This winter, leather will be in vogue… in fragrance
Questions & selections

This winter, leather will be in vogue… in fragrance

27 december 2013

While leather is something of a country cousin on perfumery shelves nowadays, its notes have echoed through more than one great 20th-century creation. Ranging from supple to smoky to animalic, leathery scents are perfect for cold winter nights, granting an in-born elegance to anyone who wraps him or herself in them. Niche brands have staked a claim on that exceptional aura. Here are a few leather scents that are worth a (second) look for fans of bold, stand-out fragrances.

“Russian leather,” which was very fashionable in Roaring Twenties Paris, gets its name from Russian soldiers, who polished their boots with smoky-smelling birch tar. It was Gabrielle Chanel’s fascination with a Russian ballet company (whose dancers used the same polish on their shoes) that led to the fragrance Cuir de Russie (‘Russian Leather’). Ernest Beaux composed it for Miss Chanel in 1927, and it is being re-released today in the house’s Exclusifs collection. It has smoky waves of leather rubbing shoulders with Chanel’s signature aldehydes, with a hint of rose and jasmine. Although this timelessly elegant, multi-facetted unisex scent will transport you directly to Paris in the 1920s – when everything Slavic was in – it hasn’t aged a bit.

Other times, other inspirations… Well-steeped in Moroccan culture, Serge Lutens paid tribute to the Arab tradition of scenting hides with musk and attars (of roses, etc.) with his Cuir Mauresque (‘Moorish Leather,’ 1996). This rough leather gets softened up with a flight of spices (cumin, clove and cinnamon), and marked with the candied-fruit note so dear to the perfumer, before blossoming into honeyed-floral inflections of jasmine and orange blossom, as in Guerlain’s L’Heure Bleue. A woody-ambry trail brings this oriental tale to a gorgeous ending. Borrowing from the classics, it speaks softly while carrying a big stick. Magnificent.

The Orient clearly captivates a lot of perfumers, because it also inspired Parfums d’Empire’s Cuir Ottoman (‘Ottoman Leather’). Intertwined with Egyptian jasmine, this leather’s animal nature is tamed by the nobility of an iris that is barely hinted at. The composition then evolves subtly towards a lush, ambry finish (tonka bean and vanilla absolute). Check this sensual and fiery, rustic yet voluptuous scent out – it’s a must if leathery-resinous notes appeal to you.

Last but certainly not least, leather can sometimes mean soft suede, in the image of Tom Ford’s Tuscan Leather. Powdery leather is graced with a hint of raspberry and floral notes of jasmine – creating a stunning contrast with the dark frankincense caressed with saffron’s spicy-honeyed note. In the trail, woody-ambry notes bring lushness to the composition. This fragrance portrays leather with great delicacy, appealing to both women and men.

Sophie Normand

Sophie Normand

See their portrait

Even though I’ve been fascinated by perfume since I was a teenager, I still studied first law and then journalism. I started writing professionally, and then about three years ago I thought of doing a blog about perfume. Alongside that, I share my passion for perfume through other media as...

  • 06 february 2014

    Es una exquisita fragancia. Es una de mis preferidas.

    Report abuse
  • 11 january 2014

    Cuir de Russie...et de loin.

    Report abuse
  • 07 january 2014

    los cuatro aromas son muy especiales cada uno con su fragancias exquisita pero paa mi chanel tiene mas profundiidad en sus aromas y mas exquisites en su fragancias fragancias únicas y ihnigualable

    Report abuse
  • 07 january 2014

    me gusta mucho el cuir de russen de chanel por su combinacion de especies que da un aroma tanto a cuero como a madera intensa que es una fascinacion olerlo

    Report abuse
Do you want to read more opinions? Show more
    Do you want to read more opinions? Show more