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Deroxrzhbs – :
I spent some time tracking down a decant of this that was reasonably priced. I’m glad I did this instead of buying an expensive fb. To me it is a bit smothering with the animalic andall that heavy not light powder. Maybe I am wrong but I get some vintage aftershave in there. No orange for me. I’ll give a couple o goes as my sample is ample.
staf – :
This is a beautiful experience in creamy floral expression. When I first sampled this I knew I had to own it. A dear fragrance friend had sent me a sample as I had been on the hunt for animalic and I immediately fell head over heels. Intoxicating is a word that comes to mind. I don’t find myself able to pull apart the individual notes as they are expertly blended. I spent quite lot of time tracking down a large decant. By the time I discovered it, it had already been discontinued. How disappointing! But here is a twist, I later tried a vintage PDT of Rochas Femme and found a huge similarity. Of course, there is a sharper edge to RF due to the Oakmoss and Patchouli but if you can’t find EAS, the floral part of RF is remarkably similar.
bardak2015 – :
A little anecdote:
The Emperor Joseph II commissioned the creation of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, but when he heard it, he complained to Mozart, ‘That is too fine for my ears – there are too many notes.’ Mozart replied, ‘There are just as many notes as there should be.’
I would say the same thing about this perfume. Beautiful, lighthearted and refined, just like the oriental-themed opera it got its name from. A shame it’s been discontinued.
Thank you Finanna for the sample!
eoa148Diobtetty – :
This is easily one of the most elegant perfumes I have ever worn and it made me appreciate Mr Kurkdjian’s work much more than his own line. I don’t get any in-your-face indoles but gorgeous, carefully structured composition of peachy bouquet of flowers over a santal-vetiver base. Due to the peachiness it reminds me a bit of Mitsouko, but with much more radiance and happiness. It is much better and totally different than one would expect on the basis of notes.
Wearing this is equal to wearing the finest pair of Italian stiletto heels in impeccable leather and a tailored dress that fits you like a glove. It is impossible to slouch or to be anything else than effortlessly elegant. This is everything 1932 aspires to be: an elegant feminine floral with perfect sillage that never becomes overbearing or boring.
In my opinion, this works much better when sprayed than dabbed. The scent lingers on my perfume-eating skin for 10+hours and mr f complimented the scent around the 10h mark. If you don’t want to splurge on a big bottle, MDCI does great discovery sets.
Нюс – :
The strongest indolic jasmine I ever experienced plus – weirdly – smell of naphthalene tablets that my Granny put in between her material rolls on the upper shelves of the wardrobe. When she died I remember staying on the chair taking off roll after the roll from those shelves, she was protecting them from moth by naphthalene and I guess for scenting on the top naphthalene were jasmine and lavender vintage hand-made sache. I am almost sure that no matter how many times I would wash those materials they would still smell the same – almost like an aged suede…That’s what MDCI Enlevement au Serai immediately reminded me. Its nice and different and jasmine is a killer here but thats it.
Price tag is just MAD.
damirkamaliev – :
Enlevement au Serail, “The Abduction from the Seraglio”, is the name of an opera composed by Mozart. I’d classify it as floral oriental rather than chypre. It opens with a cloud of mixed spicy florals, ylang-ylang, jasmine sambac and roses, followed by mixed woody notes with a touch of green. After 30 minutes, it settles into a warm, powdery, creamy scent with a touch of sweetness, quite close to the skin. I smell a faint patchouli (I am a patchouli later) in the drydown but it’s very rounded and mixed well with sandalwood and vanilla.
Medium sillage and longevity.
mihail1977 – :
I am extremely disappointed with this scent. It smells old and dusty, with a soapy kind of flowery smell. Gor this as a gift and it costs a fortune, but I cant stand it enough to wear it..Too powdery and old fashioned. Didn`t know they made such fragrances anymore.
Silkmexi – :
I would use the word delicate to describe the smell of this fragrance. The first spritz was rather harsh to my nose, did I imagine aldehydes? Very possibly, but that quickly settled into a sweet bouquet of creamy tuberose, the most discreet of citrus, (orange) and a touch of ylang-ylang. This scent slowly morphs into its heart and soul of beautiful rose and is further sweetened by a very well behaved patchouli. The whole aroma is then wrapped up in a mildly woody sandalwood and again, the sweetness is further enhanced by the vanilla.
That all said, what do I think? This is a very delicate and beautiful floral composition made with the finest ingredients which reflect in the price tag and also the longevity. I put a couple of drops on my wrist and a drop in my cleavage and I have been getting heavenly wafts of floral loveliness for about 6 hours now and it’s still going strong.
This is a fragrance which sits close to the wearer, it is expensively elegant, I know that when I smell it, this is a perfume which is high quality. It is a fragrance which will make a discreet impact on those around it by brushing past it’s wearer and leaving a memorable impression.
Gorgeous and beautiful fragrance and were it cheaper I would buy a bottle, but I don’t love it enough to justify a purchase.
rinat655 – :
Starts out out smelling like a rich, 80’s power house oriental (spicy, warm and strong) – with an added touch of touch of elegance. However, there is a bit of a rotten peach element running through it which becomes apparent, not helped by the jasmine. Ultimately it is a skin scent, and the longevity is poor. Sorry – but you have to do better than that for the price tag you are asking.
goff1987 – :
Gardin the Bagatelle EdP from Guerlain married Knize Ten!
Very clean, very very strong and with unexpected dry down. After the soapy and fresh opening in Bagatelle style, caused with the strong jasmine comes the fresh spicy Knize Ten-like peachy heart and on the end it smells spicy warm. In one phase I was strong reminded on L’Air du Temps from Nina Ricci.
Not my cup of tea.
bossxxx – :
A fantastic, rich and classic queen-like oriental flower filled with loads of high quality ylang ylang and jasmine. This smells very heavy, so apply with caution as a little bit goes a long way.
It started with loads of buttery ylang ylang and soon was joined by a beautiful jasmine which here is top quality and extremely well blend in the composition. The scent itself balances on being warm and buttery to being cold and distant as vetiver and rose on me gives this rather cold and green vibe now and then.
Actually quality wise this reminds me a bit of perfumes by Amouage, the richness of “Enlevement au Serail” is surely something that one must be amazed about.
If you love big orientals, if you love classic power fragrances do try this. This is a wonderful beauty.
lanivan – :
One of the most delectable perfume testing experiences I’ve had has been taking my time meandering my way through the wonderful box of 10ml bottles of the Parfums MDCI Paris collection. I don’t recall exactly how much I paid for this pleasure (although I’m sure that it was less than one of their bottles), but it has been worth ten times that amount. This box is bursting with beauty.
A case in point, ENLEVEMENT AU SERAIL is a classic oriental featuring big, luscious jasmine. There’s really no comparison to true, high-quality jasmine in a complex perfume carefully composed, and that is exactly what ENLEVEMENT AU SERAIL is. I was wearing Creed JASMIN IMPERATRICE EUGENIE yesterday, which is also gorgeous, but it is a much simpler creation, featuring a rich vanilla base and glorious jasmine in perhaps historic concentrations.
With this MDCI Paris creation, I feel almost as though the core of JASMIN IMPERATRICE EUGENIE is present, but it has been dressed up a bit with some complementary flowers–ylang, tuberose, rose, and wallflower are all listed among the notes–and enough patchouli and woods to add depth but without turning this into a patchouli perfume.
There seems to be a dosing issue these days with more and more patchouli being added to perfumes perhaps in response to consumer behavior, but I do not think that every floriental perfume needs to be a patchouli bomb, and ENLEVEMENT AU SERAIL is not. This is a well-balanced use of patchouli and woods to enhance not compete with or mask the flowers. I cannot say that I smell the other flowers–beyond the jasmine–as individual notes, but again I feel that they are there supporting the jasmine and making it seem much richer than even the finest soliflore.
I really love this perfume. It’s perfect for wintertime and a welcome reminder that real perfumery is still being done here and there… Call me a “bitch” if you must, but I do not believe that every single person on the planet was meant to be a perfumer. It takes both talent and hard work to create fine perfume. The person who created ENLEVEMENT AU SERAIL, Francis Kurkdjian, has earned the right to be called a perfumer.
As an aside, I have no idea why anyone would even begin to compare this perfume to Guerlain MITSOUKO, with which it has very little in common, it seems to me. This is a floriental perfume, not a fruity chypre.
ANATOLY777 – :
Oh, this is so lovely. A really beautiful, classy and timelessly elegant fragrance. To me, this opens with heady peach and floral notes which seem to become bolder rather than lighter. It reminds me slightly of two other fragrances – Miss Dior Cherie – but Enlevement is far more vibrant with much greater potency, and Robert Piguet’s Fracas. However, whereas Fracas is a very heavy tuberose, the tuberose in Enlevement is sufficient to lend a floral creaminess which is never overpowering but unmistakably present. It is gently sweet in an exotic and fruity way – the sweetness is mellow and refined. Later, I get a whiff of powdery rose which I simply love (I have a weakness for powdery fragrances such as LV’s Teint de Neige). I could see a serenely beautiful woman adorning herself with this on her wedding day (maybe like Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face when Fred Astaire finds her in the little church garden)…..Ahhh, pure elegance in a bottle….
elo451Unlogrere – :
Rich and expensive smelling at first application. Whiff of a more vintage feel to the notes. After just a few minutes I get the jasmine which is not as welcome since I’m not a jasmine lover. After 15 minutes get a bit of the patchouli which is a bit rank close to the skin. It does soften but ultimately this fragrance is not for me. Not good longevity either.
KING_I – :
So glad the bergamot is barely detectable. This is a very warm oriental rose on my skin- not too spicy, animalic or loud. Classy and well-composed would be the best descriptors. It is very wearable but doesn’t really move me- the staying power could be better for sure
prokl – :
A really classic lovely feminine floriental. It’s quite light, but stays to your skin. Lovely.
rahmanov-b – :
(repost)
I guess I needed to let my sample ‘air out’ a bit, because with the second wearing, which I used a heavier hand with, this fragrance really came to life. It is much warmer and complex, and I am able to pick out my beloved orange note. I think people who are a fan of the vintage Guerlains would really like this one.