Or Black (1982)
by Pascal Morabito

Possibly one of the darkest compositions I've ever experienced. A dense chyprey leather which is almost impossible to describe due to its multi-facets nature. Smoky, leathery, mossy, incensey (resinous), herbal, old fashioned, modern, bitter, aromatic..OMG there's really a lot going on here.

I do apologize if I can't go through notes explaination but Or Black makes me feel positively "uneasy" and prefer to simply recommend it as the perfect example of a "fragrance for people who actually like fragrances" as diametrically opposed to the Turin's concept of "a fragrance for people who don't like fragrances".

Masterpiece.

14th October, 2011.

I've always avoided writing a review of Or Black. I feel that to write a review one should try to maintain some objectivity. And its been a defualt setting in my wardrobe for so long that I can't even pretend to be objective.

Don't know what to wear... Or Black.
Formal without being stuffy.... Or Black.
Alone on a chill winters night and wanting to feel held.... Or Black
Comfort scent.... Or Black.

And its a chameleon. Sometimes I get some notes... sometimes others. Different moods and different weathers bring out multiple facets to me.

Autumn and winter I normally get the leather. Specifically its the smell of new suede. Spring and summer I get the worlds driest rose - imagine a solitary red rose valiantly growing against the backdrop of a Sergio Leone western.

And always that smooth musk and tonka and laubdanum in the far drydown. 24 hours later I still smell it when the hot water of a shower opens my pores. And fall in love with it once again.

Perfume as an art form is about emotion, not objectivity.
Perhaps it wouldnt hang in the Louvre. But this is what would hang above my bed.

11th September, 2011.

Or Black seems to have slipped off the cogs of the fragrance industry machine, and secreted itself in the darker recesses of its housing. Early accords are close enough to Knize Ten that you can clearly see Morabito doffing his cap to the old Austrian prince. Whereas Knize is allowed to become ever more expansive and indulgent, Morabito retains control with closely calibrated accords, always retaining the initial spirit and style. Even the more distant connection to Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme is afforded a cursory upward nod. That said, Or Black does plough its own furrow, seemingly intent on exemplifying a state of solitude.

Softer ingredients are introduced in the base, perhaps to alleviate any perceived fragrant austerity. I sometimes wish the perfumer had been allowed to descend further into the twisted caves of his imagination and allowed Or Black to become darker still. Melancholy, dry and decidedly bleak, Morabito have produced something for nihilists, poets and geography teachers.

23rd March, 2011.

This must have been what Studio 54 smelled like. Leather, musk -- and hairspray. Leather-and-musk scents are a dime-a-dozen. But that oddly synthetic chemical note, which I can only describe as hairspray, is original, adding a certain sparkle and making Or Black a great scent for an urban-chic stud enjoying himself out on the town. Not for day wear.

25th January, 2011.

I approached this as a blank slate -- ie I had forgotten what it was supposed to be like, and I felt it to be a fantastic incense. (It smells similar to the Japanese style of incense/dry and well blended). There is no soft sweetness here, nor sharp citrus or herb notes. It is just a tightly-woven quality masculine. Ok...!... LEATHER..not frankincense...very well done.

8th June, 2010.

For a while, I found myself appreciating this scent – and that surprised me, since I really have no fondness for leather scents, or quirky avante-garde techno scents (which this seems like to me). Yet, for a while I was pleasantly tolerating this. It starts off with an interesting sage and aromatic herb note. It seemed like some sage soaps I own. The leather note emerged quickly, and at that point it was OK. Dark brown notes appeared, which reminded me of rubber and dark chocolate. Still, I could appreciate it, and I these are not my usual notes at all. As long as these elements remained dry and translucent, I was OK with the scent. But then they got dense, sweet and stronger. The rubber-leather chord got to be too much for me. I’ll only give this a neutral; others who like these notes may enjoy this scent.

8th March, 2010.