Parfum d'Habit (1988)
by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier

I can't say that I was particularly impressed with this. It was mainly patchouli for me, softened slightly with leather. And I have smelled better leathers, and better masculine fragrances. Very "meh...".

27th December, 2011.

Balance and strict moderation in the dosage of elements in the way that the woody and resinous notes, the leather, the incensey touch and the rooty-earthy ingredients are placed in a sublime and perfect balancement. What does it mean? It means that this assertive, unsociable and discreet fragrance is hardly ranking and placing in a specific genre and that is ancient and modern at once. Each note, furthermore, expresses itsel in its moderate, almost apologetic facet evoiding each bombastic and fiercing kind of behaviour. The opening, under my nose, is a bit aggressive and dusty with a blast of citrus, earthy notes and pine's resins whirling in a dusty-incensey cloud coming from the background. Few time later the raw feel of the juice starts fading towards a averagely bodied silkiness made of dry sandalwood, resins, a touch of balsams and leather. The leathery feel is prominent above all due the clever usage of amber and a whiff of vanilla that soften the roothness, levigate the woodsy resins and let the yard free to the leather with its smell of leathery goods as purses and jackets. The outcome is a woodsy and leathery dry down with a touch of incense and smoke and with a sort of old  clothings kind of undertone. Its assertive but at once charismatic incensey temperament reminds a bit the one of Trussardi Uomo whose the watery lavender starting and the heavy complexity make the smell a bit dated in comparison with the more modern and strict minimalism of Parfum d'Habit. Longevity and sillage are more than good.

25th September, 2011. (Last Edited: 28th September, 2011.)

Leather jacket? Yes

Wool blanket? Sure

Expensive suit? Indeed

Masculine? ABSOLUTELY!

Parfum d'Habit just has that "expensive clothing" vibe that I can't get enough of. It's also the smell of the boss. If you're dressing for that management position, even if you don't have it yet, you absolutely need this fragrance. It's very business assertive.

Unfortunately I feel that you'd have to be happily married, or at least taken, to wear this. I honestly think that PdH could ruin your shot with a woman because it's very intimidating and doesn't contain a hint of friendliness. I'm being very careful with my wording here, because PdH isn't the least bit unpleasant smelling, but it isn't warm or inviting, and it certainly DOES NOT SMILE.

And another point about this is the artistry. PdH is very unique, and yet not even a little bizarre. The vetiver, leather, and sandalwood are clearly discernible notes at times, and yet at other times the smell is a single unit that is more than the sum of it's parts. I believe that this fragrance has existed since the beginning of time, and yet it took Jean Laporte to show everyone.

10th May, 2011.

Parfum D'Habit's extremely compelling opening has a quite distinctive "lived-in" leather note laying on a masterfully refined musk /sandalwood base. The resinous (Pine?) hints add a mysterious extra touch of extreme charme. A well balanced and highly recommended "kinda rough" fragrance.

To be completely honest I found the drydown to be slightly more conventional if compared to the outstanding opening but this may be due to the fact that I'm smelling the reformulated version of this composition. I've heard the vintage version was way more unpolite and unconventional and I'll do everything is possible to put my hands on it.

Overall this is a solid composition, masterfully crafted and miles ahead from today's anonymous scents.

9th May, 2011.

I find this a beauty, not a beast. Yes, it has a urinous Jules or Moustache vibe on impact but it's not overpowering at all. I find it refined but by no means demure.

No surprise at all that this is an '80s baby with its patchouli and leather. At the start it reminded me almost of Aramis - very green and herbal, then the animalic Jules - Kouros - Lauder - Moustache note took over but, much as I love that foursome, Parfum d'Habit probably, like Carly Simon sang, does it better. Adding PDH to the latter four, this pentateuch of fragrance is guaranteed to put serious swagger into the most milquetoasty step.

27th January, 2011. (Last Edited: 28th January, 2011.)

Another wonderful, high-quality creation from Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier. Like so many other reviewers, I find the first 10-20 minutes to be a bit uncomfortable. A damp earthiness dominates those opening minutes and as observed by a few others, I would guess this to be a combination of leather and iris root. Iris is not listed as one of the notes. The opening is not quite fecal to my nose, but certainly reminds of decayed plant material. It brought flashbacks to my days as a boy, growing up in the country, and scooping up a handful of the rich, black humus from the forest floor. This raw earthiness then subsides to make way for a friendlier leather/sandalwood/amber/patchouli event. No incense is apparent to me. Overall, Parfum d'Habit has a very nice drydown and a much-appreciated transition from the opening notes. The result is mature, classy and masculine, the way one might envision Cary Grant or Aristotle Onassis would have smelled in their prime. On my skin, Pd'H stays timid and I think no one would notice the elegant fragrance unless they were standing very close. Longevity is about average for a high-quality EDT. MPG is a bold, amazing niche parfumery.

24th January, 2011.