Leather Jardin

I too grabbed this for just 12,00€ and I am very happy about it. It doesn't smell like a classic Jo Malone or Zara or like something belonging to a desert inspired collection, it has a chypre of old soul and a Guerlainesque beauty about it. It is a bitter, green and chypre leather, smoky, unruly but softly powdery. Dark and magnetic. What makes this special is that for a fraction of the price you have something similar to a type of chypre that at the moment only niche can give you, or Ebay when you go scouting olds Guerlain and the old chypre classics, since unfortunately their modern reformulations lack the glory of old. For instance new Cabotine and Chabochard or even Coriandre....you may find them for 10,00€ but where are the stale underwear animalics? Where is the dry oakmoss to the point of scratching your throat? The louminous aldehydes and bitter earthy galbanum? All gone. Luckly in this Zara x Jo Malone there is a generous dose of all of it! And with it there is Jo's contemporary energetic and alive touch, specially in the opening, which contrast beautifully with the dark and animal tinged leather. To clarify a bit my statements, I don't mean to say that this is overly complex or that it has the most qualitative ingredients, but for sure it is well done and nuanced to the point of reminding me of the allure of Guerlain Mitsouko edt but also the more floral Mitsouko extract which I am lucky to have. There is that same strong oakmoss with a bit of animalic that intertwined with the florals creates almost a sort of clean urinal facet, not strongly animalic but it is that classic "clean but stale" female underwear tone; granted in Leather Jardin it is more gentle and only passes by in the middle, the scent is still clean and then it sets on a leather base, but it is there, to the point of being reminded of the base of perfumes such as Cabotine by Gres, Paloma Picasso by Paloma Picasso, or Coriandre by Jean Coururier which truly had civet and castoreum in it, it hints at those and the hint is good enough for me. The flowers in Leather Jardin have the same soapy and powdery soul of those compositions and when they meet that stale oakmoss/animalic/leather/earthy base their cleanliness is highlighted even more. That is the main reason why I love old chypre, togheter with their use of aldehydes, oakmoss and strong earthy bases. Leather Jardin also remainded me of two of my old favorite perfumes: it has almost the same greenery of Guerlain Vol de Nuit, the galbanum in Leather Jardin is more bitter but in the dry down it gets almost balmy and powdery as in Vol de Nuit (I have all the version of it, extract included, and I swear on it!); the second one is Atelier by Sergio Soldano, the rose in Leather Jardin almost seems to be accompanied by aldehydes to the point of being soapy like that one (another that comes to mind is Cheap&Chic og by Moschino, they are not chypre but had a 90's soapy flowers that are difficult to find to this day). If you want an idea of how it smells as a whole I would say Leather Jardin reminds strongly of classics such as Chabochard by Gres and Aromatic Elixir (og) by Clinique. The declared notes are as always only three, but this is much more complex then that. It opens with a very light citrus but I don't smell proper grapefruit a la Jo Malone, there is a fresh aldehydes sensation in this grapefruit and then it explodes in green! There is undeniably galbanum in here, a little bitter at first but it mellows and becomes powdery in the dry down. The greenery is more complex then just galbanum in the opening, so maybe angelica or artemisia or better yet basil could have been included because the general effect is multifaceted, fresh green and earthy. The heart is of flowers, rose most of all but also jasmine I believe, and something that smells purple (I can not be sure but it may be something like lilac, or violet, or hyacinth), but the rose is the most strong, I would not be surprised if a bit of geranium was in there too, they act both soapy and powdery. Soapy like the old chypre and powdery like a Guerlain chypre, actually this type of powder remainded me of Felce Azzurra by Paglieri or Paglieri Essenza Autentica, that type of powder that has oakmoss and greenery as a base. As I was saying before, in between the clean and airy florals you can feel a little of dirty base, whether it comes from the leather or a touch of animalic notes, I am again not sure, but the effect is there. The leather comes out already in the opening but develops and enriches as the scent enters the mid stage; it is smooth and suede like at tracts, there are moments in which it smells slightly more animalic and dirty but never like Irish Laether by Memo or even Zara's own Full Moon Over the Desert, in here it's softened out to create the effect that an old, good lether bag may have. There is a tar quality in some moments but it is just a facet, not the soul of the leather accord. This is a type of leather I can wear with no problem, it's not abrasive at all, or scratchy or ashy or strong. It's classic. There is a ton of oakmoss from start to finish, it is an ode to it, and it is the kind that is dry and airy, it will make your throat a little dry too. This is lovely, simply lovely, because creates the perfect base for the flowers, which came out powdery and airy. It doesn't smell like an ugly chemical oakmoss to me, nor like Zara usual evernyl...how the hell did they manage at this price? The base is completed by something that smells earthy like vetiver and also by something slightly oriental/ambery and smoky, softly balsam like with facets of underwoods, there is that softly powdery quality that smells like fresh incense a bit, and probably some iris too, from this I am reminded of Vol de Nuit by Guerlain because the galbanum rescts beautifully with it (this powdery balmy bit is also reminiscent of the ending of Roma by Laura Biaggiotti, the original formula, although less soft and concentrated). Of course Vol de Nuit is dreamy and etherial while Leather Jardin, as Miguel Matos said in his review, is almost arrogant in terms of vibes, very assured. I am head over heel about this, to the point that if I was not alredy drowning in Zara bottles and various niche decants I would have bought a backup, specially at this discounted price. You have to have a taste for old classic, that much is sure...I don't think Zara target enjoyed this that much...and even between perfume lovers vintage style perfumes are an acquired taste. In Italy scent like this one will either appear extremely elegant and niche or too old style and démodé. I am in the crowds that appreciates them since I grow up with them, and I think that if worn with style and personality they have a huge effect! This is something in my imagination someone like Marlene Dietrich would have worn, I know she liked violette based perfumes but some source say she used Vol de Nuit too, she seemed to like unisex attire and a perfume like this would fit that style very well in my opinion. Lasting power and projection are good too, lasted me for about 6 to 7 hours, projecting strongly and dry down was just unwashable. Packaging is of my liking, usual essential lines but I like the gold cap, nice touch since it was a collection inspired by Middle Eastern opulence. So sorry I could not try Ancestral Papyrus. Edit: could the slightly animalic tone be because of cumin? And am I mistaken or there is a strange spicy undertone in the base that can be felt specially in the opening?

ZARA'S CONCEPTS OF PRICE, COST AND VALUE The world of perfumes, as a hobby or personal passion, can be much more complicated than what is perceived by the rest of humanity, which is more or less agnostic towards elaborate scents. Together with other characteristics, aromatic or style, the concepts of Price and Value arise whenever we want to make a diagnosis about a perfume. The concept of Cost may also arise, but not as often as the other two. The most important distinction between Price and Value is the fact that Price is arbitrary, while Value is fundamental. Price is synonymous with hard cash. It is the exact amount a buyer must pay to purchase a product. Value, on the other hand, is more difficult to measure. It is the sometimes ethereal perception of the merit of the product in the mind of the buyer. The "least important" Cost is the amount the seller has to incur to produce and put the product up for sale. Finding differences between Price and Value, is the most effective strategy for an investment, even if we are talking about a "simple" perfume bottle. Bandit, Fracas, Cabochard, Mitsouko, Shalimar, Eau du Soir, Paloma Picasso, Halston Z-14 and Zara Exclusive N°04 - Leather Jardin, present themselves as examples of perfumes with a rather different Cost, a huge difference in Price and, to my amazement, a small difference in Value. This statement is certainly the result of my perception of Value and does not necessarily have to be yours. Since they seem to be such dissimilar perfumes so far, I have to find common characteristics to group them together. Let me explain my perspective on their common characteristics: - I really, really like all of them, so they must all have great Value for me. - ALMOST all of them are Leather or Chypre fragrances and most of them are Leather-Chypre fragrances made with premium ingredients. So their Costs and Prices must be quite high. - ALMOST all of them, whether the perfumes mentioned or their previous batches or ancestors, are fragrances with a temporally extensive market course, besides being quite famous. So they must be quite "old", though not necessarily "old-fashioned". ... But why the word "ALMOST"? The answer is easy! One is a new product. It also has a low Cost, a low Price, and is only on par with the others because it has a very high Value to me. The Zara Exclusive N°04 - Leather Jardin is a very recent product but its soul belongs to another era. It is a very hardcore coriatic Cyprus with an attitude the size of its creator, Jo Malone. It's a perfume I really like and it doesn't need to be catchy for anyone else because I'm not wearing it to wring out compliments. But a good place to start is that this very perfume appeals to both my wife and I. Zara Exclusive N°04 - Leather Jardin is a throwback to the style and fashion calendar. The perfume has a touch of arrogance and rudeness like many other leather Chypres. It is so well constructed that it comes across as an intriguing perfume for being so cheap. When it comes to the smell, I can't quite define exact notes. The scent is reasonably complex although only three notes are listed by Zara. The fragrance starts with a soapy, luscious freshness made of grapefruit and aldehydes. It has a floral chord in the heart, perhaps centred on the rose note, but it ends up being a bit undefined in terms of concrete notes. The base proposes a dry, bedraggled but captivating leather chord. For the Price, I'm sure the bottle contents are 100% synthetic, as probably all Zara's low-cost fragrances are, but I assure you it doesn't smell cheap at all. It has exceptional Value. Music: "Lady" by Kenny Rogers

I have been pretty impressed overall with Jo Malone's creations for Zara - while they are simple and, frankly, unoriginal compositions, they are good quality bargains. I have heard a lot of good things about Leather Jardin, so I blind-bought a large bottle (no samples or testers were available here). €25 for 90ml, it was worth the risk. I was disappointed with Incense Sunset from the same line, but thankfully the risk here paid off - LJ is a very decent leather chypre. It is a simple, unisex chypre - slightly green, slightly floral with a nice leather base. The leather here is brown, soft and worn - like an old couch - realistic and satisfying. It isn't animalic. LJ opens with a bright bergamot note, with the leather note slowly developing underneath. There is a grassy greenness to it, alongside a hint of powdery florals. It is airy and light, despite the leather. It fades to a musky leather-rose skin scent. Sillage and longevity are moderate. Unisex and transeasonal, it is an easy everyday scent. I sprayed Cabochard on my other wrist for comparison purposes - they are very similar, ruled by the same worn brown leather note. Cabochard is more complex and challenging - darker, smokier, earthier and spicier, but both are classic leather chypres (particularly when Cabochard settles). Cabochard is very vintage in style, and won't suit many modern tastes, but LJ is a great modern leather chypre with mass appeal. I love both. 4/5.

So well done and so hard to wear! Leather Jardin comes here from the late 60's with its time machine, because it's hard to think that this fragrance it's a modern release. I have many vintages but this is REALLY vintage in the dna. Green notes, rose, patchouli and leather in an old-fashioned style. This is quite unique but reminds some old scents like the original aramis, monsieur lanvin or others of that age. The blend of this chypre is done extremely well, it doesnt smell cheap at all(great quality for only 20-25€). The cons of leather Jardin is the versatility: this is only for people over 45-50 and requires the right outfit and the right occasion. So for me this is a good addition to my collection but i dont think i will use it very often. For the price paid im ok with that, the smell is Amazing for my taste but it's not Easy to wear. Very brave release from Zara and conpliment to jo Malone! Leather Jardin è un profumo fortemente retrò, un potente cypre in stile anni 60-70. Un profumo tanto ben fatto quanto difficile da indossare, almeno secondo me. Profumo coraggioso e ben fatto da jo Malone per Zara! Scent-8 Longevity-8 Sillage-8 Uniqueness-8,5 Versatility-4,5 Presentation-7 Conpliment factor-5 Backup bottle? No My vote- 7,5 In one word- retrò Alternative - aramis original, monsieur lanvin, eau dhermes, helene Curtis tangram, alpa chypre..

Read an article on this here platform by Miguel Matos and instantly gravitated towards checking it out. Unfortunately couldn't find it in my region and had to call in a favour from a friend, so I essentially blind bought it (for the price USD 40, it wasn't that big of an issue). As it is, one of my best blind buys easily. A green vintage leather fragrance with the performance to boot. Due to my earlier experience with Zara frags and their atrocious performance, I tend to steer clear, however this is one is a no-brainer for vintage fragrance fans. The website lists only three notes, and I don't think it develops in terms of any sort of complexity. Its starts of fresh akin to the OG Estee Lauder for men and the rose and leather notes, merge to project a greenery sort of vibe. This is not a standard leather scent and more of a green scent in the same vein of Estee Lauder for men, VCA Pour Homme, etc. The longevity is quite good and for the price, the scent does not feel synthetic at all. This is a fragrance I reach out for regularly nowdays. All seasonal scent? For sure Unisex? IMO More masculine Blind buy worthy? If you like vintage green scents like Estee Lauder for men, definitely Performance? Longevity is quite good around 7 to 8 hours with decent projection.