The Metallics

Godolphin Parfums de Marly 2011

See Prices

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

See Prices

7.8 / 10 926 Ratings

A popular perfume by Parfums de Marly for men, released in 2011. The scent is leathery-spicy. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production.

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Main accords

Leathery

Spicy

Woody

Fruity

Sweet

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Saffron

Thyme

Cypress

Heart Notes

Rose

Iris

Jasmine

Base Notes

White cedarwood Amber

Amber

Vetiver

Musk

Vanilla

Perfumer

Michele Saramito

Ratings

Scent

7.8926 Ratings

Longevity

8.0825 Ratings

Sillage

7.6829 Ratings

Bottle

8.5812 Ratings

Value for money

6.7448 Ratings

Submitted by Lila, last update on 07/23/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the "The Metallics" collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Tuscan Leather Eau de Parfum

La Yuqawam pour Homme

Ombré Leather (2018) Eau de Parfum

C for Men

Yara

London Extrait de Parfum

Reviews

27 in-depth fragrance descriptions

11/20/2024

6
Pricing 9
Bottle 8
Sillage 9
Longevity 8
Scent

Omnipotato
276 Reviews

Omnipotato

Helpful Review 6

Fruity leather, despite what the note pyramid says

The person who came up with the note pyramid of this fragrance should be fired. It's already difficult to accurately describe a fragrance using only real-world objects that most people know the smell of, but here it seems Parfums de Marly are intentionally trying to mislead you. The two notes that should be at the forefront of this pyramid are 1. leather, and 2. raspberry. Any other note present here is entirely secondary/support.

If leather and raspberry remind you of Tuscan Leather Eau de Parfum or Ombré Leather (2018) Eau de Parfum, you are correct. Godolphin is a slightly fruitier interpretation of that DNA and thus is probably redundant to own if you own at least one of those. But I think any collector who has even a passing interest in leather should own at least one of these three.

Godolphin is an easy-to-wear leather scent with a woody-musky drydown. It has a bit of a sharp biting "metallic" quality in the opening, but it is soon smoothed out by soft woods and florals. Probably in the middle-of-the-pack as far as PdM's oeuvre. Definitely doesn't get any points for creativity, but is a decent addition to the collection.

01/21/2022

2
Pricing 9
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 9
Scent

Elysium
887 Reviews

Elysium

Helpful Review 6

Arabian Horses at Versailles

Those more informed will surely know that the perfumes of the Parfums de Marly house take their name from the horses of the royal stable of King Louis XV. Hence, Godolphin is one of them, named after the renowned Arabic stallion. The Godolphin Arabian, also known as the Godolphin Barb, was one of three stallions that founded the modern Thoroughbred—the others were the Darley Arabian and the Byerley Turk. They named it after its best-known owner, Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin. Born in Yemen, they gave it to Louis XV of France in 1730. It seems as it was a present from monarch to monarch.

On Godolphin, Parfums de Marly put the accents on smoky, leathery chords that remind me of a beloved smoky suede jacket - which was a custom after leaving a pub or club in the last millennium when smoking inside wasn't a problem. It comes out with fresh notes of herbaceous thyme, here extremely prominent, spiced black saffron and woody cypress, which create a pine-like sensation with a slightly dry and smoky tone. It oozes a solid, leathery scent because of saffron. I can't help but observe an ashy tinge kicking off after the initial blast, fading a bit, with a pinch of moss added to it all. I don't perceive any of the passionate fruity undertones that others are talking about. The whole initial blast gives it that exclamation "Damn!" at the first sniff, but then it will blow anyone's mind. I really love the saffron note in here. It's such an underutilized ingredient outside of these more niche designers, but it's fantastic.

A floral trio of jasmine rose and iris anchors the aroma. While the first two flowers seem muted to my nose, they are in the back seat and not too prominent on my skin. I clearly capture the dusty iris, which adds a touch of dustiness to the middle phase. Indeed, the protagonist in the heart is still a glamorous suede, which grows after an hour. The scent becomes darker and denser. Rather than the horse, Godolphin reminds me of the smell of its saddle.

Then, it veers towards a woody edge and leather in the background with the seductive tones of white cedarwood that carries the aroma of pencil shavings. The bitter vetiver here takes on an inky and gummy vibe and occasionally reminds me of Encre Noire Eau de Toilette with that dark, smoky shade. There is a bed of animalic musk, which stands out with a slight hint of vanilla and amber, almost imperceptible, but in a balanced and well-blended way. Reveals the vetiver note deep in the base with cedar and cypress undertones serving as an aromatic.

Godolphin is definitely a cologne with a masculine and robust cut. Of course, women with a penchant for fragrances like this might wear it, but there are no fruity, sweet, and floral tones in the overall performance. In my experience, I don't get the smooth rose, mellow vanilla, and welcoming amber. Instead, I get an imitation of the leather from a well-crafted blend of dry saffron and wild vetiver, darkened by thyme leaves and cypress shavings. As for the projection, it is strong enough for the first few hours but then becomes much more moderate. It has good longevity and lasts longer when sprayed on clothes. Since no one around me complained, I bet it wears well during the day as it doesn't overwhelm others. At the same time, it suits late autumn when the days get colder, and the winter months, it's perfect for special occasions, formal events, and a night out. It has a sense of intrigue and sensuality that will attract compliments. It will surely attract everyone's attention. You will get compliments on this.

I base the review on a decant I have owned since January 2022.

-Elysium

07/06/2013

7.5
Bottle 7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 7
Scent

oliver1h
13 Reviews

oliver1h

5

Flowers, sweets and leather

Godolphin opens with very intense flowery notes of Saffron, Thyme, Cypress toned down with some green notes, and with some added muskyness to the whole. The other things I notice after the heavy floral opening, are the Fruity notes with Vanilla, and some Amber. These together gave me the impression of leather. I have read some reviews(on other sites), which described this, as more of a floral scent than a leather one. For me it is clearly a leather scent, but not the "raw leather jacket" type of leather. For me it is sweet gourmand leather, with flowers. At later points I can feel some dry woodsyness to it also. It could be labeled as a unisex, maybe more on the feminine side. Give it a try if you like leather scents!

11/14/2024

9
Pricing 9
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 9
Scent

Ceesie
110 Reviews

Ceesie

Helpful Review 3

Squishy leather

You might say this is a copy of Ombré Leather (2018) Eau de Parfum but then again, it's leather. Are all leather scents copies of Tom Fords bestseller?

What I get out of this beautiful golden bottle is a gentle, sour-fruity leather. It's so squishy it makes my mouth water. It's nothing repellant, animalic or petrol-like. Also it's pretty linear, maybe the fruitiness takes the upper-hand over the leatheriness in the end, but we're talking about skinscent by that time.

So where TF: OL might be your John Travolta black leather coat from Grease, Godolphin is more of a sophisticated suede jacket you wear to a well dressed party.

06/21/2023

8
Pricing 10
Bottle 7
Sillage 9
Scent

TonkaTommy
51 Reviews

TonkaTommy

6

Oh wow..

I'm not sure which smells like which, but this is SEXY. To my nose, vetiver and iris take the stage here. The wood is warm and wet (giggity) here and definitely tones down the scent to be silent and strong. This is gold. Definitely a must have for the 30 and up club. This goes perfectly with dark clothe, a black button up and some grey coal jeans. This isn't a "pAnTy DrOpPeR" but an consensual undergarment remover. Great stuff from a great overall house, PDM.

More reviews