Orange Crush fashion editorial, photo by Luis Monteiro for Vogue India, Mar 2016©

There are some perfumes that are so perfect that they become a classic the moment they’re born, as timeless as a great film, a classic torch song, a painting by an old master. Estee Lauder Azuree is one such rarity; a leathery, citric chypre that smells of Bain de Soleil suntan oil, leather handbags, moss and money.

Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby, 2013©

Despite its French name and creator, Estee Lauder Azuree has always felt quintessentially American to me – assertive, classy, sparkly and just slightly naughty: the perfume a modern-day Jordan Baker would wear to cocktails in Easthampton.

Estee Lauder Azuree ad, c. 1970s

Created by Bernard Chant, the nose behind the equally timeless Aramis and a man who knew his way around leather, the original Azuree starts off as a sunburst on a pristine beach of sleek oiled bodies. The smell of the old Bain de Soleil is there in the bold top notes – that unmistakable orange-y tang mixed with skin.  Musk, which is usually in the base of chypres, is here in the opening to give the impression of sun-kissed flesh. Sun glitter aldehydes lift Azuree’s suntan lotion smell into champagne territory and act as a floaty bridge to the soignee florals that swan in next.

Rene Russo, photo by Helmut Newton, 1975

Gardenia is first in, restrained. None of that Roquefort and nutmeg spice turns up here – this gardenia is in a vintage Dior suit and white gloves, creamy and sweet. The interplay between the aldehydes and gardenia is fascinating and not something I’ve come across in many perfumes. They balance each other beautifully, the dairy forwardness of the white bloom bubbles over with that tickly fizz. I also get a bit of green cyclamen here, which feels nostalgic in the way of old photos from House Beautiful – a green smell you remember but find hard to pin down. Jasmine sidles by, fresh and stemmy rather than indolic, and the woodsy loam of oakmoss strides forward.

Beverly Johnson, photo by Francesco Scavullo for Vogue, 1974

Ah, but then that leather takes the reins. Chant was a genius with this note. Aramis (also Lauder) is, to mind, one of the most understatededly sexy leather perfumes of the 60s and still just as good today Estee Lauder Azuree has a leather that is richer than Aramis but with a similar restrained elegance. Mixed with that warm citrus opening and the midsection florals, this leather is as swanky as a 70s Coach clutch. In the dry-down, the leather gets earthier and the citrus mellows into candied orange slices. Azuree is then suspended in a gorgeous balanced between its citrusy Bain de Soleil accord, leather and mossy notes.

Photo by Scott Schuman for Italian Vogue Pelle, Aug 2009©

Today’s Estee Lauder Azuree is woodier, fizzier and greener, clearly related to Lauder’s same-era Aliage. The opening dispenses with that strong bergamot top note and travels quickly to a biting chartreuse middle that reminds me of Parfumerie Generale’s Papyrus de Ciane. The citrus turns up with a soapier musk as the greenness calms down, and some of that old suntan oil accord begins to seep in. As today’s Azuree wears, the leather comes through like a champ, a bit more riding crop than vintage handbag, but still delicious and refined. Azuree heads to a very similar resolution as the vintage iteration, with citrus-infused leather dominating a classic chypre dry-down of oakmoss and patchouli. While it is sharper and less rich than the original, Estee Lauder Azuree remains a patrician sun goddess, the smell of an ageless Hamptons day in August. And, in a long line of reliably good fragrances, it is still the most gorgeous thing Estee Lauder has ever produced.

Notes: Bergamot, aldehyde, gardenia, jasmine, ylang-ylang, cyclamen, iris, leather, amber, oakmoss, patchouli, musk.

Azuree vintage and modern versions from my own collection.

– Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor