Frederic Malle Lys Mediterranee collage by Michelyn, image via Frederic Malle and lily background Unsplash
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott. ~excerpt from The Lady of Shalott, by Alfred Lord Tennyson
John Singer Sargent painting Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose 1885 via Wiki
The beauty of the lilies; so it ever was. Elongated, elegant, snowy-white – the lily has fascinated us down through the ages. Not only with her sinuous shape, but also her spicy, meaty aroma which can fill a room: heady, indolic, salty, even. Some liken its scent to that of ham; to others, it sings with the voice of angels. In the experienced hands of master perfumer Edouard Fléchier, the lily assumes an otherworldly persona, a luminous halo which quickens a longing for endless summer, in his chef d’oeuvre for Frederic Malle, Lys Mediterranee.
Edouard Fléchier and Frederic Malle collage photos via website
When Frederic Malle debuted his original Editions de Parfums in 2000, the lineup was stellar; he had invited nine famous perfumers to create as they wished, with no financial restrictions and complete artistic freedom – as well as crediting these noses for their fragrances, which was quite novel for that time. Along with Fléchier’s iconic Lys Mediterranee, eight other unique perfumes graced his line: Angéliques Sous la Pluie by Jean-Claude Ellena, En Passant by Olivia Giacobetti, Une Fleur de Cassie by Dominque Ropion, Noir Épices by Michel Roudnitska, Musc Ravageur by Maurice Roucel, Lipstick Rose by Ralf Schweiger, Iris Poudre by Pierre Bourdon, and Le Parfum de Thérèse by Edmond Roudnitska. Do I own them all? I do, even if they are only in the 10 ml travel size. There was not one clunker among the bunch, and the Editions were as extraordinary as those of his contemporary Serge Lutens: groundbreaking.
Singer Sargent Gates of a Villa in Italy (Wikimedia Commons)
Frederic Malle Lys Mediterranee was composed seven years before Christopher Sheldrake’s exquisite Un Lys for Serge Lutens, and eleven years prior to Mathilde Laurent’s celestial Baiser Volé for Cartier. In this wise, it could be said that Fléchier’s lily was ahead of its time, portraying the flower in an entirely new light. I might characterize Frederic Malle Lys Mediterranee as a limpid, saline floral aquarelle with oomph. A perfect balance between sweet and salty, this eau de parfum resembles a well-prepared dish which tempts the olfactory palate. Sadly, lilies are often associated with funerals. Lys Mediterranee possesses none of that assumed morosity; it is radiant and palpably sensual in nature. The initial pungency of fresh ginger is tempered by lily of the valley and a fulsome orange blossom; lotus imparts a somewhat verdant facet wed to fruity sweetness – earthy with a touch of indole; the sea water accord produces a murmured marine effect. Underlying naturally musky/herbal tones of ambrette and angelica root provide a tender grounding which lasts, a soft-pedaled thrum which punctuates Lys Mediterranee’s solar enthusiasm. For all its floralcy, this perfume retains a toothsome quality without entering into full-fledged gourmand territory. Vanilla is most certainly a component, but it acts as a complement rather than a principal note; Lys Mediterranee is spicy and savory, aqueous and salty as the Mediterranean itself – summer by the sea in a bottle.
Notes: sea water, ginger, lily, lily of the valley, lotus, orange blossom, angelica, ambrette, vanilla
Review based on a flacon from my personal collection. My nose is my own…
~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor
Michelyn’s MVPP of 2024 Best of Scent was Frederic Malle who left his eponymous brand in June of 2024, nearly 24 years after he launched Editions de Parfums. Before him, the names of perfumers were never known to the public.
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