Scandal (1933)
by Lanvin

Somehow I haven't dared to write a review for my holy grail LEATHER (a cuir-de-russie to be precise). This is Scandal for me, no doubt! It was also one of the very first vintage extraits I hoarded (they somehow seemed to float my way naturally as this is normally extremely hard to come by) and finally stayed after I had a fair part of my vintage stuff traded away again. Scandal is to stay... over the time, I managed to procure a really old, what looks like wartime 1930/40s 'economy' packaging bottle, still sealed and wrapped in its paper with very little evaporation as well as several tester bottles from a tester set for the Lanvin classics what could be 1950s (I'm guessing) and finally fairly new ones, possibly before its discontinuation in the late 1960s / early 1970s.
The WWII Scandal is extremely smoky and animalic leathery, yet smooth, rich and luxurious on skin. Cuir-de-russie leathers are sort of by definition skin scents. It clearly evokes images of smoky bars, fur coats, alcohol (liquors) and worn leather, heavily used leather seats etc. How you achieve smoothness, richness and glamour in this composition is probably the biggest asset of the old Scandal. Of course, an extrait this old will not or hardly present the floral notes as they were originally, no matter how well preserved it is (sealed, wrapped in original paper and very little evaporation).
Naturally, the newer Scandal is clearly more floral (jasmine is a big player). The smoothness and richness is present, it is just the overall vibe that is less butch, less animalic. My guess is that both factors come in here... age - the animalic components are enforced in the very old jus, but still, I think that the 1940s jus could be more 'scandalous' as life was simply dirtier and smellier in its time compared to the 1960/70s.
I think what distinguishes Scandal most from the vintage Cuir de Russie from Chanel is a certain 'warmth' and 'richness'. There is no other like Scandal and I will treasure it dearly...

14th December, 2011.

Wow. All leather, all the time. Serious leather. There are other notes, beautifully described already by other and better noses, but on my skin this wears as much more intensely leathery than anything else I've tried, from Lancome Cuir (new) to Chanel CdR. It's a gorgeous one, longlasting and smooth, but my personal preference is for something with more floral and green in the mix.

21st October, 2010.

I don't know how, but I managed to nab a 1930's coffret of four Lanvin minis, late one night on Ebay for under $40. It seems as though the bottle of My Sin was missing form the set and had been replaced along the way with a second bottle of Scandal, so that there were 2 bottles of Scandal, I bottle of Arpege and 1 bottle of Rumeur. That was fine with me since I already had a full sized vintage bottle of MY Sin. Now, let me tell you that vintage Scandal deserves every positive review it has received here. I thought Chanel's Cuir de Russie was the ultimate leather scent, but Scandal has now taken over that position in my mind. While I think Cuir de Russie is amazing Scandal is the most realistic leather scent I've experienced to date. It's also mildly sweeter and less harsh than Cuir de Russie can sometimes be. I agree with bbBD that Asha has written the perfect review for Scandal, so all I will add is that this scent is gorgeous from it's smoky opening down to it's soft floral leather drydowwn. This is one classy leather scent and is worth the hunt you're surely going to have to go through to get your hands on it.

11th September, 2009. (Last Edited: 12nd September, 2009.)

Review of vintage extrait formulation:
The drydown and development of Scandal is an incredible journey.

It begins with peat-infused whiskey, indolic but not sweet florals and a bite of civet. A touch of spice, possibly clove or carnation begins soon thereafter, along with damp, fresh-cut orris. Then comes the leather, and I mean real leather, naturally tanned with plenty of animalic scent remaining. It's the assertive leather of of well-worn saddles and harnesses of the gentry, not delicate handbags and gloves. In fact, you are taken into the stable, with the introduction of grain, hay, damp and slightly sweaty hair, and even a touch of liniment in the form of what I think may be castoreum. There is also a bit of tobacco, not sweet, but slightly biting and tart.

This assertive leather stage softens and sweetens, going from stiff saddle leather to fine kidskin. The powdery orris intensifies and the florals return, albeit subtly, never getting in the way of the now-refined leather.

The final act is pure magic. The musk-heavy base pulls in a slightly astringent incense, complete with the burnt ashes in the censor. The leather becomes damp, mossy, and eventually gives way to costus, oakmoss, vetiver and more musk.

I know that the word 'masterpiece' is tossed about rather casually on Basenotes. I contend that Scandal is the real deal.

21st May, 2009.

On my right wrist I have Scandal, just unsealed from cello,box, and bottle. Top notes still evident, unlike the wondrous goo at the bottom of most vintage bottles. On my left wrist I have vintage Crepe de Chine: they smell similar, initially, having many common components, although the leather in Scandal is much more prominent, making it sultry and far superior. Crepe de C. has a carnation note, making it a spicy floral chypre with a leather angle. Scandal defines the genre of floral leather chypre.

27th March, 2009.

It's taken me a couple tries to get a sample of Scandal that was still in excellent shape. Now that I have, I can report that it is an incredible leather fragrance - among the best I've ever tried. Glove smooth and very luxurious, Scandal is reminiscent of vintage Chanel Cuir de Russie but even smoother and richer. Asha's review, below, is superb. There's no way I can follow such a good review so I won't try.... read her review to learn about Scandal, then go find yourself a sample. If you like leather fragrances it's worth buying a couple bottles on eBay until you find one that still smells good.

24th March, 2009.