Falcon Leather

A leather fragrance inspired by a falconers’ gloves. In Falcon Leather, Guichard utilises Birch Tar sourced from Finland to explore the powerfully smoky qualities of leather. The opening of Falcon Leather is characterised by a diffusive cloud of smoke accented by glimmers of sharp piquancy. Raw earthy smokiness is pushed forward by saffron in the opening that is counterbalanced by the rounded sweetness of cistus labdanum and benzoin in the dry-down. In wearing Falcon Leather, I am reminded of the idiom ‘less is more’. For me, the beauty of the fragrance really lies in its simplicity. By keeping the composition rather streamlined, Guichard not only allows the quality of the raw materials to speak for themselves, but equally serves to keep the focus solely on leather throughout the life of the fragrance. The result is a fragrance that is the perfect exemplar of leather. Expert craftsmanship and an unpretentious approach to perfumery are the foundational bedrock of Matière Premiere. This is what I have grown to love about the brand. Guichard doesn’t attempt to hind behind an unnecessarily complex note breakdown, or flamboyant packaging. Rather the collection is a showcase and celebration of his pure talent, and I am keeping a keen eye on the brand. From an unrestrained animalic leather, that evolves to a plush suede like finish, Falcon Leather is a beautiful exploration of leather that could be loved by anyone and could easily be layered with any simple fruit-forward or floral fragrance if you so wanted to. In terms of performance, Falcon Leather lasts 6-8 hours on my skin, with a moderate-heavy sillage that drops closer to skin around the 3 hour mark. The fragrance is unisex leaning masculine, and incredibly versatile too. I really could see myself reaching for this year round, and for any occasion.

Falcon Leather is one of the most interesting Matière Première scents, and truly grabs my attention from the beginning. Dark, dry and quite beguiling, FL is an unusual take on the leather note. It has a very different vibe to say, Grès Cabochard, another leather scent I enjoy - Cabochard is a worn, brown leather couch, comforting and familiar in contrast to the smoky danger of FL. Smoky, ambery and earthy, FL is unisex, more conceptual and artistic than wearable. FL reminds me of a biker bar - dimmed lighting, worn black leather, a haze of cigarette smoke and spilled whiskey. FL opens with a realistic, dry, smoky leather accord. The leathery opening is bolstered by a slightly sweet ambery accord thanks to the saffron and labdanum, and the birch tar makes its presence felt very quickly. There is a hint of spice too. Overall, it is earthy and bittersweet, smooth despite the smokiness. It becomes slightly peppery as it develops, with birch tar as the dominant note. This makes for a nose-tickling combination. The amber lasts, giving a balsamically sweet undertone as it dries down, thanks in part to the benzoin. The use of oud here is inspired - I don't always love oud, but here it is dry and woody rather skankily animalic, contributing to the leather accord in the drydown. FL is fairly linear - smoky, resinous leather until it fades. Sillage is good, and longevity is excellent. Interesting and creative, there is much to appreciate here. One of my favourites from Matière Première. A must try for leather lovers, this could be a successor of sorts to the ingenious Bvlgari Black. 4.5/5.

Tuscan Leather, Godolphin, Ombre Leather, all but more delightful with a twist and a hideous opening, but the dry down is one of the best leathers ever. I don't get Terroni, but I do get his Cuoium (Orto Parisi) a bit. This is one of the best leathers out there, but it drives me mad that I have to cross reference it to their Crystal Saffron, which I actually like more. I have both; Crystal Saffron and Falcon Leather FBs, so I can't see them as being redundant, although this has a really hideous opening that does make me think of an old used Falcon Leather Glove, but it does go away within 20 minutes or so, and can only be smelled close-up where it nearly singes your nostrils and attempts to force you to projectile vomit. But wait....it really gets better enough to wait for it... Masculine leaning, I would not want to smell this on my other half, which is rare for me to say, as I don’t like putting a gender to fragrances, however this can be layered with something softer, which a woman could pull off. Needless to say, unless you love the fragrances this is likened to, it's not a safe blind buy, and is not office safe, the only times of year I'd not wear it is in high heat. The only fragrance I'd say that beats this is B683 Extrait.

I like leather. I like that as an animalic note it is oddly considered one of the more pedestrian and normal notes. Possibly because it is so common in everyday. I really like leather as a note and this fragrance though no mention of the note of leather, does have the lovely note of birch tar; and yes! That note is manipulated brilliantly to represent that worn, weather beaten and rough leather. This is not a leather treated and cosseted to become a jacket or fine piece of clothing. This is a leather that was created for a functional item, built for strength and longevity. And the representation of the fragrance is just that. It is a scent built for longevity and strength. It harkens back to stronger more masculine scents of the 70s and early 80s. There's a hairy-chestedness to this, a macho man callous-handed working man of the old school. There's an odd nutty feature in this though, I can sense a creamy nut element. This is not enough to put me off it though as its only ever present when I smell this off a test strip, on skin that 'nutty' element is not so present, on skin this is a warm brusque leather. On skin there a lush smoke and leather, there's a sweetness and dry presence. But it remains very masculine and big.

Matiere Premiere - Falcon Leather The first Harrods Exclusive by the brand. This is a stunning birch tar and you can feel a hint of oud it’s either authentic or a quite believable accord. The fragrance to be honest pretty much skips the top notes and goes into the heart and dry down. Giving you a genuine impression of sniffing supple leather of the finest quality. As I’ve said in my review of the extrait they are similar slightly but wear totally differently the edp is the bad boy in a biker jacket and the extrait is all suited up. So think of it as this Batman and the extrait is the Bruce Wayne. Years after sampling Falcon Leather it remained in my mind and luckily I hadn’t bought a bottle for a while and waited for the hype to pass. Still loved it even after getting Oud Seven I enjoyed this still! So when the extraits came out and I sniffed the extrait I realized the edp is where my heart belongs. Snapped a bottle up quickly. Tonight is a summer night but I’m staying and enjoying this one a little early this year. Total stunner! Scent 10/10 It’s considered by many to be a modern leather masterpiece. Sillage 8.5/10 Value 10/10 if at discounters! Can be had for around $140 for 100ml