Elie Saab will introduce La Collection de Cuirs, with four new fragrances developed by perfumer Francis Kurkdjian.
The triptych of scents within La Collection des Cuirs isolates specific notes found within Russian Leather, the most iconic accord used in perfumery to evoke leather to the senses. Vanilla Bourbon, Ylang-Ylang and Patchouli – French perfumer Francis Kurkdjian exalts these raw materials in their most noble form to express the tactile appeal of leather.
Cuir Bourbon ~ "CUIR BOURBON, like velvety blonde suede, blends Vanilla Bourbon within the warmth of musk and spicy accents of Safran for a voluptuous and addictive scent."
Cuir Ylang ~ "The luminous tropical flower Ylang-ylang receives accents of Incense and Birch in CUIR YLANG for an intoxicating yet harmonious blend similar to smooth leather."
Cuir Patchouli ~ "Full of textured seduction, CUIR PATCHOULI recalls grained leather in powerful presence lightened and uplifted by notes of Bergamot, Amber and Cinnamon leaf." Additional notes include cumin.
Cuir Absolu ~ A Russian leather accord which can be worn alone or layered.
(via thelightofnow, additional information via angelitamblog)
What’s a “Russian Leather Accord?” Am I supposed to know?
Traditional Russian leather was cured with birch oil. In perfume, generally means there will be a birch oil component / note.
Cuir Bourbon sounds lovely for fall. There’s no price listed, but I sadly suspect that this is one of those expensive “exclusive” releases designers are so fond of nowadays.
All I can tell you is that the Collection Essences were £160 each for 100 ml. Would expect these to be somewhere in that range, if not more. Never saw the Essences anywhere, and don’t know if they were distributed in the US at all.
I agree with you. Sounds like this would be a perfect fall fragrance.
I’m scratching my head at the use of “triptych” here. Is 1 of the 4 not part of the collection? At any rate, I’m always up for new leathers to smell.
Robin, I’ve often pondered whether what we smell as leather – both the actual thing and in perfumery – is the scent of the materials used to treat & tan hides or the hide itself. Your explanation of Russian leather seems to indicate the former. Is that the case?
Well, there are the 3 scents that “isolate” facets of leather, and then the Absolue which you can layer with any of the 3 as you like, or wear on your own. So yeah, it’s 4 but they mean it as 3 + 1.
There’s no one note in perfume that is “leather”, so it depends, but by and large they’re trying to call up the smell of finished leather products, which would include the smell of materials used to treat leather (when you think of the “new leather” smell, it’s not, for most people, really the smell of untreated animal hides). Many leather accords have birch tar, something described as “Russian leather” typically has prominent birch tar and is thus a little rougher and smokier than when the note is listed as “suede” or whatnot. But they’re all fantasy notes, so it’s going to depend on what the perfumer did.
Helpful! thks.
Thank you so much for clarifying.
Is it just me who thinks Elie Saab bottles are looking a lot like something from Francis K’s own Maison brand these days?I smell a take-over/buy-out/aquisition in the perfumed waters…