Leather is not always easy to love as a note in perfume, and n’or is it easy to work with for perfumers, one suspects. Too much and it can turn into a bitter bomb; too little and it becomes a pointless marketing exercise with all the appeal of a backstreet purchase of a fake designer bag – looks nice from a distance but falls apart on closer inspection of the stitching.
It comes as a great relief, though no great surprise, to find that Odin (ultra-cool lifestyle/concept store in New York where customers go for the pleasure of ‘just hanging out’) understand leather very well indeed, and have made it the hero of the latest in their Black Line of fragrances…
No. 12 Lacha is seamless – a supple leather infused with the ochre tingle of saffron and the merest sprinkling of nutmeg (just enough to notice but not so much that you smell like your nan’s rice pudding) balanced against a spicy pepper background. Suddenly the whole structure seems to give – a sinking into the softest stroke of suede, as though slipping into the yielding pleasure of your favourite jacket. The powdery spice of carnation radiates through sandalwood and patchouli in the base, but the suede and saffron softly buffer the blend throughout. Quite perfect for this time of year, Lacha seems to reflect that quality of Autumnal sunlight diffused through gently blushing leaves.
Odin No.12 Lacha, £125 for 100ml eau de parfum
At Liberty
Written by Suzy Nightingale
