Chords

Not only did the visit to the Handel-Hendrix museum propitiated Bold as Love (see my previous post), but also Chords. In such case, Nathalie Lorson was inspired by Stanley Kubrick use of Hansel’s sarabande (1703-6) in his movie Barry Lyndon (1975). Sarabande is a cornerstone of Baroque keyboard literature, renowned for its stately, melancholic, and intense character. it is slow, majestic, and contemplative. this piece is present for almost 20% of the film annd seems to symbolizes the themes of fate, emotional detachment, and tragic inevitability. In consonance with Mr. Chong's theme of subversion and class conflict in British society, Sarabanda is a colonial import, smuggled into the stultifying halls of the British aristocracy and gussied up”. Although this piece of musice was contemporary of Barry (early 18-th Century), its chords arrangement in the movie make use of techniques that refer to twentieth century conventions of film music composition: a purposeful anachronism. The old cologne structure of Chords is played in a very contemporary way. It is here that M.me Larson referenced the use of chiaroscuro lighting and all natural in the film. Pictures are are graceful, colours are light, and the subject matter playful, focusing on themes like pastoralism, leisure, and love: Rococo is the style of the frivolous, idle rich. And this is how I feel about Chords: Rococò and subversion. The wave of smokes from the cypriol subverted the cologne structure, but the sweetness of the honey and the creaminess of the ylang create that chiaroscuro I was talking about. Yet for me the start of the show is the leather accord to the point that I would classify it as a Spanish leather. There’s a wonderful balance in Chords: it feels dramatic, but it’s never unwieldy and there’s a levity to it that is surprisingly playful. It’s leather and smoke, yes, but not as we know them. A playful interpretation of Derby Cologne and Chamade cologne. My favourite! yours? Follow me on IG @alexolympia6

Gorgeous perfume. On the heavy leather side. It opens with a burst of neroli and citrus (bergamot), but the leather punches through straight after and it hits hard! Initial thoughts: Neroli Portofino layered over a Gucci Guilty Absolute type leather. After about 10 minutes, everything settles into a harmonious point. The inspiration behind the perfume really comes through in the scent. You can feel the layers of the notes, just like hearing musical notes in a chord—distinct yet beautifully blended. It’s a love for me, though not something entirely new. I prefer Fanfare from this line. Absolutely nothing like Naxos. Elevated Oud from Zara comes to mind. I sprayed it to compare, and while they are not similar, they do share a comparable vibe, probably because of the heavy leather note combined with the citrus freshness.

Nicely soft and leathery, this is an absolutely beautiful fragrance. It reminds me of the great leather fragrances of the 1980s because it has that same sort of comfortable luxuriousness. I was surprised the neroli, the bergamot, and the ylang-ylang would blend so nicely with the leather, but they do (I think the small amount of honey helps). This is very versatile, and projects reasonably well if not voluminously. Unfortunately, this is really beyond my price range, otherwise I might buy a full bottle.

This is a completely unique perfume, and I can't think of a better way to describe it than "barnyard cologne". It has the typical fresh elements of a cologne scent, but with more teeth, plus a marvelous horsey leather/hay accord. It's a magical little scent. In fact Chong's work at Thameen stands up to, if not surpasses, everything he did at Amouage. These amazing scents seem to be flying under the radar so far. I'm trying to snap them up before the inevitable reformulations and discontinuations.

This is a masterpiece very elegant and classy the initial burst of citruses and florals fade quickly and you get this creamy high quality spicy leather with touches of honey and tobacco very long lasting: 8+ hours on skin and eternal on cloths Sillage is really strong: room filler in the first 2 hours more masculine leaning can be worn in an office setting but I would keep that for highlight events when you need to stand out I really enjoy it

I received an order from lucky scent, and one of my requested complimentary samples wasn’t available so they gave me a random one of their choice, that being Chords. Wow. What a pleasant surprise that was. This is one of the best honeyed tobacco scents I’ve ever put my nose on. So stunning. After a couple hours of wearing the sample I ordered a 100ml of this gorgeous juice. Really a beautiful composition that has so much character.

One of the best perfumes I’ve ever smelled. Beautiful light animalic leather, citrus, white florals all blended together so beautifully. The honey is there but not too sweet. It’s surprisingly bright and fresh despite having “heavy” notes. A treat to wear in any environment. I even wear it in high heat. Performance is excellent. Such a slept on fragrance that is absolutely worthy of the highest praise. Chong is a genius!

Wow. This is the best leather perfume one can get. Truly beautiful and nothing beats it. Dark Lord by Killian smells a bit weird to me and I have never found peace with it- However, this one is such a beautiful leather, honey and orange scent - on another level. If you like Tom Fords leathers or Killians, this one is a must try. Truly unisex. The longevity is incredible and sillage is out of this world. Speechless.

Contemporary take on the cologne structure that feels timeless and elegant. A photorealistic orange blossom/ neroli drizzled with honey and wrapped in blond tobacco on a woody-leathery base. The balance is quite marvelous, there is brightness and depth. All of the notes have space to breathe and shine. My favorite from the whole Thameen line-up.

To my nose, this is the best Thameen release under Cristopher Chong. Spicy leather base (but not a Russian leather) brightened by the orange blossom and ylang-ylang. These latter notes remind me of the DNA of the Amouage Library Collection (I mean, the original six). Very pleasant drydown, not harsh at all. Definitely full-bottle worthy for me.

It's really a great fragrance for the colder days. Straight after spraying I felt like a church vibe and then it became honey sweet with perfect tobacco note. The mix of honey and tobacco is amazing. Doesn't last for too long on my skin, that was disappointing and it's a bit pricey.

It’s fantastic. Very addictive perfume. Bruno and Christopher created something so great! It’s soft, yet harsh. Sweet, yet dry. Fresh, yet warm. The way they combined honey with leather and white florals. Wow!

This is PURE CLASS! Lovely and charming leather. A good smelling, sophisticated and quality leather.... not a leather that comes off too harsh or synthetic or unappealing

An ode to vintage Guerlain masculine colognes like Chamade and Derby, this is an interesting transition for Thameen to more vintage French style perfumery. The scent opens with citrusy notes of neroli and bergamot and moves to a floral aromatic heart highlighted by ylang, tobacco and honey. The scent settles on a woody base highlighted by cedar, cypriol, synthetic musk and a leather accord. The slight masculine leaning scent has moderate projection and good longevity. It has a traditional French cologne vibe and may be more suited for individuals preferring a more mature, distinguished aura around them. Enjoy!

Chords gives a blast of leather, a fresh spicy mid with some honey to soften things then, as the honey thins out, a slightly sour note, which could be the cypriol. Sorry for those who love this, I enjoyed the mid but not so fussed about the rest. Just a like from me. 3/5

You gotta be kidding me with that Dark Lord. DL is clean, bitter, dark, somewhat white flowery in the back while this is designed and generic masculine niche. Nothing alike, plus, this one is surprisingly aldehydic somewhat retro with some powdery tones, too

Chords is a soapy aromatic citric leather or leathery citrus in the opening that gets slightly less aromatic in the dry down. It is certainly more of a cologne type of fragrance than previously released Bravi (more similar in style to Fanfare and Bohemian Infusion rather than Bravi). I find this to be unisex that is slightly masculine leaning due to its cologne like nature. This type of scent fragrance would do well in warm spring and cool summer during the day. On me the performance is average with intimate to moderate projection. It does perform better on my husband and also seems to suit him better profile-wise, so will go to him.

This is an ode to a style of vintage perfumes that can be summarized as floral suede. There is a nice freshness at the top given by airy white florals, but the whole thing wears a bit stuffy overall. Should be dressed up. I do lean into the “like it” camp by a hair but I don’t love it. I think it is well crafted but ultimately isn’t the fragrance personality I most identify with. I recommend you sample it for yourself. 7.5/10

The vibe of this scent reminds me of Akro Ink. it is the blend of florals and a contrasting thick leather note that makes it soo compelling. I really appreciate the fine craftsmanship and unique approach to scent blending. While it may seem masculine it is the kind of masculine that with the right outfit is fem defining. This lady is a C-suite powerhouse. She can run a multi-national in her sleep and sleep with the finest male in the room. Mad respect. Lasts for hours! daily reviews on IG @scentstylist

One of those fragrances that instantly feels different from anything else I’ve tried. It has this beautifully balanced blend that doesn’t lean too feminine or too masculine, making it truly unisex in the best way. The transitions between notes are so smooth that it feels like a melody on the skin hence the name Chords ohh god really fits. It’s refined, modern, and honestly one of the most unique scents I’ve come across.