According to État Libre d’Orange and the Tom of Finland Foundation, Touko Laaksonen (a.k.a. Tom of Finland) “was one of the most influential artists of the last century” and before he began creating his beefcake illustrations in the 1950s, gay men went around lisping and limp-wristed, dressed in chiffon or dandy garb or they huddled — scared, bony and uptight — in dark corners, nervously adjusting their ties, cardigans and horn-rimmed specs. In other words, gay life, pre-Tom of Finland, was full of flamers and nerds. Perhaps Tom of Finland’s aesthetic influenced the world of fashion (and ‘gym culture’) for some gay men who hopped onto his brawny bandwagon and dressed in tight jeans and t-shirts, leather boots and jackets.
État Libre d’Orange Tom of Finland was created by perfumer Antoine Lie and contains aldehydes, lemon, birch leaves, cypress, galbanum, pine, suede, musk, gray amber, pepper, saffron, tonka bean, iris, geranium, vanilla, vetiver, and styrax. Men, as you spray on Tom of Finland don’t be afraid; keep in mind it “has no sexual orientation”.
Tom of Finland begins with the scents of lemon, pine and cypress; it is lightly mentholated. The suede accord asserts itself quickly (during this stage one smells like an expensive Italian leather goods shop). Tom of Finland is a smooth, sleek and sheer leather scent that softens considerably as it ages on the skin; it becomes a bit powdery and sweet and wears down to wan saffron, tonka bean/vanilla/benzoin and iris notes — imagine a brand new black leather trench coat morphing into a pastel purple and pale yellow cashmere sweater. Tom would be appalled (he didn’t care much for “girly-men”): in the dry down, Tom of Finland has a great deal in common with État Libre d’Orange Delicious Closet Queen. I revisited Delicious Closet Queen to confirm the similarities and I also checked to see if Lie was involved in its creation (as far as I can tell, he wasn’t). Tom of Finland stays close to the skin but has good lasting power. I was about to buy a bottle of Tom of Finland after two brief applications on my forearm; when I finally applied a generous amount of the fragrance to my body I realized its leather notes were fleeting and I didn’t like its gauzy, perfume-y, vanillic phase of development.
Many people have complained that État Libre d’Orange Tom of Finland lacks roughness, toughness and any hint of male “body aromas” one would imagine emanating from a Tom of Finland-type man, but to me, the Tom of Finland man, like the fragrance, is clean (almost wholesome), wrinkle-free/smooth, and pale. For those who bemoan the lack of funk in this version, perhaps a Tom of Finland “rough seXXX” flanker will be forthcoming.
État Libre d’Orange Tom of Finland is available in 50 ml Eau de Parfum (69 euros, and available with 8 different drawings on the outer packaging) and in a limited, numbered Collector’s Edition (150 euros) that includes: a 50 ml Eau de Parfum, exclusive collector’s press packet/brochure, Tom of Finland tank top, and Tom of Finland Foundation badge. (X-rated packaging requires you prove you are 21 years of age at the time of purchase.) A percentage of the purchase price goes to support the Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles; the foundation promotes and preserves Tom of Finland artworks and supports erotic art. For buying information, see the listing for État Libre d’Orange under Perfume Houses.
Ooooh, I'll spring for one called Rough seXXX! Will it be unisexxx?
I thought it was nice, I smelled it on a couple (female) friends but agree I would have expected something bawdier.
Also thanks for making me giggle with scared, bony and upright. They were probably ghostly pale, too, right?
The one time I'm looking for a picture source….
Is that guy after a breast transplant? Forget breasts, he looks like they transplanted a pair of buttocks with nipples on him! I hope he sued his surgeon.
March: Mind outta the gutter woman! I said “uptight”, NOT “upright!” HA!
C'est Nichist: just go to Etat Libre d'Orange or the Tom of Finland Foundation for slide shows.
Nile Goddess: you KNOW, Tom of Finland's men are made to be naked…can you imagine that torso crammed into a suit?
I, um, have no idea what you're suggesting. (runs away blushing)
What a coincidence Kevin – I just ordered a decant of T of F to take with me on my summer vacation (European cruise) where one of my destinations is…FInaland (serious).
Kinda scared that the 'p' word came up in your review (powder…not the other p word…mind outta the gutter!)…since I tend to hate powdery scents, but hey – it's just a decant right?
Wish me luck. ((fingers crossed))
Well, the nipples, are frankly, scary…..
Mike: have fun cruising the fjords (and yes, using the word “cruising” on a Tom of Finland Day is asking for trouble); the scent is MILDLY powdery in the drydown…and if it gets too much to bear head to the deck and breathe in that fresh sea air!
Oh, behave!:-)
xo
“brand new black leather trench coat morphing into a pastel purple and pale yellow cashmere sweater”. Beautiful description 🙂
lenika: that's what it felt/smelled like….
Grreat timing for the review as I came to work today after a few dabs of my ToF sample. This was my second date with Tom and repeats my initial impression that the opening of ToF reminds me very much of Dzing! I get the same paper, cardboard, leather kind of accord from both. But as Kevin points out here the leather morphs into cashmere, ToF develops in another, sweeter, direction that I don't mind in the least. I think this is what Etat Libre refers to when they say the scent was made for men to smell freshly showered. After two trials I am quite liking this and wouldn't mind owning a bottle – perhaps alongside PG's Querelle (which I understand to be totally different) as a sub-wardrobe of gay icons in scent, stored in a locked closet of course….
PS Perhaps the funkier flanker should be Tom of Finland – Douche d'Or?? ahem….
Or how about a Folsom Street Fair flanker? This doesn't sound interesting enough to seek out a sample, especially if it dries down to gauzy and perfume-y (not that there's anything wrong with that).
I mentioned on Perfume Smellin Things that one day I'm going to make a faux pas and refer to my “Tom's of Finland” toothpaste or deodorant when I really mean “Tom's of Maine.” Talk about antitheses.
Oh, and I'd say some of Paul Cadmus's works — though less overtly and exclusively gay — kind of predated Tom of Finland's whole aesthetic. I think I remember reading that there's an interesting Tom of Finland museum in Helsinki or something.
Santemon: Querelle is GREAT…I can't believe it was limited edition.
Joe: TRUE about Cadmus…there's a brand new documentary out about Cadmus and his partner; I missed it at the film festival here in Seattle but it should be on DVD soon.
Wow those nipples are impressively large lol.
In my other life as an art historian, I wrote a paper of Tom of Finland for a class in masculinity and visual representation several years back. I haven't smelled the juice yet, but have an abiding fondness (as a straight woman) for Tom's drawings. I went to the Tom of Finland foundation in LA, run by a former lover of Tom's, and found the people there to be really nice, and very anxious to publicize Tom and his work.
As for the nipples and large pecs, IIRC one of my theses about the work was that the male physiques were SO over the top that they registered as parody, calling into question the distinct roles of male or female. I swear it made sense at the time.
I did all this research during a dry spell for relationships, spending several hours each day for a couple of months with Tom's men, and I remember being distinctly surprised that not all men's anatomies were quite so…hem…DEVELOPED when the dry spell ended.
lapidary: yes, many ToF drawings/”cartoons” are more humorous than sultry…speaking of strange-sized body parts — the men look like they have 16-inch waists don't they?
Llol, that'd be a pure leather (and maybe steel/metalic) note!!!
I have tried most of the ELd'O fragrances, and am not a big fan of most. They all seem to have a strong sweet smell, and some smell sour, but there are a few standouts that I would wear regularly if they had a place in California where I could buy them, or at least have them shipped nationally. So far I love Secretions Magninfique which smells like people….like people packed in a club dancing the night away….it has a humidity note to it all the while smelling fresh and crisp. I love it. Tom's is also excellent, strange, alien, and fresh at the same time. I also love Delicious Closet Queen as it reminds me so strongly of one of my old favorites “Feeling Man” by Jilsander.
Joe San Diego: so far none of the ELdO scents I've tried have wow'ed me…but I still have more to sample. The base notes of ToF and DCQ are not “me.”
My fave from the range is Putaines de Palaces but have to admire the gritty realism of Magnificent Secretions. I think Tom of Finland is about juxtaposition – it's not animalic, it's not spicy or overwhelming. It's actually refined. It's a fragrance a gentleman would wear, clean and not diffusive. It's a respectful take on homosexuality and very representative of the gay community. But most of all, it's not what you'd expect, and that's cool.