Aramis Modern Leather

Absolutely gorgeous. Btw, before I start, I should mention the official notes are as follows: Top notes - Basil, Thyme, Elemi Heart notes - Geranium, Orange blossom, Violet leaves Base notes - Leather, Cistus labdanum, Vetiver First, let's get one thing out of the way. It's called modern leather - to expect a big hardcore leather from another era is about as silly as complaining that some 80's powerhouse is too masculine. That being said, there is a prominent leather note here that is quite modern and yet substantial. It's a buttery leather, almost suede-like but with a bit more heft and grit than modern suede interpretations. There's an extremely gorgeous violet leaf note in here and the opening of this is reminiscent of NR For Him - that same smooth body and strong violet - but here it is joined by smooth leather along with two other accords, a deep tenor orange blossom and a rum-like liquor accord. Later, geranium becomes quite noticeable alongside the aforementioned accords and adds more body as it continues to dry down begins to smell much like sandalwood (it's reminiscent of how the geranium behaves in MPG's Parfum d'Habit, although not quite as front and center here). All in all, imagine NR For Him crossed with say, Tuscan Leather a bit of Reflection Man or Fleur Du Male, and even a bit of Ungaro I (for those who have smelled it). What's amazing is that the texture and feel of the scent has that rich smoothness of 80s powerhouses, but with a modern twist (again going back to the musical analogy, Aramis Modern Leather feels like a tenor, as a whole, while many 80s powerhouses were unquestionably baritone). The blending is as good as any niche I've smelt or own. Like Ungaro I the scent kind of smolders on skin, it's there, ever-present but not loud. The geranium and labdanum-leather in the base get warmer and dryer as time goes on, a beautiful transition from the rich and almost honeyed floral/leather/rum heart. Some may not like that the projection tapers off after a couple hours - it really does behave like the old school Eau De Parfums which were thicker and richer but sat closer to the skin. I actually really like this quality as it makes the scent wearable even in warm weather, and it is never cloying or obtrusive. So rich and smooth, one of my best finds in years, and without a doubt one of the best uses of violet leaf in perfumery that I've come across.

This reminds me a bit of Ungaro III Oud, except with a leather instead of an oud note. There are dry/herbal elements in both. Now as to some of the comments here, I haven't tried Beyond Paradise, but from everything I've read about it, Modern Leather is very different. And I don't see how this could be considered a "frat boy cologne." I don't know, not having been around anyone in a frat for a long time, but I'd guess they are into fresh/sport or party scents, and this has nothing to do with those types. It also doesn't have the Tom Ford for Men drydown, and I don't think the basil note is overwhelming. I do get leather, but it's not heavy. There's no lavender, nor sweetness, nor detectable iso e super, nor animalic qualities. Unfortunately, there isn't much strength in any context here! I can understand "modern leather," in the sense of how some scents today barely smell like much of anything, and I'm a bit disappointed in this as an EdP. If it was called "Aramis Modern Leather Cologne," that would make a lot more sense to me, and then I would have no criticism. If anything changes over time I'll update this review. UPDATE: After a couple of hours it has that Tom Ford for Men type musk and sweetness (not that it's especially sweet), but lacking the anisic quality. It's okay and might make a good gift for those who want to venture beyond the typical popular designer scents, but there's not enough leather here for me, so I'll likely put the bottle up on ebay. And there's some sort of chemical aspect to it, whether that's the musk molecules or something else or some combination. UPDATE #2: So that musk really took over and dominated everything after a few hours. In that sense, it's quite different from Ungaro III Oud, which I prefer to this because I can get a better sense of the notes. Take Tom Ford for Men and swap out the anise for a hint of leather, and Modern Leather is fairly close to that, IMO. I guess people like this sort of thing, but I don't think I'm going to wear this again, because I have a whole bunch of "real" leather scents that I enjoy, but I can understand what they were going for here.

Modern Leather is up to the usual Aramis quality and Standard which I rate very highly. I have 30 different fragrances from this house and there is not one that disappoints. Longevity and projection are excellent as always and Modern Leather is no very different. The smell for this one is quite lovely and there's nothing unpleasant about this from start to finish. This is not a hot weather scent but anything below 15° is ideal. For me, this has to be a 8.5+ out of 10 because it is a great fragrance all around! What I've notice from my experience in the fragrance world that every Aramis fragrance is unique in themselves. The dna in one fragrance is not found in any other of the fragrances in the house and hence unique! Many of the top selling designers like Hugo Boss, Kalvin Klein, Davidoff, Joop and Paco Rabanne to name a few have flankers upon flankers with the original DNA found in those flankers! Another observation is I've never found a copy of Aramis fragrances anywhere except one, the original and the very first classic Aramis! They did a 50th celebrate that classic with an updated version call Special Blend. Even though the orginal dna is in it, it is still very different frim ir!!! This house is in a league of its own! Modern Leather is a really lovely and pleasant fragrance❤️👌👍😍!!!

i think it opens like an ordinary oud/flowery cologne.within a minute it turns to leather and nothing but leather.good sprayer but what is it spraying?i have to really dig my nose into my hand to smell anything.it might be like other aramis scents that are evasive if you hunt for them.i think body heat will make this baby work and bring out the geranium.parfum?i'd hate to see the eau de toilet.do i like it?it's aramis so of course i love it.would i have bought it at 100 bucks when it first came out?only if had 100 bucks to spare.i still think this shoulda been called modern oud and leather.i am so happy i got this though.YAY! i got modern leather finally.by the way it dries down to just a soft powdery scent.

I was skeptical when I blind ordered this.. but as soon as I smelled it I felt it's way underrated .. Do not compare this with any other Aramis .. I personally love it it's classy and refreshing, great for office, formal and smart casual wear, not much leather I agree but there's something catchy just like Tobacco reserve. I recently Layered it with Franck Boclet Leather, it was awesome according to the Ladies feedback. If you like Aramis brand then worst case scenario you will like this and cannot hate it. 7/10 overall .. all seasons specially cool spring days and evenings.