Russian Saturday: Cuir de Russie Сhanel

By Alena У кожаных ароматов очень широкий диапазон с двумя противоположностями на краях спектра: интеллектуальным и чувственным. Cuir de Russie Сhanel в разных концентрациях воплощает обе этих ипостаси. Из туалетной воды с годами чувственность испарилась.  В сухом остатке остались лишь страницы трудовой биографии. Русская кожа в духах – это фильм длиною в жизнь, лента ольфакторных кодов, разворачивающаяся во времени. Кадр за кадром. Шитьем на туфельках из тончайшей кожи золотая нить фледоранжа сплетается с серебряной нитью бергамота.  Это туфли девочки, которая только учится ходить.  Кожа мягкая, светлая,  пахнет нежно и сладковато. Альдегиды на этой стадии едва узнаваемы. Нельзя ожидать от ребенка стройности походки. Шаги становятся все уверенней, у туфель появляется небольшой каблук. Кожа становится плотнее, ровно настолько, чтобы держать форму. Куда она ходит в этих туфлях? Может быть даже на работу. Мы этого никогда не узнаем. Но это не так уж и важно. Главное не куда она ходит, а как: в аромате дорогого мыла и цветов, сдержанных, как и чувства, которые она демонстрирует на публике. От Русской кожи мне всегда хочется немного больше цветов. Ослаблена узда, задернуты шторы. Руки слегка пахнут кожей брошенных на комод перчаток, следами розы, иланга и ириса и чем-то неопределенным, бесконечно нежным, чувственным.  Сuir de Russie  обладают удивительной протяженностью.  Духи лучше наносить рано утром, чтобы не обрывать их на середине повествования вечерним душем. А им есть что рассказать! -------------- Leather scents form quite a wide range, with two opposites at the opposite ends of the spectrum: intellectual and sensual. Cuir de Russie Сhanel in different concentrations embodies both of these hypostasis. Over the years sensuality evaporated off the EDT. The dry residue contains only pages of its old bio. Cuir de Russie in perfume is a lifelong movie, a tape of olfactory codes, unwinding over time. Scene after scene. The golden thread of fleur d'orange intertwines with a silver thread of bergamot like an embroidery on shoes made of the finest leather. These shoes belong to a girl who is just learning to walk. Leather is soft, light, and smells gently and sweet. Aldehydes at this stage are barely recognizable. You cannot expect the harmony of gait from a child. Steps become more confident, shoes acquire a small heel. The leather becomes denser, just enough to keep up the shape. Where does she walks in these shoes? Maybe even to work. We will never know. But this isn't that important. What important is not where does she walk, but how: in an aroma of an expensive soap and flowers, restrained, as are the emotions she shows in public. From Cuir de Russie I always want a little more flowers. The bridle is loosened, curtains are drawn. Hands smell slightly of leather gloves thrown on a commode, traces of rose, ylang and iris, and something uncertain, indefinitely delicate and sensual. Cuir de Russie possesses a surprisingly long extent. The perfume is better to be applied early in the morning, so as not to break its story in the middle by the evening shower. And it definitely has a story to tell! Cuir de Russie Сhanel (Ernest Beaux, 1924/Jacques Polge, 1983): orange blossom, bergamot, mandarin, sage, iris, jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, cedarwood, vetiver, styrax, leather, amber and vanilla. Vintage ad is from Votre Beauté, november 1936

Mushrooms Haute Couture: DSH Cuir et Champignon

By Marina Cuir et Champignon starts wonderfully dirty and ends amazingly elegant. There is an expression in Russian, iz gryazi da v knyazi (из грязи да в князи), from dirt to knezes, from rags to riches. In the case of Cuir et Champignon, it's not so much a tale of Cinderella marrying well. The composition transports the wearer from literal dirt of the forest floor into the most fashionable of homes. How about this...A wood nymph escapes to Paris and becomes a style icon, a muse to a famous couturier... The graceful subtlety of the blend is rather unexpected in a perfume that is about leather and mushrooms. I imagined a scent very tarry and very dirty and wasn't prepared to meet instead this exquisite creature with cinched waist in a style of 1940s. Having said that, "subtle" in this case is more of a reflection of an elegant structure of the well-balanced composition, not of the intensity of the star notes. Lovers of leather will be satisfied with the accord's unmistakable presence, from start to finish of the development. Fans of earthy scents will be delighted to know that under the exquisite veneer the nymph is as wild as ever. Melusine had a serpent's tail; this one is hiding roots... Mushroom-seekers like me (there are some out there, aren't there?) should be thrilled to smell quite a lot of cepes absolute alongside the leather. The pairing is genius. Mushrooms lend leather a vegetal instead of animalic undertone (although there is some of that too, with civet in the base), making it dirty in a new and unique way. And the leather turns raw and rustic mushrooms into a Perfume...and Haute Couture. Available at Dawn Spencer Hurwitz's Parfum des Baux Arts and Indiescents, $22.00-$100.00, depending on the size. Image source, Rodney Smith.

Adventures with Magic Mushrooms: DSH Perfumes Cuir et Champignon

By Donna As the regular readers of this blog may remember, I am a big fan of the fragrance creations of Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes. Her range is enviably broad, and she has the unique perspective of a talented visual artist, which has resulted in some truly innovative fusions of scent and color concepts. One of her talents is making fully realized perfumes using all-natural ingredients, although you would never miss the synthetics even if you already knew about that. Now she has released yet another eagerly anticipated perfume that is different from anything I have ever smelled before – Cuir et Champignon, leather and mushroom. That's it – no sweetness at all except for a fleeting breath of forest aroma before it goes on the skin, then it quickly develops into a salty, savory, brothy blend of soft leather and very earthy mushroom. The mushroom note dominates at first, and then gradually the leather joins it as it softens down. In fact it is the saltiest perfume I have ever smelled; it leaves TDC's Sel de Vetiver in the dust in that respect, and Womanity by Thierry Mugler only allows a fleeting glimpse of its much-vaunted caviar note before it's buried in sugary sweetness, which was a disappointment for me. Cuir et Champignon has an almost meaty “taste” to it, which is the flavor called Umami, borrowed from the Japanese language, and it does take some adjustment to think of it as perfume, especially at first before the leather kicks in. I enjoyed wearing it by itself, when it eventually dried down to smooth leather and loamy earth, but the other notes listed never really developed on me – of course it's not all mushroom and leather, it has things like bergamot, clary sage, galbanum, chamomile, clove bud, honey, gardenia, sandalwood, tuberose, castoreum, civet, vetiver, guaic wood, cedar and tobacco. I didn't get these very much, because on my skin it's just mostly mushroom; that cépes absolute is mighty powerful stuff. So anyway, I decided to try layering it with some other perfumes to see what would happen. I do not normally do much with perfume combining and it's usually an accident when it happens; if I forget that I put on something really persistent in the evening and then apply something else in the morning, I get a surprise. I generally go with the idea that the perfumer knew what they were doing and who am I to mess around with the delicate balance, but in this case I could not resist. Since Cuir et Champignon is salty, savory and earthy, I thought it would be perfect for toning down perfume that's a little (or a lot) too sweet or loud. Whatever I chose would need to have a strong character of its own to stand up to the cépes and have some compatible notes. I hit upon the idea of pairing it with some big-haired Eighties fragrances, and into my hopelessly disorganized jumbled eclectic stash I went to find some candidates. My first experiment was conducted with the original Salvador Dali woman’s perfume from 1983, the one in the “lips” bottle with a white frosted “nose” cap. It's a floral/woody/ambery Oriental with a pleasing softness to it, but really very sweet, kind of like a slightly less extroverted Bijan for Women. Well, putting these two together was alchemy indeed, because I got something that had the firepower of the old Lanvin My Sin (remember, there is civet in Cuir et Champignon) while toning down the rather syrupy aspect of the Dali. (I found out that Alberto Morillas did that one, not exactly the style he is known for now but it makes me admire him even more.) Okay, I was really on to something here. Next up, Aubusson's Désirade from 1990 – technically still in the Eighties and certainly in the style of the time, it's an Oriental perfume with pineapple, cassia, tuberose, osmanthus, lots of vanilla, opoponax, musk – you get the idea, big and bright and retro. It's something I love to wear at home or out, but never to the office, it's just too much. I tamed her with the mushrooms and the result actually reminded me of a Guerlain, an echo of Cuir Béluga with its leather note softened by heliotrope and vanilla. Now I don't have to spring for the Guerlain if I get the craving for it, I just need to keep these other two handy. Then I got another wild idea – if Eighties perfumes can be quieted down this way, why not go even older and try it with an actual Guerlain? So I tried it out with my pre-reformulation Shalimar Parfum de Toilette. Oh yeah, baby! It made the grande dame even smokier and even a bit feral, and I got a little shadow of melancholy L' Heure Bleue action going on. Now I love Shalimar, but sometimes it gets too sweet on me, many things do; if there is any sweetness in a fragrance my skin will amp it up and throw it out there like radio waves. (I usually like it when that happens but sometimes I have to try to be civilized around other people and I can't fly my fragrance freak flag.) After blending Shalimar with the mushroom scent I think I will have to try it with Lonestar Memories or some other smoky, tarry thing with no discernible sugary notes and see what happens. At this point my mind wandered into truly twisted territory. What if I mixed this earthy, humusy forest floor scent with something else that's also devoid of “feminine” character? What would happen if there was no vanilla or Tonka, no caramel or syrup to subdue? I thought about that for a while, and then it hit me: Miss Balmain, the most misunderstood of all chypre scents, dry and austere, a stiletto-heeled librarian forever in the shadow of her femme fatale sister Jolie Madame. I am happy to report that this was also a success. The truly magical combination coaxed some fragile blossoms out of Miss Balmain's steely heart and softened her up without adding anything remotely girly to her demeanor, while adding a green depth that seemed like it was meant to be, perhaps restoring what was lost in translation when Balmain started reformulating its fragrance line. (My bottle is pre-IFRA nonsense but not the original formula.) I felt like a genius after that experiment. Finally, I came full circle and pondered if anything else in the DSH line would be a good foil for Cuir et Champignon. With such a wide range from which to choose, surely something would be suitable. I chose her very popular Cimabue, which is an intensely spicy and saffron-rich concoction that I did not quite get along with in the alcohol-based version but which I swooned over in the oil concentration, which is what I used for the layering. Well, it actually worked pretty well, adding an unexpected fresh note to the spices and taking the sweetness down several notches, which in turn shone a spotlight on the saffron and cistus at the expense of the sweeter ingredients. Cimabue is already a favorite with men, and I can imagine that they might be interested in an alternate way to wear it. My conclusion was that this is really two perfumes in one. For those who want to wear it by itself, it becomes an earthy skin scent with little to no sweetness and decent longevity. It also shines as a way to tame the high notes of fragrances that could use a bit of smoothing out to make them more wearable while not obscuring their better qualities. It is a limited edition fragrance sold only at the DSH Perfumes Web site. One ounce of Eau de Parfum, which is what my sample is, is $100, and a one dram roller ball vial of the oil is $55; I can't even imagine how intense that must be! (Smaller sizes and a $4.00 sample vial are also available.) My small sample vial was sent to me by DSH for review purposes. Image credit: Ceramic “Magic Mushrooms” from love♥janine's Flickr photostream via Creative Commons license, some rights reserved.By Donna

There is Nothing Like a Dame...Lancome Cuir Vintage and re-issue

By Tom Perfume people are so wonderful. A while ago a kind benefactress sent me a few samples, in which were some of the vintage Lancome Cuir and of the recent (also apparently discontinued) reissue. The reissue is a perfectly nice, ladylike little thing that came out in 2007. It's leather with a whisper of white flowers and powder. I find it oddly more elderly than the rip-roaring original. While the original Cuir isn't going to be mistaken for anything that came out last week, it's certainly far more daring than it's modern counterpart. The original is a full-figured gal in a beaded dress who just as apt to knock back a neat scotch as to knock you flat if you get out of line. Stay in line however, and... The reissue is a buttoned-up lady in a severe suit who is apt to snap the clasp of her clutch shut and make sure you're blackballed from the club if you get out of line. Guess which dame I want to spend time with. Or be. I can't write it better than Colombina: "Let the dead stay honorably dead rather that resuscitating them into politically correct shadows of their former striking selves." The reissue is available on the internets at places like Amazon for less than $40, which is a great price. If you need a ladylike leather I say go for it. The vintage isn't available apparently for love nor money and that is truly sad.

Brooklyn by Bond No 9: Perfume Review

I am no expert on Brooklyn the borough, apart from a vague notion of it being a Russian Diaspora neighborhood, so I will just choose to rely on Bond No 9's cultural, demographic and real estate experts in their description of Brooklyn as a home to "a new generation of artistic émigrés". Apparently, "this is where the artists and musicians choose to move. It’s home to graffiti-ists [thus the bottle], gaffers, and key grips, to web designers and aspiring editors. This is where fashion stylists live. New York-bound hip-and-cool Seattle-ites prefer to move to Brooklyn; smart Stockholmers book their hotel rooms here."( from the press release) Is Brooklyn the perfume hip-and-cool enough to evoke the artistic and happening borough? Perhaps in a sense that it is not classically masculine nor reminiscent of any older perfume, apart from, vaguely, Bond No 9's own fairly recent West Broadway. This kind of unisexy, understated, non-macho masculinity is the fashion of the moment, so in that sense, I suppose, the scent is in fact trendy. I said it before and I will say it again, I do like a lot this non-obvious, quiet, shall I say, "sensitive" masculine tendency. I also like when scents for men utilize traditionally feminine notes, like fruits, which I for some reason keep smelling in the top notes of Brooklyn. I would swear there are apples here...or rather, given the fizzy juniper note and sparkly grapefruit, some kind of apple cocktail. And boozy scents are invariably a hit with me. As are leathery one; and Brooklyn has that in spades in its base. Dry, spicy leather amplified by the woody-leathery guaiac note. I would not go anywhere near as far as Bond No. 9 people and claim that Brooklyn is "on the cutting-edge of perfumery". There is cutting edge, there is Brooklyn and there are many stops on the 5 express train separating the two. But it is a handsome, elegant, versatile and very wearable (for both genders) fragrance. Available in March at Bond No. 9’s boutiques and Saks, $145.00-$220.00.

Comme des Garcons 2 Man: Perfume Review

Comme des Garcons 2 Man does not make a perfect gift for a male who always has to be No. 1. Especially the kind that is prone to paranoia reading too much into things. Because he will ask you as if jokingly, so I am Second, am I? And then you will have to explain at length how it is a masculine follow-up to Comme des Garcons 2, and thus 2 MAN, how its incense, spice and leather blend is a perfect match to his tastes and brooding personality, and how he is, of course, your absolute, total, utter No. 1 in each and every way. Just trust me on this and do not give 2 Man to a Type A Personality individual. Give him I Am King instead. In fact, disregard the fact that 2 Man, with its trademark Mark Buxton resinous darkness, with its spicy sensuality, with its very-bad-boy vibe, smells amazing on that débile of yours, more amazing maybe than even Gucci Pour Homme (and that is saying a lot!)...so amazing that it makes your knees week...disregard that and take away the bottle and use it yourself. Because as gorgeously masculine and forceful 2 Man is, it is absolutely wearable for a woman. The sweet piquancy of saffron and nutmeg is delectable here; the spices are a ray of golden light in the pitch-black abyss of leather and incense. That smoky leather, powerful as it seems at first, actually melts into the skin, becomes the skin...it might quite easily be the sexiest accord in all masculine perfumery. Forget what I said about taking the bottle away. SHARE 2 Man with the No. 1 Man in your life. Sharing perfume is a sensual experience and brings you closer together. On that Dr. Phil-worthy note...look for 2 Man at Luckyscent, $95.00-$125.00. Image source, lundlund.com.

Meandering...Indult Reve en Cuir

By Tom "Winter" in Los Angeles is a weird bird. Wild swings (or what we think of as wild being the hot-house flowers we are) of weather are the norms. This week we've gone from rainy Monday through foggy and low 40's Wednesday to Santa Ana's and 80's ever the weekend. I'm not just mentioning this to rub in this fact to people who are having snow. Really. It means that this week I could test the new Luckyscent Indult in everything but sub-tropical Amazon or Antarctic chill. Reve en Cuir was created by noted perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, with notes of Bergamot, Lemon, Cardamom, Oregano, Clove Bud, Texan Cedarwood, Patchouli, Oak Moss, Haitian Vetyver, Crystallized Vanilla (from the Luckyscent website. The website writes of the scent of having a "rich, indolent feel", and no less than Chandler Burr gives it five stars . At the risk of sounding like a peasant. I don't get it. It's nice. It's pleasant. It's very well done. It's very low-key. I don't see rich or indolent. I don't see elegant earthy qualities or dangerous anything. I frankly don't even get that much leather; it's a vague memory rather than a dream, like remembering a long-ago touch of an expensively gloved hand. It's very, very nice, and very, very not me. It's well put together, subtle to the point of being self-effacing and an epitome of quiet good taste. Were it $100, I'd be thrilled. In this economy, at $250 for 50ML, it seems like a Buick of a scent at a Bentley price.

Perfume Review - Creed Royal English Leather

By Beth I love my husband. To me he is one of the sexiest men alive and I’ve always felt that way about him even after 28 years. He’s quite attractive in what my mother calls a “British sort of way” and he looks marvelous in a kilt. He doesn’t wear his kilt with all of the pomp and nonsense, he wears it with a blue Irish wool sweater and looks as if he’s walked right out of the Highlands. He is quite formal about his tux though and it must be double breasted. His very thick hair is gray in all of the right places and long enough for me to play with. There’s always been something about him that seemed timeless, of another place where men were a bit more dignified and by contrast much more bawdy, when men wore their hair long and wavy and they weren’t at all afraid to wear velvet and a bit of lace with their leather. He used to ride my stallion bareback with only a halter for control. I can easily picture him with a saber and a pistol although now the only weapons that he brandishes are purely raw courage, a rich and sarcastic sense of humor and his lightning quick intellect. On the softer side, he cried the day that I married him and has been a perfect father to our son. He got down on one knee and asked me to remarry him in front of my whole family and our friends two Christmases ago. He is loyal to the point of obsession and very passionate. He is warm in the autumn and always smells to me like fresh windfall apples and very good cigars. He never kisses and tells. He is the perfect gentleman, quiet and powerful in the boardroom and........ He has never worn a fragrance because we have never found one that suited such a spectacular sort of man. But, one day about a month ago I found myself standing at the Creed counter at Saks Fifth Avenue, looking for yet another Lily of the Valley fragrance. Tia, the absolutely fabulous Creed SA was trying in vain to find one for me and was generously proffering me with lots of samples in the hopes that I might yet again fall in love. It was then that I noticed an absolutely gorgeous amber vial filled with a golden elixir, understated yet intriguing, coolly beckoning me closer. I read the label, Royal English Leather. “Hmm” , I thought, “maybe I could love this”, being one that has had more indecent fantasies of romps with royalty then you could even begin to imagine. Then , I sniffed. When they picked me up off of the floor, they told me that I had fainted dead away in something like an orgasmic swoon, whispering Byronic inspired prose. What I remembered when I came to was a beautiful meadow , gorgeous dappled bay horses with ribbons in their manes, beautiful, naked young men clothed only in flowing long hair with lutes and the soft strands of Scarborough Fair playing through my memory. My husband was there, quite naked as well. I won’t go any further, I told you that I have very indecent fantasies! Yet, through the haze of my all too vivid imagination there was something familiar stirring. My cell phone was ringing, bringing me sadly back to this century. Fortunately, it was Jim inviting me to meet him for lunch at Nordstrom's. I quickly sprayed some of the Royal English Leather on my wrists, steadied myself and went to meet him. After commenting on my pale and wanton visage, he cocked his head and asked to smell my wrist. He took a deep breath and kissed it as if he would have liked to bite. “Hmm” he said, “I want you to go buy that right now”. Royal English Leather is one of the oldest fragrances still being produced having been commissioned by King Charles III. It is a romantic fragrance filled with leather, mandarin and ambergris. It smells of tobacco and the sweat of a magnificent horse. It is totally classy yet filled with skank. Every time my husband wears it I become weak in the knees which he must not mind because he’s been wearing it everyday. Such pleasure from such a simple little thing. The one time I tried to wear it I was informed that I wasn’t allowed to touch it. Torture. Creed Royal English Leather can be found easily online, definitely at Saks Fifth Avenue and many other wonderful stores. Try it and see if you don’t enjoy the Jacobean fantasies it produces, but please be sure to not let go of the counter! Photo from the Creed US Homepage.

Perfume Review: Molinard Habanita

To very much paraphrase the famous saying of Albert Camus, in the midst of summer, I suddenly felt a chill of inevitable winter...and longed for comfort. Or more specifically, for a comfort scent. Not a fluffy one to temporarily cuddle the stressed mind, because temporary measures just would not do...not a serene one, to soothingly whisper that everything passes, because I don't believe in that...not a gloomy one that would agree with me that life is absurd and not worth the effort...I need an I Can Get Through It comfort scent, an empowering comfort scent, an olfactory companion which would assure me that nothing is impossible and that I can do it all. Enter Habanita. She with the voice made husky by smoking all that tobacco, with a white flower defiantly and alluringly stuck in her pitch-dark hair and a warm, generous, sweet heart. To get through to the true essence of Habanita, her layers must be peeled of, one by one. First the tobacco leaves, with their sweet and smoky, enthralling fragrance. Then the white petals of ylang-ylang and orange blossom, a charming touch of femininity in a composition that otherwise might have been seen as totally masculine. Then the delectable, creamy blend of vanilla, heliotrope and orris, which is like a layer of dark-golden nougat ...You get through the defensive nonchalance of smokiness and the seductive floral femininity, you are made to believe that the gourmand softness of vanilla will be the end. You think you understand Habanita: underneath her sultry interior she is vulnerable, almost child-like. You bite into the golden nougat, and there, hidden in the sweet fluffiness, lies the core of leather. And it is that dark, tough, unbreakable, unyielding core that makes Habanita such a perfect companion for when the going gets tough. "I am a Daruma doll, a legless toy endlessly poked and pushed, but finally regaining it balance, assured by an inner balancing pin (but what is my balancing pin? The force of Love?). This is what we are told by a folk poem wihch accompanies these Japanese dolls: Such is life, Falling over seven times, And getting up eight." (Roland Barthes, A Lover's Discourse) Habanita can be found in a variety of sizes and concentrations, from $24.99 for EDT at Scentiments to $295 for Perfume at Aedes. The image is by Jacques Olivar.

Etat Libre d'Orange Tom of Finland

By Tom Etat Libre is an niche house with scents that range from raw and interesting to raw and unwearable. Their latest is an eponymous one commissioned by the Tom of Finland Foundation to help mark, well whatever. In any case I was very much looking to try it, since the notes of leather, tonka, vetiver and musks seem right up my dark alley (this dramatic device, for the uninitiated is called "foreshadowing"). The opening has a wild whisper of dark booziness to it, like the ghost of a shot of Jack Daniels, neat. A metallic rubberiness quickly joins in followed by a leather smell that smells a lot like the inside of the sort of boutique that used to be on Christopher Street or Santa Monica Boulevard before gentrification made them both become the be-Starbucksed, family-friendly, anodyne-gay boulevards they are today. There's a doublemint freshness to this that cuts the vague S/M aspect until the whole thing sort of collapses into a very wearable skin scent with a slight edge of leather. As much as I hate to disagree with Patty I am left fairly unmoved by this one. Compared to other scents with the same notes it seems, well timid. For a scent that's supposed to evoke the whole leather-dude ethos Patchouli 24, Eau de Fier, Kolnisch Juchten or even for that matter Tabac Blond does this far more definitely. Do I hate it? No, it's quite nice. If it was reasonably priced and showed up at luckyscent, I might pop for a bottle. I know that this was commissioned by the Tom of Finland foundation and that one has to be 21 or over to buy due to the outre graphics involved, but I have to ask, for whom is this intended? Real leathermen wouldn't be caught dead wearing anti-perspirant much less than something as nelly as cologne (don't ask how I know, just trust me on this), so why this wan juice for such provocative packaging? I think the boys in the Marais are going to sniff Secretions Magnifiques and think that it should be in the bottle with the hunky guy in the chaps instead of this, which could be titled "Ghosts of MePa". I mean I like it, but at least on me it's way more Tom's of Maine than Tom of Finland...

Perfume Review: Hermes Kelly Caleche

On Thursday, Kelly Caleche, the latest release from Hermes, will be unveiled for an exclusive preview at the new Hermès boutique on Wall Street. Created by Jean-Claude Ellena, the scent pays homage to the famous Kelly bag and Calèche, one of the first fragrances released by the house. You know how excited I was when I first heard about the upcoming launch of Kelly Caleche. Floral-leather is my kind of thing, Hermes is the house I adore and Ellena is the perfumer I highly respect. Kelly Caleche is not what I hoped, but neither it is what I feared. It is what in the rational corner of my excitable mind I expected it to be, an elegant, tolerably youthful, understated scent with tasteful hints rather than barbarically generous doses of leather. The beginning playfully slapped me on the nose with an unexpected note of grapefruit. Before I could collect my wits and protest (I am not friendly with grapefruit), the citrusy explosion dissipated into a floral accord of commendable complexity. Kelly Caleche is full of nuances, all of them very subtle. The flowers are done in transparent soft hues and they mesh into a delicate harmony, in which it seems almost impossible to distinguish separate notes ...until suddenly a cold, rooty iris peaks through the pastel mist only to disappear just as quickly ...then a softly-powdery, vaguely gourmand, green and yellow mimosa comes forth and almost immediately goes away ...a sweet, sparkly rose pops up once in a while and hides again ...and thus on and on ...flowers playing games, teasing me. The one note that spends most of its time in hiding is leather. During the first two-thirds of the scent's development, there is not even a hint of the note, and nothing in the gentle and whimsical floral blend seems to herald its arrival. Eventually leather tip-toes in and inconspicuously positions its well-mannered self behind the gauzy flowers. In accordance with the general feel of toned down elegance of the composition, the leather note speaks in a quiet, soft voice, and one has to strain to hear it. The note makes me think not of an expensive leather bag but rather of a trace of smell that the handle of such a bag would leave on one's skin. Kelly Caleche's is a tantalizingly subtle leather that I cannot help but wish was a little stronger. The Kelly Caleche ad with the young modern amazon decisively striding along carrying a whip would make us believe there will be audaciousness and gutsiness in the fragrance, but I found the reality of the scent to be less daring. This is a refined, restrained, ladylike perfume, certainly youthful, simply because of its surprising, smiling playfulness, but not so young and overly girly as to render it unappealing to anyone over the age of 20-25. Kelly Caleche is the kind of fragrance that seems to be as easily wearable and universally appealing as possible without being too bland. If I were allowed to rename the scent, I would call it Miss Hermes, as it fullfils all the requirements - classic structure, elegance, tiny bit of flirtiness- for being placed as the house's offering to its somewhat younger clientele. After premiering at the Wall St. store, Kelly Calèche will become available in Hermès’ boutique network in August, and in September it will be launched for global selective distribution.

Perfume Review: Parfumerie Generale Psychotrope

Psychotrope is a perfume created by Parfumerie Generale exclusively for a store in Moscow, called Aromateka. It is described as a leather-jasmine scent and has notes of cyclamen, violet, “dark jasmine”, lilac wood, black leather and musk... The inspiration for a fragrance came from a vision of a flower with leather petals, dark, strange, intoxicating. Although I do not perceive Psychotrope as dark, I think that the image is very fitting. If a leather flower existed in some odd and elegant parallel universe, that’s how it would smell. The color of that flower would be silver (think the color of Chloe’s silver Paddington bag)… The beginning of Psychotrope is green, or rather floral-green (unopened white flowers and grass on a cold spring morning, dew glistening on the leaves) and fairly aquatic. Those familiar with Creed Cuir de Russie and S-Perfume S-ex would recognize the salty-watery smell that I loosely called “aquatic” and that, in Psychotrope, heralds the arrival of the leather. Just like there are no flowers with leather petals, there is no transparent leather, but in the strange world of Psychotrope anything is possible, and so I will say that the leather note in this fragrance smells transparent. Shimmering, silvery-grey transparent leather perfumed with the honeyed aroma of virginal-white jasmine. The scent grows somewhat sweeter and darker as it progresses, the flowers become more apparent and the leather acquires a cold kind of smokiness. The salty-watery accord that was distinct in the beginning becomes fainter, but it is still there, still enhancing the illusion of transparency and freshness. I am sure you know by now that I am NOT a fan of marine scents, but here the note is actually enjoyable, not to mention functional. Apart from creating the effect of translucency, it also provides a twist, an unexpected little something that I always love in perfumes. Often, in Pierre Guillaume’s creations, this twist is achieved by adding a surprisingly gourmand undertone to the composition. Psychotrope is one of the few Parfumerie Generale scents that completely lack even a slightest hint of gourmand. It is an elegant perfume, edgy (just the right amount of "edgy", not too much) and aloof, enigmatic in a cold rather than sultry sort of way. I think of it as “Grace Kelly for the 2000s”, dressed in Comme des Garcons rather than Dior garments. I liked Psychotrope very much and would love to own a bottle. If I understand correctly, Psychotrope will be available starting in February, in Aromateka in Moscow. Ароматека Москва, Галерея ZAR, Рублевское шоссе, д. 42, стр. 1 тел.: +7 (495) 509-7287 Aromateka Moscow, Gallery ZAR, Rublyovskoe Avenue, 42/1 I am not sure whether it is possible to buy this scent directly from Parfumerie Generale. If you find out more, please share the info!

Bandit by Robert Piguet

I am at heart a gentleman. Marlene Dietrich Bandit is another Piguet scent that for me has always been associated with Marlene Dietrich; whenever I smell it, I see Dietrich in her trademark suit, with a cigarette-holder casually and elegantly smouldering in her hand. According to Jan Moran, this scent was in fact one of the star’s favorites; Dietrich had the kind of confidence and insouciance that must have made fragrances like Fracas, Bandit and Tabac Blonde seem absolutely stunning and natural on her. In my opinion, Bandit requires even more flair and chic from its wearer than its sibling Fracas and it is not an easy scent for me to wear. The beginning is harsh and potent, mostly a smoky and viciously green galbanum with a vague citrus accord hidden somewhere within that smoke, however, the scent subsides, it is quite shocking, how it changes and becomes much quieter. Within five minutes or so after the application, Bandit is an elegant, refined fragrance with notes of peppery rose and green jasmine, with the leather note being just sharp enough to keep the scent true to its provocative name. The drydown is moss-green and animalic and très sensuel; it is perhaps my favourite part of the fragrance. There must be some magic in both Piguet scents to make me like them as much as I do; apart from Fracas and Bandit I don’t really “do” heady white florals and chypres. Bandit is a stunning scent, the one that works exceptionally well when one is dressed especially sharp and is in a mood to act rather aloof. Chanel said, "elegance is refusal", and that describes Bandit perfectly to me; it is an elegant perfume that says No. Bandit is available at Nordstom Online, $65.00-$190.00 Tomorrow, Greta Garbo and Le Parfum de Therese

Leather Scents Directory - R to Z

Scents that feature a leather note. In some, like Cuir de Russie or Cuir Mauresque, it will be a central, most prominent note, in some, like Coco or Chergui, it will be in a supporting role in the composition. Fragrances with a “suede” note are also included in the directory. The list incorporates vintage and discontinued scents as well as the reformulations and new releases. The directory is a work in progress. Suggestions of more scents and your feedback are appreciated. Also view Leather Scents Directory - A to H and Leather Scents Directory - I to Q. Ralph Lauren Chaps Polo (orginal, “green”) Safari for Men Rance Le Vainqueur Raphael Replique Regine’s Jimmy’s Revlon Braggi That Man Revson Ciara Richemont Garbo Pour Homme Roberre Noir Roberta di Camerino L’Altro Uomo Roberto Cavalli Man Robert Piguet Bandit Cravache Rochas Femme Globe Macassar Roget & Gallet L’Homme Rothshild Rothshild Salvador Dali Salvador Dali Para Hombre (“black lips” bottle) Sans Soucis Derringer Man Semiramis Santa Maria Novella Nostalgia Peau d'Espagne Scannon Kanon Schiaparelli Shocking You Snuff Serge Lutens Chergui Cuir Mauresque Daim Blond Fumerie Turque Sergio Soldano Sergio Soldano For Men Sergio Soldano For Men White Sergio Tacchini Sergio Tacchini Shiseido Auslese Koto Murasaki Paradigm Vintage Sirpea Basile Uomo Basile Uomo Forte Sonya Rykiel Woman (Not For Men) S-Perfume S-ex Strange Invisible Perfumes Black Rosette Susan D. Owens Heir Ted Lapidus Envol Ted Vu Thierry Mugler Atelier Grimal (Perfume Le Coffret) Torero Spanisch Juchten Tristano Onofri Tristano Truefitt & Hill Spanish Leather Trussardi Donna Light Men Uomo Ulrich Lang New York Anvers Van Cleef & Arpels Tsar Van Cleef & Arpels Veejaga Hascish Homme Venet Eau de Monsieur Vera Wang Vera Wang for Men Verfaille Grain de Folie Versace Gianni Versace L’Homme Victor Mahe Off Shore Wall Street Viktor & Rolf Antidote VIP Room Signature Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Weil Antilope Gentilhomme Kipling Pour Homme Weil de Weil Wolff & Sohn Hattric Sports Rodeo Worth Worth Pour Homme Yardley Cougar Yohji Yamamoto Yohji Homme Yves Rocher Eau de Vetyver Yves Saint Laurent Jazz Kouros

Leather Scents Directory - I to Q

Scents that feature a leather note. In some, like Cuir de Russie or Cuir Mauresque, it will be a central, most prominent note, in some, like Coco or Chergui, it will be in a supporting role in the composition. Fragrances with a “suede” note are also included in the directory. The list incorporates vintage and discontinued scents as well as the reformulations and new releases. The directory is a work in progress. Suggestions of more scents and your feedback are appreciated. Also view Leather Scents Directory - A to H and Leather Scents Directory - R to Z. Il Profumo Aventure I Profumi di Firenze Cuoio di Russia (Russian Leather) Isadora Isadora Jack Black Eau de Toilette Black Jacomo Chicane Jacomo de Jacomo (Men) Parfum Rare Jade Jade Der Mann Sportiv Jaguar Jaguar J. Casanova Pour Homme by Casanova J.D’Auvillers Cuirasse Jean Couturier Keora Jean Desprez Sheherazade Versailles Pour Homme Jean Louis Trintignan Jean Louis Trintignan Jean Marc Sinan Version Originale Jean Patou Colony Pour Homme Jil Sander Jil Sander Man Two Man Pure Woman Pure Jimmyjane Kink Jitrois Jitrois Joan Collins Spectacular John Varvatos John Varvatos for Men Jovan Andron for Men Andron for Women Jovan Grass Oil Gambler Ginseng for Men Man Mink + Pearls Pitralon Sport Sex Appeal for Women Touche Judith Muller Bat Sheba Shalom Juvena Juvena Men Men’s Style Nitchevo Kanebo Gilvan Temujin Karl Lagerfeld Jako Keiko Mecheri A Fleur de Peau Kenneth Cole New York Women Kenneth Cole White Kiton Kiton Black Knize Knize Ten Krizia Krizia Uomo Moods Uomo Lamborghini Lamborghini G.T. Lancetti IL by Lancetti Lancetti Pour Homme Lancôme Balafre Cuir (1939) Revolte (1936, later Cuir) Sikkim Lanvin Lanvin For Men Monsieur Lanvin Scandal Vetyver La Prince Jardinier L’Eau du Prince Jardinier L’Artisan Drole de Rose Dzing! Dzongkha Fleur de Narcisse Laura Biagiotti Biagiotti Uomo Le Jardin Retrouve Eau de Cuir de Russie Le Labo Patchouli 24 Lentheric Onyx Leonard Leonard Pour Homme Les Copains Les Copains Homme Les Parfums de Rosine Rose d’Homme Liz Claiborne Claiborne (men’s) Loewe Loewe Loewe Para Hombre Louis Feraud Fer L.T. Piver Cuir de Russie Lubin Idole Rouge Luciano Soprani Soprani Uomo Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Iris Bleu Gris Jardin du Nil Magnolia Pourpre Parfum d’Habit Soir d'Orient Marbert Marbert Gentleman Marbert Homme Marbert Man Marbert Woman Marbert Woman 2 Marciano Guess Men Margaret Astor Care No 2 Yacaré Mario Valentino Ocean Rain Mark Birley Mark Birley for Men Mark Cross Cross Mark Cross Mas Admiral’s Yachtman Maserati Maserati Matchiabelli Cachet Matchiabelli Mauboussin Histoire d’Eau Maurer + Wirtz GranValor Tabac Max Factor Aquarius Maxim’s Maxim’s Pour Homme Maybelline Daydreams Mazzolari Lui MCM MCM Success Mennen Hawk Men Trouble Michael Baryshnikov Mischa Michael Kors Michael Men Mila Schön Haute Couture Missoni Uomo Molinard Habanita Molyneux Fête Lord Molyneux Vivre Mona di Orio Nuit Noire Montale Aoud Queen Roses Black Aoud Oud Cuir d'Arabie Montana Montana Homme Parfum de Peau Morabito Or Black Morandiere Gengis Khan Morris Blueback Morris Man’s Cologne Moschino Moschino Pour Homme OK-KO Muelhens Carrera Jacaranda Juchten Men’s Classic Sir Canada Ceder Sir Champaca Sir Irish Moss Mulberry Mulberry Myrurgia Alada Mury Cuir de Russie NellyRodi Scent Factory Bois Nerval Camaro Musk for Men Nicole Miller Men Niki de Saint Phalle Niki de Saint Phalle Nina Ricci Phileas Nipon Nipon Oleg Cassini Oleg Cassini For Men Oleg Cassini For Women Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui Pacoma Ego 2 Homme Paco Rabanne Eau de Sport La Nuit Tenere XS Extreme Paloma Picasso Minotaure Parfum d’Empire Ambre Russe Cuir Ottoman Eau de Gloire Parfumerie Generale Corps et Ames Cuir Venenum Psychotrope Parfums de Nicolai Baladin Carre d’As Vie de Chateau Parfums El Charro Charro Parfums R R Romanoff Parfums Regence Kolnisch Juchten Pecksniff’s Leather Oriental Woody Perry Ellis America Men Perry Ellis for Men Phat Farm Premium Pierre Cardin Bleu Marine Centaures Cuir Ambre Centaures Cuir Blanc Centaures Cuir Casaque Centaures Cuir Etalon Centaures Cuir Fougere Enigme Men’s Cologne Paradoxe Pikenz Arrogance Uomo Prada Prada Man Priscilla Presley Moments Pucci Signor Vivara Vivara Vivara Super Puig Aqua Brava Aqua Quorum Estivalia Quorum Sybaris

Leather Scents Directory - A to H

Scents that feature a leather note. In some, like Cuir de Russie or Cuir Mauresque, it will be a central, most prominent note, in some, like Coco or Chergui, it will be in a supporting role in the composition. Fragrances with a “suede” note are also included in the directory. The list incorporates vintage and discontinued scents as well as the reformulations and new releases. The directory is a work in progress. Suggestions of more scents and your feedback are appreciated. Also view Leather Scents Directory - I to Q and Leather Scents Directory - R to Z. Abinoam Cobice After Six After Six for Him Alain Delon Alain Delon Plus Iquitos Le Temps d’Aimer Alan Cumming Cumming Alcina Eccelente Man Alfred Sung Sung Homme Amouage Dia for Men Andy Tauer Lonestar Memories Animale Animale for Men Annick Goutal Duel Aramis Aramis Chromatics Devin Etruscan Gold Havana Men Life New West New West for Her Tuscany Armani Cuir Amethyste Armour Dial Burley Atkinsons Henry Cotton’s in Green Hunter Rockford ice Tendresse Avon Hud = Clint Occur! Odyssey Azzaro Acteur Pour Homme Babor Babor for Men Balenciaga Balenciaga For Men Ho Hang Club Portos Rumba Balestra Balestra Pour Homme Bally Bally Masculin Balmain Ebene Jolie Madame Miss Balmain Monsieur Balmain Beiersdorf Exciting – Amber Gammon Betrix De Soir Henry M Betrix City Henry M Betrix Country Henry M Betrix Party Street Life Biename Cuir de Russie Biodroga Aramant Bogart Bogart Bois de Vetiver One Man Show Bogner Bogner Woman Bond No 9 HOT Always Wall Street Borsalino Borsalino Bourjois Masculin 2 Burberry Burberrys for men Bvlgari Black Cacharel Anais Anais Calvin Klein Calvin Obsession Night for Men Cantilene Men’s Classic Capucci Capucci Punjab R.Capucci Carlo Corinto Carlo Corinto Caron Eau de Caron French Cancan Tabac Blond Yatagan Cartier Must Santos Carven Monsieur Carven Castelbajac JCC No 2 Jean-Charles de Castelbajac Caswell Massey Persian Leather CB I Hate Perfume In The Library Leather, Baseball Glove Leather, Football Leather, Gardening Glove Leather, Glove Leather, Jacket Leather, New Shoes Leather, Old Leather, Russian Leather, Spicy Mr. Hulot’s Holiday Violet Empire Cerruti Cerruti Fair Play Image (for women) Chanel Antaeus Chanel No 19 Coco Cuir de Russie Chantal du Monde Silver Shadow Christian Dior Bois d'Argent Diorama Dior-Dior Diorling Fahrenheit Jules Miss Dior Clinique Wrappings Comme des Garcons 2 Man Garage Skai Comptoir Sud Pacifique Piroguier Coty Iron Nuance Sophia Courreges Amerique Courreges Homme Empreinte Women Courvoisier Courvoisier L'Edition Impériale Creed Cuir de Russie Royal Delight Royal English Leather Crown Perfumery Sumare Cussons Imperial Leather Dana Cambridge English Leather English Leather Musk Racquet Club Davidoff Davidoff Relax Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Cuio Erotica Medieval Leather Russian Leather Demeter Leather Riding Crop Russian Leather Dolce & Gabbana By for Men Donna Karan Donna Karan New York Man Unleaded Dr Payot Piment Dr. Vranjes Zefiro Dunhill Dunhill for Men Fresh Durer Durer Eau d’Italie (Le Sirenuse) Bois d’Ombrie Elida-Gibbs Denim Denim Musk Elizabeth Arden Memoire Cherie Elizabeth Taylor Passion Enrico Coveri Dollar Enrico Coveri Pour Homme Escada Magnetism for Men Estée Lauder Azurée (original) Metropolis Etat Libre d`Orange Divin Enfant Eloge du Traitre Je Suis Un Homme Putain des Palaces Rien Vierges & Toreros Vraie Blonde Etienne Aigner Etienne Aigner Etienne Aigner No 1 Man in Leather Man in Suede Silver Suede Edition Man Woman in Leather Woman in Suede Etro Gomma Palais Jamais Faberge 20:21 Cellini Turbo West Farina Gegenuber Kolnisch Juchten Russisch Leder Fendi Fendi Fendi Uomo Ferragamo F de Ferragamo (original) Francesco Smalto Francesco Smalto Francis Denney Adolfo for men Frapin Frapin 1270 Fred Hayman 273 for Men Frederic Malle Le Parfum de Therese Fresh Scents by Terry Gregory Gainsborough G-man’s Gal Agresste Gendarme Gendarme Lust Geo F Trumper Sandalwood Spanish Leather Gianfranco Ferre Gianfranco Ferre Uomo Giorgio Beverly Hills Giorgio V.I.P. Red for Men Givenchy Gentleman Pour Homme Goya Cedarwood Gres Cabochard Gres Monsieur Sport Gres Pour Homme Gucci Gucci No 3 L’Arte di Gucci Pour Homme (old version) Guerlain Atuana Cuir Beluga Cuir de Russie (1875) Derby Djedi Habit Rouge Heritage Jicky Parure Peau d'Espagne Shalimar Vetiver Vol de Nuit Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir Halston Halston 101 Halston Couture Halston Limited Halston Z-14 Hanorah Pancaldi Hanusch Mozart Hechter Caractere Heeley Eau de Cèdre Fine Leather Helmut Lang Cuiron Hermes Bel Ami Doblis Eau d'Hermes Houbigant Chantilly Ciao Monsieur Houbigant Musk Monsieur Hove Habanera Hugo Boss Boss Spirit Hugo Hummer Hummer