by Mark
Back when I was first exploring leather fragrances, Tabac Blond was a name that always seem to come up in a reverential whisper. Hints of scandal, impropriety, something a bit too bold, too strong, too flagrant. The difficulty in finding any only added to the mystique. Did it smell like leather? Ashtrays? Tobacco? Evil women? I was intrigued.
Through the department stores and online shops I pursued her, to no avail. I called Caron in New York and left a voice mail, which was not returned. I grew obsessed.
I was finally introduced to the object of my obsession by the enigmatic Andre of Perfumerie Jacqueline in San Francisco. Deadpan as always, he casually sprayed my forearm with a generous shot of Eau de Toilette of uncertain vintage. I was surprised and, in a way, disappointed; the fragrance was certainly shocking, but nothing like what I expected; it seemed more like a sharp petroleum distillate.
It got better as the day went on, and by the time I got to the burnt smoky vanilla drydown that evening, I was hooked; the next day I went back and plunked down a hefty sum for 15ml of extrait, the only concentration he had available for sale.
When I first put it on, I was shocked again; it was nothing like the EdT I had tried; it was much thicker, sweeter, spicier, and more floral. Was it the different concentration? Was the tester deteriorating? Reformulation? Some of each? There was no way to tell.
I wore it repeatedly for days, and at night the heavy scent affected my dreams... the fine gold braid around the neck of the little bottle seemed to diffuse parfum into the air. I couldn't really find any leather in it, but it had a lot of presence and gravitas, and no small amounts of carnation and vanilla.
Affairs with other fragrances, and then the summer months saw us grow apart, and when the weather grew cool again, I was hesitant to resume our relationship; had she changed? Had I? What would our relationship be like?
This time, I found the leather. And the tobacco.
First impression is sharp and spicy; some of the ashtray of Bandit EdT, but deepened by the carnation. It is a somewhat alien and unsettling combination.
The initial sharpness gradually wears off as the iris, vetiver and cedar come into play, though they are never in the foreground; the carnation lasts a long time.
In the drydown, the vanilla, amber and musk support and enrich the leather that now appears fully developed.
I have not smelled the vintage Tabac Blond of legend, and so cannot comment on what has been done by Richard Fraysse since he took over the line and the task of reformulating, but most who have smelled vintage TB feel that the new version is not as good.
This may not be your grandmother's Tabac Blond, but she's a game girl all the same. I'm still not quite sure what to make of her. I like her, but she's weird.
Tabac Blond, I mean; I doubt I've met your grandmother.
Perfumer: Ernest Daltroff
Year: 1919
Notes: Leather, Carnation, Linden, Iris, Vetiver, Ylang Ylang, Cedar, Patchouli, Vanilla, Amber, Musk.
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