English Leather (1949)
by Dana

I don't normally go out of my way just to talk about how bad a fragrance is but wow... I saw this for sale at $6 and thought 'what a find!' so i dabbed it on my wrist and it was by far the most off-ptting cologne I've ever smelled. I thought royal copenhagen was a bit urine-like but compared, this is pure urine mixed with baby powder and I, along with the rest of the people with me who I made smell it, smelled nothing more

18th July, 2011.

I have been using EL on and off for 20 years...and I guess that's good favor since I have a bottle under my sink at the moment. VERY strong lemon/leather when you first splash it on. Wife HATES when I put it on after an evening shower (the best time). After about 15 minutes, EL becomes an old and welcome friend. Very masculine, and not "old" like some colognes...I'll probably always have it around.

29th May, 2011.

An old gentleman, English Leather is one of the few vintage colognes to stand the test of modern retailer and consumer taste and time and is a stalwart at Christmas in drugstores and discounters across North America. Of all the Dana Classics readily available, this is by far the most accessible to all ages and tastes. Enough has already been said about the reformulation and I won´t dwell on it, but despite the move towards a less leathery and barbershop cream scent and towards a more direct, dryer creation, English Leather offers one of the best bargains in fragrance around.
The notes in this one pretty much sum up its simplicity, but don´t confuse that with a lack of sophistication. This is one of the nicest dry-downs around, revealing a wonderful sandalwood layer that overtakes the early lemon and lime top notes that flicker out relatively quickly. It can border on cloying for some because at its core it is very synthetic and Dana takes shortcuts in the ingredients that the original did not.
Still, an essential purchase with very decent longevity and projection compared to much more expensive and lower-performing frags on the market. Can be found in gift sets after Christmas in abundance for cut-rate prices at most bargain discounters, hold out for the larger spray cap bottle if you can, projects better and seems better blended than the smaller sample viles.

2nd March, 2011.

This review is for the vintage, since I haven't sniffed the current production.

My memory of the topnotes was confirmed by the old 'MEM' bottles I have, circa 1980... kind of soapy, citrus and a bit musty. Not very 'leather' really, but immediately recognizable and true to my memories.

But the drydown... what a surprise! Once the topnotes fade, the vintage Old Leather leaves you with a very rich sandalwood. In fact, it's one of the best sandalwood scents I've ever smelled.

For those who enjoy sandalwood, vintage EL should be a 'must have'.

21st January, 2011.

I love it! It's a beautiful perfume for classics men, is a "jazz" of parfumes!

19th January, 2011.

My favorite aspect of English Leather is the classic smells-like-it-sounds name that is seldom if ever employed in the modern industry. If you've smelled this one before, you hear 'English Leather' and associate with it leather, lime, moss, countryside, affable, courteous, utilitarian, reliable, everyday, familiar. He's always been around and no one seems to mind the company.

4th January, 2011.