Rêve en Cuir Indult 2008

Some notes are easier than others. Not to create, but to accept at face value. Vanilla is one. People recognize 'vanilla', whether it's a vanilla bean or ethyl vanillin. Synthetic vanilla aromachemicals are used because they smell ‘like’ vanilla.

Leather requires a little more imagination. There are more links in the chain of associations that lead to the scent of leather. It’s not even strictly leather that we smell, it’s the combination of the hides and the chemicals of the tanning process. The scent of leather is not one particular thing, but a range of tones in the spectrum of leather.

However a material is derived, if it smells ‘like’ vanilla, it can be considered vanilla. Perfume composition relies on an olfactory algebra: let x = vanilla. Leather presents a more interesting premise to the perfumer. After a connection from A through Z is made, our neurology doesn’t perceive the steps in a chain of associations, just the connection of A and Z. Whether we see the links or not, they are there for the perfumer to play with, making leather a playground of abstraction. Witness the birch tar leathers from early in the early 20th century, the inky synthetic leathers that followed and the range of floral and plastic leathers that came along as compositional rules loosened.

The goal of creating a leather perfume isn’t emulation of leather, though perfume marketing has historically spun piles of bullshit about leather opera gloves, black leather corsets and the innards of Birkin bags. Leather is the inspiration, not the goal. There are as many strategies to composing a leather perfume as there are sub-genres. See: Vierges et Toreros’s lucite leather. S-Ex’s subliminal musky leather. Azurée’s sizzling citrus leather. Bel Ami’s gasoline leather. Cuir de Russie’s iris leather. Cuir d’Ange’s herbal-soapy leather.

Reve en Cuir’s approach isn’t novel but it is effective. It creates a hissy topnote similar to the violet-leaf gasoline of Dior Fahrenheit and its predecessor, Bel Ami. The topnotes sharpen, coalescing into a cool, sweet, clove-like heart. Reve en Cuir’s richness comes from intricacy and what it lacks in projection it makes up for in evolution and duration. It balances richness with precision editing and, though it smells like no particular leather object, it is perfectly coherent. Exemplary of Kurkdjian’s best work, it isn’t radical but it is inventive and intelligible.

from scenthurdle.com

Reve en Cuir opens with a load of cloves juxtaposed to sweet, tart notes of vanilla, citrus (not that “citric”, rather aromatic and plushy) and nutty-resinous cardamom. I don’t get much oregano honestly, and I was intrigued by that as despite I love it, I rarely smell it in fragrances. But I do smell something more generically mossy-herbal, and also something somehow “woody-syrupy” if that makes sense, something like the cedar note in Lutens’ Cèdre if you know the fragrance. Now, the contrast between the pungent sharpness of cloves and herbs, and the sweet-tart-nutty notes of vanilla, citrus and cardamom (and that sweet, cedar-like note), is not exactly the most pleasant clash around in my opinion: it’s interesting at first, but soon a bit cloying to me. And overall that is my take on this scent, since it does not have much of an evolution; it has something that just does not work in my opinion. It’s not that pleasant, not particularly refined, not that deep or compelling, and on the other hand, not enough “creatively stinky” to represent some sort of creative statement. It’s just... don’t know, a “meh”. The drydown would be nicer, if it was just a bit louder, while it’s really close to skin. Sweet-woody-herbal cloves for hours, basically, with a warm and soft drydown; nothing bad, but nothing particularly remarkable either (especially for the price).

6-6,5/10

Reve en Cuir opens with a mild clove and herb spiced cedar before transitioning to its middle. During the early heart the spiced cedar remains now joined by an emerging powdery vanilla rising from the base and a very subtle supporting suede accord. During the late dry-down the powdery vanilla dominates as the composition quickly fades. Projection is below average, as is longevity at 6-7 hours on skin.

I can only describe Reve en Cuir as a disappointment. It is disappointing because the suede leather is so subtle it gets overpowered (or should that be "over-powdered") by the vanilla base note which isn't that strong to begin with. Cedar is also detectable from the get-go, but this is not really the kind of cedar I enjoy, unfortunately, with its implementation strongly resembling pencil shavings. The whole thing comes off as way too introverted for my tastes; highly polished, but somehow missing heart and spunk. The bottom line is the $200 per 50ml bottle Reve en Cuir is a polished composition for sure though it comes off detached with wimpy performance, earning an "above average" to "good" rating of 2.5 to 3 stars out of 5. It is tough to recommend Reve en Cuir at its relatively lofty price point with the less costly Duchaufour composed Cuir de Nacre by Ann Gerard being a much better smelling and implemented alternative.

The Rue de Castiglione connects the Rue de Rivoli, the northern boundary of the Tuileries, with the parallel Rue Saint Honoré. At the southern end of this barely 150-meter-long street lies, shaded by a colonnade, a special gem, namely the Paris store of Jovoy. On dozens of square meters, a wide range of some of the most exclusive fragrances unfolds in a generous presentation, reaching well into the high price league and including brands like Clive Christian, Kemi, Puredistance, and Roja. The in-house creations take - in astonishing understatement - not even a prominent place. Rarities such as the fragrances from Anatole Lebreton can also be discovered.

Dim light (the photo on the internet is misleading) softens the scene, with individual spotlights setting accents. As if one were looking into a treasure chamber - keyword "gem." Howard Meggi admires the treasures of Pharaoh Tu’s-on-the-skin.

Despite all the nobility, there was no sense of arrogance. An attentive yet unobtrusive advisory offer, knowledgeable and open to lively discussion; rounded off by the fact that a drink was offered to the waiting family - and to me one or two samples. "M" from Puredistance was filled without hesitation. And also "Rêve en Cuir." Never heard of it before. To my surprise, it turned out that Master Kurkdjian is responsible for the Indult fragrances.

This raises certain stylistic expectations, which, however, are only hesitantly fulfilled. Just a hint of citrus at the forefront before it quickly becomes dusty-green-herbaceous-warm. Above all, I smell a lot of clove. Rêve en Cuir can almost compete at this stage with scratch bombs of the caliber "Vetivert" from Angela Flanders or with Timothy Hans' "She came to stay" (second batch). And such from Mr. Kurkdjian?

That such spice-miserliness on dark green might not correspond to his usual habit seems to dawn on him after half an hour. From then on, I might be able to imagine violet-leather. It initially has a hard time getting out, as the scent is simply a stubborn, warm-spicy-dark creature in the first two hours. Our little leather can only hang like a veil over it - more thought or...dream than truly involved, fitting at least to the theme.

Gently, further aspects emerge: A metallic note, whose brightness reaches into the soapy. A bit of a pea-like scent. The warmth develops a cinnamon-brambly twist. It only becomes "Kurkdjianier" later in the morning when dabs of sweetness bring the now subtler green and milder spice to dance. The fragrance gains a surprisingly floating aura considering the beginning, which I find very appealing. Leather? Hm. A tiny hint of leathery smokiness from the patchouli corner can now be sensed additionally.

Soft-spicy-warm-green it goes into midday. Oregano becomes plausible upon request. But in truth, we are dealing with a homogeneous layer from which individual components can only be reluctantly extracted. The aforementioned "upon request" seems to me a fundamental approach: All mentioned ingredients are within reach - and most of them somehow not again. For the most part, it remains at hints, thus the "dream" is well realized.

The leather. Well, the leather... In the specifications (which, by the way, cannot be found on the manufacturer's page), it is not even included. Rightly so. Its hints clearly derive from elsewhere. I think, as explained, of violet and patchouli, hardly coincidentally leather camouflage for very different directions: light and fine vs. coarse-sour.

The scent has become calm and still; by early afternoon, the final retreat begins, and before the eighth hour, it is over. Could it be because (as claimed by the provider) "natural ... extracts" were used? That would be great, although I would have spontaneously guessed that there might be a drop of supporting chemistry on board towards the end. It's not decisive.

Conclusion: With 'Carnal Flower' and 'Une Fleur de Cassie' by Malle, I felt that Mr. Ropion succeeded in transposing the lush florality of the old school into the present and found both creations to be powerful-floral on one hand and yet transparent-modern. I feel similarly here: As if Mr. Kurkdjian has brought the herbaceous-masculine character of some overly full classics into the present by using the same paint box but dabbing and splattering instead of slapping and glopping. Very successful. 'Rêve en Cuir' is a beautiful primary men's fragrance that unjustly receives a rather reserved evaluation so far. I like it better with each wear. And of course, our ladies can also wonderfully enjoy it. It's just not for little girls.

PS: I am amused to read further that the fragrances "do not contain any colorants...". Well, it might not really hurt to do without them...

This fragrance is a true discovery. And in several ways a surprise.

A classic Russian leather very much in the tradition of Chanel's Cuir de Russie. Clearly more inclined towards soft suede than dark, tarry black leather. Wonderfully aromatic and delicately tied to the past through a slightly dominant clove note. Throughout, it is finely balanced between a spicy leather tone - initially clove-like and slightly animalic at the beginning, later cinnamon-soft - subtle powderiness, and a restrained sweetness, which surely comes from the pink pepper, but for me also includes a floral aspect, thus maintaining the connection to Chanel. In the spice note, it is somewhat more pronounced than that, while in the floral note it lacks the slightly aldehydic-waxy quality and overall feels a bit fuller and tends to appear a shade darker. The Chanel (the EdP version) appears slightly cleaner and brighter in comparison. In terms of scent profile, they are similar, and they match closely in the balanced composition and quality of the ingredients. The prominent clove note also reminds me of the special, elegantly classic mood in Patricia de Nicolai's 'New York', which, as a Chypre-Fougère hybrid, naturally has a different scent characteristic but radiates the same refined, slightly retro aura. In the end, Rêve en Cuir is a wonderfully warm, aromatic, well-worn suede.

Besides the surprise of the traditional orientation, the second is the perfumer: Francis Kurkdjian. I would never have associated such a classically oriented composition with him. But the craftsmanship of the fragrance quickly explains this and increases my appreciation for him. And the third: Indult was his first own brand, founded in 2006. For it, he designed five fragrances, four of which are still produced today. Although he no longer owns it, it has been maintained for over a decade by a perfume enthusiast who took over the house. Fortunately, even after such a long pause, a sixth fragrance was released last year, designed by Nathalie Feisthauer.

Rêve en Cuir means leather dream, by the way. In my eyes, it is just that. On par with Chanel's Cuir de Russie. What it lacks for me to reach a 9.0 or more is a bit more individuality. But it wears so wonderfully.
Rieke2021 has written an interesting overview on the brand page regarding the meaning of the name and the history of the perfume house 'Indult'.
The price for 50 ml is currently at €180, which certainly cannot be held against such a small niche brand. Perhaps the name also obliges (Indult = privilege) ;)