Cuir de Russie (1924)
by Chanel

Maybe it's me, maybe it's the new regs, but I am so dissappointed in this fragrance. Yes, it is well balanced like any respectable Chanel, but my problem is that this scent is too well behaved. It starts as a soft floral leather and ends...period. It is not long lasting on my skin and it never "blooms". It is not evil nor is it unusual nor is it beautiful. It's pretty while it lasts, which is not enough for me to buy another bottle. On my third try, I just sprayed over it with Cuir de Lancome. Sorry, Folks.

6th October, 2011.

As much as leather is one of my favorite scents, of the (limited, I admit)leather-featured scents I've tried most have gone into plasticky-PVC-bondage leather rather than butter-soft leather gloves passed down from a chic female relative. Cuir de Russie, however, was love at first sniff. It opens with a dirty animalic note that's borderline fecal, but the soft, creamy, spicy florals seep in and smooth out this animal's shaggy fur until Cuir de Russie becomes this heart-achingly beautiful blend with an undercurrent of barely-bridled danger; a lady in leather and lace, a sleek panther at repose in a meadow. I feared the bergamot and mandarin might ruin CdR as citrus is my skin's nemesis, but the two are either nonexistent here or (more than likely) thankfully so well interwoven with the other notes that I can't make out their presence.

I have the current Exclusifs EDT, and so cannot compare to past formulations or the parfum, but I can imagine those are as beautiful if not more so. For an EDT sillage and longevity are quite long, and I only regret buying the smaller EDT. Ah well, more wiggle room in my budget to save for the parfum!

27th August, 2011.

This is an incredibly complex scent composed of leather and tobacco notes as well as a gorgeous collections of florals and frankincense...when people speak of it as skanky I really don't get that as much as I get smoky. Chanel really hit it out of the park with Cuir de Russie, and if you like dark heroines from books like Anna Karenina, then Cuir De Russie is for you. This is probably one of the reasons that you came to Basenotes to begin with. Sample this one, this is part of the Chanel legend.

14th August, 2011.

Scored a flacon on Friday that was 75% off at a local fragrance store here and it was only $50! Yay me! Wonderful fragrance! Too bad it's been discontinued. Close to the skin. Strong lemon notes on the opening then comes the leather and birch. Finishes with ambergris and powder to me. Longevity is only a couple of hours but a fabulous couple of hours!

31st July, 2011.

I’ve got the 15ml parfum along with a tester of the EDT.

CdR smells equestrian to me - elite, decadent, burled wood, artisanal saddles socked with sweat, manure. All in a paddock surrounded by flowers. Magnificent. I bet Hermes wished they’d made this.

The parfum is richer, more heady, it amps up the old-world eroticism by walking the fine line between refinement and brutality. The edt is more aldehylic, thinner, more modern and immediate. Still great though.

Suitable for men and women. Ideally the wearer will be aquiline, haughty, probably loaded, possibily slightly cruel. I’m none of those things, but I love it and I’m going to wear it. It doesn't really "fit" my lifestyle - I'm too ordinary, but this is the stuff of dreams, and I when I wear it I dream about The Ballet Russes, polished samovars and dangerous Cossacks with leather riding boots.

Wears very close to the skin and doesn't last long, so a VERY expensive luxury. I don't regret it at all. I was going to get Bandit. This is twice the price but I enjoy it twice as much.

11th July, 2011. (Last Edited: 18th July, 2011.)

The Russian Leather that’s survived... and with good reason. This is an undeniably *floral* leather that unites the Chanel bouquet of iris, jasmine and ylang ylang with more foreboding notes of birch, civet, castoreum. It is also the most warm-blooded of the traditional Chanels, the one with fur and a supple conscience. It never feels ritzy, but it is unabashedly plush and, dare I say it, a tad pretty for my lascivious tastes – which really means I should spend less time whining and more time on eBay hunting for the vintage formulation, which is rumoured to grunt and growl.

Speaking only, then, of the current formulations, I'd recommend the Parfum over the Eau de Toilette. The EdT is Jacques Polge's 1983 effort to put an old masterpiece in a modern frame, and it is lit with aldehydes and given the Les Exclusifs treatment of an amped-up iris. The Parfum is more husky, less floral, and boasts a more generous slathering of animalic butters. Both formulations dry down to a gorgeous soapy lather, but Cuir de Russie Parfum does it on horseback.

16th June, 2011.