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 warm daylight, when the air feels pale and slightly electric rather than heavy. It suits a wearer who wants freshness with intelligence: discreet, urban, and a little detached, like a clean shirt worn with complete ease.
How to wear
Best in spring and summer, especially in warmth where its mint, shiso and musk stay luminous rather than sharp. Apply lightly to let the airy green notes hover close to the skin; with a few sprays, it gives a soft, transparent trail that reads clean rather than loud.
Who it’s for
For people who like green aromatics, cool herbal freshness and a modern, transparent structure. It will appeal to those who prefer understated, cerebral scents with a clean edge and a softly woody finish rather than sweetness or density.
Release year
2017
The nose
Caroline Sabas is known for precise, contemporary compositions that often balance clarity with texture. Her work here turns green freshness into something polished and abstract, using mint, herbs and musk to suggest a city atmosphere rather than a literal natural landscape. She is a perfumer who tends to favor clean lines and controlled diffusion, and this fragrance shows that instinct well: the result is airy, modern and deliberately constructed, with the freshness of a sketch rather than a bouquet.
Collaborators
Chandler Burr shaped the concept as much as the title, bringing his novel and his long engagement with Los Angeles into the fragrance brief. Etienne de Swardt, the brand founder, helped steer the project toward a limpid, anti-literal vision of the city, favoring an imagined Californian freshness over a realistic outdoor accord.
Etat Libre d'Orange’s story
Etat Libre d’Orange is a house built on freedom, contradiction and provocation, using perfume as a space for wit, subversion and self-expression. Its identity leans toward bold ideas and unconventional narratives, but the work is often more intelligent than shocking, with a strong editorial and conceptual edge.
You or Someone Like You’s concept
You or Someone Like You was created as a scented interpretation of Chandler Burr’s Los Angeles novel, aiming to capture the city’s blue air, heat and brightness without reproducing a literal landscape. The result is a deliberately manufactured freshness, built from green and aromatic materials to feel like an idea of LA rather than a postcard version of it.
Extra info
The name comes from Chandler Burr’s novel You or Someone Like You. The fragrance is often discussed as a kind of “manufactured nature,” using materials to suggest freshness without copying a real garden. It is one of the house’s more openly Californian concepts.
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 warm daylight, when the air feels pale and slightly electric rather than heavy. It suits a wearer who wants freshness with intelligence: discreet, urban, and a little detached, like a clean shirt worn with complete ease.
How to wear
Best in spring and summer, especially in warmth where its mint, shiso and musk stay luminous rather than sharp. Apply lightly to let the airy green notes hover close to the skin; with a few sprays, it gives a soft, transparent trail that reads clean rather than loud.
Who it’s for
For people who like green aromatics, cool herbal freshness and a modern, transparent structure. It will appeal to those who prefer understated, cerebral scents with a clean edge and a softly woody finish rather than sweetness or density.
Release year
2017
The nose
Caroline Sabas is known for precise, contemporary compositions that often balance clarity with texture. Her work here turns green freshness into something polished and abstract, using mint, herbs and musk to suggest a city atmosphere rather than a literal natural landscape. She is a perfumer who tends to favor clean lines and controlled diffusion, and this fragrance shows that instinct well: the result is airy, modern and deliberately constructed, with the freshness of a sketch rather than a bouquet.
Collaborators
Chandler Burr shaped the concept as much as the title, bringing his novel and his long engagement with Los Angeles into the fragrance brief. Etienne de Swardt, the brand founder, helped steer the project toward a limpid, anti-literal vision of the city, favoring an imagined Californian freshness over a realistic outdoor accord.
Etat Libre d'Orange’s story
Etat Libre d’Orange is a house built on freedom, contradiction and provocation, using perfume as a space for wit, subversion and self-expression. Its identity leans toward bold ideas and unconventional narratives, but the work is often more intelligent than shocking, with a strong editorial and conceptual edge.
You or Someone Like You’s concept
You or Someone Like You was created as a scented interpretation of Chandler Burr’s Los Angeles novel, aiming to capture the city’s blue air, heat and brightness without reproducing a literal landscape. The result is a deliberately manufactured freshness, built from green and aromatic materials to feel like an idea of LA rather than a postcard version of it.
Extra info
The name comes from Chandler Burr’s novel You or Someone Like You. The fragrance is often discussed as a kind of “manufactured nature,” using materials to suggest freshness without copying a real garden. It is one of the house’s more openly Californian concepts.