Van Cleef & Arpels

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1978 brought us this leather chypre from VC&A. Do you like your scents strong, a bit brooding and super masculine? If your answer is yes, you need to at least sample this well executed powerscent.

This is darkened wood mingled with leather and moss. From the opening blast of Bergamot, there's an excellent spicy wood already in your face with more wood coming courtesy of the heart accord. I have yet to run across a masculine with juniper that I didn't like. The juniper in VC&A is extremely good and in no time, it hooks up with heavy hitters such as wormwood, cedar, patchouli and vetiver.

The rose note ensures this stays meloncholy and the additional florals are predestinated to martyrdom. The anamalic leather base is exactly what you'd expect from a classic power bomb from 1978. It does not disappoint. It stays dark, macho and exudes an attitude that only quality ingredients can give. Comparing this chypre to todays masculines in the same genre is like sentencing an 18 year old kid to spend a year being celled up with Mustafa the booty bandit. There would be absolutely no self esteem left.

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