Cuir de Russie Parfum

Today I get to wear Chanel Cuir de Russie with abandon. Is this the greatest leather perfume of all time? Some say so, whilst some even say that it's the best perfume of all time. I'm not going to say that outloud while my bottle of Mitsouko Extrait is within earshot. I would have a hard time making an argument against either statement. On the back of my left hand is the EdC version that is from the 1960s or before, on the inside of my left arm is a modern EdT formulation, and on my right arm is a relatively new extrait. Blotters done as well. If there is a luckier guy out there today, let me meet him. First the Edc and the EdT: I'm so thrilled that my 60+ year-old bottle of EdC is still in great shape, and what I immediately notice as I flip between the EdC and the EdT is that the EdC is unashamedly more leathery. The EdC growls, it leans into its animalic nature full-on, compared to the modern EdT's kinder purr. Don't mistake growl for rough though, as one thing that can be said for both the EdC and the EdT is that they are smooth operators. But, if you're looking for smooth, the extrait has them both whipped. The leather of the extrait is more akin to the leather of the modern EdT but it speaks it at greater volume and force. The EdC is a rock star vocalist, the EdT is an R&B vocalist, and the extrait is Pavarotti at full volume. Going back to the EdC, an intresting contrast that is certainly giving the leather more growl and bite is the fresh sage accord that hovers over top of it, which is just divine. Curiously, this accord seems to be missing from the EdT (or it's just buried so deep by other notes I can't singularly pick it out), and in the extrait the sage is very muted. Both the EdC and the EdT open with the signature aldehydes, bergamot, and orange notes; the EdT pushes these more front and center, while the EdC (at least at this age) gives room for sage. The way the extrait opens - no, the way the extrait blooms in front of you, is something else entirely; it is the grandest and most luxurious unfolding of thick, powdery aldehydes, bergamot, jasmine, rose, carnation, orris, and an aged tobacco type note. Yes, I haven't said leather, but the genius of the extrait's composition is that the overall effect (accord) of all of these notes is leather. I don't know what kind of leather this is, but it smells extraordinarily expensive. And while we are talking about luxury, that's a point that needs to be said for all three: Cuir de Russie, whether you're smelling a new EdT or a very old EdC or a relatively new extrait, is all about luxury. CdR makes you feel very special - or at least it does to me. In the final moments of the last dry down, the EdC and the EdT are all about that plushy, soft, brown leather. The extrait's dry down continues in its vein of being an operatic and complex piece of work by finally giving us a straightforward leather accord but one that is also paired with a very elegant and smooth aged cedar note. I could go on for hours and paragraphs about Cuir de Russie, but I doubt I will say anything that hasn't already been said - so, I will spare you, dear reader, and my fingers' strength, the redundant purple prose and simply say this: there is a reason why quite a few perfume enthusiasts, historians, and experts consider this to be one of if not the greatest perfume of all time. I do not have the experience or the knowledge to make such a statement, but I cannot find cause to disagree with them. Experience it for yourself. Everyone should.

Cuir de Russie might possibly be one of the most evocative fragrances I've tried. And I think I might have just discovered *my* Chanel. Made even better by the fact that I have attempted a handful of the most renowned leather fragrances, and dislike modern leather or suede accords every single time. I concluded that I simply dislike leather, except for vintage leather (Shalimar EDC is gorgeous). I still believe this to be true, but this is an even better presentation of leather and vintage animalic notes. My bottle of parfum is quite old, and the animalic notes are natural, not synthetics. Nothing is listed as such, and yet...the aroma from this bottle is so unmistakably castoreum or civet heavy (or both), it's strikingly reminiscent of fur coats (plural, as in, a heap of coats together). The utter richness of the basenotes springs into the nostrils without prelude, partially owing to the fact that the topnotes here are mostly shot. There are still crisp aldehydes but the florals are so blended and aged, it's just one massive warm floral accord. The quality most apparent is not any flower in particular, but rather the melancholic warmth of them. This fragrance sings of winter, when no flowers are available save for dried, distilled or those preserved in oil. They're not fresh, they've long since died, but they continue to emit a beautiful aroma nonetheless. The fur accords (animalics of whatever sort) and leather feel intensely warm, and decidedly high quality. Vintage furs against a backdrop of winter and snow. Absolutely night time. It feels like the Wardrobe opening up into Narnian winter, and I am Lucy in an oversized, blessedly warm fur coat. Some dusting powder from an elegant lady who previous wore it clings to the lapel, along with the smell of aged cedarwood from where it hung. It's quite frankly, delightful to indulge in something so politically incorrect. Leather, old furs...potpurri florals, dusty unregulated makeup, imported vanilla...it's a DIRTY fragrance in the most exquisite way. Yet, it's comforting and strikes memory neurons I didn't realize I had. It's evocative of deep winter, but reassuring that one will endure it and find beauty within the stillness. At some point I will hopefully purchase a bottle of this new. Of course, it won't be as rich and textured as this old one...but neither is the world now anyway, and I'll make peace with that when the time comes.

By an unbelievable and inexplicable miracle (and also thanks to a dear friend who loves vintage fragrances like me), I managed to get my hands on a vintage bottle of Cuir de Russie in the pure parfum/extract version. But when I say it's vintage, I mean *VINTAGE*: judging by the characteristics of the bottle, stopper, box and label, it's from the 60s or even earlier. The liquid is an intense reddish-brown, and the scent emanates before you even take it out of the box. You can't imagine how thrilling it was to try it the first time! Cuir de Russie is a majestic, or rather, an imperial perfume: smelling it brings to mind images of Russia Empire covered in snow, of diamond kokoshnik tiaras, of soldiers' leather boots, just like in "Anna Karenina" or "War and Peace" movies. It's said that it was inspired by the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia, cousin of the Tsar, who escaped the Revolution and went into exile in Paris: Dmitri was Coco Chanel's lover and inspired her to create an entire collection focused on Russia with its furs, Byzantine jewelry and rich embroidery, as well as introducing her to Ernest Beaux, former perfumer to the Russian court and the one who would later create N°5 - and, of course, this one. Well then!!! Cuir de Russie opens with metallic and icy aldehydes along with the Russian leather accord - a very resinous, smoky, woody scent. There is also the dry touch of tobacco and hay that seems to further emphasize this “rustic” and “austere” vision of leather, almost leaning towards what we consider masculine today. It's a perfume that would easily be "icy" if it weren't for the flowers: jasmine, iris and especially ylang-ylang soften and warm this Russian leather, they are the signature, the "olfactory soul" of Chanel, present since N° 5 and that makes it even more elegant and luxurious. The evolution is slow, the perfume becomes softer around the edges, more powdery and more floral, the leather as soft as a lambskin glove or suede. If I had to describe it briefly, it would be more or less like the idea of a bottle of Chanel N° 5 extrait spilled inside a bag, the perfume impregnating the skin and harmonizing with the smell of the leather. Long-lasting? Eternal, +12h easily. Trail? Absurd, just a few drops and I can feel it emanating constantly. Occasion? The coldest night you can wear it and want to feel like royalty. ---- INSTAGRAM: @Odorteca

My obsession with Cuir de Russie forbids me to waste my time on the EDP, as it already was the case relating to any more recent EDT version. While existing EDP being Chanel’s Cuir de Russie saddest face to day, one needs to declare war, just from the start. Therefore, only the Parfum format is to be considered. A vintage bottle even more so, undoubtedly. (I also own a half-full 200ml EDT from the 90’s, but this I don’t dare to use anymore, keeping it for a VERY rainy day I guess) If I would ever have to choose one perfume alone for the rest of my life, this would be it. Objectively for what it is, and subjectively for how long I have had it in my days; from the times it was sold only at Rue Cambon 31, and there was no internet to beat the system! For me Cuir de Russie is Chanel 5 horse-riding, and wearing its boots. As much as leather notes are probably my favourite from all olfactory schemes, and for this reason any leather fragrance tends to win my interest, and likely some degree of sympathy... Chanel’s Cuir is the masterpiece and the masterplan of the entire clutch. Probably because here the leather note is so truthful in all its materiality BUT then also transcends it in its heart? That same heart beating inside Chanel 5 – its may rose and its jasmine – transforms the leather note and elevates it, taming it, giving it a complexity I have never felt elsewhere as “leather”. All notes borough from Chanel 5, counterintuitively as to make it resembling one another, affirm their difference. We can sense they are family, very close even, yet they are separate individuals and will have different lives and destiny. At times I hesitate which from the two – as only these two are on the table – is my all-time favourite perfume. Most times think that Cuir de Russie wins, not because of any objectivity but merely for how much more personal, unknown, unspoken, it has walked beside me in life.

I purchased this as I loved the Edp and it is a beauty in it's own right but there are differences. The extrait is drier, more smoky, less floral and is more unisex. It also smells more vivid like you are smelling something in high definition. In the first hour as it melds with your skin chemistry you can smell the most gorgeous vivid dry jasmine note. I have to it to say it's more prominent in the extrait than the Edp. Then slowly the buttery Ylang Ylang with the touch of Iris makes it's presence known. It's low key at first where in the Edp it just dominates everything. As time passes there is a interplay between the jasmine and the buttery Ylang Ylang with the touch of Iris. Until the jasmine fades more and this starts to take over. At this point the aldehydes come into play in quite a big way. It gives the composition a sparkling champagne like feel. As we get closer to the basenotes the scent starts to become leathery, not suede and clean like the Edp but more of a dirty leather. But it is quite discreet and never overwhelms the scent as a whole. As the fragrance is a pure parfum oil it does stay very close to you. Within I say half a arms length but it does have a distinct presence and is long lasting. But very subtle! All in all a very beautiful scent best for special/intimate occasions or for when you want to be self indulgent.