83 Leather Reserve

Not much more to be said, I think @garantis28 pretty much nailed it. Agreed with everything in that review, so maybe all there is to say is "+1". I would definitely recommend this, it's easy-going and accessible while at the same time distinguishing itself from the typical. The banana republic fragrances have continually impressed me as great options for the price. Not a one has been a disappointment, each one has a place in my collection. Also I really like the suggestion by @Morenoetrata to layer this with Vintage Green (maybe my favorite BR frag), I will definitely try that! I do see a lot of reviews below that don't really seem to suggest that the leather is very prominent, but I find it to be quite noticeable once the fragrance dries down and is also the longest lasting accord. After awhile all I get is lemon, bergamot and leather.

83 Leather Reserve is an underrated gem. It reminds me of Equipage by Hermes or Tabarome by Creed minus the room-clearing sillage. Many people seem to complain about the performance, but keep in mind that this is a Eau De Parfum. The concentration contains more aromatic compounds but tends to stick close to the skin. You generally won't get that alcoholic projection that's commonly associated with Eau De Toilette. The scent pyramid presented is quite accurate and comes together well. It's a very safe yet enticing fragrance. I feel this would be an acceptable blind buy. If you enjoy leather/wood/cypress but want a work-safe option, this is for you.

This perfume is perfect as a go anywhere scent. I work in a hospital and it wears well in this environment. Leather Reserve is both woody and dusty, which gives it a comforting, nostalgic feeling. It doesn’t feel perfumey but more like a sweater that has been stored in a cedar chest over the summer. Neroli and tonka bean add the slightest sweet smokiness to make it perfectly unisex. Reminds me slightly of Dark Rebel Rider by Varvatos but it’s less rough around the edges. As a female I find it both unique and a bit tomboyish. Certainly not a powerhouse but enough sillage to feel ‘finished.’ Affordable and interesting, I recommend checking it out.

Teetering between like and love on this one. Between just using up my decant and buying a bottle. Something about it really draws me in. I do get leather/suede... And something that took me a while to place but more than anything reminds me of sweet almond. Not marzipan-intense, which is a deal killer for me, but a soft hint of almond extract. I don't mind weak performance with scents like these. Anything with sharpness to it, from vetiver or citrus for example, is doing me a favor by projecting softly and fading away. Prolonged intensity would tire my nose. This is my favorite from this line.

What a great warm inviting leather suede scent. I definitely get a lot of cypress which is one of my favorite notes. And it blends with the suede note perfectly. The tonka adds a tiny bit of powder to make this a classic gentleman scent! I would be impressed if Hermes came out with something along the lines of this. They need a good leather version of TDH imo! Great job Banana Republic!

This is a cologne that actually smells like the breakdown It starts out super fresh like a citrusy gin and tonic. Just an awesome open of cypress,bergamot & lemon Then you start to get the cedar, neroli & suede that stays around through the drydown finish of vetiver, tonka bean & amber

Banana Republic number 83 leather Reserve is not so bad.. it's more like a skin scent after the initial drydown but it has a beautiful beautiful smell of suede/leather and citrus and spice I give this scent an 8.0 strength and longevity I give it a 6.8

I love the scent, that suede does come through. It's a very clean scent, leathery, velvety, and relaxing. Very nice pick up.

I actually like this fragrance quite a lot. Was my favorite from the line, and I was not expecting much.

The best masculine from the line. Not bad for the price either.

Leathery old spice. I love it, but not much projection.

INTRO: I bought the Banana Republic Icon Collection sample set for $50 bucks Canadian. The sample set contains a 5ml spray vial of each of the 5 scents in the collection: 1)Vintage Green; 2)Leather Reserve; 3)Pure White; 4)Black Platinum; 5)Oud Mosaic. If you do the math, you'll realize that the sample set is expensive as you'll be paying $2 per ml of perfume. Compare this to a fragrance like L'Homme Ideal which is from a prestigious house like Guerlain where you can get a 50ml for about $50 Canadian ($1 per ml) at discount/wholesaler websites. If you really want one of these fragrances, the best thing to do is try each one in the store and then just purchase the largest size which is 75ml (goes for about $60 to $65). Although these scents come off as niche scents, their performance puts them below Zara fragrances, in my opinion. SCENT - Leather Reserve: - when I first spray this, right off the bat, I get a leather smell which is different because most fragrances tend to start with a fresh, citrusy or fruity accord before transitioning to a darker accord like leather - but there is no leather listed as a note (so it's the combination of suede and cypress and cedar, to me, that give the imitation of leather) - it dries down into less or very subdued suede and a bit of vetiver+neroli - I don't get any tonka bean from this All of the above is nice, but it doesn't matter if the scent doesn't perform and for me, on my skin, this scent DIES OFF between the 2 to 3 hour mark. Lacks longevity and it DOESN'T JUMP off the skin or clothing like any fragrance should. When I spray this, I literally have to put my nose right on the spot where I sprayed it to even notice the scent. SUMMARY: You label your fragrance as an EDP and it can't even last past 3 hours?! You label your fragrance an EDP and when I sit in my car after spraying it 5 minutes earlier, I can't even smell it on me?! It's so disappointing when a clothing house tries to be bold and mimic amazing/unique niche-like scents but then fail to ensure the scents perform. Sorry Banana Republic but you need to do just a little more with this ICON collection if you want to follow Zara. Zara's scents are straight knock-offs/clones of classics and they're pretty much all linear but AT LEAST they PERFORM.

Ah man, I can see people hating this one. The opening is very intense, and it "stings the nostrils"... But remember these are Eau de Parfums so we're facing less alcohol here, so it could just be a very intense opening. Maybe it's the hit of the sharp cypress, cedar, and suede. The opening does have those noticeable citruses. Paired against the very sharp, ashy, pungent leather, it does give a nice variation to the opening. The opening is just so intense, that it can make you just say "NO" immediately... give this one some time. You can tell the cedar is making its presence there a bit, but the leather/suede is super prominent and has that gasoline/sharp leather smell too it. Maybe not the gasoline that Fahrenheit has (they do it perfect), but the leather accord here is sharp, maybe even ashy. It's not the smoothest leather, its a rougher kind of smell that can be polarizing. This one feels sweeter and brighter than Fahrenheit. Ferrari Uomo is also a sweeter version of this scent, but may be a bit closer to its profile. This one has an intense, gasoline, ashy, even somewhat smoky (like tobacco smoke) accord to it, that can DEFINITELY be too pungent and off-putting for others. GF hated this immediately. I am all about the pungent, intense leather accords. ONE bad thing about this, longevity. Doesn't last like most BR frags. This is one of the better ones in the series, IMO. Only pick up if you like leather and a more pungent smell. Can be layered with something like Vetiver Guerlain to smooth it out a bit. Check this one out for sure.

***Update*** This fragrance has certainly improved and has gotten EVEN BETTER than when Id first purchased it in September of 2025! The Lemon/Bergamot opening is really quite bright but NOT astringent and together with the suede/leather is really very nice! Ive also learned that besides the lack of "Strong Projection", the performance/longevity for any of my scents from the Icon Line isn't really as bad as folks claim it is and I have found that many of these beautiful scents are quite easy to go noseblind to if sprayed anywhere near the face, yet if sprayed on my arms or my lower torso, Ill catch small whiffs of them throughout most of my day. Also 83 Leather Reserve layers BEAUTIFULLY with many of the other offerings from the Banana Republic Icon Collection. My fave layering combo has to be Neroli Woods with 83 Leather Reserve, but also pairs very well with 73 Vintage Green, Peony & Peppercorn and Gardenia & Cardamom and Im sure it'll go well with others as well. I think 83 Leather Reserve layers well bc its one of the "Lighter" wears from the line and doesn't over-power the other Icon Collection options. These fragrances, their packaging and bottles are ALL so well done and the actual scents just smell as though they truley use high quality materials. An impressive line indeed!

This is a very interesting fragrance for the price. It starts out almost like an old school barbershop fragrance. Then you get his with the neroli and cypress. But this really takes me back to the 70’s on the dry down it smells very similar to “English Leather”, the square bottle with the big wooden cap, no kidding, this made me weep almost I wore that as a kid on every date! Not to mention also a few others like British Sterling. Well this is really a surprising fragrance for me and performance is average +, but I melts me with the memories it brought back!

So when Id first tried this fragrance I wasnt super impressed with it bc it just smelled EXACTLY like English Leather which is ok, just NOT my fave "Leather fragrance." Well a few months later I tried it again and it was more Nuanced bc I could smell the light spices and the lemon was also more pronounced. Its not very long lasting (maybe 4 hours, a bit longer on clothes) and soft projection, but I do enjoy wearing it quite a bit. Actually makes me want to pick up English Leather.

I mostly smell suede. I can see what Laurdess is saying about cigarette smoke. But the drydown is suede and the overall feeling of the scent is suede. I don't get vetiver or neroli here. The leathery-animalic opening dries down to a pleasing and very slightly sweet scent after two hours or so. Give it a full wear before judging.

Definitely a holiday scent. The cypress, cedar and vetiver are overwhelming. It does soften rather nicely, but other than driving looking at Christmas lights, or eating pumpkin pie...I can’t think of a time I would rock this. Easy pick up for $20. This is a rare tobacco fragrance that I would honestly say is unisex.

Smells pretty bad. Opening is horrible. Dries into meh. Possible first reaction overreaction. It’s not that bad. 20$ at Ross is a good deal. Good gift for a brother or uncle. Update 2: after a few wears it’s actually quite nice after the opening goes away. Doesn’t last long though.

This is a great fragrance for the price. smells like a clean, musky, dark, leathery fragrance. This would be great for a leather jacket or anytime of occasion.great scent overall and as a first leather scent. Longetivity: 83/100 Projection: 82/100 The scent: 85/100 Overall: 83/100