy !) Think apples & pears - as opposed to the more usual citrus. The floral follows later, & it comes in lovely wafts, soft & delicate. I don't usually get on too well with white florals, they are often either indolic or too "strident" on me, but I get none of that here. I can't smell anything specifically metallic really, maybe just something that compliments the lily & gives it a little bit of "edge" & sense of coolness. The dry down is hard for me to describe but it's very subtle (incense), & (I think) there is sandalwood & jasmine (it reminds me of Une Air de Samsara which I had years ago) Anyway, it's elegant & ethereal & becomes warmer over time..it is lovely..

It lasted well (8 hours +) & I think (like a lot of Lutens) it really needs to be tested patiently on skin, it unfolds slowly. I'm really happy that I got this one, its a beautiful fresh Spring/Summer scent that I can't wait to wear. Ignoring the ridiculous marketing "blurb" - it just smells really pretty & feminine imo :)

Edit: When I bought this I sprayed it on some card, along with 6 other expensive perfumes. 10 days later, this is the only one still going strong on the card. I'm impressed by that - a soft summery perfume, with some backbone - yay !!

After reading other reviews, I have been trying to be patient with this frag. I am an hour in to La Vierge De Fer and it isn't going well. Not exactly sure what my nose is picking up. I can't say that there is any flower standing out. Maybe a shampoo scent?
White flowers are usually my friends, but not this time. My skin isn't doing La Vierge De Fer any favours.
I understand that it is best to try a frag several times before reviewing but I am pretty certain that I won't change my mind on this one.

Edit Jan 16.
The spouse, who is usually anosmic, can smell this and likes it. I still won't be purchasing it.

Another edit. Somehow I have ended up with a second sample of this. My error, as I had a list when I went shopping for samples, but the list was for frags I want to try, not for frags I don't ever need to sample again. I will wait a day or two, then put all of the sample on and see if I can finally find what others have experienced in this frag.

This is truly a difficult one for me to review because, unlike any other perfume I enjoy, this one starts off rather mediocre and then develops, after several hours, into something amazing.

First things first: Ignore the name, ignore the ridiculous marketing-speak Serge has come out with for this fragrance. You're at an advantage if you don't speak French and therefore have no idea what the name means. Don't let it influence your nose. There is the tiniest bit of metal in here - like a flask that has been kept in the freezer and is now being used as a vase for a similarly chilled lily.

Now, I love lilies. They are one of my favorite flowers, so I'm biased from the start. If you don't like lilies, this perfume won't change your mind, but thankfully it avoids the heady white floral overdose. It's cold and clean - almost too clean. We skirt the edge of the boring laundry scent, which is disappointing. However, after a few hours, a slight fruitiness emerges alongside the lilies. Combined with a touch of incense, THIS is when La Vierge de Fer gets interesting and I can't quit sniffing at my wrist. I don't know how Lutens did this, how he hid the best notes underneath a clean and plain floral scent before letting them shine in the far drydown, but it's great work. Unfortunately, at this price point, it's too little too late, and I expected better from Serge Lutens. In the head and the heart, this perfume is surprisingly uncomplicated for one of his creations. That is not necessarily a bad thing, you just need to know what you're in for. If the complex drydown had been matched with a similarly interesting beginning, then this fragrance would be worth your money. But the way it is, I have to relegate it to the status of a curiosity, not a full-bottle buy.

Sillage is disappointingly low.

It's like half a great perfume.

Tovah, your review is priceless.

Agree. The introduction is really weired...who cares? The scent is aaaamaaazing! I love lily of all kinds. But it took me a while to recognize it in the Iron Maiden. I bought the bottle because I loved the idea of the metallic lily...don't know why I didn't open the packaging for months. Finally I unwrapped the box and opened the jar. From this moment on I start to apply these drops every day realizing that this frag develops to something really new, never smelled before on my skin. It's an incredible chilly, alabaster-white almost translucent, mystic, ancient yet futuristic flower scent - a fresh alien blossom and at the same time familiar. Over-worldly! Looove it for all occasions.

And I love lily.... I love THIS lily!

10/10 moderate sillage and longlasting on my skin

I have been a member on this site for some time now and I have never really felt the urge to leave a comment nor review...

Till now!

@Tovah, that was THE best comment/review in the history of Fragrantica.

"And I hate Lilly"

Hahahahahaaaoooo.... wooooo that was a good time :)

...The Negros had understood that everything which surrounds us is our enemy”, the wizard Picasso said to his paintbrush. Who, if not one of them, decided on life, by death, "Uncleanch the teeth of his sex of the world: fear. Since it is the fruit of our entrails, it must be elevated. For that, not fearing incest, we will embrace it..."

wtf?

This sounds like the ravings of a bigoted, incestuous obsessive turned into a serial killer. What on earth has it got to do with this fragrance?

I'm creeped out. I don't like poisons of any kind.

And I hate lily.

The metallic note mixed with lilies makes for a creepy scent. Cold, aloof, a bit scary, yet tragically feminine. This is not an everyday scent, but I can see someone wearing this to a funeral, a divorce hearing, or some sort of secret encounter with enemies. Vierge de Fer is the perfect armor for these kinds of situations.

I'm testing La Vierge de Fer right now; I've been wearing it for about an hour and a half. This is a lovely lily fragrance, and I'm one of those people that can wear white florals well. That being said, I am very, very glad that I didn't blind buy this, like I had originally wanted to. Asking $310 for this fragrance is a bit much (bell jar or not). Would I pay $130, if it were put into the spray bottle group? Maybe. I get the lily note and also something that makes me think "cool and light" so that must be the metal note; floral and refreshing. I didn't get any incense, which is a disappointment, as I think that would have been the deciding factor for me, in making this worth the purchase. It is a unique combination but sadly for me, there is no incense and no spice to back up my lily, and I can find nice lily fragrances for much less than $310. This is soft, feminine, and very, very pretty, and if all of the notes in this fragrance come alive on you, I salute you! I am very happy to have tried it; I am always grateful for the opportunity to try something, even if it doesn't agree with me or "hit the mark" like I wanted it to. This one is just not "grabbing" me. I'll happily use up my sample, though. I ordered a sampler of five Serge Lutens perfumes, so I'll be trying more of them throughout the week. Happy sniffing! :)

edit: I've been sampling other Lutens fragrances and my skin seems to be "eating" them, for lack of better description. Has anyone else had this experience? La Vierge de Fer had a close scent bubble on me at least, but didn't disappear. And I've received some compliments on it, so now I will reconsider what I wrote earlier and think I will ask for it as a birthday present ;) ....I still have some samples left to go, so we'll see. This is soooo pretty, and I hate to totally dismiss it. I just wish that when I'm wearing it, it would give me the incense along with the lily, for the price tag. I only smell lily and "coolness/light" (no other way to describe it, sorry). But it is a big, proud, magnificent white lily! To be continued...

I have been wearing a generous dose of this beautiful scent for 10 hours and I am happy to say that it is still there as a skin scent and still possessing all its notes. I was not sure what to expect of Lutens last creation with the bizarre presentation notes he published at its launch. I was thinking Joan of Arc, swords and blood everywhere. Au contraire. This is a creamy beautiful scent, the best lily I have ever smelled. Sheldrake has captured just the creamy soft nature of the lily and none of the indoles- they are tamped down by an incensy metallic thread that is silvery but more in a metaphorical luminous way than in a heavy metallic way. This note blends so well with the soft incense that this is truly a heavenly scent. It is deceptvely simple, yet brilliant at the same time, every detail taken care of so that the whole is a glorious creation. I need a full bottle of this. Another Lutens/Sheldrake triumph.

This is a luminous one. I'm testing the wax sample, which of course differs from the perfume, but based on my earlier experiences with SL wax samples versus the perfumes, here goes nothing:

Wearing La Vierge de Fer is like carrying a flower in your hands. It's a beautiful, bright scent, tempered by a light musk. It's a Lutens, all right, but one of the more polite ones. It won't whack you over the head with dark imagery but flicker and flit around you like a faery. There, I just compared a Lutens perfume to a mythical creature. How embarrassing. But this is not necessarily a faery of the tinkerbell-variety, this faery is much less attuned to humans and not necessarily altogether benign. I guess that's the slight metallic, silvery edge of the perfume coming through. Yes, it's a beautiful scent, but chilly; not like winter is chilly but like a misty summer morning is.

A full bottle for me? I am not sure. Were I gifted one I would use the scent and be happy but I feel there are other scents by uncle Serge that speak more loudly to me. La Vierge de Fer laughs but does not caress.

Edited: I do want a FB. The laughter is irresistible.

It's a very strong vivid lily scent, so different from tender, delicate and sweet Un Lys. Actually, when I first tried it - it was so overwhelming and powerful, that I almost lost my head and fainted :). But, unfortunately, it seems to me too single-eyed, lacking depth and vibrancy. It's not a beautiful drama about Iron Lady, where lily plays the lead. It's simply lily-the-flower alone: no covers, no hints, no mystery, no intrigue - just solo lily by itself.
Simply and boring.