Monsieur Couturier
Eau de Toilette, Jean Couturier (1976)

I still have a small bottle of this rather rare fragrance. Like most leather/tobacco EDTs, Monsieur Couturier is extra dry on my skin. The wood notes are present but not rich enough for my personal taste. I would have liked a hint of amber, tonka or even vanilla for a smoother and slightly sweeter drydown. Oddly enough, that fragrance doesn’t really evolve on my skin. It remains the same from start to finish and the longevity is below average. It is not a bad fragrance, just not the best fragrance for me.

In walks a freshly shaven man, gleaming smile, he takes off his coat, and is wear a crisp white shirt and brown suspenders. He has a seductive glance and a sensual aroma of the slightest perspiration under a Spanish leather and caraway seeds (he who brings home the bread may somehow smell like the bread). Monsieur Couturier tents out with a wink and a nod, and you can just make out dimples, so there's some boyish charm, but this is mostly all man, and while in today's age of reductionist discussions on gender expression, what does that mean really? Well, smell this and it will lead the way.

Smoldering like his stare, the scent he emits is somehow creamy yet dry, as equivocal as his persuasion, is he warm or is he austere? Will he love or will he lust? The only signs of tenderness are in the geranium puffs and spindly geranium through the haze of tobacco smoke. He's foxy, though, you gotta admit. That powdered cedarwood handshake that you wish would turn into a close embrace, so you can breathe it all in and get lost in his....

Monsieur Couturier makes me feel a restless longing, as the styrax leatheriness and pulpy tobacco has me somewhat transfixed. It makes me think of what gentlemen wore this, had this on their dresser, where where they while they were wearing this? What were they doing? What were their passions? They saw it on that department store counter, sniffed it, and decided, "this will do." It will do, and it does do, a lot, for something seemingly 70s humble and relegated to obscurity.

Raymond Chaillan, the perfume genius behind such juggernauts as YSL Pour Homme, Marbert Man, Molyneux Quartz, and Ho Hang, was behind this one, so that explains a lot. I have a newfound reverence for conventional 20th century perfumery, courtesy of this gent in suspenders.

A 1976 release from the nose of Raymond Challan, who is perhaps best known as the creator of YSL Pour Homme in 1971, Monsieur Couturier is hard to find nowadays but worth seeking out if you like masculine but not overpowering barbershop and leather scents. It is closest to Monsieur Carven, another scent by Challan which followed in 1978, and reminiscent of Gianfranco Ferre Man from 1986 in its use of leather, moss and spice but in EDT form is neither as long-lasting or powerful in terms of silage as either of those fragrances. Perhaps it smells most of all like a new out of the box pair of Air Jordans from the 1990s, fresh and leathery, with some added herbal and spicy notes in the mix, beautifully and subtly blended with a gorgeous sandalwood drydown. It lasts no more than a few hours on my skin and were it a powerhouse it would be nigh on perfect in my view, but it is understated, elegant and refined as befits the house that produced it. 9/10.

This is essentially a lighter leather scent on my skin, with a light musk note providing an animalic counterpart. An elegant smoky third constituent blends in very nicely. There remains a brightness throughout, and I get very little spiciness or harshness, with a hint of powderiness at the end. Whilst having some decent projection initially, it remains close to my skin after the first hour. Overall longevity is a bit over two hours on me. Well made, but nothing exciting.