After I acquired "Jules" by Dior and appreciate this quirky composition, I also sent the relatives from Berlin to Harry Lehmann's little shop. In a photo on the web, it looks very antiquated and, according to my Berlin "contact person," it has a very peculiar charm in reality. ;O)
Now I have the small, unadorned spray bottle in front of me, and Harry Lehmann's "Russian Leather" has already made itself comfortable on my forearm for quite some time.
This scent is truly out of its time. This is how older gentlemen still smelled during my childhood in the seventies. But you can also sense its era from the late twenties and the beginning of the thirties of the last century. It is already quite enveloping with just one spray. Back then, it had to withstand a whole night of Charleston dancing and stand up against cigarette and cigar smoke. Moreover, people wore suits, tails, or tuxedos, not unbuttoned shirts or light T-shirts.
Woody notes, chypre notes, and a certain sharpness alternate. This fragrance is dark, deep, and strong. A certain soapiness conveys a clean or rather a hygienic impression. This must have been very sensible at that time with their white shirts, on which the collars were unbuttoned for changing. Nowadays, one should be cautious with the dosage. One spray or at most two spritzes under the clothing is enough to envelop oneself in a distinctive scent cloud. So definitely not suitable for today's workday. I think I will enjoy this little bottle for a long time.
Somehow, I love this fragrance direction. It is so old-fashioned, good, positively intrusive, and quirky.
