Listing my top ten leather perfumes has been an exercise in severe restraint. I have many fragrances with a dominant leather note and I love all of them. There has to be a leather scent I don't like somewhere in the world, but I can't think of any, so having to pick and choose was exceptionally hard. Still, I managed to come up with something semi-coherent for your enjoyment, even if I ended up cheating a little with Serge Lutens perfumes. In absolutely no particular order:
- Robert Piguet- Bandit. The ultimate dominatrix.
- Tom Ford Private Blend- Tuscan Leather. It's so good they're bound to discontinue it at some point.
- Knize- Knize Ten. The classic standard for manly leather.
- Lancome- Cuir. A floral leather that wears better than the current formula of Cuir de Russie by Chanel.
- Parfum d'Empire- Cuir Ottoman. A lusty encounter with your leather sofa.
- L'Artisan- Dzing!. Leather, vanilla, roasted nuts, lions, tigers and the occasional bear.
- Serge Lutens- Cuir Mauresque, Boxeuses, Daim Blond. I'm cheating here, I know, but Uncle Serge teaches us a lesson in various facets of leather, from dark and steeped in dirty thoughts to the smoothest suede known to men.
- Tauer Perfumes- Lonestar Memories. A fantasy about a cowboy and his horse.
- MPG- Parfum d'Habit. An austere masculine that wears surprisingly romantic on my skin.
- DSH Perfumes- Cuir et Champignon. A true original, a lot more elegant than the name suggests.
Much-deserved honorable mention: the ultra animlaics (Ramon Monegal Mon Cuir and Mona di Orio Cuir), Bulgari Black (a rubberized cousin of Dzing!), Bottega Veneta (a very accessible high quality mainstream version of Daim Blond), the vintage wonders (Diorling, Cabochard, Jolie Madame, and the aforementioned Chanel Cuir de Russie), Cuir Beluga (leather the Guerlain way), Rien by Etat Libre d'Orange (Bandit's modern offspring), Esteban Cuir (nice and easy), and Aleksandr by Arquiste (snow, leather and a dead Russian poet).
Photo:model Constance Jablonki wearing a Christopher Kane embroidered leather jacket, photographed by Cedric Buchet for i-D, 2010.
A great and comprehensive list! I have wanted to try Lancome Cuir already for a long time, but so far I haven't encountered it in perfume stores...
ReplyDeleteI have most of the ones on your list... my very favorites are Hermes Doblis and Mona di Orio Cuir. On the days when I want a light touch, it's Boxeuses. Good thing I bought that 250ml bottle of Tuscan Leather, in case it gets discontinued! ;-)
ReplyDeleteMy favorites are Chanel Cuir de Russie, Rien ELO and Dzing. Cybele
ReplyDeleteGreat choices and some I still need to try! I also love Heeley Cuir Pleine Fleur and PG Cuir Venenum. ~~nozknoz
ReplyDeleteI adore leather scents, Bandit extrait is my all-time favorite, I'd also add Gucci III, a beautiful leather chypre, smooth and subtle with a hint of green. Another leather that's quite beautiful is Shiseido's Murasaki (in the burgundy bottle). Beautiful ethereal iris, orris, over an incense & leather base. Long gone now but one of my frequently worn leather scents from H.S.
ReplyDeleteAnd last but not least, Azuree, one of my go-to favorites to wear in the summer heat.
I adore Cuir de Russie and have it in both strengths, but think I prefer it in EdT (Chanel really shines in EdT's I think, esp. No. 5). I have Lone Star Memories, but seldom reach for it as I find it a bit sweet. I have sampled DSH Cuir et Champignon and don't know why I haven't bought it, it's really, really good. Cuir Pleine Fleur? Gorgeous violetty leather. Adding two to the list in Vero Profumo Onda extrait and DSH Black Leather jacket - pure new leather shoes right out of the box, great for layering!
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