Colonia Leather Eau de Cologne Concentrée

(THIS REVIEW WAS PENNED A WHILE AGO WHEN THIS CAME OUT.) I've Been waiting to try this for ages! Took so long for stores to get it that I actually stopped looking and forgot about it to an extent. The reason I was anticipating this so much was due to my love of leather fragrances and my hope that this would be the holy grail...and is it? Well, sort of? It is and it isn't... Reason being the opening was stunning, really great, rich, opulent almost dark, slightly smoky leather. When I say 'leather' I do mean an accurate and stunning leather note. So far so good you might think and you'd be right it's worthy of praise but then starts to change into familiar territory. By this I'm talking TF Tuscan leather and Clive Christian C complete with raspberry note and all...again not a criticism, C is one of my absolute favourite fragrances and I've extensively tested Tuscan leather (which I controversially said is not as good) so I like to think I know what I'm talking about here. In fact I think this is less complex than C more toward Tuscan leather but still very complex and different to both in the most subtle way. It tightropes between smelling like an accurate leather, maybe even a hint of citrus, something slightly more soapy and cleaner then back to CC C/TF TL. Now I have Oud concentree and that has epic longevity and obnoxious silage on my skin, almost to the point of it being too much even for me to wear and I was expecting the same from this juice. Don't get me wrong here the performance of this juice is very good and way, way up there. Silage and trail are pretty massive for the first few hours but doesn't quite have the godlike longevity status of Clive Christian C....nor is it as heady and complex, magical or even 'harsh' for want of a better word.

Colonia Leather may very well be the Goldilocks of the full-flavored leather fragrances. On one hand, I have Tuscan Leather, Golden Boy and La Yuqawam Homme that many consider too strong and too dark, while Cuir de Russie, Cuir Cannage and others may come across as being too weak or contain too many floral notes. Colonia Leather manages to strike that "just right" accord. My issue (and imagine that I am not alone) is that I really love the strong/dark leather fragrances, but they are not something I wear often during the Spring/Summer months. That's what Colonia Leather does better than all the others...it's full-flavored leather; not too strong and not too weak; and it's a leather scent a man can wear proudly year round to include the Spring/Summer months. It is leather from top-to-bottom, with a fresh citrus opening and a bit of woods and floral (deep in the background) to keep things in check. It's that simple, and it's that elegant. I really didn't have a "go to" full-flavored leather fragrance for this time of year until adding Colonia Leather to my Scent Armory. Sure, I could go with one-spray of Tuscan Leather, but men enjoy that scent more than women and, to me, it's extremely cloying during the warmer months. Moreover, while I enjoy light-leather frags such as Fan di Fendi Pour Homme, Vince Camuto for Men and Carolina Herrera CH Men...sometimes you just want to smell an full-flavored leather scent during the Summer months, and Acqua di Parma nailed this scent genre. Anyway, AdP Colonia Leather is certainly worth taking a sniff if you're looking for a full-flavored warm-weather leather fragrance. It's the only one I own filling this niche category. Finally, this fragrance does not remind me of Tuscan Leather - but your mileage may vary.

Colonia Leather is the second chronologically of the Acqua di Parma concentree line, and the second I've tried, and is a very strong leather entry in the limited world of leather fragrances that I've sampled. Comparisons to Tom Ford Tuscan Leather are more than appropriate, given the pairing of a traditional leather smell and the Colonia smell of citrus (I even get some neroli, though it is not listed in the note breakdown). Colonia Leather is more citrus, Tuscan Leather is more of a varied fruity smell (i.e. berries), but Colonia Leather still has some sweetness of its own. It's worth to try both to compare, though admittedly, Colonia Leather is about half the price ($166 for 100ml on FragranceNet vs. about $300 for 100ml TL through most retail). Surely that comes down to price. I'd argue that Colonia Leather might be redundant enough with Coach Leatherware No. 3, which is now discontinued but I managed to locate a couple of months ago, as even Leatherware No. 3 is a similar essential expression of leather with some citrus and woody aspects. Performance-wise, it's certainly stronger than most Acqua di Parma offerings, both from the Colonia and Blu lines, and is probably the strongest I've tried in terms of both projection and longevity, on par with Colonia Ambra (I still need to try Colonia Oud). However, Colonia Leather isn't as strong as Tuscan Leather, and in that respect is a little easier to wear on a year-round basis. Very strong, versatile leather fragrance. Highly and frequently wearable but also refined enough to dress up and keep as a fragrance for special occasions. I highly recommend trying this out, as despite lacking the Tuscan Leather reputation, I imagine that many will find this better. 8 out 10

Beautifully made leather fragrance. Bold, in the same league as Colonia Oud. At this price point, one has to make decision, I opt for Colonia Oud. That said, Colonia Leather is a close 2nd. Edit: I have both on my skin now. The leather is indeed similar to Tom Ford Tuscan Leather, but rounder and without the rasperry note. (I prefer AdP's over TF's). That said, there is rose showing up in the drydown, that brings it back towards the TL path. The reason I opt for the Colonia Oud is that the drydown is similar to Colonia Leather, but without sweetness. In summary: for me, Colonia Leather wins in the opening, and Colonia Oud in the drydown. Edit 2: I have to edit completely my comment. Colonia Leather has a beautiful opening, that is a fresh, then shortly after, a bolder woody leather. Really great. The guaiac wood then leaves the stage to let the rose take over the supporting role, and that results in the drydown being a carbon copy of TF Tuscan Leather. Not really for my taste, and a little too "in your face" to be elegant. Of AdP's Oud-Ambra-Leather trio, leather is probably the one that has the strongest projection, with a heavy projection in the first hour, followed by moderate in the following 2-3 hours, and softer projection for another 1-2 hours after that. That said, of these 3, it's the one who has the shortest longevity (approx. 8 hours), but still more than enough for what is needed for a long evening. As for my preferences, I have to say that Ambra is now on top of the podium, with Oud as a close 2nd. Unfortunately the similarity with TF's TL makes it a no-go for me, but for those who liked TL, it's a must! (better than TL imo).

I’m sure that everyone has that one fragrance in their collection that they would miss if it was discontinued. For me, it’s this one. I start to miss this if I don’t wear it every once in awhile. It is by far my favorite leather fragrance. I even spray it on the inside of my leather jackets and leather travel bags because they should smell like this. This is what leather is supposed to smell like. I’m a leather guy though. I want leather seats in my trucks and cars. I prefer leather furniture. Yeah, I got my boots on. I used to leave my saddle in the back seat of my truck/car just so I could smell the leather when I opened the door and while on the road. Leather is one of those universal items that belongs in and also connects so many different categories. From antique to modern, from blue collar usefulness to what transforms typical in to luxury, leather is a tie that binds. It’s one of the few things that a rugged biker has in common with an eccentric tycoon, and it keeps the cowboy from being too far removed from the city slicker; give us our leather. And leather this is. A perfect leather. If orange peel was made out of leather, this is what it would smell like. That’s the vision I have anyway. Just like the real deal, the durability and longevity are both fantastic. Sillage is just right, others will know you’ve been there but didn’t wear out your welcome. I would wear this anywhere, at any time, except for the beach.