Photo by Yuan Gui Mei for T Magazine China, September 2018
It was the name of the perfume that struck me at first – Cuir de Chine. Not Cuir de Russie or Cuir D’Espagne? Not Soie de Chine, perhaps? After all, China is not a country associated with leather making but with silks and satins. But, after the first spray, I smiled. Is turns out that this is a playful nomenclature, since Cuir de Chine could be an appropriate nickname for Osmanthus, that changeable Chinese blossom with unmistakable facets of high-end suede, peach blossom, dried apricots and, yes, leather. And this osmanthus does not mess about being nice about it.
Valérie Pulvérail via Les Inemodables
Launched in 2016 by founder Valérie Pulvérail, a perfume industry insider, Les Indemodables (“timeless”) offers a modern twist on classic perfume archetypes with panache and the occasional sly wink. Independent perfumer Florence Fouillet Dubois (formerly of Firmenich) and Antoine Lie created the six fragrances in the collection using natural extracts produced locally with high-quality ingredients. These fragrances are deceptive; opening quietly but with an extended, gradual development that takes the fragrances in oblique directions – and which took me by surprise.
Flycatchers by the Osmanthus by Jiang Hanting
The first spray of Les Indemodables Cuir de Chine is not leather at all, but one of the most glorious, rounded, buttery osmanthus I’ve come across. A touch of purplish suede tickles the underside of petals as the osmanthus unfolds, hinting at the animalism to come. But for now, the flower’s apricot jam-peach aromas develop like fruit hanging heavily from low branches in the sun – warm, full-bodied, almost edible. Spraying it on again to relive those first few moments, I am struck this time by an almost sweaty leather right at the top that quickly recedes into powdery suede. But rev your engines and hang on for the perfume’s slow burn into full-on, bad girl leather.
Photo by Kaminari Zoku
Once the osmanthus has fully opened, it jumps into a vintage sports car with bucket leather seats. The well-bred lavender suede of the opening now strips off to reveal some multifaceted leather notes, veering from suede to car seat in seconds, depending on how I hold my wrist. There’s that sweaty, labdanum-like quality to the leather that makes me think driving gloves. Then, the iris baked sweetness of suede again. Now a whiff of petrol as we hop back into that TR6 and pull into first gear. As the leather continues to dance, I begin to notice that a tangle of jasmine just draped herself all over the back seat. Fasten your seatbelts, baby! Jasmine and leather are such sexy complements I wonder why they don’t figure more prominently in modern perfumes. Here, the animalic side of the osmanthus flirts outrageously with some sloe-eye jasmine that comes into prominence in the middle stages. The lush, indolic jasmine slinks around the osmanthus and, over the next hour or so, brings a heart-fluttering array of floral and animalic notes that is both elegant and unabashedly sensual.
The initial lightness and buoyancy of most of Les Indemodables fragrances (Chypre Azural is a notable exception) may at first trick you into thinking they are summer spritzers, so you might be happily surprised by how long they tend to stick around. But the real magic of this line is its tromper le nez: the way the fragrances trick you into thinking they will be updated classics and then, in their own sweet time, like Cuir de Chine, drive you somewhere unexpected.
Notes: Chinese osmanthus *alcoolat grand cru 10%, Egyptian late-crop jasmine absolute grand cru 1%, Chinese osmanthus absolute 1%, Turkish mild tobacco absolute 0.2%, clary sage oil from the Alps.
*Acoolat is the “freshest” version of a botanical on its way to becoming an absolute, with more top notes than the absolute version. A portion of the alcohol that is evaporated to create the absolute is used in order to retain the freshness of the botanical.
Disclaimer: samples of Les Indemodables perfumes generously provided by Indigo Perfumery. My opinions are my own.
Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor
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Les Indemodables Cuir de Chine bottle photo by Ann of Indigo Perfumery
Thanks to the generosity of Indigo Perfumery, we have a 50 ml tester bottle ($225) of Les Indemodables Cuir de Chine for one registered reader in the U.S. ONLY. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what strikes you about Les Indemodables Cuir de Chine based on Lauryn’s review. Curious about the line? You can order a sampler from Indigo Perfumery for $28 USD here. Draw ends 5/2/2020
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