Does Los Angeles have a scent? It’s impossible to say. So Etat Libre d’Orange collaborated with someone who knows all there is to know about perfumes as well as LA: a perfume critic-connoisseur-writer Chandler Burr and a perfumer Caroline Sabas.
You or Someone Like You is a fragrance that an LA woman might wear and it bears the title of Chandler’s recent novel, set in Los Angeles.
The perfume is freshness itself created from molecules one finds in mint, shiso, violets and citruses but not from essenses corresponding to any particular plant.
Call it naturally synthetic or synthetically natural but perumer created something nature hasn't, and it's fun.
***
Scent and Chemistry on You or Somebody Like You:
"The intelligent translation of a story's protagonist, especially one torn apart in cultural and personal identity, into a scent and the unusual shiso–green banana, herbal-vegetal harmonies make 'You Or Someone Like You' to us the most interesting and beautiful perfume of 2017 so far. More than that even an artistic masterpiece. Huge cudos to Caroline and Chandler."
***
Persolaise on You on Someone Like You (a 60 seconds review).
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is the scent of close conversation in bright daylight, when the air feels dry, clean and slightly electric. It suits a calm, self-possessed presence: understated, observant and a little elusive, with freshness that reads as style rather than sport.
How to wear
Best in warm weather and moderate heat, where its minty-green transparency can stay crisp without turning sharp. Apply lightly, as the fragrance is most effective in a restrained cloud; on skin it settles into a soft musky woodiness, while in the air it keeps a cool, polished lift.
Who it’s for
For those who prefer transparent, green and aromatic scents over sweetness or density. It will appeal to wearers who like clean freshness with an intellectual edge, a modern unisex profile and a quietly woody drydown.
Release year
2017
The nose
Caroline Sabas is known for composing fragrances with a clear, contemporary structure and a refined sense of texture. Her work often balances transparency with character, giving airy compositions enough shape to feel memorable rather than merely fresh. For You or Someone Like You, she translates the idea of Los Angeles into a cool, green, almost manufactured freshness: mint, shiso and violet leaf rendered with a light hand, then softened into a pale woody-musky trail. The result fits her skill for making minimalist ideas feel complete and wearable.
Collaborators
Chandler Burr shaped the fragrance’s concept and narrative, bringing his perspective as a perfume critic and novelist to the brief. His novel provided the title and the Los Angeles frame, while the scent was built to reflect his idea of a city freshness that feels imagined rather than literal. Etienne de Swardt, as founder of Etat Libre d’Orange, helped steer the creative direction toward that distinctive, conceptual interpretation.
Etat Libre d'Orange’s story
Etat Libre d’Orange treats perfumery as a field for wit, provocation and freedom rather than safe prettiness. The house is known for sharp ideas, unexpected contrasts and a willingness to make scent feel intellectual, sensual and slightly subversive at once.
You or Someone Like You’s concept
You or Someone Like You was created as an olfactory portrait of Los Angeles, inspired by Chandler Burr’s novel and his own relationship to the city. Rather than copying the smell of a place, the fragrance aims for an invented, limpid California atmosphere: mint, grass, palm shade and blue air, rendered as a bright, airy composition with a soft woody-musky finish.
Extra info
The fragrance takes its name from Chandler Burr’s novel You or Someone Like You. It was conceived as a kind of “manufactured nature,” using a fresh, synthetic-leaning palette to suggest Los Angeles rather than reproduce a literal outdoor smell.
Does Los Angeles have a scent? It’s impossible to say. So Etat Libre d’Orange collaborated with someone who knows all there is to know about perfumes as well as LA: a perfume critic-connoisseur-writer Chandler Burr and a perfumer Caroline Sabas.
You or Someone Like You is a fragrance that an LA woman might wear and it bears the title of Chandler’s recent novel, set in Los Angeles.
The perfume is freshness itself created from molecules one finds in mint, shiso, violets and citruses but not from essenses corresponding to any particular plant.
Call it naturally synthetic or synthetically natural but perumer created something nature hasn't, and it's fun.
***
Scent and Chemistry on You or Somebody Like You:
"The intelligent translation of a story's protagonist, especially one torn apart in cultural and personal identity, into a scent and the unusual shiso–green banana, herbal-vegetal harmonies make 'You Or Someone Like You' to us the most interesting and beautiful perfume of 2017 so far. More than that even an artistic masterpiece. Huge cudos to Caroline and Chandler."
***
Persolaise on You on Someone Like You (a 60 seconds review).
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is the scent of close conversation in bright daylight, when the air feels dry, clean and slightly electric. It suits a calm, self-possessed presence: understated, observant and a little elusive, with freshness that reads as style rather than sport.
How to wear
Best in warm weather and moderate heat, where its minty-green transparency can stay crisp without turning sharp. Apply lightly, as the fragrance is most effective in a restrained cloud; on skin it settles into a soft musky woodiness, while in the air it keeps a cool, polished lift.
Who it’s for
For those who prefer transparent, green and aromatic scents over sweetness or density. It will appeal to wearers who like clean freshness with an intellectual edge, a modern unisex profile and a quietly woody drydown.
Release year
2017
The nose
Caroline Sabas is known for composing fragrances with a clear, contemporary structure and a refined sense of texture. Her work often balances transparency with character, giving airy compositions enough shape to feel memorable rather than merely fresh. For You or Someone Like You, she translates the idea of Los Angeles into a cool, green, almost manufactured freshness: mint, shiso and violet leaf rendered with a light hand, then softened into a pale woody-musky trail. The result fits her skill for making minimalist ideas feel complete and wearable.
Collaborators
Chandler Burr shaped the fragrance’s concept and narrative, bringing his perspective as a perfume critic and novelist to the brief. His novel provided the title and the Los Angeles frame, while the scent was built to reflect his idea of a city freshness that feels imagined rather than literal. Etienne de Swardt, as founder of Etat Libre d’Orange, helped steer the creative direction toward that distinctive, conceptual interpretation.
Etat Libre d'Orange’s story
Etat Libre d’Orange treats perfumery as a field for wit, provocation and freedom rather than safe prettiness. The house is known for sharp ideas, unexpected contrasts and a willingness to make scent feel intellectual, sensual and slightly subversive at once.
You or Someone Like You’s concept
You or Someone Like You was created as an olfactory portrait of Los Angeles, inspired by Chandler Burr’s novel and his own relationship to the city. Rather than copying the smell of a place, the fragrance aims for an invented, limpid California atmosphere: mint, grass, palm shade and blue air, rendered as a bright, airy composition with a soft woody-musky finish.
Extra info
The fragrance takes its name from Chandler Burr’s novel You or Someone Like You. It was conceived as a kind of “manufactured nature,” using a fresh, synthetic-leaning palette to suggest Los Angeles rather than reproduce a literal outdoor smell.