Three of my favourites, and no matter what else I try, I keep coming back to them for reference: Chanel Coromandel, Boy, and Cuir de Russie. Boy is my spring and summer pick – lavender and vanilla done in a way that makes it light and fresh.
My first encounter with this perfume was a generous size decant that I used up in a week at the cottage, so this will always be a summer perfume for me. Chanel will spin a yarn about Boy being a tribute to Coco Chanel’s beau Boy Capel, but I think that Boy actually references Caron’s Pour un Homme, the lavender vanilla that came way before it. The story behind Coromandel is that it is named after the Coromandel screens that Coco Chanel had, but the Coromandel coast is in India and this is Chanel’s ode to amber – the warmth in this scent is reminiscent of other perfumes that refer to India, screens or no screens. Patchouli, benzoin, vanilla, and incense make this scent a joy to wear.
It changes with every hour and even with every wear. Cuir de Russie is the only leather perfume I have in my collection and the only leather that I can wear – because it doesn’t have that new car smell. It has birch tar to evoke the scent of leather and it always makes me think of a stable, not a barn. This scent evokes fresh soap in a stable but there’s no horse or hay in sight, just leather. I think it’s also the Les Exclusifs that’s not mentioned as much – a little slept on, but it’s still one of my favourites. This line does everything right – everything is measured just so. If you have a chance, smell them in a Chanel boutique and try them on skin, because that’s where the magic is.
