Cuir Ottoman (2006)
by Parfum d'Empire

If you like your leather scent to be less floral but more leather-like, look no further. This is the real deal. Unlike the fine leather impressionists such as Heeley's Cuir Pleine Fleur and Serge Lutens' Daim Blond, CUIR OTTOMAN's florals are subdued enough to allow a more realistic projection of the leather scent you smell off shoes, bags, even furniture. There is also a certain dry 'saltiness' about it that reminds me of preserved fruits. Rather mouth-watering if you ask me. While I can imagine men wearing this, this is not for me. I don't wish to smell like a pair of shoes. I also feel the only women who can pull this scent off with panache are the leather-clad rock chicks. But then again, with that much leather in their attire, they probably won't be needing this scent at all.

Everyone seems to be getting something a bit different out of Cuir Ottoman. Could it be a "chemistry" thing?

For me Cuir Ottoman went on tart, with the leather, a fresh, bitter green note, and something vanillic in the background. During the first hour the opening tart note becomes positively sour - even a touch vinegary - before softening and melding with floral and fruity heart notes and the now-prominent leather in a new accord. The impression is of something sweet and fruity: perhaps a cherry candy wrapped in leather. Odd and intriguing, but also a bit artificial or synthetic to my humble nose.

The tart note continues to fade over the next few hours, allowing the heart to soften, and the fruit and florals blend more completely with the leather. At this stage Cuir Ottoman began to ring familiar, though I couldn't immediately decide why. Then it hit me: Daim Blond. That's right, the Serge Lutens fragrance plays the same kind of fruit and leather game, though prehaps with a bit more finesse.

Leather and vanillic notes hold sway over the drydown, though the sweet floral elements never fully lose their grip. The whole performance takes place close to the skin, with only minimal projection. This is a nice scent, and if you like Daim Blond you probably ought to try it. Me? I'm more compelled by other leathers, including Oud Cuir D'Arabie, Tabac Blond, Knize Ten and Cuir Mauresque. Oh, and mochi227 is right - its unquestionably unisex.

Cuir Ottoman is amazing. It opens with a strong, luxurious leather scent. The leather stays through the wear. Notes of wood and tobacco come through to me. There is a slight floral or vanilla tht begins to open up and soften it, but never makes it sweet. I have tried to many leather scents to count, and this is definitely the one that achieves complexity without betraying the essence of leather.

Leather and Iris, that's what I got when I sprayed this on my arm. The scent dries down to a less vanillic Bulgari Black, a bit more subdued and refined.

Classy offering, definitely wearable for a man, but nothing groundbreaking.

Cuir Ottoman starts off rather boozy, for the first five minutes I could smell is a note that reminds me of Jack Daniel's Old No7. The floral heart notes start to creep in on top of the boozy note with the leather not far behind; at this point in its development Cuir Ottoman seems to lose coherence, becoming a raucous cacophony of rather synthetic smelling notes. The iris comes in adding an earthiness and a little dirt but it still seems muddled by the time the basenotes are fully apparent.

After all of the good words I have read about this fragrance, I wish I could find a redeeming factor... but it eludes me. This is an unbalanced, muddled, synthetic smelling mess of a fragrance; all in all quite a horrid scent.

Slightly dirty and kinky leather with iris, fruits, and something balsamic. Intoxicating sillage. A guilty pleasure.