Reviews of Tuscan Leather (2007)
by Tom Ford

I don't find this scent as sweet as others have inferred. When I think of sweet leather scents, Dzing! (cade) and VIP Room (vanilla) spring to mind. Just as wine can be sweet or dry, I have to say TL is a dry leather, the sort I associate with fringed suede purses and moccasins from the ’60s/’70s.

A secondary impression conjures images of the men who hung around my dad’s machine shop. It’s the scent of those who chewed or smoked pipe tobacco, which became a part of their general odor, plus the scent of machine oil and metal shavings from the lathe and drill press. Despite the negative imagery that might infer to you, I can still give TL an up thumb—albeit with the caveat that I’d rather layer it with something sweet.

Holy cow! Literally. To my nose, a delicious blend of really earthy suede and L'Artisan Tea for Two notes. Now I have to go look up the ACTUAL notes... And convince myself that I really don't need another gorgeous leather-based frag. Oh, but I am lusting for this one. ::running to hide credit cards::

[b]Tuscan Leather notes:[/b] Saffron, raspberry, thyme, olibanum, night blooming jasmine, leather, black suede and amberwood.

Tom Ford Tuscan Leather

For those of us who were around in the late 70's and early 80's Ricardo Montalban used to be the spokeperson for a car called a Chrysler Cordoba. In the commercials for the Cordoba one of the selling points, delivered in Mr. Montalban's beautiful latin voice, was "soft Corinthian leather". It was always a running joke in my head every time I came across anything in leather to ask, "Is it soft Corinthian leather?". When it comes to fragrances there are a number of excellent leathers out there which cover a number of differing strengths of leather but only the 2007 Tom Ford Private Blend Tuscan Leather captures what I think of when I'm thinking "soft Corinthian leather". One of the hallmarks of the Tom Ford Private Blends is their ability to focus on a singular note and Tuscan Leather does that magnificently. The top is a fleeting mix of saffron and thyme, there is supposed to be a raspberry note here but I have never experienced it. What I do experience is the lightly spicy safrron and the smoky sage and that is a very nice combination. The heart is where the leather comes alive and this is the smell of leather seats in a new car or a new leather sofa and it is quite wonderful, to me. Over time the leather becomes deeper; almost more broken-in and it picks up some warmth and some woodiness as Tuscan Leather's base comes into play. In many ways Tuscan Leather is a linear leather scent but the ability of the leather to change and soften in character from heart to base makes this a line worth traveling. Tuscan Leather has extreme longevity and above average sillage, on me. As he has done in so many of the Private Blends Tom Ford has crafted another winner, this time focused around leather, perhaps he should have called it Corinthian Leather.

Take this review with a grain of salt, as others have experienced something quite different in Tuscan Leather, but I am almost overwhelmed by the fruity, tangy raspberry note! The leather is there to be sure, and as others have said, it's a very true, pure "jacket" leather note, but the raspberry is first among equals, from top to base ( I find it totally linear ).

If I wanted to smell like a handbag filled with summer pudding, Tuscan Leather would be my holy grail - it really is quite phenomenal in the vibrancy and accuracy of both sides of its raspberry/leather duality. Unfortunately, this isn't exactly what I was seeking in a leather fragrance...

The purist’s leather: a rich, smoky, birch tar-laden leather accord unencumbered by much of anything else. Critics might complain that this is more of a perfumer’s “base” than a true fragrance, but if you want unadulterated leather, this is it. Linear for a few of hours before it fades into a soft, labdanum-seasoned amber.

Forget the jasmine, frankincense, herbs, and saffron in the pyramid. It’s about the leather, so if you think the iris and civet in Chanel Cuir de Russie, the fruit, moss, and spices in Knize Ten, and the oudh in Oud Cuir d’Arabie are all distractions, this may be your leather scent. If any of these others are your leather ideal, you might find Tuscan Leather incomplete. But I can’t deny that it smells good!

Tuscan Leather: if there is any scent..and i mean any scent, which can compete with Knize 10, it's Tom Fords Tuscan Leather. straight out of spritzer, it has leather written all over it. With Knize ten, i always had this image of spanking new leather product, polished, toned and finished to perfection, at the same time, i used to get this vibe which is very green. With Tuscan Leather, i dont get any green notes. if i had to set a color to represent tuscan leather, it has to be deep brown. i get the smell of a newly tanned leather sheet. it's supple and soft, ready to be moulded into a wallet or a jacket... i tried hard to find other accords in this scent...but, all i could smell was leather, leather and "only" leather. made me wonder, is this one note frgrance..? coz if it is, then this has to be one of the best scents around which is linear. But, when i say linear, it doesnt mean it doesnt have any other tricks in it's bag. it probably has to do with the quality if ingredients that went into it... This one has a mesmerising sillage..and i mean "mesmerising". close to skin, one could smell the finest leather accord you could possibly sniff and away from skin, this scent swirls up in the air exuding different shades of brown and yes, a comforting warm halo of leather. by mids to base..a shiny tanner..almost tar like note appears and lingers on till the end. amazin scent to be worn in winters and or as one may please. a definite must have for anyone who is looking for a good quality, genuine leather based scent.

Overpriced nonsense. Tom Ford attempts to go for the niche perfume market by putting gold stickers on bottles of cheap mass-produced scent. I did try it but had to wash the shirt I got it on. No leather I could find, just an overpowering cheap cologne smell. Just so cloyingly sleazy I felt dirty.

Tuscan Leather is a soft and warm take on leather, which remains pretty linear throughout its long lifespan. While this doesn’t possess some of the quirks, harshness or animalic properties of other leather scents, I’d say it be ideal for those who find leather scents difficult to appreciate.

A reluctant thumbs-up, nevertheless.

[Original submission date: 05 January 2009]

No wonder they lost to The Romans.

A singularly 'perfumey' frag which by any name still smells synthetic and el cheapo.

Leather? Give me REL or Cuir d' Oranger.
Perhaps this will blend well with your skin chemistry? If so, wear it in good health, cooler climates, and remember that less is more--especially here.
Linear and pungent.

my first impression was of how accurate the leather note is - i've owned countless leather jackets, and this is the smell of a really good new one left on a car rear window in the sun. warm, soft, and... well, very leathery. there's also a cumin note, not at all funky/stinky/sweat cumin but a rounded, deep, mellow cumin/saffron accord (the saffron is quite quietly done) which complements the leather wonderfully - beautiful, warm supple leatheriness.

as for the cocaine note, i don't think it's nearly as prominent as others have made out, but after a few minutes there is a slight alkaline fruity saltiness, very much floating above the leather accord rather than blended with it. i actually really like this aspect of it, and indeed the fragrance in general. i suspect that the 'cocaine' note comes from the raspberry note interacting with something elsei can't identify. it's a very linear scent, but the notes are truly fabulous so this really isnt an issue for me. towards the base there's a slightly ambery element, and what to me smells like crushed dried bay leaves.

It's unabashedly masculine, yet very gentle, and the lasting power is fantastic - i tried it alongside the also great Tobacco Vanille, and it even outlasted that on my skin - pushing 24 hours. Sillage is also very good. I need this in my life.

I love the leather in this. It is fairly up front and dominant in a way that is difficult to describe except to say that if Tom Ford hadn't done this perhaps Santa Maria Novella might have. It is wonderfully unusual and can be modern, classic, generically masculine and unisex at the same time. I love dominant leather fragrances, and this is right up there. Compare and contrast with Spanish Leather by Santa Maria Novella first. I can't tell the Spanish from the Italian, but both are muy bien, multo bene.

soft new leather jacket + cocaine + some kind of chalk/synthetic thing going on. several hours after putting this on, the distant drydown turns into a cuiron-type affair with a little bit of fruitiness and soft leather.....but not as good as Cuiron. Great sillage and great longetivity...i've smelled it on my clothes several days after original wearing......i do dig it, but can't really recommend this to anyone----gotta be really into leathers IMO.

Has an odd scent that doesn't remind me of any leather that I ever smelled. Not my cup of tea and to be honest I couldn't see anyone liking this. I would be scared to where this in public for fear that people would say "who smells like an ash tray". I don't see why this is so popular but hey some people do not like the fragrances I like. I guess everyone's noses are different.

This is the most authentic leather scent to me. For some reason, many other leather scents (especially Royal English Leather and its counterparts) have something in them that disagrees with me. They're almost too pungent and sharp for my tastes. This, however, is a soft, supple leather without any sharpness or pungency - it smells extremely natural on my skin and is a real "comfort scent" for me.

Smooth leather... which doesn't smell like leather. I bought a used car that was still fairly new and the interior smelled like Tuscan Leather with a scented pine tree dangling from the rearview mirror.

Soft, sweet suede. I love it.
It stays pretty linear, but that's a good thing when it smells this nice.
It's not for people who like "rough" leather, though - for that, Cuiron would be my choice. But for soft, smooth leather, this is one of the best.

Another "BLEH". Not too happy, but it's ok.

Refer to my Oudh Wood review, and minus the Oudh Wood.

Sorry, my expectations must have just been too high.

Sorry. 4/10. I can't believe I am saying this, I feel personally shocked and embarassed...I like Tabac Original much, much better than this, not that there is any connection. Just going for the dramatics.

Cheerio.

A soft, sweet leather scent, suede-like indeed. Not the best leather scent I've ever smelled, but I guess I like them a bit rough. If you prefer velvety smooth leather this is it.