Celestial Gold: Inspired by Stellar Times by Louis Vuitton
Celestial Gold is Larcin's interpretation of Stellar Times, the amber chapter of Louis Vuitton's ultra-exclusive Les Extraits collection. It follows the same radiant structure: orange blossom and citrus in the opening, a glowing amber heart, and a base of white amber, vanilla, Peru balsam and woody musk. This guide covers the collection behind the fragrance, its golden character, its performance and how Celestial Gold compares.
The Story of Stellar Times: Amber in Its Purest Form
Stellar Times launched in 2021 as one of five fragrances in Les Extraits, the collection in which Louis Vuitton master perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud deconstructed perfumery's great families, floral, musk, citrus, chypre and amber, to reveal each in its most concentrated, essential form. Stellar Times was the amber. Architect Frank Gehry, designer of the Fondation Louis Vuitton, created his first perfume bottle for the collection, a sail-like flacon crowned with a sculptural cap of hand-crumpled aluminium, with the five bottles housed in a Gehry-designed trunk. It is perfume positioned unapologetically as collectible art, sold only through Louis Vuitton itself.
What Does Stellar Times Smell Like?
Stellar Times is deep, golden warmth handled with a remarkably light touch. Orange blossom and bright citrus illuminate the opening like sunlight through honey, before the heart reveals a smooth, luminous amber, rich without ever turning syrupy or dense. The drydown is where the luxury shows: creamy white amber, soft vanilla and balsamic Peru balsam over a clean woody musk, radiating quietly for hours. The whole composition feels like dusk turning gold, celestial in exactly the way the name promises, and completely unisex.
The Longevity and Projection of Stellar Times
As an extrait, Stellar Times wears long and close, glowing rather than projecting. The amber and musk base persists on skin through a full day and settles into fabric for far longer, an elegant, enveloping warmth rather than a room-filler.
The Price and Exclusivity of Stellar Times
Stellar Times retails around $970 for a 100ml bottle in Australia, boutique-only, placing it among the most expensive amber fragrances in the world. A very large share of that buys the Gehry flacon, the Les Extraits collectibility and the Louis Vuitton name. The juice is beautiful; the sculpture and the monogram are what you are really financing.
Celestial Gold: A Faithful Stellar Times Alternative
Celestial Gold captures the same light. Orange blossom and citrus open bright and honeyed, a smooth amber carries the glowing heart, and white amber, vanilla, Peru balsam and woody musk deliver the long, golden drydown. The character survives intact: refined, radiant warmth that never turns heavy, amber as a halo rather than a blanket. If Stellar Times is the bottle you admired behind boutique glass, Celestial Gold is the same glow without the four-figure entry.
When to Wear Celestial Gold
Celestial Gold suits evenings, events and cooler months, but its lightness of touch keeps it wearable year-round in a way most ambers are not: lovely on autumn days, luminous on winter nights, and gentle enough for spring evenings. It is completely unisex and reads polished and quietly expensive rather than loud. A sample size is available on this page if you would like to see the glow on your own skin first.